shaniatfan
08-09-2006, 9:23pm
Runaway Twain
http://www.maximonline.com/shared_images/transparent.gif
She comes from Canada, loves hard rock and Abba, and wants to make a buddy movie with Jackie Chan! Face it: Shania Twain ain’t your daddy’s country star.
Maxim, Jun 2003
By Eric Alt
Country music has a long, proud history of achingly beautiful female voices: Connie Francis, Tanya Tucker, Loretta Lynn, John Denver…the list goes on and on. But those beautiful voices come in all kinds of containers, from coal miners’ daughters to mother-daughter tag teams to freakishly busty theme-park owners. Every once in a blue moon, however, the songbird voice emerges from a true drop-dead gorgeous beauty. Which brings us to the reigning queen of country, Shania Twain. Raised on equal parts Willie Nelson and Supertramp, and flown south from the Great White North, this jaw-droppingly sexy songbird is sharing all her gifts with the world…and she’s totally committed to having fun. We like that kind of dedication.
Nobody else seems to be able to do it, so would you let us put a label on your music?
No. I don’t know why there’s even a need to categorize things. I grew up in a town that had one radio station, which meant that station had to please everybody. So, of course, you’re going to hear Led Zeppelin and Dolly Parton in the same hour. [laughs] And that was kinda cool.
So, how did you decide to go country when you started out?
When I got my recording contract, people were saying, “You know, you need to make a decision.” Because the songs on my demo were jumping all over the place. And at that time there was a huge boom in country music, and they were looking for artists. Country’s natural for me, so I was like, “Yeah, that’s comfortable.”
Singing in dive bars when you were barely old enough to get into a PG-13 movie must’ve helped you with your stage confidence. Any horror stories?
A lot of bar fights. I remember one time, I guess I was probably in my early teens, I was helping the band tear down the equipment in a bar. I did a lot of that; I’d help roll out equipment, I’d help with lights. So it was about three in the morning and this guy and his brother stayed and waited for the cleaning lights to come on. Once they did, they started scouring the floor. And I was like, “What are you looking for?” And they said, “We’re looking for his tooth!” [laughs]
What was the most popular song with the Canadian fur-trapping and oil-rig set?
A really highly requested song was “Working for the Weekend.” Remember that? Loverboy. Of course, it was a Canadian group.
Ah, Loverboy! The band that taught us that headbands should never be worn. Ever. So who were you rocking out to?
Oh, I had tons of musical idols. Of course, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. They’re two of my biggest country idols. Stevie Wonder. Gladys Knight. Etta James. I loved Abba, I loved ELO! I loved the Bee Gees. Fleetwood Mac…Supertramp…It goes on and on.
You’re easy to shop for! Is there a style of music you can’t stand?
No, not really. There’s always a group or an artist who does a particular type of music well. So I can’t say there’s any one category that I don’t like at all. Even heavy metal. I know a lot of people don’t like metal, but I do. I just think we had a different thing going on in Canada.
Speaking of “different,” Canadians seem to like this hockey thingy. What about you?
Oh, yeah.
Do you have a favorite team?
When I was growing up, it was always a struggle between the Leafs and the Habs [Montreal Canadiens]. But it doesn’t even matter to me who’s playing; I just love a good game.
It’s all Canadian to us. So what the hell is “icing”? Besides, you know, what we slather on Fudgie the Whale.
It’s when the puck—watch me not get it right, now—crosses the blue line on the opposite side of the ice without a player on that team being there on the other side to receive it. Yeah, I think that’s right.
Sounds right to us. What was it like performing during the halftime show at last year’s Super Bowl? And is Sting as big a putz as we’ve been saying all these years?
It was nerve-wracking…but cool. It was a cool vibe. I met Gwen Stefani, whom I’d never met before. She’s so happy-go-lucky and sweet. And Sting’s cool. He’s a pretty real guy.
Did you get a chance to interact with any of the players?
I didn’t, no. That was serious, man. All the players were in, like, serious mode. [laughs]
Congrats on being named Sexiest Vegetarian Alive by PETA!
I was?
Yep. We’re not sure how you beat out Moby. What made you become a vegetarian? A bad steak?
A lot of things, actually. The main reason is health. We don’t know what’s in our meat anymore. And if I meet someone who has cancer, they tell me the first thing their doctor makes them give up is meat. I’m like, “Whoa, that tells us something, huh?”
