From what must have been a great interview . . . . . . . . . Bonnie nails it right there
Bonnie Raitt:
"I think speaking about how you're treated and what you're longing for, that's what songs have been about, whether they're Celtic or African or Gypsy music. The form and the specific words may change, but anger, jealousy, hurt, and loss are all there. True, Neil Sedaka songs aren't exactly gut-bucket. But that whole argument about "how can a white girl sing the blues? How can you have validity?" Well, I have yet to meet somebody who doesn't have real pain. And as you get older, those things become richer because experience brings depth. I prefer people in their older, more seasoned form, but I also think it's thrilling to hear Alanis Morissette and Liz Phair. Those are two of my favorite artists right now. It'll be great to hear what Liz Phair is singing about when she's seventy-five.
I like to think I'm down-to-earth. It's the balance between, as Joni Mitchell said, "stoking the star-making machinery" and putting equal time in on my own nurturing. There's an inside underneath the inside. That's what my singing is about. Sometimes I'm more true when I'm up onstage than I'm able to be in my regular life. It's not as exciting to be at home, but I've got to learn how to make that work, and then I will be an ordinary woman."
by Ann Poweres, 1995
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