00:10Hey I'm John Norris it is Refinery29 and a lot of records that people are excited about this
00:15summer but at long last a new album from Jenny Lewis and she joins us today it's good to see
00:19you. Nice to see you. It took three years to put this record together but that wasn't three
00:24straight I mean there were stops and starts in there right? There were. Postal Service Tour in
00:29there right? There was a Postal Service Tour I scored two films wrote a song for girls took a
00:37vacation I was going in the studio the entire time I'd get back from a Jenny and Johnny tour and
00:43we'd
00:44book a couple days in the studio. The people who have really been following you and know know the
00:50previous records and no acid tongue next Messiah know that that was a song that at least partially
00:56referenced your dad and you lost your dad and I think was 2010 was it is that part of the
01:00reason
01:00it's been so long for a new record? The loss of a parent is a really it's something you don't
01:06fully
01:07understand until you're in the middle of it mm-hmm and I really thought I would be able to just
01:11keep
01:12touring and playing but it kind of stopped me just stopped me from and I had to kind of reassess
01:19we
01:20actually were estranged for many many years and when he got sick that's when we kind of got to know
01:28each other mm-hmm it was really amazing to be able to spend that time with him I think this
01:33record is
01:34more I mean at least from what I can tell lyrically more about you and other things things other than
01:42your family your relationship with your parents my big sister she that when I gave her this record
01:49she called me she's like Jenny it just I love this record it's not about mom mm-hmm well you're
01:55right
01:55it's not the title the Voyager the last track on the record as well I would think that there's a
02:00reason that that title was the one you went for to sort of summarize this album I think I chose
02:06the
02:06Voyager one because it was the last song that I recorded and I wrote it as an exercise Ryan told
02:15me to write a song after we had recorded the bulk of the record and he said you know I
02:20think there's
02:21something missing from this record so what I want you to do is I want you to go home and
02:26write Wonderball
02:28and the Voyager was born and I brought it back to Pax Am and he's like oh man I don't
02:36think
02:36I don't think this is it what you told me to write this song I know I didn't write Wonderwall
02:42but
02:42please can we just record it just let me record it he's like hi you know I gotta go so
02:48I recorded
02:49that without him and it became the title track almost in a way as a little you know like all
02:55right
02:55you're not into this song you should call the record the Voyager it's upbeat music I mean lyrically
03:02there's some dark places but I don't think there's what would be considered a ballad on the album
03:07I think the Voyager is the closest thing and I think that's why Ryan instructed me to write it
03:13because that was the one missing element because I think we made a rock record which was cool to do
03:20especially in the wake of my band breaking up which on rabbit for code and acid tongue I felt like
03:26I
03:26kind of didn't want to really tread on into that territory because you weren't certain that
03:32Roderick Highland was sort of done yeah well and that's what I did with my rock band and so my
03:37solo
03:37music had to be different for sure but with this record there there were no rules it was just about
03:43the songs and kind of serving the songs and whatever form I just want to mention that August I think
03:5018th is
03:5110 years to the day from the release of an album called more adventurous really yes and uh so I'm
03:58just wondering if since last year you did a 10th anniversary tour with a certain band um how about
04:04I mean is that something you guys would consider doing uh an anniversary wait it's this year yes this
04:09August who knows what will happen I think we needed a break and we're still friendly most of us um
04:18so it's
04:19all fine we're family at this point and I can't imagine that we'll never at least play a show
04:26together again thank you so much thanks best of luck with the album it's great thank you
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