Lana interviewed by Jack Antonoff for Interview Magazine - September 2020

[Foxglove 2,266]

14 hours ago, sjatib said:

 

"Blowing up her own ego" is exactly the main impression I got from this article. Even if I enjoyed the parts where she discusses music or some aspects regarding daily life, the fact that her and Jack act as if they were some kind of omniscent genius bugs me off. Lana talks as she's eaten all the stuff the critics said about her last year ("a laureate poet of a world on fire" or whatever), and Im happy that she acknowledges she is talented, but what made me feel close to her since I knew her was how foot-on-earth she was, and how self-aware of her ignorance on some topics she seemed to be too, as it seemed to push her to explore deeper from her artistic perspective. She's always had a quite intuitive way to approach to reality, even if not always educated, she's always been good intentioned and sharp in her own ways, and I've always appreciated that honesty a lot. Now reading her talking about how she thinks she knows about everything while dropping the comment on how people will look more on genetics to know about their psychological issues... She obviously isnt aware still, at her 35 years, that most people in the world arent ruminating at their LA mansions about the "culture", but facing huge structural problematics related to the possibility and struggle to materially survive, and that mental health may have a lot more to with that than with intuitive healers or whatever she thinks she knows and we dont.

She's definetly eccentric and has a quite egotic and privileged way to look at the world, and I guess that may be part of her enchantment as weird and genial as she is. Not genial on the omniscently way she thinks she is, but in the confusing, sensitive and beautiful sense I think she gets to approach to the world.

She's random, clumsy and very smart too. Truly wanting to listen to whatever she's been working on.

all of this.  i think it's really myopic for her to literally say she's always right and knows everything then show a complete lack of perspective on even the issues she brings up.  i think it's wildly arrogant for her to bring up genetics and mental health but appear completely ignorant about how even current mental illness diagnoses are not based on scientific pathology at all and that claims that some mental illness is caused by "chemical imbalance" are untested, unproven, and ... yeah just not backed by science or evidence.  she knows everything and is always right, but can't understand how people took issue with her name dropping Black artists to criticize how she's been criticized?  thinking the new wave of feminism should center delicate, albeit famous and rich, white women?  it's like she has ideas about stuff but doesn't feel the need to actually look into it besides what her instinct tells her - like this:

13 hours ago, WilshireBoulevard said:

 

A genius that doesn't view writing as a craft but as something that just comes to your brain half-formed and perfect on the basis of it being hers... right. 

like we all don't have the ability to write stream of consciousness and have it turn out alright some times.......  this shit gets to me.  is it like, um, excuse me, she is channeling her glorious muse???? because sometimes it's just called inspiration and it just comes from your own brain.  i think creativity and artistry can totally be divine, and i believe in channeling tbh, i have even received poems that just come to me and i write them down, but at the end of the day it's like-- ok that's still you, the person, the artist, taking inspiration from whatever source and relaying it, editing it, etc.  if she's channeling her poems from some ethereal muse, why are they all 100% about her specific life? "took a ride off a billionaire's jet" etc etc.

she's not really discussing the human condition, or the nature of the universe, or whatever deep shit she thinks she is.  she's talking about her own experiences, a very specific type of life, only available to a pretty white woman in America with money and the free time and lack of obligations required to ponder about love and not knowing your partner instead of like... how to make rent without getting incarcerated.

that whole interview made me realize that @Vertimus was right about one thing (tho maybe just the one thing) -- Lana's air of mystery and intrigue went a looooong way for letting fans project what they wanted onto her and her artistry. and now that she's being open and voicing her opinions, it's clear that she's one of those people who thinks she's the deepest thing since the mariana trench when really her perspective barely scratches the surface of reality

[BlueRibbonSparklerBaby 100]

Love her but what crawled up her ass and died? ?

[Rorman Nockwell 53,559]

We need Lorde to do something because she hates Lorde and if Lorde would stop frolicking around New Zealand and actually release new music, Lala might feel competitive and start trying instead of having this idea that anything and everything she does is so effortlessly marvellous.

The answer is Lorde.

[ChaoticLipster 23,794]

I’m starting to find Jack to be a nerdy little irritating shit.

[Miss Doing Nothing 1,663]

6 minutes ago, ChaoticLipster said:

I’m starting to find Jack to be a nerdy little irritating shit.

tho I do think Lana kinda is a nerd herself. At the beginning of the Interview she was awkward about the Kermit mention, but later on they went so harmoniously together as if they are good friends. 

[Norman F Bates 152]

Hope “Dealer” is not another “Yosemite”… I swear she loves torturing her fans with these delays for every project, no clarifications and songs she hypes but then never releases… 

Interesting interview, but kinda vague. She and Jack know EVERYTHING that’s going on, about what???

 

Loved what she said about her melodies, she’s definitely a master when it comes to crafting them.

[suicideblonde 2,695]

41 minutes ago, ChaoticLipster said:

I’m starting to find Jack to be a nerdy little irritating shit.