But you used to be a carnivore, thanks to the fact that your stepfather was a full-blooded Ojibwa Indian.
Yeah. We ate a lot of wild meat growing up. Beaver, moose, bear…
Mmm…bear.
We spent a lot time on the reservation, so the culture was always around us. I worked with my dad in the bush, which was very much a native occupation. A lot of the natives do those jobs because they’re savvy in the bush.
Must…avoid…juvenile…joke…So it was easy to give up beaver? Oh, man, there we go again…
Like I said, being vegetarian is mostly a health thing. And Mutt’s been a vegetarian for 30 years, and he looks great for his age.
Ah, yes, your husband, famed producer Mutt Lange. Do you call him Mutt around the house?
I do refer to him as Mutt, because that’s who he is. [laughs] But I address him as Love, because Mutt just doesn’t seem right.
Kinda kills the mood, huh? How did he get that name, anyway? Does he have fleas?
It’s a childhood nickname that just stuck with him. Maybe he was an ugly kid, I dunno.
Your music videos are mind-numbingly sexy…but also really funny! That’s a tough act to pull off.
The music I write reflects my personality. It’s genuine. That is my sense of humor, my perspective. I also choose to record things that have a twist or some kind of cheekiness, because it keeps the energy level up for live performance. I write melancholy songs, but I don’t record them—I want to have a good time!
Do those leopard-print jumpsuits reflect the real you as well?
It’s not like I get into some “sexy mode” or something. I’m goofy about it. At my concerts, little kids come dressed like that. You have four- or five-year-olds dressed in leopard-print outfits that their moms had made for them. It’s not about sex. It’s just, “Let’s have fun with clothes.”
Our moms used to make us wear that stuff, too. It’s not something we talk about. Ever consider acting?
I would do it for the sake of trying it, but it’s never been a dream of mine. I could see myself doing a movie with Jackie Chan or something. It would have to be comical, because I don’t mind making a fool out of myself.
Finally, do you want to smack anyone who describes you as “a little bit country, a little bit rock’n’roll”?
No. I mean…it’s a cliché, but, you know what? It’s kinda true.
http://www.maximonline.com/articles/index.aspx?a_id=5273
This is the 1st time i have ever seen the article, it was very interesting, and i found out more about Shania. Love'in this interview...
http://www.maximonline.com/shared_images/transparent.gif
She comes from Canada, loves hard rock and Abba, and wants to make a buddy movie with Jackie Chan! Face it: Shania Twain ain’t your daddy’s country star.
Maxim, Jun 2003
By Eric Alt
Country music has a long, proud history of achingly beautiful female voices: Connie Francis, Tanya Tucker, Loretta Lynn, John Denver…the list goes on and on. But those beautiful voices come in all kinds of containers, from coal miners’ daughters to mother-daughter tag teams to freakishly busty theme-park owners. Every once in a blue moon, however, the songbird voice emerges from a true drop-dead gorgeous beauty. Which brings us to the reigning queen of country, Shania Twain. Raised on equal parts Willie Nelson and Supertramp, and flown south from the Great White North, this jaw-droppingly sexy songbird is sharing all her gifts with the world…and she’s totally committed to having fun. We like that kind of dedication.
Nobody else seems to be able to do it, so would you let us put a label on your music?
No. I don’t know why there’s even a need to categorize things. I grew up in a town that had one radio station, which meant that station had to please everybody. So, of course, you’re going to hear Led Zeppelin and Dolly Parton in the same hour. [laughs] And that was kinda cool.
So, how did you decide to go country when you started out?
When I got my recording contract, people were saying, “You know, you need to make a decision.” Because the songs on my demo were jumping all over the place. And at that time there was a huge boom in country music, and they were looking for artists. Country’s natural for me, so I was like, “Yeah, that’s comfortable.”
Singing in dive bars when you were barely old enough to get into a PG-13 movie must’ve helped you with your stage confidence. Any horror stories?
A lot of bar fights. I remember one time, I guess I was probably in my early teens, I was helping the band tear down the equipment in a bar. I did a lot of that; I’d help roll out equipment, I’d help with lights. So it was about three in the morning and this guy and his brother stayed and waited for the cleaning lights to come on. Once they did, they started scouring the floor. And I was like, “What are you looking for?” And they said, “We’re looking for his tooth!” [laughs]
What was the most popular song with the Canadian fur-trapping and oil-rig set?
