Alanis Morissette: Anger, Attachment, & Postpartum

Alex Cooper (0:11)

Alanis Morissette, welcome to Call Her Daddy.

Alanis Morissette (0:13)

Thank you for having me.

Alex Cooper (0:15)

You are such an icon. Let me just gather myself. Let me just hold on. I need to take a deep breath.

Alanis Morissette (0:22)

So do I.

Alex Cooper (0:23)

All of my friends were like, no pressure. And I'm like, okay, well, now you're making me feel pressure. One of my friends specifically is the biggest fan, and she's like, I'll just come do the interview for you. And I was like, you need to come- What are their questions? No, literally. She was like blowing me up. Shout out Meg, if you're watching this, I love you. I hope I do you justice. Okay, I need to give you your proper intro.

At 21 years old, you shattered records, selling 33 million copies of your album, Jagged Little Pill, winning five Grammys, including Best Album. And since then, you really have continued to release music that I think gives people the permission to feel angry and messy and complicated. And I just love every single thing that you stand for. So thank you so much for giving me your time. It is such an honor.

Alanis Morissette (1:14)

My gosh, thanks for saying that and mirroring me so generously.

Alex Cooper (1:17)

Of course, of course.

Okay, your song, Ironic Will Forever be one of my favorite songs to scream in the car with my girlfriends, as I'm sure it is millions of other people watching. But what does it mean to you that new generations continue to discover your music and to fall in love with you and what you stand for?

Alanis Morissette (1:38)

First, when the record came out in 1995, it was a wild experience. And I saw quickly that people were using this music in a way that felt inspiring for me to stay in the public eye. I was an introvert, I had ambiguity about all of it. And I saw that it was supporting people and uplifting people, or reminding people of who they were, or giving them permission to feel anything. And I thought, this is a good reason to stay here and keep going. For me, it was glimpsing inside way too much information. I can spend a few minutes writing a song and then get back out.

So I'm much better now at 52 at going in pretty consistently, but songwriting was terrifying in that way because it would come through.

And then it's out for the entire world to dissect. Yeah, and then it's not mine anymore. Then it's yours. Then I have nothing to do with it almost.

Alex Cooper (2:27)

You also just performed that song on stage with Olivia Rodrigo.

I know mentoring young artists is something that you're so passionate about. How did you two first meet?

Alanis Morissette (2:40)

I don't even remember. I think we met at the Rolling Stone cover shoot together.

There's nothing better than supporting young people in being who they are and not having to figure it out in their 80s.

Alex Cooper (2:56)

And especially, I think, as women in this industry, you have so much that you have learned and continue to learn. So I think that anytime we can pass that down to future generations, it's such a blessing of like, oh my God, because I'm sure you're like, oh, I wish I knew this. Here you go.

Alanis Morissette (3:13)

Yeah, or I wish I had someone, I definitely had the, will you be my mommy? For a long time in the mid-90s, will there be some mentor, some group of women who kind of rush in and scoop me up? And the answer was a hard no.

But now it's a hard yes. And I think consciousness has changed to the point where that which was really confusing or overwhelming or weird or woo woo, which that word has gone now, I just think now people are understanding what some of us were talking about the whole time. It feels strange. I didn't expect it.

Alex Cooper (3:44)

Let's talk about the 90s. What do you miss most about that decade?

Alanis Morissette (3:49)

I miss sitting around doing nothing.

Alex Cooper (3:54)

I feel like you were doing a lot.

Alanis Morissette (3:56)

Yes, but also, you know, as an artist and as someone who expresses oneself as a career, it's a lot of it, a lot of the writing is just sitting and letting the mind wander or listening, or you can call it channeling. We call it whatever the frick, but it's basically listening, heeding, and answering the call.

Alex Cooper (4:16)

The 90s also, I feel like everyone talks about fashion. Yeah. And the trends keep coming back. What is something that is in your closet that is from the 90s that you still put on today, or you still look at, and you're like, I still stand by that fashion decision.