conducted the day after her live debut at Cornerstone Festival. Tara VanFlower is probably best known for her work with Lycia, but she has her own music going too.  You all know her already anyway….

QRD – I know you’ve gotten mixed reviews of This Womb Like Liquid Honey, what one have you most liked & least liked?

Tara – I think my favorite review is the one William Faith did of it because he really went into detail & it was just flattering that he would like it.  I haven’t really heard that many people give bad reviews of it.  I think the worst was the one in Alternative Press where they really kind of ripped me & that one kind of made me mad.  They said that it was just some stupid goth cd or whatever.  I haven’t seen many bad reviews & they’re not really relevant anyway.

QRD – I know a lot of the words on the record pre-date your work with Lycia, how long were you actually working on the record?

Tara – Well, I just basically took two songs from my previous band & I just wanted to redo them because I liked them. So they were recorded back in 1991, but I wouldn’t say I started working on the cd until after the Cold tour.

QRD – How different do you think the record would’ve been if you’d never been in Lycia?

Tara – It probably would’ve never happened.  I probably would’ve given up on things a long time ago & been a hairdresser or something stupid.

QRD – What’s your favorite kind of cake?

Tara – German chocolate, it’s got everything I need.

QRD – What are your plans for a second record & how do you think it will be different & when do you think you’ll be finished with it?

Tara – I’m hoping to start in the fall, but who knows when I’ll really start working on it.  I think it’s going to be more raw & less electronic.  Well, not less electronic as much as less programmed.  Once I get started on it, I don’t imagine it will take that long to do.  So hopefully next spring or summer.

QRD – Are you interested on having other artists work with you on the next record?

Tara – Probably not, just because of the difficulties of doing things via mail.  So if anybody it’ll probably just be Mike.

QRD – What’s your favorite kind of monster & what kind do you most identify with?

Tara – As cheesy as it sounds, probably a vampire because they just seem the most human to me.  They’re human, but then they have all the extrasensory perceptions & things that I think it would be cool to have.  & they dress good.

QRD – What’s your favorite piece of equipment?

Tara – My voice, that’s the only thing I can completely control.

QRD – Are there any instruments that you would like to play & or have on your next record?

Tara – Yeah, I think I might fiddle around with the guitar a little bit.  I don’t have the patience to learn to play an instrument, but playing with them I can get what I want just from screwing around.

QRD – How much touring do you want to do versus how much do you think you’ll actually do?

Tara – Well, if I was riding around in a bus & had people taking care of everything, I probably wouldn’t mind doing that like twice a year or something.  But realistically I probably won’t ever tour because of financial aspects & the age factor & not wanting to be away from things at home for long lengths of time.  So I’ll probably stick to one off shows here & there. Anyway it seems like you accomplish more by playing a few bigger shows than you get from playing a string of tiny little towns where maybe thirty people show up.

QRD – Who would you like to hear your music that you don’t think really has?

Tara – I think Bjork.  I think she’d get something out of it maybe.  I was gonna give a copy to Edward Ka-Spel, but I got scared that I’d look like a fool so I didn’t.

QRD – What would you most & least like people to do when listening to your music?

Tara – The least thing I would like them to do would be something really evil.  Like a mass murderer getting really into my music would make me unhappy.  The happiest thing would be like petting puppies or something.

QRD – What would you like to here more people doing with their own music?

Tara – Instead of adhering to all stereotypical clichés to a set formula, to realize that there doesn’t have to be a set formula.  Like verse-chorus-verse-chorus, just do whatever & quit worrying if people are gonna like it & just do it.

QRD – What’s your favorite state?

Tara – Probably Arizona because I like the Tempe area so much.  But really every state I’ve ever been to has had things about it that would draw me there.  I could live pretty much anywhere & be happy.

QRD – What records have been influential to you as a musician & what ones just personally?

Tara – As far as the musical inspiration I don’t know.  Since I don’t know how to really play any musical instruments & I just fiddle around, if I were to try to do something like somebody else I wouldn’t know how anyway.  So I can’t copy something in that way.  But as far as stuff that I just like that makes me happy, I would have to say all the Lycia stuff & I learned a lot from the Lycia stuff & watching Mike work.  & of course Swans.  & the Cure because they were my first favorite band.
 
Other QRD interviews with Lycia:
Interview with Mike VanPortfleet of Lycia (September 2013)
Couples Band Interview with Lycia (February 2008)
Interview with Tara VanFlower of Lycia (July 2006)
Interview with Mike VanPortfleet of Lycia (July 2004)
Interview with Lycia (September 2002)
Interview with Mike Vanportfleet of Lycia (July 2000)
i heart fx - Mike VanPortfleet (June 1998)
Interview with Lycia (May 1997)
Interview with Lycia (November 1994)