Linda Perry went from 4 Non Blondes to a solo act meanwhile writing and producing hit songs for everyone from Pink to Christina Aguilera. Her new project Deep Dark Robot hits Chicago this week and she discusses how it feels to be a front woman again with Gozamos!
Gozamos: Hello, Linda. You are currently out on the road. Where in the world are you?
Linda Perry: I am pulling into Philly right now.
You just did the SXSW festival didn’t you?
LP: Yes we did. We have been on the road for a week and a half.
How are things going on the road?
LP: Really good. Things have been great. It is kind of like a little vacation for me. I have been in the studio for so long. I have been running around, meeting people and getting on stage, performing. It is fun being with a band. I have my team. You just never know what is going to happen. There could be people there or there could not. People will either like it or not. It is very random. For the past 13 years it has been a very controlled environment. I know every single thing that is going on. So it is a vacation and I have been getting the best sleep that I have gotten in years.
Now you are visiting Chicago.
LP: I know. We are excited. It has been so long since I have been out and about in the world.
Schubas is an intimate space to perform in.
LP: Since Deep Dark Robot is not known then I just wanted to try smaller places. We are starting from scratch. It is like starting over again. I was trying to find the smallest spaces available. Some of the clubs that they have found for us have been really great for that reason.
I listened to the new single “Won’t You Be My Girl” and it sounds pretty rocking!
LP: You have to listen to the whole album. The one song doesn’t make the album. It has a flow and a concept to it. There is not one song that represents the album. So, yes that song is rockin’ but the whole album is not necessarily that way.
Do you have some ballads similar to the ones that you are known for writing?
LP: Yeah, there are a variety of the eight songs. It is hard to explain. I wouldn’t consider them ballads but they are slow. They are slow tempo songs. It is telling a story about heartbreak.
Where is the name Deep Dark Robot from?
LP: From a lyric that I was writing and that just popped out of my mouth. “Deep Dark Robot is falling in love.” I thought, “That is cool and put it aside.” I said, “If I were to start a band then I would call my band that.”
Speaking about love, aren’t you in a relationship with Cybill Shepherd’s daughter?
LP: No. I am single. I have been out of a relationship for about a year almost now.
I wasn’t aware of that. Does it still say “dyke” on your guitar?
LP: No, that guitar I gave away to charity over fifteen years ago. The event was for AIDS and they were able to raise a pretty good chunk of money.
Excellent. You come from a musical family. Do you speak Portuguese?
LP: No, I understand my mother. My mother is Brazilian and my father is from Portugal. I can speak a teeny tiny bit, not enough for a conversation but I understand my mom really well.
You have worked with so many people from Gwen Stefani to Alicia Keyes and the list goes on. Who else are you working with this year?
LP: For right now I want to be an artist this year. I have slimmed it down. I am working with people that I don’t want to say because it is not out yet. In this business someone I say I am working with may not be signed or it might change in three months. Someone might change and become a country artist. Things change so crazy now. One thing I do know is that I am working on a musical.
Oh, tell me about that.
LP: They are doing a musical of To Die For. The Gus Van Sant movie about the woman that had kids kill her husband. She was a news anchorwoman.
Yes, played by Nicole Kidman.
LP: It is going to Broadway so I was just hired to do the music for that. I am very excited about it. I have several other projects but right now I am focusing on Deep Dark Robot and being an artist.
Deep Dark Robot bolts its way into Schubas, 3159 N Southport, on March 31 at 9:00 pm. For tickets and information visit www.schubas.com.