Martha Wainwright - Interview

Martha Wainwright’s family trade is music and with the release of her self-titled debut album, the singer-songwriter follows father Loudon Wainwright III, brother Rufus, and her mother and aunt, Kate & Anna McGarrigle to make it hers.

With a lineage of such distinction, the pressure to produce was intimidating, but songs like “Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole,” introduce a songwriter who’s ready to soar. And when you grow up in a family who communicates openly and intimately about their lives through song, it becomes the most natural form of expression.

“I guess I’m just not a very embarrassed person,” says Wainwright about her vulnerable songwriting. “I probably should be more (laughs). I probably paid the price in many ways. But there was something that was explained to me early on by my aunt who’s a songwriter…She said ‘as long as it’s connected to a truth inside of you.’ I guess I just went with that. What interested me, especially at the beginning of writing songs, was my life—the people in it, including my family members, and love and how I truly felt about things—so I always sought out that kind of open thing…Being a little child of divorce it was really nice for me to know that my parents had a relationship by listening to their music. It made me feel better about everything I think. It allowed me to experience the time that they were together. Some of its pretty harsh, but some of it is not harsh at all and I think that explained a lot to me about what happened…I appreciated these details. I’m really into these kinds of details now, at least emotional ones…I think it’s also made me probably think too much about myself (laughs). The record is sort of navel-gazing and self-absorbed for that reason. But I think that’s also really common for people in their twenties. These songs that I wrote were a real reflection of a girl in her twenties and that’s my excuse!”

With parents who were respected wordsmiths, the bar was set pretty high for Wainwright.

“I think Rufus and I have always been aware of that fact,” says Wainwright. “I’ve heard him say this, and I think that it totally makes sense, ‘Every kid has the belief that they can usurp their parents in some way.’ Whether you do it or not it doesn’t really matter. The point is to feel that you’re not totally crushed by their success or whatever, which I think is one of the reasons I think Rufus and I have been able to make music. Our parents were not overly famous. We didn’t have to live completely in this huge shadow and we could strive for bigger, better things if we wanted to…I knew that I was going to be majorly judged. The whole thing’s been intimidating, but it’s great to have finally made a record.”

One of Wainwright’s favorite songs to perform live is “Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole.”

“I think it’s really fun to sing because it’s no longer about me,” says Wainwright. I think it’s really become anthemic for people…It’s my sing-a-long song. It makes me feel like a twisted version of Pete Seeger.”

Martha Wainwright performs at Webster Hall on April 6 and 7.

Originally published in The Aquarian Weekly (3/29/06).

Martha performs "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" on Jools Holland.