Mondays are a Bitch, and So is She: Fiona Apple

Tempestuous.
Mercurial.
Brat.
Self-absorbed.
Drama queen.
Recluse.
Crazy.

Photo Credit: performing live with Nickel Creek (NYC, 8/14/07)

No matter what insults you hurl at Fiona Apple, you can’t deny the intensity of her talent. She debuted on the music scene in 1996 with her album “Tidal” (started when she was only 17), selling 3 million copies and winning a Grammy right as she turned 20.

As an artist she has collaborated with many music greats, including Jon Brion, Elvis Costello, and even Johnny Cash. She embraces an offbeat eclectic style that doesn’t really sound like anything else, although her voice does ring of old time singers like Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. Her family background in music and her studies in classical piano and jazz certainly give her an edge, but her albums have proven her to be a singer with a truly unique sound.

Her lyrics are poetically passionate and heartwrenching, mostly about the disappointment of relationships (something I am sure we can all relate to – I have wallowed over many a guy while listening to Fiona’s songs) and the turmoil of her own emotions. Just look at the entire 90 word title of her second album “When the Pawn”. Sparked by negative comments about her in the 1997 Spin magazine article (for another diatribe about Fiona’s bad behavior, check out this article), Fiona wrote this title poem. She explained, “People are personally attacking me way too much, and I need to remember that I do everything for the right reasons. I question my motives, I make myself proud, I am a good person, I’ve never done anything to hurt anyone, and this is not me that they’re putting down. This is something that they’ve created.”

In another 1997 interview, Apple proclaims that she wants to be the “patron saint of reality.” And she is indeed pretty fucking real. Perhaps the thing we admire most about Fiona is her openness, her rawness of emotion. Above all she is herself – difficult, high strung, and maybe a little crazy; but she is honest and passionate. She doesn’t hide behind a facade or put up a false image for her fans to worship, like so many other celebrities. Instead she says what’s on her mind and forces the world to take all of her, the good and the bad. Looking at her public displays of erratic behavior, of which there are many, you notice that she doesn’t hide anything: her notorious “go with yourself” speech at the 1997 VMAs during which she proclaims that “this world is bullshit” (check out her explanation of the speech); her onstage meltdown at a concert in 2000, because apparently she was upset with the sound system that night; and even her disturbingly candid interviews. Her depression is part of her personality, and she tells one magazine that “it’s psychologically and chemically impossible for me to be happy.” She even responds to critics pointing out that she markets her vulnerability by quoting Maya Angelou (again) – “If you can embrace your weaknesses, they can become your strengths.” Through the lens of her own personal experiences – the rape she suffered through at the age of 12, her depression, psychotherapy, her family’s domestic problems, her borderline obsessive compulsiveness, and her eating disorder – Fiona speaks openly about disturbing and controversial topics. She admits that Sony was not at fault for the shelving of her album; rather she gave up on it for herself, spending her time at her mother’s watching reruns of “Columbo” and “making little pinecone people with razor blades.” If I heard of anyone else doing that, I would think they had most definitely lost it. But if it helps to spark Fiona’s creativity, then I have to say it ends up being a brilliant pastime.

And she does have the support of her many fans. After Fiona had given up on her most recent album, “Extraordinary Machine,” musician and college student Dave Muscato (yes, men love her too!) spearheaded FreeFiona, the online campaign to release the album after it was supposedly shelved by Sony executives. He sent hundreds of plastic apples to Sony’s chairman and organized a group of people to stand outside of their NY headquarters wearing red hats and chanting “Free Fiona.”

She is also a vegan and a strong supporter of PETA – Fiona was once late to an interview because she picked up a stray dog on the streets of New York (and brought it with her to the interview). Apparently this angsty woman with caustic wit does have a heart. So love her or hate her for how she expresses it, but don’t say that she isn’t passionate.

Either way, other people’s opinions are one thing that she doesn’t give a shit about.

Photo Credit: Rolling Stone magazine, 12/05

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Some fun Fiona links:
Fiona Apple’s official site.
Read some great quotes by Ms. Apple.
Watch her amazing (and strange) videos & live performances.

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So, what do you think about Fiona Apple?