Graham Reid | | 3 min read
Singer-songwriter Anna Coddington is no stranger to awards, she has been nominated for an Apra Silver Scroll four times.
With two albums behind her, numerous guest spots on other people's albums (Tim Guy, Eru Dangerpiel, SJD and most recently Ahoribuzz) as well a regular in the Fly My Pretties line-up, she is certainly well known around the traps.
And this month she is back on the road again in a double bill with Lips. (Dates below)
A few years ago we asked her to answer our Famous Elsewhere Songwriter Questionnaire, but as she gears up for the tour we offered his this other one . . .
The first piece of music which really affected you was . . .
Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The whole album. I flipped that cassette tape over and over.
Your first (possibly embarrassing) role models in music were . . .
See above ha. When I started writing my own music the big influences were solo artists like Lisa Loeb, Bic Runga, Fiona Apple and bands like Weezer, The Wannadies, The Cardigans. Pop music!
Lennon or Jagger, Ramones or Nirvana, Madonna or Gaga, Jacko or Jay-Z?
Lennon, Ramones (just), Madonna and Jacko for sure.
If music was denied you, your other career choice would be . . .
well and regularly paid.
The three songs (yours, or by others) you would love everyone to hear are . . .
What a Fool Believes by Michael McDonald
Necessary Evil by UMO
Release Me- my next single
Any interesting, valuable or just plain strange musical memorabilia at home?
When my first band Handsome Geoffery started playing shows I was so excited and into it that I made scrapbooks of everything- all our setlists, flyers (most of which I drew by hand), photos, press clippings. Pretty valuable to me, possibly interesting or strange to anyone else. Those and my old lyric books- I have so many. Pages and pages of lyrics and prose of extremely varying quality.
The best book on music or musicians you have read is . . .
I read a great biography on Art Pepper who was a jazz saxophonist. I’ve never even listened to his music! but it was a good book. Also “This is Your Brain on Music” by Daniel Levitin which has some very interesting, sciency, psychological facts about how music affects your brain.
If you could get on stage with anyone it would be . . . (And you would play?)
LIPS!!! And I would (will) play guitar and drums, and maybe bass.
The three films you'd insist anybody
watch because they might understand you better are . . .
Drop Dead Fred
The Karate Kid
Enter The Dragon
The last CD or vinyl album you bought was . . . (And your most recent downloads include . . .)
The last CD was Mel Parsons, Drylands. And recent downloads I have purchased include She’s So Rad- Tango and UMO- Multi Love,
One song, royalties for life, never have to work again. The song by anyone, yourself included, which wouldn't embarrass you in that case would be . . .
Whatever Neil Finn’s highest earning song is. Probably that one that won the award for “Most Played Song Overseas” every single year until Lorde released Royals. Oooh maybe Royals. I can’t even imagine the royalties on that song! $$$$
The poster, album cover or piece of art could you live with on your bedroom forever would be . . .
I don’t like to commit myself to anything permanently so I don’t know if there is one. The only picture on my bedroom wall is a photo of my baby when he was really tiny. That I know I can live with forever. Anything else I will want to take down eventually.
You are allowed just one tattoo, and it is of . . .
Related to what I said above - I don’t have any tattoos for those same reasons. I change my mind all the time. But there is a tradition in the style of karate that I do (Kyokushin) where many people get a tattoo of our kanji/characters, usually when they get their blackbelt. I thought about it when I got mine in 2007, then I thought about it again when I got my second dan in 2010, but I just can’t commit! Maybe if I ever do my 3dan...
David Bowie sang, “Five years, that's all we've got . . .” You would spend them where, doing . . .?
Making tunes and hanging with my little guy. Pretty much what I’m doing now.
And finally, in the nature of press conferences in Japan, “Can you tell me please why this is your best album ever?”
This question will be relevant to me next year (and it will be my best album ever), but for now- this is my best tour ever because it is a full, varied, dynamic and collaborative show put together especially for these ten gigs. Lips and I are a match made in musical heaven!
SEPTEMBER TOUR DATES
Thursday 10th Wellington Meow
Friday 11th Nelson The Boathouse
Saturday 12th Takaka The Mussel Inn
Thursday 17th Christchurch Wunderbar
Friday 18th Oamaru Upstairs Cucina
Saturday 19th Dunedin Taste Merchants
Sunday 20th Wanaka Gin & Raspberry
Thursday 24th Napier Cabana
Friday 25th Hamilton Nivara Lounge
Saturday 26th Auckland The Tuning Fork
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