It's all because of Jared, he is becoming my representation of Jack in my mind

[pawn shop blues 2,345]

I feel like Lana has always said dumb shit in interviews before and this one is really no different. But I do hope for her own artistry and sanity that she keeps getting out of LA every so often because I think it can be a place that encourages getting lost in a certain magical way of thinking and going to places like the midwest can ground her a little more so she has a better balance of things. 

Also I really hope that Jack and Lana do not get tied to each other too much because I think Jack's main ability is getting artists to be vulnerable and open up a bit more (which is good for things like songwriting) but he has no ability to push back on anything or offer critiques, which long-term results in more mediocre production. I think this is especially true with someone like Lana who is obviously very strong willed (and should be, not saying that's a bad thing). But she needs someone who can bring--to use one of her words--fire to the production and fire to the overall conversation and Jack is not someone I ever see as having that. I think Lana needs someone who doesn't override her and lets her give her full viewpoint on her vision and where she wants to take something, but she needs someone who is going to push her and challenge the exact way that she gets to her vision, if that makes sense. And then she can push and challenge him, and so forth. And Jack is not that person. But I'm willing to be proven wrong if Chemtrails is an amazing artistic evolution or something. 

[Downtown Baby Doll 5,309]

the thought of Lana + Chuck + Charlie taking care of a mini farm of animals tho

[PrettyBaby 2,212]

I identify so much with some of the things that Lana is saying. Not the end of the interview with Lana and Jack basically congratulating each other. But, for example, the need for feminism to create a space for what Lana calls "fragility" (I think "sensitivity" is more to the point); as well as the need for earnest, well-meaning people to speak truth in a culture that is obsessed with keeping up appearances.

 

I really think a large part of it is different personality types. Some people are amazing at diplomacy, and that is really a valuable skill. There is definitely a place for putting your best foot forward. But there is also a place for speaking the hard truths even when it interrupts the constant striving for positive spin. For some of us, it's less important to make ourselves look good, and more important to participate in "iron sharpening iron" -- actually STRENGTHENING each other. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." And it saddens me when that hard work is dismissed as not putting in the work of relationship-building.

 

Frankly, to someone who believes loving others IS telling them the truth, it can seem that those who are focused on image management are the ones not putting in the hard work needed for healthy relationships.

 

But again, I think it's partly a matter of different personalities having different strengths. I wish we could all learn to celebrate the good in each other, even when it's different, rather than settling for building up self by tearing down others. I'm not there yet. Sometimes when I feel that "my way" is getting stomped on, it makes me want to see only the evil in the "other way." After all, when you're repeatedly criticized for doing right, it only makes it that much harder to see your true flaws.

 

As far as Lana thinking she's right about everything, I don't see her comments as saying that at all (though the we-always-understood-everything-going-on comments were getting a bit much). I think she's just learned not to fall into the trap of pretending both parties are always somewhat to blame (as someone in this thread said earlier). Part of "keeping up appearances" is sometimes "admitting" to something you didn't do, just to support your own image of reasonableness, or to create the illusion of teamwork. Couples' counseling is a prime example. But I never got anywhere in therapy until I learned to say, "No, actually this isn't something we both do. This is something YOU do, and I'm not going to let you turn it around on me." There's a lot of social points to be scored by "taking responsibility." But for someone who's seeking wholeness, if that means taking responsibility for someone else's wrongdoing, it's just not worth it anymore.

 

So I think that's what Lana means when she says she's an underdog. She's going for integrity, as she sees it ("fragility" or sensitivity, an earnestness), over image management in the form of power feminism. And in an industry founded on appearances, it means in that sense she's going to be put at a disadvantage when the attacks come. 

 

I think Lana is very brave.

[Creyk 11,495]

On 9/6/2020 at 12:01 PM, WilshireBoulevard said:

 

Blaming "SJW culture" for people not being sychophants, I really have to laugh. 

Ok.

[lanabanana11 3,805]

can someone please tell me a few solid examples from the interview that makes lana seem like she has a huge ego and "something crawled up her ass and died" ??? I just read the interview from top to bottom and i cant see anything that makes her seem bad or ego inflamed ...?

[MargaretThatcher 1,329]

On 9/6/2020 at 5:57 AM, Creyk said:

Some people just love to be offended and SJW culture actively encourages those tendencies. It's dumb but at the end of the day they are wasting their time being mad over things that really don't matter. There is nothing wrong with anything that she has said in this interview.

But the Social Justice Warriors don’t speak for ordinary people. You have a small group of elites who want to dictate the rules for the majority. Lana Del Rey is a free spirit who thinks for herself. That is something to admire. 

[Wildflowers 125]

I was hoping for more of an in depth interview. It feels like a fluff piece. The only things I found of interest were the little bits of album info. 

And it may get me some flack but Jack seems like an ass kisser.  Almost a yes man. 

Hopefully there will be more articles and interviews coming soon that will have more substance. 

[Tropicobitchh 526]

When do they usually post interviews like these? 

[VeniceBambi 1,303]

On 9/6/2020 at 2:37 AM, RormanNockwell said:

That isn't what anyone has said at all. It's the fact that she speaks as if she has a level of awareness about everything which eludes mere mortals.

