A Conversation with Lori McKenna (continued)

PM: Are there many singers or songwriters working today that you admire a lot, other people whose work you look to for inspiration?

LM: Yeah. I've learned that the thing that gets me the most is the show. It's really just sitting there and watching a show. It's hard for me to get out of the house, and when I do, it's usually because I'm doing a show or I'm going for a couple days to Nashville, or the West Coast to do a couple of gigs. I'm trying to get out--I'm getting out a little bit more and touring, and I'm figuring out how to leave the house for a couple days at a time. We were just in Holland last week and--

PM: Was the Holland tour fun?

LM: Oh, that was great.

PM: And you went with Lorne and Mark, right?

LM: I did. And those guys--playing with those guys is like playing with a full band because they are just incredible. Lorne plays about seven different instruments.

PM: Wow.

LM: And he'll be playing his mandolin and he's playing something with his feet. [laughs] These guys are just incredible. And so we got to play that Blue Highways Festival.

PM: In Utrecht, right?

LM: It was.

PM: Yeah.

LM: I'm sorry. My phone keeps beeping at me. But it was in Utrecht. And the record label that Bittertown is on over there is Rounder Europe, and they took such good care of us. That festival--they do a beautiful job of it. It was a blast. We were on the small stage. There was a big stage and a small stage. And basically, on the small stage they have this room that fits I guess 500 people standing up. And the room was filled. And I could see a couple people in front of me that knew the songs. And I thought, how great! I'm a freakin' housewife, for God's sakes! How lucky am I! In two days I'm going to be standing at a bus stop somewhere at 7:00 in the morning with my neighbors, and brushing my kids' hair, and I get to do this!

PM: That's unbelievable.

LM: It really, really is. I'm constantly amazed by the things I get to do. And it was wonderful. The crowd was awesome. They stood in silence and they listened to the songs, and then they cheered. I just looked at Mark and Lorne, and I thought, this is great, to just come over here and have people know the songs. I certainly didn't expect anything like that.

PM: It must be tempting, even with so many kids and a husband at home, to want to tour more.

LM: I'm really optimistic about what I can achieve with these kids, because with the baby, you see, I get a little crazy. We were there for four days, and my husband was with me. And we both said "Four days, tops, like this is perfect." Because if I had been there for six days, I probably would have kidnapped a baby or something...

PM: [laughs]

LM: --because I need to see them. But my two little ones are little, and I tell my husband, like, "I can take them with me." [laughs]

PM: Right.

LM: And I'm pretty optimistic that I can have the best of all worlds, because I've been lucky, and I have a lot of people that back me up and take care of me.

But that tour was great, and being there with Mark and Lorne. And people actually--somebody actually said to me, "Do not come over to Europe ever again without Mark Erelli."

[laughter]

LM: We had a blast. And I think we were the only people on the bill that weren't from Nashville or Austin.

PM: Really?

LM: We had an awesome time. We only got to see a couple other people perform, but we got to meet Jim Lauderdale and--

PM: He's so great.

LM: Oh, my God. I only got to see one of his songs, but when I got home I promptly went on Amazon.com and bought a couple of his records.

PM: He's one of the funniest cats you can meet. He's unbelievable.

LM: He just looks like he'd be a funny guy. I'm going to write with him in a couple weeks when I come down to Nashville. I have an appointment with him. This record that he made with Ralph Stanley--it's like going to church, that record.

PM: And he cut an album of songs that he wrote with Robert Hunter.

LM: Yeah, I read about that, but I didn't get that one. I'll have to go back.

PM: That's great.

LM: Really?

PM: Yeah, I mean--oh, jeez, we could go on forever--

LM: I know.

PM: --but I know you're a busy person, and I'm looking at the tape, going "Frank, you said you weren't going to go more than thirty minutes. Time's up."

LM: I'm sorry. It's not you, it's me! This is what happens when you're the first adult that I have talked to all day long, you get an earful.

[laughter]

PM: You're very sweet. It's really so nice to talk to you.

LM: It's been very nice. Thanks for talking to me, I appreciate it. Well, I'm going to be in Nashville in a couple of weeks so maybe we'll see each other. My little guy actually just woke up, so perfect timing. My little man here. Hang on one second, Frank.

PM: Sure. Fantastic talking to you. What a nice person you are.

LM: And you too, Frank. Thanks for calling me. I appreciate it.

PM: I hope to see you soon.

LM: Okay, maybe in a couple weeks we'll have some coffee. Talk to you then.

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