TO
TO OUR
TO OUR VERY FIRST GUEST THIS MORNING WHO HAS SOME POIGNANT THOUGHTS ABOUT LOSING A MOM AS
WELL.
MICHELLE ZAUNER IS KNOWN AS AN
INDIE POP SINGER SONGWRITER AND
SHE'S HER HER BAND IS CALLED
JAPANESE BREAKFAST.
BUT THE DEATH OF HER MOTHER IS
WHAT LED HER TO WRITE A MEMOIR
CALLED CRYING IN MARCH.
SHE SPOKE TO US ABOUT THE LOSS
OF HER MOM AND ALSO HOW IT FELT
LIKE LOSING THE CONNECTION TO
HER KOREAN HERITAGE.
FOR ME I LOST MY MOTHER FOUR
YEARS AGO AND I KNOW IT'S JUST
HARD BUT THERE IS A VERY
SPECIAL POINT TO YOUR BOOK AND
FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT
DOES THE TITLE CRYING IN MARK
CONVEY?
SURE H MART IS A KOREAN GROCERY
CHAIN THAT IS ALL OVER THE US
NOW.
IT WAS A SORT OF REFUGE FOR ME
AFTER MY MOTHER PASSED AWAY I
FOUND MYSELF REALLY STRUGGLING
TO HAVE BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES
OF MY MOTHER BECAUSE SO MUCH
OF IT WAS SORT OF CLOUDED OVER
BY THE TRAUMA OF CARETAKING
WHEN SHE WAS SICK.
AND SO FOR THE FIRST TIME WHEN
I WENT TO MARK IT SORT
OF UNCOVERED A LOT OF THE
REALLY BEAUTIFUL MEMORIES FROM
MY CHILDHOOD, THE FOODS THAT WE
USED TO EAT TOGETHER.
AND SO I FOUND MYSELF RETURNING
THERE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
IT REALLY IS BEAUTIFUL.
WERE YOU SURPRISED BY THE
REACTION TO
YOUR
YOUR ORIGINAL PIECE CRYING THIS MORNING? I WAS SO SURPRISED.
I THOUGHT THAT THE STORY WAS
JUST SO PERSONAL TO ME AND WAS
MAYBE SUCH A NICHE EXPERIENCE
OF GROWING UP MIXED RACE AND
CONNECTING TO MY MOTHER'S
MEMORY THROUGH FOOD.
BUT SO MANY PEOPLE HAD SUCH AN
INTENSE RESPONSE TO THAT PIECE
AND KIND OF WENT ON TO PROVE
THAT THE MORE PERSONAL YOU
THINK SOMETHING IS, THE MORE
UNIVERSAL IT TENDS TO WIND UP.
I LOVE THAT PHRASE SO SO VERY
TRUE AND WE ARE TRYING TO BE
MORE AWARE OF THE
INTERSECTIONAL IDENTITIES,
DESCRIBE WHAT IT'S LIKE GROWING
UP AS A MULTIRACIAL MILLENNIAL
IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND
HOW THAT IMPACTS YOUR IDENTITY
TODAY.
YEAH, I MEAN I THINK THAT AS AN
ADOLESCENT ANYTHING THAT MAKES
YOU DIFFERENT FROM YOUR PEERS
IS JUST THE MOST EMBARRASSING
THING TO COPE WITH AT THAT AGE.
AND SO FOR ME GROWING IN A TOWN
LIKE EUGENE, OREGON, WHICH IS
PREDOMINANTLY WHITE, IT WAS
SOMEWHAT DIFFICULT FOR ME IN MY
ADOLESCENCE AND I WASN'T REALLY
ABLE TO APPRECIATE MY MIXED
RACE IDENTITY I THINK UNTIL I
WAS A YOUNG ADULT.
AND SO A LOT OF THIS BOOK IS
ABOUT SORT OF RETURNING TO
THAT.
DO YOU FEEL GUILT OVER THAT
SOMETIMES YOU THINK BACK?
I DO, ABSOLUTELY.
BUT I ALSO FORGIVE MYSELF FOR
IT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S A
REALLY COMMON THING TO FEEL AND
AT THAT AGE YOU'RE JUST
MORTIFIED BY EVERYTHING THAT I
DON'T REALLY BLAME MYSELF FOR
THAT EITHER.
GOOD, GOOD.
GO BECAUSE YOU DO THAT I IT'S A
HARD THING BUT I THINK OVERALL
I GUESS WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE
TO TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR BOOK?
I THINK THE BEST THING THAT
PEOPLE CAN TAKE AWAY FROM THIS
BOOK IS FEELING LIKE THAT
DAUGHTER REALLY LOVED HER
MOTHER AND I SHOULD GO HAVE
LUNCH WITH MY I PROMISED MYSELF
I TO MAKE ME CRY.
BUT IT IS IT'S SUCH A YOU KNOW,
I LOVE THAT BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE
FRIENDS OH MY MOM THIS AND YOU
GO UNTIL YOU LOSE HER YOU CAN'T
TRULY APPRECIATE HOW SPECIAL
SHE IS.
ALL RIGHT.
CHANGING THE SUBJECT BEFORE YOU
MAKE ME CRY YOU'RE A MUSICIAN.
WHAT IS IT BEEN LIKE WRITING
MUSIC AND BOOK?
THEY ARE SUCH WILDLY DIFFERENT
EXPERIENCE I'VE FOUND I FIND
MUSIC WRITING TO BE SO MUCH
MORE INTUITIVE AND ALL HEART IN
A WAY AND I FIND WRITING THIS
BOOK IS A LITTLE BIT MORE HEADY
AND ANALYTICAL AND THERE'S NO
REAL SKIPPING STEPS AND WRITING
A BOOK BUT IT'S ALSO BEEN
WONDERFUL TO JUST SEE THE
RESPONSE TO THIS BOOK BECAUSE
IT'S SUCH A DIRECT WAY
OF COMMUNICATION THAT'S A
LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FROM FROM
MUSIC WHERE THERE'S SO MUCH
MORE THAT SORT OF UP FOR
INTERPRETATION THAN THESE SORT
OF FRAGMENTS OF FEELING WHICH
MUSIC CAN CONVEY.
IT'S JUST INCREDIBLE AND I
UNDERSTAND YOU'RE COMING YOU'RE
MAKING A TOUR STOP.
YOU'RE IN SEPTEMBER.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE
EACH OTHER IN PERSON AT THAT
POINT.
I WOULD LOVE THAT WE ACTUALLY
HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL CROWD IN
SEATTLE.
THERE'S THE SORT OF RUNNING
JOKE FOR SOME REASON THAT EVERY
SEATTLE SHOW WE PLAY PEOPLE
BRING FRUIT AND IT STARTED WITH
ME SENDING A BANANA OUT IN THE
CROWD AND GETTING AN ORANGE AND
AN APPLE BACK AND SO NOW EVERY
TIME WE PLAY A SHOW IN SEATTLE
THE FANS TRY TO ONE UP THE SHOW
BEFORE AND BRING VARIOUS WEIRD
TYPES OF FRUIT.
SO I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD
TO OUR