Clare Bowditch, A&I Hall, tonight
The divine Ms Clare Bowditch is the poster girl for women who not only have their cake and eat it too, they damn well baked it. She spoke with Mandy Nolan on the eve of her show in Bangalow tonight.
Clare, making music, playing music, carting kids around – the whole shebang – do you ever think that the whole damn thing is just too hard, I should go home and get a real job, or make scones or something? Yes, yes I do! Of course I do! And I think every artist or person who’s running their own business does go through the occasional case of ‘grass is greener’ illness where they think there is some simple solution to a complex life. However, when you look at it, I actually do have a real job, and I do make scones, so it’s all good.
You wrote a quite poetic piece on happiness or the denial of such; do you think that we busy women (I have five kids and a very full career) end up becoming happiness deprived because we are so busy? Not necessarily – it just depends on which choices we make. My grandmother had eleven children: she was still a happy woman.
How do we avoid this? How do you? By forgetting we do actually have a say in how our own lives turn out.
What do you do each day to keep yourself buoyant? I’m not always buoyant (see above) because I too very often forget that much of my happiness or otherwise depends on the choices I make. I am most buoyant when I remember that life is extraordinarily magnificent, I am living in privileged times, I know what it is to love, and be loved, and I start my day with kale. True story.
What did you set out to achieve in this new album? I just wanted to write a wonderful album, and record it with extraordinary musicians and a mind-blowing producer. I wanted to created something that reminded people of how powerful and awesome we all are.
How close did you come? Bullseye.
What is the essence of good songwriting for you? Telling the truth, sometimes telling it slant.
What are your struggles and challenges as a performer? I’ve had many and I’d say that if you want to know what I learnt from these experiences (too many to number), please join the Big Hearted Business mailing list, because this is the kind of stuff we talk about.
What do you bring to the table musically as your greatest strengths? Doing the thing that I can do, not trying to do the thing that someone else can do.
If not music, then what would Clare Bowditch have done with her life? Midwife.
Do you have other dreams that you are yet to realise? Every single day. Don’t you? That’s why I wrote the song Amazing Life – to tell this story.
What is your perfect day? This one.
What is your perfect show? The one I’m going to play in Bangalow.
Friday at the Bangalow A&I Hall, $40(+bf) Pre/$45 Door, $61.95(+bf) – CD and ticket pack, $56.95(+bf) – digital CD and ticket pack.? www.kupromotions.com.au www.oztix.com.au. ?Food by Coffee Oasis. Doors: 7pm / Show 7.30pm.
