I tried to pick my friend Mary's brain the other day. The cat claws were unintentional, but probably inevitable, since we seem to have some issues to work out. At least it's interesting reading?

Mary Timony: I get up and play catch-the-mouse with my cats for four hours, then I fly around on a bunch of huge geese, through the trees, over the hills.

EL: Hmm I don't think that's a real answer, but I guess you want to be secretive about this ...

MT: Would I keep secrets from you, Kara?

EL: Uh, I guess not. Only you know that answer.

MT: [Grins.]

EL: What is your favorite part of your world, as in fave neighborhood spot, fave activity of the day, fave random person on the street that you see often?

MT: Some nice places in the world ... snowy mountains of the Alps, "City Feed and Supply" in Jamaica Plain. (It's a local coffee and grocery store.) Favorite activities ... jumping on a trampoline, dancing, tying my shoes. Person on the street ... yesterday I saw what looked like two sons, and their grandmother all smoking crack in out practice space doorway. It was weird.

EL: That's scary. So your practice space is in a rough part of town? About how old were the sons?

MT: Maybe in their 20s or 30s; she looked about 60. Well, yeah, no one ever bothers me here, but there is a lot of sketchy stuff that happens on the street. Once there was a gigantic woman stuck in the doorway. She had passed out, and was totally wasted. No one could open the door to get out of the building.

EL: I guess that there isn't exactly an abundance of practice spaces in upscale neighborhoods, huh?

MT: I guess not. But I love this neighborhood.

EL: Since the waning of Helium, have you been influenced by anyone/anything in particular? What do you think you are doing that makes Mary Timony distinctive from Helium?

MT: Well, my music just sounds different depending on who is playing with me, I guess, I don't know really. I just try to be as creative as I can be.

EL: How do you handle touring so much? Do you write songs on the road, or do other projects to get by?

MT: Well, I've been crocheting in the van, actually, and doing other crafty things. Amy Domingues [cellist] and I are selling our crafts on my web page actually. [http://www.marytimony.com/]

EL: Do you have a favorite venue or city for playing?

MT: : I like club Vera in Groningen, Holland the best. Great people, great sound, cool band apartments, nice town.

EL: What was your favorite tour?

MT: I usually rate a tour by the quality and quantity of food we get served in restaurants or in the clubs, so I would say that my favorite tour was the one I just went on in Europe. I found out all kinds of things about cheese and wine and snacks in Europe. I found out that there is actually baloney salad in Germany -- just baloney with salad dressing. I also learned that the Swiss make the best cheese, because they discovered how to make holes in it, and that steak tar tar tastes just like sushi. I bet that grosses you out, huh?

EL: Uh, I think that you just made that up. But I believe that you would like eating all of that stuff, since I bore witness to it at that ribs place one night. How can steak tar tar taste like raw fish?

MT: Hey, I didn't say that I ate all that stuff, I just said that I "found out about it." Actually, I didn't eat the baloney salad; I just took a picture of it, so I can prove it to you.

EL: Wow, you took pictures? That's so geeky. Can we see them?

MT: Uh, yeah, I guess.

EL: Okay, well, I don't know if this is considered a real question, but I noticed that you use a lot of bird images in your sleeve art. If you could be any kind of bird, what would you pick?

MT: Big Bird, 'cause he is so warm and friendly and yellow. And he sings too.

EL: But don't you find Big Bird to be a little naive? Your lyrics sound so much more cynical and mystical. Big Bird seems pretty rooted in his little urban block. You seem so worldly.

MT: How about a pigeon? That would be pretty wordly, and cynical too. Mystical in the sense of the lowliest of God's creatures. How about Big Bird dressed as a pigeon?

EL: Okay whatever. I can see that you're making fun of me; let's move on. What kinds of jobs have you held over the years during your musical career?

MT: Someone who put labels on videotapes, a secretary, a gardener. Then I had some graphic design internship; that was when I was going to become a yuppie, but I just didn't have it in me.

EL: Why couldn't you do the yuppie thing?

MT: 'Cause I couldn't find a job that would let me leave it for six months out of a year.

EL: So then what was your favorite temp job?

MT: That would be the one I just had at Northeastern [University.] I worked with a motley crew of temp workers: a gospel singer, a hip-hop rapper/producer from the 'hood, a compulsive liar, and two older ladies. We were all artists of some kind, even the compulsive liar. Every 15 minutes, while we were stuffing files, he had some new amazing story. For example: "I've been in four hurricanes, three earthquakes, five tornadoes, and three forest fires," or "last week I wrote a novel, here is the plot: blah, blah, blah ..." I started getting embarrassed for him, since it was so obvious he was constantly lying, but then I just became entertained.

EL: Wow, he sounds amazing. So you never asked to see his novel? Would you ever do music with these temp people? Do you think it would be rad or lame?

MT: No, I was too sure he was lying. Well, the hip-hop guy at this job actually made a remix of Dr. Cat that he was going to rap over, but he never finished it. I think if he did it would have been a real ganster rap, like, about gin and juice and bi-ach-es.

EL: So, okay, what does a Northeastern girl do after she wakes up in the morning?

MT: Uhhhhh ...

EL: She goes home.

MT: Eww! What are you saying about me?

EL: But you went to B.U., not Northeastern. Relax!

MT: But anyway, what's up with you answering for me? What, do you think I should be too tired at this point in the interview to think of my own answers? And anyway, why don't you just get to it and ask what you really want to know, like if Fiona Apple is an influence. Those are the questions a real interviewer would ask.

EL: I was going to ask why you copied Liz Phair, actually. What is your favorite Liz album?

MT: Oh, that one you put on your "Kara's Top Five Favorite Records of All Time to Makeout To" list.

EL: Are you implying that I'm a slut or something? Look, I just read somewhere that you were heavily influenced by her, that's all.

MT: Thanks. That's great.

EL: Well, remember when I went on tour with you, and you and I had simultaneous dreams about Michael Jackson? You know what I think? I think that you just copied me and said you dreamed about him when you really didn't. You're so lame! You're always copying me, like you copied Liz Phair!

MT: I do remember that, and it was a beautiful moment, but I think you are just bitter and confused. Now let me tell you something. Remember that time we had a yard sale, and you thought that old lady stole your earrings? Well, I stole them, and that whole deal about "Oh Kara, I'm so sorry that old lady took them," well that was all a bunch of bull. And by the way, you better watch what you say about me, or I'll talk about your collection of Alanis Morissette autographed photos.

EL: Well, remember when the time before that, the leg on your Roland broke or something, and you and your dad had to make a temporary pedal. Well, I broke your stupid Roland cause I was mad that no one could hear my autoharp playing at the shows. It seems really unlikely that every venue we played had crappy sound guys, so much so that they couldn't get the mikes to pick up on my playing. I totally saw you bribing them. Why didn't you just tell me to stick to the singing and keys or something? That's so embarrassing.

MT: So what?

EL: What?

MT: What?

---Silence---

MT: Well, if you must know, I was dating a guy who dyed his hair black, but was afraid to ever wash his hair, for fear the dye would come out, so at night when his head sweat it sort of leaked onto my pillow cases. They had black stains on them, and I had to throw them away. He didn't seem to think it was a big deal.

EL: That's gross ... and stupid. Did you write a song about it? I think that you should.

MT: Yes I sort of did.

EL: You gonna tell us which one?

MT: No.

For more information:
http://www.marytimony.com/
    



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