-Our next guest is a three-time
Grammy Award-winning musician and songwriter.
Her memoir, "Don't Tell Anybody The Secrets I Told You"
is on sale now.
Please welcome back to the show, Lucinda Williams, everyone.
[ Applause ]
I'm so happy to have you back. -Thank you.
-It must be a trip to be here in New York City.
You used to play outside on 54th and 7th,
just a few blocks away from here
for basically, loose change, -Right. For tips? Yeah.
In the '70s.
-Were New Yorkers polite in the '70s?
-Yeah, they were.
-Oh, that's -- You don't hear that very often.
Now, this is a memoir you wrote,
and obviously you've been a lyricist for years.
Did you find it easier or harder to write your stories
compared to writing songs?
-Harder. -Really?
-Yeah, it's just a different animal altogether.
-But these are things that happened to you.
Isn't it easier?
-Yeah, but just the actual sitting down and writing it.
I mean, like, when I write a song,
I'm kind of more able to,
you know, wait till I'm in the mood,
for the inspiration and all of that.
And with this, I mean, it's a lot of work.
I wrote it all by hand. -Did you really?
-Do you always write by hand with songs as well?
-I don't know how to type.
It's one of my regrets in life, that I never learned to type.
-Yeah, I mean, I get for a song lyric,
like, there's something very romantic about writing it out,
but I imagine for a memoir, at some point,
you really did wish you'd taken that typing class.
-Yes.
-You talk about, your father was a literary professor
and very strict on grammar. -Yes.
-Do you still sort of hear his echo
when you're writing, as far as grammar?
-Yes, and there were many times I was wishing he was with me
to help me, you know, just be able to answer questions.
-Was he at least humorous about grammar or...?
-Oh, yeah. He was real humorous.
He had this joke he used to tell all the time about,
one guy asked the other one,
"Where's the restaurant at?"
And then he would say,
"Don't you know you're not supposed
to follow a question with a preposition?"
And so then the other guy says,
"Okay, where's the restaurant at, [bleep]?"
-There you go.
[ Laughter ]
[ Applause ]
-Now, I guess this makes sense.
You've always been a bit of a rebel.
You write about, you got suspended from school
for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
-Yeah, when we were in Vietnam, I was protesting.
That was my way of protesting.
-Did you have other classmates
who were willing to go with you on this protest?
-Yeah, there were a couple.
-And then you got suspended,
but your dad stood right up for you.
-Yeah, he was a rebel, too. -That's good.
So what did he do to to stop the suspension?
-Well,
so I went home from school that day
and I told him what happened,
and he said, "That's okay, honey.
We'll get an ACLU lawyer and get you back into school."
And he did that, and I got back in.
-Oh, that's fantastic.
He was thinking ahead.
Now, I imagine you make songs and they go out in the world,
and it must be special when you hear them places
you're not expecting to hear them.
Maybe you hear it on the radio,
maybe you hear it in a restaurant.
But you heard that one of your songs --
you were told had been used in a pornographic film?
-Yes.
-And they did not get your permission for this?
-No, I signed it --
The publishing deal I signed was not good, you know?
So I guess there was a loophole in the contract or something,
and they were able to do this without asking me first.
-Did you at least feel
that they had used the spirit of the song correctly?
[ Laughter ]
-That's a loaded question.
[ Laughter ]
-Well, now, what was the title?
What was the title of the song?
-They probably did use the song correctly,
because it was called "Just Another One Night Stand."
-Alright. Well...
Yeah, they tend not -- those films
don't tend to have the longer relationships.
-It involved
a young woman wearing a cowboy hat and cowboy boots,
a gas station and a couple of cowboys and a pickup truck.
That's all we're going to say.
We don't need to keep talking about it.
-If you've seen one of them ever,
you can probably finish that. -Pretty much, yes.
Well, I'll tell you the name of it.
-The name of the movie? -Yes.
-Okay, it was called --
[ Laughter ]
You're making me laugh.
It was called "All-American Girls In Heat."
-"Part Two." -Part two?
Part two, yeah. -Well, that's good.
-I mean, and do you think for people
who are looking it up, they should see the first one?
Do you think they'll be able to follow
the plot of the second one if they haven't?
-Yeah, I think they'll be able
to pick up right where the other one left off.
-Now, you have a new album coming out as well this summer.
-Yes. -That's very exciting.
Collaborated with some people on it.
Your husband, a producer? -Yes, I did.
-And Bruce Springsteen provided some backup vocals for you.
-Yes, he and his wife Patti both sang on some of the songs.
-Wonderful people. -Yes, wonderful people.
-Do you enjoy a collaboration?
Is that something you've always enjoyed?
Have you come to enjoy it more
the longer you've been doing this?
-Well, I haven't always collaborated in songwriting.
But then when I started, I tried it out.
It's got to be the right people. -Yeah.
-So I've actually been enjoying
working with my husband on songs and also
another friend of ours, who's also my tour manager
and a musician, Travis Stephens.
He worked alongside Tom and me.
And then another friend of ours, Jesse Malin,
who's a rock 'n roll guy here in New York City,
and he brought a good rock 'n roll element
into the collaboration.
-I'm very excited to hear it.
Now, you mentioned your husband, and obviously, he's in music.
You're in music, and you did a very special thing
for your friends and also some unknowing fans.
You guys got married at one of your concerts.
So your friends knew,
but the audience got to see a Lucinda Williams concert,
and then they got to watch you get married on stage.
-Yes. -And so this is, here you are.
This is Minnesota? -Yes.
[ Applause ]
-And I would imagine that was a special night,
not just for you and your friends and loved ones,
but also for the people that were there.
-Yeah. -Because you have fans -
I feel this way about you.
I feel like you write in a personal way.
I feel like I know you.
Your fans feel like they know you,
and they've often sent you things
that you might not expect a fan would send.
-Yes.
-What are some of the weirder ones?
-Well, one fan sent some lingerie
to my manager's address.
And that was unusual because,
I mean, you know, how would they know what size to get?
-Yeah, exactly.
-Did someone send you? Is it accurate,
someone sent you a bag of onions?
-Yes.
-A bag of Vidalia onions, not just any onion.
Vidalia onions are, they're very good.
They have sort of a sweet taste a little bit.
-Well, I think it says a lot about you
that given a choice between lingerie and Vidalia onions,
you're like, onions every time.
[ Laughter ]
Well, what a delight to have you here.
What a delight to read your memoir.
I'm very excited that you have new music coming out.
-Thank you.
-It is just such a lovely thing to spend time with you.
-Thank you, Seth.
-You guys, that's Lucinda Williams.
-"Don't Tell Anybody The Secrets I Told You"
is on sale now.
We'll be right back with more "Late Night."