The best magazine
I had the pleasure of talking with Catie Curtis, lesbian acoustic singer/songwriter in December 2005 while she was on a break from her tour, promoting the album Dreaming in Romance Languages. While many famous lesbians and lesbian celebrities are afraid or reluctant to come out, Catie Curtis has been out her whole career. She took the time to talk to me about her personal life, what it’s like on the road as a touring musician and her creative process.
Kathy Belge: Thank you for talking with me today. You’re on a break right now, where have you been traveling?
Catie Curtis: We traveled for a month starting from Seattle working my way down through Washington, Oregon, California and went into New Mexico and Colorado and then to the mid west. I played six days in the Midwest.
How long were you gone?
Four Months.
How much time do you typically spend on the road?
Typically I only go out for three or four days and do that two or three times a month. So I often travel just 6-10 shows a month, but because I have a new album out, I’m doing these longer tours.
I know you have a family. Do they go on the road with you?
They usually meet up with me when I’m on the road for a few days in the middle of my tour. But in general I wouldn’t want to put them through the long drive.
Which do you prefer, the live stuff of working in the studio?
If I had to do just one thing, it would be the live stuff because that’s where you’re most in the moment, you can’t re-take anything. Within a studio you have to be somewhat self-conscious. You have to listen back and edit and change things. I prefer the live performance. The exchange of energy with an audience is kind of addictive.
Is it a drag sometimes?
Well, it’s a drag when you feel negative energy. Like sometimes it just seems like there’s this sadness in a town and you feel it in the audience. Or they’re tired and you feel that. Other times, though it’s just like amazing great energy.
So, I’m curios about this. Sometimes when I go see live shows and the audience is screaming out the names of songs that they want you to play. Do you like that or is that annoying to an artist?
In general, I solicit that. I ask people to tell me what they want and I usually deflect the demanding ones. I end of playing the requests that I think would be best for the whole group. I like to hear what people want to hear because I think it’s constructive to me over time to be aware what songs are hitting people and what they want me to play in concert. In general, my audiences are very kind. I don’t think I draw a lot of drinkers or a lot of crazies. I don’t really have a big issue with people being obnoxious at my shows, which is really nice.
Source: ...