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Posted May. 9, 2007, 10:24 a.m. ET
Knockin' On Chan Marshall's Door
By Carol Lee
We made our love for Cat Power official by putting her on PAPER's May cover. When I flew down to Miami to interview Chan Marshall, I had very mixed feelings. The whole situation seemed touch and go all the way, but soon enough, I realized I had nothing to worry about. Chan was super-gracious, open, generous and all-around lovely -- I'm not just saying this, I swear. She bought me a souvenir crab leg keychain from Joe's Stone Crab ("you have to have this," she said) and put me up at her house when I had to stay an extra day in Miami because, well, it's a long story. It involves a canon ball and my tape recorder going bust -- the interview was by her pool (how Miami!).
When we talked, she was sweet and candid. She told me how she was nervous about taking on a cameo role in Wong Kar-wai's new movie My Blueberry Nights as Jude Law's ex-girlfriend from Russia, how she practiced her lines with a Russian accent only to be told on the day of the shoot to lose it by the assistant director, and about Wong's method directing style. "When we were shooting my scene, and you know, he always wears sunglasses even at night, he told me to act sad, then for the next scene he'd say to me, 'Chan (Chinese style pronunciation),' that's what he always called me, 'Now try shedding just one tear.'" Three takes later, she was balling. "Then he said, 'Now one more, but this time no tears.'" And that was the take he wanted.
One of her dreams is to go on tour, playing in the same cities as Bob Dylan, but in the afternoons so she'd be able to go see him at night. Even though she's told this to her tour manager numerous times, it's never happened. "This is the thing that frustrates me the most -- that people don't take you seriously because you're a girl." She also told me that after getting out of rehab, while in recovery, she read every Haruki Murakami book. I don't know why, but that made an impression on me. On my last day in Miami, we had lunch at Book Café and then went shopping at Place Vendome where we both bought the same pair of pants. Then I flew back to cold, cold New York City and I thought about how really great she was.
Here are the outtake photos by Elinor Carucci from the Cat Power cover story.
Comments
I've met and spoken with Chan several times now here in NYC. She is the most gracious, gorgeous person and has a tremendous memory! The first time we met (I approached her as a gushing fan while on duty at the SOHO Grand) she told me to buy tap shoes and audition for Broadway which I've yet to do. A month after our first conversation, she remembered me when I saw her shakin' it on the dance floor at the Darkroom in the LES. She even offered to put me on the guest list for her performance at Irving Plaza. I went to the box office and, sure enough, she remembered to put me on there. She played her heart out for over two hours and it was the best concert I've ever been to. Since then I've left the service industry and started working at my passion, filmmaking. Chan is an inspiration to me and others and I am very grateful to have met her.
Posted at 1:15 a.m. ET on Oct 03, 2007 by Rachel Fernandes
In 1995 or 1996 I saw Chan Marshall play in a small backroom concert hall in Toronto. I'm not sure which album she was touring (maybe What Would the Community Think?). I'd loved Chan's music for a couple of years. Absolutely loved it. Her voice was magical -- I must have played Dear Sir every day for months on end. I told everyone I knew that they had to buy her records...
There were about twenty people in the crowd that night. Chan was onstage with her guitar. She had two mics set up: one in front of her and one behind. She'd sing standing between them, swaying between the two and creating the most impressive vocal effects: full, angelic, operatic.. you know what I mean. Her voice is the best I've heard.
Anyway, the show ended up taking this strange turn at about the midway point. Suddenly Chan just started to slow down, all of her songs becoming these drawn out dirges. One song went on for 15 minutes, two or three chords repeated over and over, really slowly for what seemed an interminable amount of time (to this day I think it was a Blues Explosion cover)...
And so it went: the songs just drew out. But the slower they got, the more intense her voice became. We were transfixed. We could not believe that such a powerful voice was coming out of such a small body. She was transforming on stage: the slower the songs became, the more taut she became and the more powerful her voice became. It drowned out her guitar. She held notes and warbled around melodies and we could not believe what we were hearing...
