♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY,
WELCOME BACK TO "A LATE SHOW."
MY NEXT GUEST IS A SIX-TIME GRAMMY AWARDWINNING SINGER AND
SONGWRITER.
NOW SHE'S WRITTEN A MEMOIR CALLED "BROKEN HORSES."
PLEASE WELCOME, BRANDI CARLILE!
HI, BRANDI.
>> HI, HOW ARE YOU?
>> Stephen: I'LL DOING FINE.
I'M REALLY HAPPY TO SEE YOU.
>> IT'S REALLY GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
>> Stephen: NOW, YOU WON YOUR SIXTH GRAMMY THIS YEAR.
CONGRATULATIONS ON THAT.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: IN THE ACTUAL AWARDS CEREMONY ITSELF, YOU ALSO
SANG ONE OF JOHN PRINE'S SONGS, IN MEMORY OF HIM.
AND AFTER JOHN DIED, YOU PLAYED, THE NEXT DAY ON OUR SHOW, "HELLO
IN THERE" WHICH IS A SONG I DON'T KNOW HOW ANYBODY CAN GET
THROUGH, LET ALONE A DAY AFTER A MAN LIKE JOHN JUST DIED.
SO HATS OFF TO YOU.
AND THE LAST TIME YOU WERE ON THIS SHOW LIVE AND IN PERSON,
YOU WERE PLAYING WITH JOHN PRINE AND STURNLGIL SIMPSON.
I ASSOCIATE YOU WITH JOHN PRINE.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE BEING FRIENDS WITH HIM?
>> MAN, BEING FRIENDS WITH JOHN PRINE WAS LIKE BEING FRIENDS
WITH, LIKE, A PROPHET WHO MAKES YOU LAUGH, YOU KNOW, AS WELL AS
SORT OF FORETELLING THE HUMAN FUTURE.
HE WAS REALLY SPECIAL, REALLY SPECIAL, REALLY FUN, AND REALLY
HUMBLE MAN, BUT BRILLIANT.
>> Stephen: WELL, YOU'VE WRITTEN SO MANY BEAUTIFUL SONGS
OF YOUR OWN, AND NOW YOU'VE WRITTEN I'LL SAY YOUR FIRST
MEMOIR, BECAUSE YOU'RE STILL SO YOUNG.
BUT YOUR FIRST MEMOIR RIGHT HERE.
AND IT'S CALLED "BROKEN HORSES."
HOW IS WRITING A BOOK DIFFERENT THAN WRITING A SONG, OTHER THAN
THE FACT THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO RHYME?
WHAT-- WHAT'S THE CHALLENGE HERE FOR YOU?
>> WELL, WHAT I STARTED WRITING IT, I DIDN'T KNOW IF IT WAS A
BOOK OR A SONG OR JUST AN ESSAY OR-- BUT IT JUST KEPT COMING AND
IT JUST DIDN'T STOP.
AND I STARTED REALIZING THIS ISN'T THREE AND A HALF MINUTES.
THIS IS SOMETHING ELSE.
AND IT WAS A STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS SO I GUESS IT FELT
EASY OR FELT LIKE IT WAS COMING FROM A MUSE SOMEWHERE.
IT WAS HARD AFTER IT WAS OVER TO STAND BEHIND IT BECAUSE IT'S
REALLY HARD NOT TO HAVE ALL THAT METAPHOR TO WRAP YOURSELF UP IN
AND HIDE BEHIND.
AND I'M STILL DEALING WITH THAT RIGHT THIS SECOND.
>> Stephen: WELL, WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO WRITE IT NOW?
WHAT WAS THE MOTIVATION FOR A MEMOIR, AS, AGAIN, SUCH A YOUNG
PERSON?
>> WELL, I NEVER REALLY SAT DOWN TO WRITE A SONG, AND I GUESS I
DIDN'T REALLY SIT DOWN TO WRITE A BOOK.
BUT I WANTED TO WRITE MY EXPERIENCE WITH MY FAITH JOURNEY
AND FAITH TRAUMA AS A CAREER PRSON AND THE WAY THAT THAT
PLAYED ITSELF OUT AS A TEENAGER WITH MY BAPTISM STORY.
SO I STARTED OUT WRITING MY BAPTISM STORY.
AND I REALIZED I WANTED TO KEEP GOING.
>> Stephen: TELL ME ABOUT THAT BAPTISM STORY BECAUSE I'M
FASCINATED BY IT, AND ALSO THE WAY YOU HELD ON TO YOUR OWN
FAITH IN THE LIGHT OF IT.
DO YOU MIND TELLING THAT STORY TO THE AUDIENCE?
>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
WHEN I WAS A KID, I WAS INVOLVED IN, LIKE, A BAPTIST CHURCH, AND
MY DAD'S WORDS, NOT MINE.
MY USED TO ALWAYS SAY BAPTISTS ARE MEAN, BAPTISTS ARE MEAN AND
DIDN'T WANT ME TO BE INVOLVED IN BECAUSE I THINK HE KNEW THE RUG
MIGHT GET PULLED OUT FROM UNDER ME.
BUT I REALLY LOVED IT.
AND I DECIDED TO GET BAPTIZED AND I WENT UP TO THE FRONT OF
CHURCH AND DECLARED I WAS READY FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.
BAPTISTS ARE BIG ON PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY.
WE SCHEDULED MY BAPTISM AND I WENT TO ALL THESE CLASSES AND I
WAS REAL YOUNG, I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER.
