Okay...I admit it: I had'nt even HEARD of Liz Phair before the hit "Why Can't I?" made it's way onto my TV screen while I was lazing around one day watching VH1's newst music videos. It was such a great song, I had to go out and buy the CD. As I listened to the new CD more and more, I grew more and more interested in what her other work sounded like, if she had any. I did some research, and finally went out and bought "Exile in Guyville", her first release. I listened...but what did I really expect? The same rock I had heard from her self-titled release? It's not what I got. But it didn't matter...I loved the album as much as the first one I got. But it lead me to this question "What made Liz Phair change her sound of music?" I got all her other albums, naturally, and they all sound different (Actuelly Exile and Whip-Smart had more things on common than the rest). I had read that she likes to "work with different people" with each of her albums....but after her huge success with Exile...why would she change? Not saying she wasn't even more of a success after that title. Those damn critics are saying her new work is so-so, but what ever happened to her roots? Even though I love all her work....I'm still asking...What really happened to Exile? Will she ever go back to make records like that? Does she like her new sound better?
Do we even know who Liz Phair is?? These are questions I don't know if I'll get the answers too, but I know people agree....Exile was extraordinary and personal and strange...what happened?

because her little boy needs shoes.

it's what liz phair wants. she wanted to go this direction. check out harp magazine with her on the cover. that articles reveals what has been the hardest to swallow: that through all this with liz phair and somebody's miracle it was lliz's own doing all along. it's what she wanted. we just have to either accpet that and go along for the ride or get off the ride.

The harp magazine is a great interview and the photos are just amazing.

Alas, I couldn't afford to buy it, so instead I read the whole thing at barne's & noble.

yeah, the second photo of her is amazing.

shoes? blame it on the college fund.

we left yesterday: I can't believe that the one nugget you would take from the Harp interview is that this is what she wanted. I think she made it clear that the decisions she made were based on the fact that she was stuck on a major label and had to choose to either sink or swim. You take that to mean that she always wanted to write a song like "Why Can't I" and schmooze with the ladies on The View.

I give up.

If you wanna know why her sound changed, just follow the money.

amen. its a question of survival. she did what she had to and made songs that she could live with but that would sell. she doesnt necessarily love them. there are other songs on the S/T that im sure she's proud of.

when i say it's what liz phair wanted i am saying that this is all liz phair's doing. she's not being forced by captiol to do this. she chose this route. this is the route she wanted to take. yes, money is a motivation. but more as means for her to keep doing what she wants to as career and still make enough money to do that. it was a businees decision but one that liz phair made. remember her manager didn't want her to do this. well we know what happened to her. a lot of people seem to blame captiol for what has happened to liz and in some ways capitol is to blame. but in the end it was liz's decicion. that's what i got from the harp interview.

Well, she never would have been on Capitol if she hadn't been 'traded' (or 'sold like a sack of flour') by Matador. She was doing quite well with Matador, and her motivations were never in question. When you say it was her decision (and yeah, I've heard her say that a billion times now in various interviews), what that is actually referring to is the decision to bring in the Matrix (vs. putting out the Michael Penn-produced record that Capitol wasn't too keen on) to get some more cash flow and get a real bid-for-the-charts project going. Which makes sense to me and I don't necessarily fault her for it, even though I didn't like the result. I think the real fuckin' point of the Harp interview -- the real heart of the matter, what I take away from it -- is that her ideal situation is to be on an indie label where she doesn't have to compete within the confines of the major label machine as it is today. (Hello, Matador years, anyone?) I mean, you did read that part, right?

Well, according to this article:


I wonder what happened with Liz's contract with Matador/Atlantic after Matador and atlantic parted ways:

Did Capitol just absorb the contract? If so, then Liz would still owe Capitol another album. Does anyone have any insight?

There is this really great explanation of the change in the iTunes original piece "I Kinda Became a Housewife".

When you start to listen to it, it really doesn't sound like there is this huge revelation in there, because she's talking about how WCSE kinda got bogged down by the changes in her life and the parade of different producers.

Just keep listening to it.

The key area starts with "It was an interesting pivotal moment for me". She talks about her attitude about doing the music changed.

"I had this amazing opportunity.

That like selling a record wasn't like the ultimate worst thing that could ever happen to you.

Like, oh my God, my job is to, what, get up on stage and make people happy by making music."

If you get a chance, please listen to this. Listen to it several times.

You see that she is motivated by touching people's lives. I really think that she did broaden the fan base by the last two albums.

I think that Liz is applying the wrong standard for success. The record company is always concerned about number of album sales. It's easy to get sucked into that kind of thinking.

The real success is the part about making people happy.

The real failure only occurs when Liz pauses and withdraws from it all.

I think that when you apply the correct standard for success, you know, the part about making people happy, you see that all five albums have succeeded in ways that Liz Phair will never know because she cannot count the people that her music has touched.

I keep on going places and hearing Liz Phair. Her music is still out there.

We were watching the TV last night and flipped over to 13 going on 30 and caught it at just the point where they play "Why Can't I?" and I thought to myself, "Liz, why can't you see that you've succeeded beyond your wildest dreams."

The last couple of days has been really rough for me and Liz's music helps me get through it. Thanks, Liz.

Thank you tramp for reviving this thread. The first post by phair park is a sweet tale of discovery. And thanks again for prompting a return to "I Kinda Became a Housewife". I hadn't listened to that iTunes download in ages. It's fun to hear her voice. She doesn't waste words.