After the show Chan and her manager (I think) joined the crowd at a table in the middle of the room. Chan looked tired, and drained... but also somehow more worn out than she should have. Everyone in the place could tell that something wasn't sitting right with her. She looked shell-shocked and frightened. She kind of cowered and tried to drink a beer. And then the worst thing imaginable happened. She started to cry in front of all of us.
I remember feeling so bad for her. She seemed like this little kid, and we couldn't square that sense with the fact that she'd just given us one of the most moving concert experiences of our lives... Everyone in the place was looking around... "what do we do, what do we do..." After what she'd given us, you wanted to help her out...
Anyway, my friends and I were sitting nearby, and we didn't know what to do. My girlfriend finally leaned over to her and said "Miss Marshall, your show was absolutely one of the most intense I've ever experienced. You have the loveliest voice."
And do you know what Chan said? We couldn't believe our ears... She started to apologize for putting on such a bad show. She was crying because she thought she'd disappointed the audience...
We could not believe it. Here's this woman, barely a woman really, sitting onstage and giving up so much of herself to us... and all the while not realizing just how powerful her performance is.
We were stunned. After that show I remember following her career on and off, and I never lost this sense that she was such a tragic figure. I'm not really the kind of guy who gets star-stuck really easily, but everytime I heard one of her albums, or came across a photoshoot or interview, there was a part of me that felt bad that she might not know just how much her work might mean to people. She's not the run-of-the-mill pop "star"... She's one of those classic stand-alone artists... a real heavyweight... and yet, she always seemed so troubled, and so unaware of her own ability and talent and power to move people...
Anyway I'm pretty sure I have a massive crush on Chan Marshall... I admit that because it makes my point, which is: Chan always gives so much of herself on her records and her performances, and she's always seemed so selfless about it; which is to say, you could not listen to Chan's music without feeling like you were getting to know someone deeply. Her voice has this uncanny ability to transform the simplest statements into the most moving ones... That night in Toronto she convinced all of us that she was one of the most honest artists we'd seen, and her music is all the more gut-wrenching because she seemed so oblivious to that fact and to her own talent...
In any case, it's incredible to hear that so many people are finally falling-in behind her to give her the credit that's been missing for so long. Maybe it's because she was so unguarded that night 12 years ago, but she always seemed so vulnerable to me; and so it's awesome to hear that she's finally getting rewarded for all that she's given of herself.
Posted at 4:29 a.m. ET on Jun 19, 2008 by Don_S
ya she absolutely rocks i have a crush on her too
Posted at 9:18 p.m. ET on Oct 30, 2008 by Anonymous
"We could not believe that such a powerful voice was coming out of such a small body"
A commenter up there says Catpower has a powerful voice that comes out of "such a small body".
I saw her live when she was touring her covers album, and she is not small. She's a tall woman, at least 5 ft 8 if not taller. But at any rate, agreed, she is the bomb.
Posted at 4:57 p.m. ET on Mar 13, 2009 by J
Cat Power - The best!
Posted at 7:57 a.m. ET on Mar 16, 2009 by Cisum
To the poster who commented on her height, she is tall, but definitely not 5'8". She is probably more like 5'6" or 5'7". I have met her-I'm 5'9" and she is definitely shorter than me.
Posted at 4:58 p.m. ET on Apr 20, 2009 by Anonymous
really? she looks 5'8 or 5'7 1/2 to me.
Posted at 7:00 p.m. ET on Apr 26, 2009 by Anonymous
probably 5'7"
Posted at 12:07 a.m. ET on May 17, 2009 by Anonymous
I met Chan Marshall back in the late 90's in Greensboro, NC. I met her through her sister. Both of them are very sweet, good hearted people. I am now a fan of her music. I own JukeBox but I'm on my way to get The Greatest, since hearing some clips online. Chan is the real thing and that is rare these days. Go Chan, an old acquaintance from North Carolina says hi!
David Williams
Posted at 10:02 p.m. ET on May 27, 2009 by David Williams
imdb.com says she's 5ft8 inches. I would have guessed even a bit taller.
Posted at 8:42 p.m. ET on Jun 12, 2009 by Ginny
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