She's obviously very talented and successful, but this interview seems to be a prime example of letting it go to one's head.

her fame and success have nothing to do with why she feels shes more intune with the Universe than most people

 

thats clearly something shes identified with her entire life 

 

you see it when she talks about how shes always been an unusual girl and how shes always been alone, etc. shes just being more outspoken and detailed about it

 

people always say anyone who feels different from the crowd and like a black sheep have a “superiority complex” lol its deeper than that... way deeper... 

[slang 1,509]

More overthinking it:

I'm not as annoyed as some others by the interview, but found it entertaining, perhaps even satirical, not sure. I would say there is a fair amount of trolling going on. In particular, the knowing about mundane crap and more important stuff (is it the "underbelly" as Antonoff puts it?). It's as if they are posturing having some sort of esoteric (perhaps conspirational) knowledge that only they are hip to. Very chemtrails-esque? Maybe this is a good sign with respect to how they feel about the album (aka, confident, given they know they are acting unconventionally, aka wack, right now). The interview also seems pretty improvisational in places, such as here:

<<<
Del Rey: When I was in college at Fordham, I would pass newsstands and see headlines on my way back to campus, and I somehow always also knew, without even wanting to, what was going on, and who everyone was. Sometimes I’ll go into a gas station on Route 66, mask on, glasses on, yada, yada, and the teller will be like, “Oh my gosh, you’re that singer!” And I’m like, “What the hell? How did you even recognize me?”
>>>
How she felt in the past --knowing about everything/everyone-- now is grotesquely reversed in the present --everybody knows about her--  like The Truman Show. Oooh, horrific irony maybe?

 

There are also these substantial dollops of cosmic pessimism (though some optimism also, specifically from LDR; i.e., the #meToo and Black Lives Matters references):
<<<<
Del Rey:
I think there’s been existential panic for a long time, but people haven’t been paying attention to it because they’ve been too busy buying shoes. 

Del Rey:
You realize maybe you’ve only every allowed yourself to scratch the surface of yourself because if you went any deeper, you might have a mild meltdown for no reason, just out of the blue, and no amount of talking could explain why. It’s just a part of your genetic makeup. You could just be prone to panic. I think a lot of people are that way. I got a lot of shit for not only talking about it, but talking about lots of other things for a super long time. I don’t feel justified in it, because I’m not the kind of artists who’s ever going to get justified. I will die an underdog and that’s cool with me. But I was right to ask, “Why are we here? Where did we come from? What are we doing? What happens if this insane, crazy, sci-fi crisis happens, and then you’re stuck with yourself, and you’re stuck with your partner who doesn’t pay attention to you?”

Del Rey: I’m not trying to say I’m a holy roller because I’m not, but I think people are looking up to the sky a bit more and being like, “Why? What’s the reason?”
>>>>

 

Maybe it's my particular "wack-job Mon-Fri" persona speaking, which, btw, I don't have, but a large part of their enlightened posturing could be explained by both being closet Schopenhauer stans. Come out of the closet Lana! 

[Rorman Nockwell 53,559]

4 minutes ago, VeniceBambi said:

her fame and success have nothing to do with why she feels shes more intune with the Universe than most people

thats clearly something shes identified with her entire life 

you see it when she talks about how shes always been an unusual girl and how shes always been alone, etc. shes just being more outspoken and detailed about it

people always say anyone who feels different from the crowd and like a black sheep have a “superiority complex” lol its deeper than that... way deeper... 

Respectfully disagree; I don't feel like that's the reason for how she comes across in this article, but we can only speculate. It's difficult to gauge because as several people have said, interviews in which artists interview other artists tend to turn into bootlicking. Like, in much of it, she's talking herself up whilst simultaneously talking up Jack (eg: "we always know everything").

[VeniceBambi 1,303]

2 minutes ago, RormanNockwell said:

Respectfully disagree; I don't feel like that's the reason for how she comes across in this article, but we can only speculate. It's difficult to gauge because as several people have said, interviews in which artists interview other artists tend to turn into bootlicking. Like, in much of it, she's talking herself up whilst simultaneously talking up Jack (eg: "we always know everything").

Sometimes when we’ve felt low for so long we overcompensate for what we lacked before and then we may think the next extreme is the right way to be but later find that we went too far and are still missing a few things. I think it possibly could come from having felt like a “loser” in the industry for so long, which shows in her recent rants and (I know the grammy loss hurt her)  She went from sad and insecure to (possibly) arrogant and pompous. Possibly went to the opposite extreme. I hope she will find a balance soon If this is the case. 
 

If not, like you’ve mentioned, it could just be for publicity and they want to make eachother look good. They might not realize they went overboard haha and Jack probs feels bad for Lana because shes had such shit criticism lately, he might’ve wanted to give her a sense of leverage or something 

[brooklynbxby 359]

Just letting everyone know, the magazine is out now and available to be purchased!!! 
 

https://interviewmag.myshopify.com/products/interview-532-lana-del-rey-september-2020?variant=