REGINA SPEKTOR

A self-proclaimed “nerd” lets fans into the live music-making process

In 2009, Regina Spektor’s director friend Adria Petty convinced her that the time was right to preserve one of her concerts on film. Petty (daughter of Tom Petty) traveled across England on tour with Spektor, filming behind-the-scenes footage, then shot her show at the Hammersmith Apollo. That performance is documented on the new DVD and CD set Live in London, which features familiar tunes like “Fidelity” and “Apres Moi” alongside three previously unreleased stage favorites. The Moscow-born singer and songwriter spoke with us from New York City.

How did you avoid self-consciousness, knowing the show was being filmed?

I didn’t. (laughs) At all times I’m trying to get over some sort of self-consciousness. You want things to be perfect. But I know that eventually all the things I’m cringing about get put through the nostalgia lens. Even though it was hard to sit through the edit, and all I could see and hear were imperfections, I’m sure when I’m 70 I’ll be really psyched. I’ll be like, “Oh, I looked so pretty and sang so good.” Right now it’s just like, “Oh, why did I squint my eyes? Do I really do that?”

And the camera is often very close.

People didn’t even get to see that close when I was playing tiny little clubs in New York. Part of the fun of this is that you really get to see how things happen. When I watched Radiohead side-of-stage at festivals, one of the things I loved was seeing how they’re pushing buttons, or seeing [guitarist] Jonny Greenwood switching pedals. To me that’s really fun. I don’t know if that makes me a nerd. (laughs) Actually, I know that I’m a nerd.

Why include the unreleased songs?

Some of these songs had become such an important part of the show over the last few years, so it just made sense. I thought it would be fun to have them available. The people who come to shows can never get these songs except in cell-phone quality. Actually, some of the tapers who record my stuff make good quality recordings. But I thought I should make a really good-quality recording and put it out. I was thinking, “Well, I could wait until they’re properly produced and put on record.” But I honestly didn’t know when that would happen, because I have   so many other songs. If I didn’t ever  write another one, I would still have eight records’ worth of songs that I’ve written already.

Have you been writing lately?

Mm-hm. I’ve been writing a lot of songs, in part because I’ve also been working on this musical I’m writing [a version of Sleeping Beauty]. It’s funny how it works—when I start writing one thing, all of a sudden I start writing 50 things. I think your mind just goes, “Oh, we’re doing stuff now.”

What are your plans for 2011?

I want to make a record, and I want to finish the musical. It’s going to take a lot to put it on, and that’s a whole other process. Everything about it is new to me. But right now I’m having so much fun writing and so much fun being home. I love touring, but I toured so much. It’s like a pendulum, I go from being in a new city and a new part of the world every day to not wanting to leave the house. (laughs) Just wanting to cook, write music, watch movies and be a complete hermit. I’m in that place now.

–Chris Neal


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