2015-11-04 - Byre Theatre - conversation and performance

[sanvean]

The Byre Theatre where the event took place is part of St Andrews University, the audience was definitely not the usual PJ Harvey crowd, didn't see any of the regular PJ fans that are at her gigs.

Paul Muldoon was surprised Paul Simon who is a great writer said that the words didn't matter in a song, it is the tune that is matters most. Polly agreed, her friend a builder who she's known since they were 4 is one of the first people to hear her new songs and critiques them. Will let her know if the songs have a good tune or beat, ones that he can whistle to. Past couple of albums she has been conscious that the songs need to have a tune people can tap their feet to and sing along to, wanted the words to come across but had to draw people into the song with the rhythm first.

Poems have to stand on their own, words don't have to be too complex in a song as the music does half the work.

Putting herself in alien locations to write makes her see things from a different perspective. Moved to Los Angeles for 3 years to write White Chalk, didn't like living there because of the glass, concrete and cars environment which made her write about the countryside that she missed.

She is not good at collaborating, when she went with Seamus Murphy to different countries she was taking notes while he was photographing, they were completely separate in their work. John Parish is the only person she is truly able to collaborate with, can be her most vulnerable with him.

On the first album she just wrote it for herself not thinking anyone else would listen to it, didn't feel any fear when writing it, found writing the second album crippling because she knew people would hear it.

Frustrated her that in her youth she had so much vitality and invincibility and was out to shock the world, but as she has grown older she has lost that aggressiveness and anger. Can't keep writing the same way when she was 18 or 19, have to move into a new area.

Can't perform some of her earlier work anymore, doesn't feel able to sing those lyrics authentically and truthfully. She is not comfortable singing lick my legs I'm on fire at the age of 46. Doesn't want to be acting a part, everyone would see through it and she couldn't live with herself.

[Black Hearted Love]

Thank you sanvean for the review
I totally agree, this is EvoLution! it is so beautiful grow and become mature

found a new pic from @rachelr23

http://iconosquare.com/p/1113707308662374158_1406262

[jesuspolly]

♥♥♥ Polly Jean, love you¡¡ Thanks¡¡

Thank you sanvean for the review
I totally agree, this is EvoLution! it is so beautiful grow and become mature

found a new pic from @rachelr23

http://iconosquare.com/p/1113707308662374158_1406262

[Kujjj]

I agree, so many artists refuse to mature and evolve, always trying to capture their youth, and that never ever works out. Take a look at Madonna and how ridiculous she seems. Or the Stones. I think PJ's career can be divided into Stories and before, and after. Uh Huh Her came after, and I think she didn't yet know how to evolve into the next stage. White Chalk was a step forward, and she really evolved and found a new way on LES. I agree with her that singing Rid Of Me would be a bit ridiculous now lol. Such an inspiration.

[Giusy]

I agree, so many artists refuse to mature and evolve, always trying to capture their youth, and that never ever works out.

I think it so too:maybe we're still a little nostalgic(i'm,more than a little!),but it's amazing the way she evolves,-also thanks to more and more growing "collateral" interests as poetry,figurative arts,history and actuality -still remaining herself,always looking and going straight ahead through the years, avoiding every risk to be a sad,pathetic caricature of what she has been.
We love and appreciate her because one lp after another she changes remaining herself .

[DrDark]

Thanks for the report Sanvean! She was being remarkably candid.

I wish somebody had recorded it for posterity, but it not being a musical gig or a radio interview, the chances of that were nil.

[digitalis]

It was filmed and streamed to the screening room/mini cinema upstairs at the same time, so, presumably it's been recorded as well.
Although, St.Andrews Uni. will hold probably the copyright on it, so, god knows if we'll ever see it again.
Hope so, as the conversation bit was superb.

S.

[Kuk91]

https://www.facebook.com/uniofsta/photos_stream

Spoiler! :

"Each performed separately – PJ playing Professor Don Paterson's guitar and the University’s Steinway grand piano, as well as reading some of her own poetry – before joining eachother on stage for an unscripted discussion."

Don Paterson has edited poems for "The Hollow of the Hand".

[jesuspolly]

Thanks Kuk91, incredible photos ♥♥♥

https://www.facebook.com/uniofsta/photos_stream

Spoiler! :

"Each performed separately – PJ playing Professor Don Paterson's guitar and the University’s Steinway grand piano, as well as reading some of her own poetry – before joining eachother on stage for an unscripted discussion."

Don Paterson has edited poems for "The Hollow of the Hand".

[Kuk91]

There's a photo where she sits at the piano with her jacket on, the remaining two (at the piano) are without it, and sanvean said that she only played "When Under Ether", so, I guess, maybe it's from soundcheck or something. [Because the girl who has taken these photographs - https://www.facebook.com/KatMcDonaldPhotography/ - also wrote that she's even had a dinner with them afterwards, so maybe she was there for the soundcheck as well.]

[Kuk91]

https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/potw/name,320258,en.php

[Kuk91]

http://www.thesaint-online.com/2015/11/ ... rock-star/

Spoiler! :

“To do the thing that I’m drawn to do I have to live in chaos. I have to let the chaos reign. It’s the most beautiful and terrifying experience”, Harvey said.

“Now I get angry that I don’t get angry”, she laughed. “I’m 46 now. While I’m fond of my older songs, I can’t perform them. It comes down to the words. It would feel lyrically inauthentic”.

"During the Q&A following the nearly one-and-a-half-hour conversation, <...>"

[Kuk91]

https://katmphotography.wordpress.com/tag/pj-harvey/



"we spoke of White Chalk, her new album and her honky saxophone. <...> she told me to buy an autoharp."

[DrDark]

For the sake of the gigography:
http://pjharveyshows.thegardenforum.org/index.html

can someone verify the setlist of this "gig"?

Was it:
The Last Living Rose, All Near the Memorials, When Under Ether?

[sanvean]

For the sake of the gigography:
http://pjharveyshows.thegardenforum.org/index.html

can someone verify the setlist of this "gig"?

Was it:
The Last Living Rose, All Near the Memorials, When Under Ether?

Yes that is the correct setlist.