Interview: Jill Tracy
With Anne Rice only writing for God and "gothic" becoming synonymous with crazy teen killer, those of us who like our music how we like our coffee are left twisting in the dramatically flattering wind. Fear not, as Jill Tracy is here to deliver us.
Equal parts performance artist, evil MC, filmmaker, musician, and bad-ass icon, Jill Tracy and The Malcontent Orchestra will be at the Hypnodrome all weekend as part of the Thrillpeddlers' ongoing Shocktoberfest 2005. We've gone on and on about the Thrillpeddlers and the Hypnodrome before, but this looks to be a special treat, as we'll get to see plays from 1908-1928 at the Grand Guignol, the original Paris shockstage, never before seen by American audiences. Buy tickets here for this weekend's special set of Halloween performances. And if you can't catch Jill then, there's always her November 17 show at DNA lounge as part of Cabaret Verdalet.
You play piano and sing on your record, Diabolical Streak. You're clearly quite the accomplished musician, what's your musical background?
Aside from a stint of loathsome childhood piano lessons, I never studied music. I have always intuited my compositions. I'm fascinated with conjuring moods from sound. It's magical. My work is uniquely transporting because the origin is not coming from stale rules, trends, or textbooks, but from the kingdom in my mind's eye. I love to take people there with me. Aural kidnapping.
We hear your work described as "dark" or "gothic", but your lyrics also seem quite funny to us. How do you balance this humor and darkness in your work?
That's just it. There has to be a balance in the work or it becomes tedious. Some of my songs are serious and personal, and then others have a storytelling aspect that allows for a twist.
I have a passion for peculiar historical tales, and when you're telling stories about poisoning through the ages, safety coffin inventors, or actual predictions from the fifteenth century about doomsday--seas turning to blood or being enveloped in giant cobwebs as insects descend-- the simple fact that these views are now so antiquated makes them hilarious. I don't strive to write a funny song, that's the beauty of it. I'm relaying concepts that many people believed in emphatically. I convey the stories sincerely. I'm honoring these forgotten souls and our glorious lost past.
Judging from your songs, you must (like us) be a big fan of the horror genre. Do you have some books or movies you can call out as specific influences on your work?
I don't care for the slasher/gore/campy side of horror, which sadly seems to be the direction the genre is heading. For me, it's all about the story. I have an affinity for more elegance, the delicate macabre, psychological suspense, a fantastical netherworld which is as enchanting as it is unsettling.
Growing up, I was totally hooked on Ray Bradbury, Rod Serling, and the classic BW horror films. Hitchcock and Herrmann. Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast and Fritz Lang films. I just wanted to live in those worlds.
Occupation: woman of mystery
Home town: San Francisco
Favorite website: My guilty pleasure is Ebay. The Petri dish of the world wide web. Ahhhh, how many hours wasted searching for oddities!
Favorite local business: Green Apple Books and Gypsy Honeymoon.
What I'm currently reading: I've been on a little Michel Faber kick. I just finished Under the Skin, Courage Consort, and Crimson Petal and the White.
Best deal in San Francisco: The streets are FREE roller coasters. At 4pm, a FREE fog machine. The ground even SHAKES once in a while!
Favorite mode of transportation: high-heeled boots!
Favorite local hangout: My studio-- with my piano, a collection of books, notebooks, favorite pens, and my laptop. That's where it all happens.
SF has the BEST: eccentric Victorian architecture
You've never lived in SF until: You've had to regularly trek (carrying heavy bags) up the steepest hills in town.
You can tell someone is a local here IF: They know about secret parking. OR -- they don't bat an eyelash when a seven-foot drag queen walks by with a dwarf on a rhinestone leash.
SF would be soooo much better if only: You could actually afford to live here.
Best burrito: L'avenida
Best restaurant: Q
Best movie scene filmed in or about SF: Bodega Bay scenes in The Birds. And of course, the sexy Steve McQueen car chases in Bullitt. (swoon). More obscure film noir favorites are the aquarium scene/mirror maze in The Lady From Shanghai and the breathtaking Playland scenes in Woman on the Run.
Best thing to do in the city in the summer: Summer? When's THAT?
Favorite author to come out of the Bay Area: Most recently- Mary Roach. She and I share an amusing fixation with science's dark side. She's brilliant. I can't wait to take her out for coffee.
Place you always tell visitors to check out: Columbarium and Musee Mecanique
Favorite bridge in the area: Of course, the Golden Gate Bridge. The fatal grandeur--a constant symbol of triumph, technology, tranquility and tragedy all at the same time. And it's painted RED. Who could ask for a better tale?
You have two hours and $15 bucks to kill in SF, what are you going to do? Share cocktails atop the 39th floor of the Marriott's View Lounge. Watch the night sky and city lights in a quiet candlelit corner. It's only $15 bucks, so we have to sip slowly.
I want all the SFists out there to know: Our new CD is out in 2006. Additional film projects and events are in the works. Please visit the official website: http://www.jilltracy.com/ My bi-monthly column is called Notes from the Parlour: http://www.jilltracy.com/parlour.html
Question you'd ask if you were doing this interview: For God's sake, What medications are you on?