A really highly requested song was “Working for the Weekend.” Remember that? Loverboy. Of course, it was a Canadian group.
Ah, Loverboy! The band that taught us that headbands should never be worn. Ever. So who were you rocking out to?
Oh, I had tons of musical idols. Of course, Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. They’re two of my biggest country idols. Stevie Wonder. Gladys Knight. Etta James. I loved Abba, I loved ELO! I loved the Bee Gees. Fleetwood Mac…Supertramp…It goes on and on.
You’re easy to shop for! Is there a style of music you can’t stand?
No, not really. There’s always a group or an artist who does a particular type of music well. So I can’t say there’s any one category that I don’t like at all. Even heavy metal. I know a lot of people don’t like metal, but I do. I just think we had a different thing going on in Canada.
Speaking of “different,” Canadians seem to like this hockey thingy. What about you?
Oh, yeah.
Do you have a favorite team?
When I was growing up, it was always a struggle between the Leafs and the Habs [Montreal Canadiens]. But it doesn’t even matter to me who’s playing; I just love a good game.
It’s all Canadian to us. So what the hell is “icing”? Besides, you know, what we slather on Fudgie the Whale.
It’s when the puck—watch me not get it right, now—crosses the blue line on the opposite side of the ice without a player on that team being there on the other side to receive it. Yeah, I think that’s right.
Sounds right to us. What was it like performing during the halftime show at last year’s Super Bowl? And is Sting as big a putz as we’ve been saying all these years?
It was nerve-wracking…but cool. It was a cool vibe. I met Gwen Stefani, whom I’d never met before. She’s so happy-go-lucky and sweet. And Sting’s cool. He’s a pretty real guy.
Did you get a chance to interact with any of the players?
I didn’t, no. That was serious, man. All the players were in, like, serious mode. [laughs]
Congrats on being named Sexiest Vegetarian Alive by PETA!
I was?
Yep. We’re not sure how you beat out Moby. What made you become a vegetarian? A bad steak?
A lot of things, actually. The main reason is health. We don’t know what’s in our meat anymore. And if I meet someone who has cancer, they tell me the first thing their doctor makes them give up is meat. I’m like, “Whoa, that tells us something, huh?”
But you used to be a carnivore, thanks to the fact that your stepfather was a full-blooded Ojibwa Indian.
Yeah. We ate a lot of wild meat growing up. Beaver, moose, bear…
Mmm…bear.
We spent a lot time on the reservation, so the culture was always around us. I worked with my dad in the bush, which was very much a native occupation. A lot of the natives do those jobs because they’re savvy in the bush.
Must…avoid…juvenile…joke…So it was easy to give up beaver? Oh, man, there we go again…
Like I said, being vegetarian is mostly a health thing. And Mutt’s been a vegetarian for 30 years, and he looks great for his age.
Ah, yes, your husband, famed producer Mutt Lange. Do you call him Mutt around the house?
I do refer to him as Mutt, because that’s who he is. [laughs] But I address him as Love, because Mutt just doesn’t seem right.
Kinda kills the mood, huh? How did he get that name, anyway? Does he have fleas?
It’s a childhood nickname that just stuck with him. Maybe he was an ugly kid, I dunno.
Your music videos are mind-numbingly sexy…but also really funny! That’s a tough act to pull off.
The music I write reflects my personality. It’s genuine. That is my sense of humor, my perspective. I also choose to record things that have a twist or some kind of cheekiness, because it keeps the energy level up for live performance. I write melancholy songs, but I don’t record them—I want to have a good time!
Do those leopard-print jumpsuits reflect the real you as well?
It’s not like I get into some “sexy mode” or something. I’m goofy about it. At my concerts, little kids come dressed like that. You have four- or five-year-olds dressed in leopard-print outfits that their moms had made for them. It’s not about sex. It’s just, “Let’s have fun with clothes.”
Our moms used to make us wear that stuff, too. It’s not something we talk about. Ever consider acting?
I would do it for the sake of trying it, but it’s never been a dream of mine. I could see myself doing a movie with Jackie Chan or something. It would have to be comical, because I don’t mind making a fool out of myself.
Finally, do you want to smack anyone who describes you as “a little bit country, a little bit rock’n’roll”?
No. I mean…it’s a cliché, but, you know what? It’s kinda true.
http://www.maximonline.com/articles/index.aspx?a_id=5273
This is the 1st time i have ever seen the article, it was very interesting, and i found out more about Shania. Love'in this interview...