Interview

Aimee Mann was best known for 'Til Tuesday until the sountrack for Magnolia gave her a whole new career. Fresh off the completion of her American tour, here she talks about life after record labels and her boxing repertoire.

DC: Have you enjoyed being on tour?

AM: It's good. I think one of the key differences not being signed to a record label is that you don't come under pressure from them to tour when you're not up for it. So I set my own pace-and that makes a big difference. I don't usually go more than three weeks at a time. 21 days seems to be the point when everyone starts to lose it.

DC: Do you mean getting along with the other people you're with? Or being away from home and all your usual rituals?

AM: Well both. You're basically living with ten people in one room. And that's not easy. Grown people. The bus doesn't have a lot of square footage and you are all sleeping in it together.

DC: Do you like this independence? Does not having to rely on record labels give you more freedom?

AM: Knowing record labels and knowing the kinds of things they would object to-they just object to everything that's interesting. I'm sure they never would have sanctioned [my last] tour. I'm sure they would be weighing in on everything that happens on the tour, on the comedians, and what people say, and the songs. Honestly, I don't want to have that outside input that doesn't come from any kind of a musical place or an artistic place.

DC: How do you think it would be different if you began your career now with the internet and Myspace and Facebook?

AM: I don't know. I don't envy anybody trying to start a career right now. There really is no music business left, in a lot of ways. People don't buy records anymore. I don't know how people can support themselves. For instance, my Christmas Tour cost me a fortune to do. It didn't remotely break even. I did it for fun.
 
DC: Do you still buy records yourself?  Are you online discovering new bands?