Depends on the icon. If it’s Jann Arden, you sweat, you cry, you laugh so hard you almost pee your pants. I did, anyway.
As part of a Canadian Living Advantage event, I got to interview Jann in front of 300 people at the Berkeley Street Church (yes, on a bed – the night was billed as Pillow Talk, like a chat between two girlfriends).
I could not stop laughing during the interview! (Photography, Megan Battersby)
I was excited. But. The only thing that kept me from panic attacking myself was that I had seen interviews with her, been to her concerts and watched her on TV – this woman can tell a good story, she makes people laugh, she’s my inspiration.
I came up with lots of questions about her new book, Falling Backwards (Random House Canada, 2011) and album Uncover Me 2, which just came out last week. I thought I was ready, but when she entered the room backstage, I screamed. Which startled Jann, and scared her adorable dog, Midi.
Off to a good start, I told her how nervous I was and asked her if she wanted to talk about my questions, as I wanted her to be comfortable. “No,” she said. “You can ask me anything. Let’s just go out there and have some fun!” Whaaaat? Anything? Really? Fun?!
She’s released 11 albums. She’s won Junos. She hosts award shows. She has a radio show, she’s a judge on Canada Sings. She’s one of Canada's national treasures. What kind of an anti-diva is this? I asked myself.
The best kind, as it turns out.
She started with a few songs, one of which was “Good Mother.” The acoustics were amazing and her voice is so powerful that I started to tear up (I was trying not to cry, as I was worried that all the makeup on my face would crack and the mascara would run down my cheeks in black rivulets).
She was amazing. She answered every question in an honest, straightforward manner, even a sexual experience she had that was hard to listen to sometimes. But she also said stuff that had everyone killing themselves laughing.
And that’s why Jann Arden is such an inspiration. It is her honesty and courage in sharing such intimate details of her life with us that empowers us, because then we know we are not alone with our darkest thoughts, and our experiences don’t define us. Nothing is off limits, and in laying her life bare, she shows us what a powerful thing is hope, which kept her going (she was almost 30 when she got her first record deal) and helps keep her brother going, now in prison for a crime he says he did not commit. She can laugh at herself and she makes us laugh – which makes us love her even more.
Jann Arden makes a difference in our world, and she makes our world a better place. In fact, when I think of it, the evening was a real highlight for me. And she was right – it was a fun night!