PROBABLY 16, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
THE DAY OF MY BAPTISM THE TOWN WAS THERE, MY PARENTS WERE
THERE.
AND THE PASTOR PULLED ME ASIDE AND TOLD ME RIGHT BEFORE IT WAS
ABOUT TO HAPPEN THAT HE WASN'T GOING TO DO IT BECAUSE-- BECAUSE
I'M GAY.
AND IT WAS JUST ONE OF THESE THINGS WHERE I DON'T EVEN IT WAS
SUPPOSED TO BE A SHOCK OR IF HE THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS GOING TO
BE DENOWPSED OR A REPENTANCE MOMENT, BUT IT TURNED INTO THIS
MOVIE OF ME RUNNING OUT OF THE CHURCH IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY I
LOVED AND BEING REALLY HUMILIATED.
BUT I DON'T THINK I EVER REALLY FELT ACCEPTED BY ANY OF THOSE
PEOPLE UNTIL THAT MOMENT.
SO REALLY BEAUTIFUL THINGS CAME FROM THAT TRAUMA.
AND I'VE BEEN ABLE TO SORT OF HOLD ON TO AND MAINTAIN MY FAITH
IN SPITE OF, AND MAYBE BECAUSE OF THAT DAY.
>> Stephen: WHEN YOU SAY "MAYBE BECAUSE OF THAT DAY,"
WHAT IS IT ABOUT THAT MOMENT OR THAT REACTION FROM YOUR
COMMUNITY THAT LED YOU CLOSER TO, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD,
THE LORD?
>> WELL I THINK A LOT OF QUEER PEOPLE HAVE DEEP SPIRITUAL
TRAUMAS BUT INTENSE UNDERSTANDING OF SPIRITUALITY,
MAYBE MORE THAN OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVEN'T BEEN TRAUMATIZED BY IT.
DOUBT LEADS TO FAITH IN A WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONS LEAD
TO ANSWERS.
BUT, LIKE, YOUR FAITH CAN GET REALLY INTIMATE AND REALLY
BEAUTIFUL WHEN YOU QUITE LITERALLY CUT OUT THE MIDDLE
MAN, WHEN YOU'RE REJECTED BY A CHURCH OR BY CLERGY, THERE'S NO
ONE BETWEEN YOU AND THE UNSEEN.
>> Stephen: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I-- I'M JEALOUS OF A LOT OF
MUSICIANS BECAUSE OF THEIR TALENT AND THE MAGIC THEY CAN
DO, BUT ALSO, LIKE YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH JOHN PRINE, I'M
ALSO A LITTLE JEALOUS OF YOUR FRIENDSHIP WITH JONI MITCHELL.
THAT IS ANOTHER SPIRITUAL LEADER RIGHT THERE.
> I DON'T BLAME YOU.
OH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: OH, MY GOD.
THIS IS-- WE HAVE A PHOTO HERE OF THE NIGHT YOU MET JONI
MITCHELL FOR THE FIRST TIME.
AND THAT EXPRESSION-- THAT EXPRESSION ON YOUR FACE RIGHT
THERE, I HAVE-- I'M GETTING A CONTACT HIGH RIGHT THERE JUST
LOOKING AT THAT PHOTO.
AND HERE'S ANOTHER AMAZING PHOTO.
THIS IS YOU-- WHERE IS THIS THIS IS YOU BACKSTAGE WITH JONI
MITCHELL.
WHERE IS THIS?
>> THAT WAS THE NIGHT I DID THE WHOLE BLUE CONCERT.
I COVERED THE ENTIRE "BLUE" ALBUM BEGINNING TO END.
>> Stephen: THIS BLOWS HE AWAY IN TERMS OF AN ACT OF RAW
COURAGE.
THE PEOPLE AT HOME WHO DON'T KNOW, JONI MITCHELL HAS AN
EXTRAORDINARY ALBUM CALLED "BLUE" AND YOU PERFORMED THE
ENTIRE THING ONE NIGHT IN LOS ANGELES, RIGHT?
>> YEAH, YEAH.
>> Stephen: IT WAS A FULL HOUSE, AND YOU AND OTHER
MUSICIANS ON STAGE PERFORMING FOR HER-- YOU PERFORMED ONE OF
HER GREATEST ALBUMS TO THE MASTER HERSELF.
WHERE DID YOU FIND THE COURAGE TO DO IT?
>> BUDDY, I DON'T KNOW.
I HAD TO GET HYPNOTIZED TO DO IT.
AND, I MEAN, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, I WAS SO TERRIFIED.
BUT I LOST IT ALL.
I WALKED OUT ON STAGE AND I WENT,
♪ I'M ON THE LONELY ROAD AND I AM TRAVELING, TRAVELING,
TRAVELING ♪ AND I LOOK UP AND I JUST SEE THE
WHITES OF JONI'S TEETH, AND SHE'S SITTING NEXT TO AND
HOLDING HANDS WITH ELTON JOHN.
AND I WAS LIKE, THIS IS WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ME IN MY LIFE.
THIS IS WHERE IT'S COME TO.
AND I JUST-- ALL THE HONOR JUST TOOK OVER THE NERVES AND IT
BECAME LIKE THE GREATEST-- MY GREATEST I THINK MUSHAL MOMENT.
>> Stephen: BRANDI WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
STICK AROUND, EVERYBODY.
WHEN WE COME BACK, I MIGHT ASK HER IF SHE WOULD PLAY SOMETHING.
♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