Joan Wasser - Joan As Police Woman

·1 hr 3 min·5 clips

At nine years old, Joan found a Jimi Hendrix album in a charity shop bin that permanently altered her musical universe.

The episode is an interview format where host David Eastall speaks with musician Joan Wasser, who performs as Joan as Police Woman. Joan discusses her upcoming album 'Real Life Evolution,' a re-recorded and re-imagined version of her 2004 debut 'Real Life,' set for release on June 12th, exactly 20 years later. She reflects on her early musical influences, including buying vinyl from charity shops as a child and being captivated by Jimi Hendrix's 'Axis: Bold as Love' at age nine or ten. Joan details her classical violin training starting at age eight through a public school program that rented instruments for $10 a year, emphasizing her parents' supportive but non-pushy attitude. She describes her teenage years in New York, attending CBGB's hardcore matinees, seeing bands like Black Flag and the Bad Brains, and being influenced by hip-hop acts like Public Enemy. Joan talks about her first band, The Dambuilders, in the early 1990s, recording on a two-inch Studer tape machine and touring with Lollapalooza in 1995, where she encountered Cypress Hill's extravagant backstage scene. She mentions subsequent collaborations with artists like Anthony and the Johnsons, Rufus Wainwright, Tony Allen, and David Sylvian, highlighting how working with Tony Allen pushed her creativity. Joan explains the origin of her stage name from a friend's comment about her resembling Angie Dickinson from the TV show 'Police Woman.' She discusses her songwriting process, including drawing inspiration from a visit to Israel's Wailing Wall for the song 'Holy City,' and her preference for evolving songs live rather than replicating recordings. The conversation covers her album sequencing, cover art ideas like the gold paint for 'The Classic,' and her label Reveal Records. Joan shares anecdotes about seeing a female producer for the first time while working with Sheryl Crow and her ongoing passion for touring and creating music.

As heard by us

A candid music-history conversation, from Judy Garland records and charity-shop vinyl to the pressures that ended a band.

Joan As Police Woman's conversation with David Eastall moves between charity-shop vinyl and the harder realities of a 1990s band worn down by the road.

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Why you'd press play

You get Judy Garland, 25-cent charity-shop vinyl, and a band story where touring, label confusion, and wrong-fit bills take their toll.

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