"Backstage With Vanessa Carlton"
An interview by Beth Romano for the Oneonta State Times
April 30, 2003
Submitted to NESSAholics.com by Nikki "Dancernl"  (Beth's friend)

She's one of the music industry's rising stars; has received multiple Grammy nominations; has an album out, Be Not Nobody, and is currently working on her second one, all in the same year! Before the concert she gave on Saturday April 26, she gave some thoughtful insight on everything from performing for legends to dealing with the stresses of being a musician in today's world.

BETH ROMANO: What made you first get into singing? Who were your role models?

VANESSA CARLTON: I really didn't like a lot of singers growing up. I mean, I grew up watching a lot of 80's MTV videos, So There and a lot of a-Ha and such, but I never wanted to be famous, never wanted to be a star, I just wanted to perform, I wanted to be creative. It just made me happy. There was never one person that I was-you know even like Madonna, it was every little girl's dream to capture some of her elements. I was always entertained by her, but never wanted to be in her shoes.

BR: What would your dream gig be? Who would you love to play with?

VC: I had my dream gig, but I wouldn't mind having it again. I got to perform with one of my heroes. Neil Young invited me to play the bridge that they picked and I ended up sharing the stage with Neil and James Taylor, and other contemporary artists, like Blue Fire and Chuck Johnson, and there was me;
it was really great. It was great company. They were all really cool people. It's hard; I find a lot of celebrity musicians pretty lame.

BR: I remember a while back you played with Elton John. What was that like?

VC: Actually, I was very unprepared for that concert. I did a benefit for Elton. Meeting Elton was great, but I was kind of bummed out because I felt I didn't prepare myself for that. I did a cover, I was scared out of my mind.

BR: What have been the best moments, or maybe the craziest moments, so far in your career?

VC: It's hard, because my life over the past two years has never been defined by one night, one moment. There are moments in shows when I'm just like "Ahhh, I'm so happy that this is my job" but it's more a progression of success and regaining perspective on things. I'm proud of the development over the past couple months, and I'm really looking forward to where it's growing and all that. The moment with Neil Young was great, the moment with Elton John, meeting Bono, all those things are larger than life experiences.  Then you meet them and you're like "Oh, it's just a guy who succeeded in what he wanted to do. He used to be 9 and he used to be 19." I really don't get star struck. I admire people who work hard and are able to accomplish their goals.

BR: What do you want people to take from your music?

VC: I think that in general when it comes to being a live performance, which I think is my strongest suit, people look at musicians and performers as almost preachers in a way. You're following what these people are saying, and you're really buying everything that you're hearing and creating. You have to know that that's your responsibility, and I think in that relationship that people who are listening, they're looking to be moved and be more comfortable in their moment. It's hard just being alive, it's really hard. Music, I think, soothes people like nothing else. It's one of those things that whether you're having a really high moment in your life, or if everything has gone wrong for you, it's just always there and hopefully it blocks them from these things and can transcend whole moods.

BR: What kinds of things do you do to take off the stress and the pressures of the industry?

VC: I like to run and I like to do nothing. I'm actually one of those people who can sleep 14 hours, wake up and watch TV, and continue to do nothing [all laugh]. People sometimes bug me, they don't know what's wrong with me, "Are you still growing? What's the deal here?" But  I really value trivial things like being able to go to New York, and be worried about painting my wall; I love being able to have a break and not have to worry about those mundane things.

BR: Oneonta has a pretty big music industry program. What advice do you have for people looking to get into the business?

VC: I would say study your ethics as thoroughly as you can. I mean, it's a really slimy business.  Your backbone has to be really strong, and you also have to have a really strong vision of what you want to accomplish. I don't know whether it's art development or you're trying to start your own record label, but it's all really a matter of just being a rock and having your vision and really not altering it.