Liz Phair Returns to Indie Roots

Fri, Apr 11, 2008 at 7:28 pm Posted in Music

I’m not one of those guys who got all hot under the collar and pissed off when indie darling Liz Phair released (gasp) two commercial records on a major label. Maybe it’s because I enjoy an engaging pop tune more than those so-called broad minded critics, or maybe it’s because I think musical artists’ primary function is to explore those things creatively that they want to explore rather feeling like they owe it to their fans to stick themselves in a pigeon hole. Could I have done without H.W.C. from her self-titled 2003 release? Sure. But maybe it was her favorite song on the CD. No musician owes me anything when they decide to record.

Either way, Phair is back on an indie label (ATO), re-releasing her seminal CD Exile in Guyville, and, according to Stereogum, sending up “smoke signals” to fans that the earth shattering horror that was her commercial success is now over. From a recent Billboard interview:

BILLBOARD: Why did you decide to sign with ATO for the re-release of “Guyville” and your new record?

LIZ PHAIR: I missed being on an indie. I never wanted to go to a major in the first place, but Matador basically sold me to Capitol, and when they divested, I was left there. It has been a long time since I could do what I wanted. When I was on Capitol, I tried to adapt and make the best of it, but I can honestly say, for the first time in 15 years, I feel creative. I don’t have to start with a mindset that thinks about how to sell the record and works backward.
[...]
BB: Does it ever drive you nuts that even after four more records and 15 years, people keep coming back to “Guyville?”

LP: There was a period where I was frustrated, but much of that came from the fact that I was stuck in the major system and felt like my fans hated me and I was cranky. And now I’m not cranky anymore [laughs]. When I did the first pop record, I have to say it was fun for me. [Then-Capitol president] Andy Slater came in and we just decided to give it a shot. I felt like I had fun and learned a lot, although I certainly would not have made that record had I not been on a major.