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Interview
by SashaS
29-1-2002
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| Pink in monochrome |
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Pink planet
Pink is only one colour on the sonic palette
Pink’s reputation is an opinionated’n’mouthy lady who exploded on the scene last year with hits off her debut album, ‘Can’t Take Me Home’. She’s back with a diverse disc, ‘M!ssundarztood’, and proclamations like, “You know, I’m really a softie, I love people. And, none of them has dissed me into my face so I don’t know how I’d react in such a situation. Nobody has ever disrespected me to my face…”
No surprise then Pink reckons to be ‘misunderstood’ because she is not a diva-dominatrix of oft-portrayals but it was one of the things she had to explain to Linda Perry, of 4 Non Blondes fame, when she tried to persuade her heroine to collaborate.
“I was at a video-shoot one day,” Pink talks at the F1 speed, “and being nosey I was looking through the address-book of my make-up artist. I spotted Linda’s, 4 Non Blondes are my all-time-favourite bands, wrote it on my hand and called with a 10-minute-message explaining who I was, how I loved the band and was even arrested for singing 4 Non Blondes’ songs at 3 o’clock in the morning!? I finished by telling her that I’d kill her if she didn’t return my call.”
“She called and told me, ‘You are crazy, come over.’ I went to her house and we wrote a song that day. I stayed there for over a month for an incredible experience, inspiring, liberating, fulfilling, what making music should be all about.”
Pink alert
The feisty-imaged Philadelphia-born Pink, wearing a woolly hat covering the straw-blonde locks, is talking in a London hotel that was setting for a tabloid-story of Britney Spears refusing to stay in the same establishment upon discovering that Pink was there. She refutes the story and says they are good friends and she even presented flowers to Britters when they recently appeared on Top Of The Pops.
There are a lot of stories fame generates and Pink appears to handle it well. She’s openly talking about everything, bar naming a man in her life… Considering the title of the album, is it possible her strong image stifled understanding?
“Very possible,” she sounds serious for a moment, “and I think it was more the case at the beginning when people saw only this angry young woman which is just one side of me. People thought they knew me because of my music but only this album gives more of what and who I’m. I’m the summation of all the experiences I’ve had in my life, from singing in a gospel choir, punk bands, rap groups, working in awful places like Pizza Hut, McDonalds and gas stations to my dad.”
Blonde ambition
‘Lady Marmalade’ with 3 other nu-divas has helped Pink along the way; the four babes will re-unite for another live shot at it at the Grammy’s next month. (It might yet feature in the Oscars, being part of the hotly tipped ‘Moulin Rouge’ flicky.) Acting is something Pink has an eye on: she’s just taped a sketch for ‘Saturday Night Live’ and is a dominatrix-narrator in the ‘Rollerball’ remake.
But, for now, her success has placed her as a role model and it doesn’t appear to daunt her.
“Well, I’m not perfect so I don’t know…” Pink states with a half-smile. “I don’t lie and I think that’s very important, you have to be honest and I‘m. So, maybe I can be, I don’t crave it but I’d not be afraid of such responsibility. What I see myself standing for is individuality; I don’t want to be formulated, I refuse stereotyping and don’t want to be put in one simple box. My music has to express deep feelings, some touchy subjects, to really move people, and not be predictable, boring and normal.”
“I remember when I was 8, my idol was Madonna and I was her. I’d dress up, make-up and dance to her music, I was totally into it. Then, I grew up and became my own person: I think it is a phase, I don’t know how important, in development of a character.”
SashaS
29-1-2002
Pink’s album ‘M!ssundraztood’ is released 28 February on Arista/BMG
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