05.10.04

Jennifer Robin!
Musician. Sister. Kitten lover.

Jill: Did you ever dream of being anything besides a singer/songwriter?

Jennifer: Well as you may know, I wanted to be a heart surgeon until one night when I was 12 or so I saw footage of Dr. Christian Barnard doing a heart transplant on the evening news. It was way too overwhelming and gushy for my young eyes. I then proceeded downstairs for dinner and we were having spaghetti with tomato sauce. Well, need I say more? It was there and then that I think I decided that songwriting would be my destiny.

Jill: You were a sporty little kid: a natural runner, good at baseball, football, and basketball. Why did you give that up? What was the turning point? How do you feel about sports now?

Jennifer: Good question. Hmmm. I wish I hadn't. That was another dream I had, being an Olympic athlete. I think the turning point was starting my period, moving to Los Angeles, family trauma, dating boys, but also playing the guitar more seriously. When I'm in good shape (playing-wise) the guitar has always had quite a "sporty" feel to it. I find it such a total physical involvement. I think both music and sports have the potential for an "out of body experience" that is very cool. Also a lot of what I like about music is the team sport aspect. When it's a great night performing with great musicians I feel like I'm playing with the Lakers! I still get a vicarious thrill out of watching a great athlete run or jump or ride a bike or catch a ball or....I do think it's amazing. Fine tuning your body to such a point of excellence. Personally, my knees are getting pretty bad. So I'm maybe a little more limited. but I still love to exercise and get that high.

Jill: What is your earliest music memory? Your favorite? Your most embarrassing?

Jennifer: I think my earliest music memory is...playing or drawing in the back yard in Los Angeles at about age 4 or 5 and listening to the music of Stan Getz or some Jazzer being piped outside and it being beautiful and peaceful and fun. I had no idea what an influence that would have on me at the time. I think I'm always trying to recreate that feeling in my adult life. I think that could qualify as my favorite memory too along with seeing Joni Mitchell, John Martin and Betty Carter for the first time. My most embarrassing would have to be almost falling off my stool onstage one night in the middle of a set because I was, yep, too drunk!

Jill: Is one song of yours a long-time favorite, or is your favorite always whatever you’re writing at the moment? And who were you thinking of when you wrote the lyrics to He lives in Romeo?

Jennifer: I definitely have a sentimental favorite. It's called "Sleepy Day Sucker". I think of it as a benchmark song for me stylistically. I wrote it in Santa Barbara at about age 24 when I was just starting to get my own voice in music. There are certain songs that are just very comfortable to live in like an old sweatshirt and that are very anchoring. And of course I am always very grateful and into whatever new song has popped out at the moment. The song "He Lived In Romeo" was actually inspired by a "you''ll miss it if you blink" town called Romeo in Colorado. I was on a little musical tour of the Southwest and I drove by this town and my imagination took over. Picturing this Don Juan character who lived there and is running out of women to conquer.

Jill: What music are you listening to these days?

Jennifer: It's funny I don't listen to music that much. I am such a nut for quiet. When I do listen it's mostly classical in the car. And at home I've been listening to a woman named Patricia Barber whom I love and admire and a man named Kurt Elling. Usually jazz.

Jill: Do you have a hero?

Jennifer: I guess Joni Mitchell could still be considered a hero. She was at 14 but it's different now at 48. I admire so that she just keeps on writing and creating. It makes her seem ageless and vital. I want that so much in my life until I go. But my heroes have definitely changed too. People that have been through emotional or physical hell and come out the other side stronger, with a great sense of humor and compassion are my new role models.

Jill: What’s your favorite thing to do? And your least favorite?

Jennifer: To be playing music and be totally lost in a song. My least favorite, to have to deal with whatever feels like a harsh reality at the time.

Jill: What was the most important thing to you, 25 years ago? 5 years ago? And now?

Jennifer: 25 years ago: seeing my name in Billboard magazine and making sure that my mo-ped was up under the porch when it rained. 5 years ago: making sure I didn't fall off my stool onstage. Now: maintain a positive attitude, develop faith, get comfortable with who I am, and make sure I get up on that stool and keep performing. That sounds corny but it is the truth.

Jill: What was the smartest thing you ever did? The dumbest?

Jennifer: Smartest, pick up the guitar. Dumbest, try to be like everyone else.

Jill: How do you feel about kittens?

Jennifer: Kittens make everything O.K. !

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