Interview With Kimya Dawson

The timing and content has been a bit erratic on my site MonsterFresh.com, especially as of late, but that is primarily due to its organic development.

I use the term "organic" in much the same way that a crop yield can be affected by the refusal to utilize outside elements that, although have the ability to stimulate growth, will also undoubtedly effect the natural composition of things. I only mention this because Kimya Dawson was actually one of the first interviews that I thought to have when I started the website.

I spoke with her at a show in November, but mostly just about Olympia, Wa (Kimya lived in Oly during the 90's, I lived there from 2000-'06 and then she moved back after I had left) She did, however, mention that some of her music was used to make up the soundtrack to a small indie film that was coming out called JUNO. I recalled seeing a trailer for it before The Darjeeling Limited, and that was that.

Jump to a couple of months into the future and JUNO is already an Oscar contender and the soundtrack, which is composed almost entirely of Dawson's solo work and other projects (The Moldy Peaches & Antsy Pants) becomes the #1 selling album Nationally. Kimya's schedule these days is hectic. She tours with her family (husband/musician Angelo Spencer and their daughter Panda) and actually lists the days in which she is NOT doing a performance. Fortunately for us, she played a benefit show in Seattle on March 1st for HollowEarthRadio.com, of which my friend DJ Knucklesupper hosts his own show. She was kind enough to meet with me before her performance so that the interview could finally come to fruition.

DEAD C: So let's see what I got here. I want to ask you 2 questions about- well actually 1 question... Are you related to Andre or Richard Dawson?

KIMYA: Neither, actually. It was funny 'cus, growing up, our next door neighbors were also last named Dawson and uh...they weren't very nice people. They claimed that they were related to Andre and we were not related to them... to our neighbors. But also, I think that the Dawson name was a tricky thing. I think that my grandfather had like, some sort of a step dad or something and his last name got changed. And so I don't know that we are even really from a long line of Dawsons.

Well I know you also are not related to Fabrizio Morretti, is that correct?

No I'm not. I did inherit some of Richard Dawson's affection, but I don't think we're blood [chuckles]

Well, what were you saying about the whole imdb thing with Fabrizio Moretti a while ago?

Oh. On my imdb page it has, in the trivia, that me and Fabrizio are cousins and it's not true. It was a rumor that I started once in England as a joke. But, I mean, I didn't even mean to start it as a rumor. Like, I was doing an interview for a zine and somebody asked how The Moldy Peaches were "lucky" enough to get to tour with The Strokes.

Ooh

And it was during the time that everybody was like, "Oh! The Strokes only got a major label deal 'cuz they're rich" and, you know, so people were like, "Oh, how did you guys end up on tour with The Strokes? That's really lucky." So I was like, "Oh, it was no luck, we're cousins."

[we both laugh]

You know, to totally up the privilege ante, but I was totally kidding. But I didn't let them know that I was kidding. And it was just for some zine in New Castle, England or something and then, it just totally spread. It was pretty hysterical. But I tried to change it on the imdb page and they were like, "Yeah, whatever. It's totally true."

Really?

Yeah.

How do you try to alter something like that?

You just- You have to have a log-in thing for imdb and then you can challenge information on people's pages, but I got shot down.

That's pretty rough.

Yeah. I mean I've had people, on The Strokes message board too, post pictures of me and Fab and be like, "Look at the family resemblance", and I'm like, "We're not related" and they're like, "Yes THEY are!"

[we both laugh again]

So, you just played at Evergreen (State College) right?

Yeah.

Well, I didn't realize that you went there too.

Yeah.

'cuz I went there, but...I, um.. don't have my degree.

[shakes head w/smirk] Oh yeah, me either. When were you there?

I was there until, um...2 thousand and....4?

Oh, okay. I'm much older. I was there until '94.

Yeah all of these things happened where they didn't ever give me my degree.

Aww, yeah..okay.

And I'm really not too worried about it.

Yeah that's kind of how I feel.

Were you just in town for a short period, in Olympia, when you did that? 'Cuz there was a riot-

I lived in Olympia for- oh-

I mean recently.

Oh, oh recently? Yeah the riot. We had just gotten back to town a couple days after it. Yeah, so I don't have a lot of facts about it. I've heard a lot of different...hearsay.

I heard something, that it was supposed to affect the performances that were going to take place.

Yeah, they made an exception for my show which was really nice.

So you are in the line of people such as Matt Groening and Marcy Playground

Yeah, well I think maybe THEY got diplomas.

So you were on The View right?

Yeah.

So everyone is asking you about The View and everyone wants to ask you about Juno.

Yeah.

Well, I had questions before and I'm trying to update 'em.

Okay.

So, on The View..

Mmm hmm?

You just had a little brief little, um...

Yeah.

You performed and then... Whoopi Goldberg announced you?

Yeah. I had like point two five seconds to say as much as I could possibly squeeze in.

But, um, every time that I see Barbara Walters-

Pffft! [smiles] What a freakazoid, huh?

Yeah, she goes out of her way to mention The Moldy Peaches but then-

[laughing] It's like she's addicted to us, but she can't stand us.

-but she... doesn't "get it"?

Yeah.

She doesn't "get it", but she loved it when Ellen Page sang your song. But, not so much, when you did it.

Oh, she was like... squirming. Just totally squirming in her seat while Ellen was singing it. But, yeah. Well, I think part- We (The Moldy Peaches) met her after we performed on The View and she was talking to Adam (Green) and I, and I think she didn't like our attitude... about "the biz". And I wonder, when she says she doesn't "get it", if she means that she doesn't understand "us", you know. 'cuz I'm willing to bet that she hasn't heard any of our music past that one song ("Anyone Else but You"). And you know, she's been on Conan, on her show, and-

Yeah, I saw her on Conan talking about how she doesn't "get it".

And on The View. But she's sang along to it on like 3 different shows now. You know, so it's like she knows it and it gets stuck in her head. But yeah, she came up to us and was like, [in a gruff troll voice] "So what's up? Do you guys hate each other?" And I was like, "What do you mean?" She was like "Why aren't you playing together now?" We were just like, " 'cuz we're not a band anymore" or like, you know, " 'cuz we're not doing anything these days". And she was just, "But you gotta strike while the iron is hawwt!" Just really, "You can make lots of money right now!" and I was like, "That's not why we make music." You know?

Mmm, hmm

And she was just like [grumbles] "You kids!" I think she wanted us to have more ambition, in the way that she thinks that people should be ambitious.

I think I should probably photoshop a picture of her for this and probably put it on the site.

Did you see the video that I posted like yesterday?

Yeah I just saw that today. Where you're singing along with her?

[We both laugh]

Over Ellen Page's face?

Uh, huh.

Yeah, I was thinking about that and I was thinking, "Man, I should just photoshop Barbara Walters with gold teeth and diamonds and chains" and maybe even just, kind of, pimped out-

But you know, it's like...who cares if Barbara doesn't get what they do, she's like a hundred.

[we laugh again]

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