THE RIDE SO FAR
Musician Lera Lynn talks Johnny Cash, True Detective and men with Fish Griwkowsky
Whether you were comfortable with the brooding ferocity of the sophomore season of HBO's True Detective, most who watched it agree the singer in Frank's dismal bar is almost supernaturally magnetic.
Merely credited as Singer, Lera Lynn worked with legends T Bone Burnett and Rosanne Cash to create not just her original songs for the series, but subsequently a recurring role as a possibly-not-real junkie. Woven throughout songs by Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave and the Handsome Family, Lynn nonetheless owns the show's soundtrack.
Funny thing, though: the Nashville singer — who summons everything from Cowboy Junkies to Chris Isaak to Twin Peaks in her beautiful, brilliantly written songs — is not a downer. While Resistor, her third full-length, has its scars, there's also a dusty pop Americana feel, part Springsteen (check out her older cover of Fire), a bit of Gillian Welch, even a taste of the Cars. And man did she turn Ring of Fire on its side a few years back.
Here, 31-year-old Lynn talks about her ride so far.
Q You made Ring of Fire and Springsteen’s Fire your own. How does that work: you pick a song on purpose, or you’re just sitting around a campfire …?
A I wish! (Laughs) Both of those were requests by others. I was asked to participate in a Johnny Cash tribute show years ago. It was inspired homework. Fire was a request by a fan on a pledge campaign — one of the incentives is I'll record any cover song for you. The idea was it's just for you and it's yours forever, but I thought it was cool and the fan I made it for was, ‘By all means, release it!'
Q What were some of the other songs?
A There was this crazy Norwegian metal song requested — I thought I did a really good job, but the guy never responded! I still wonder to this day if he got it. There's always the weird ones. Pearl Jam, Trampled by Turtles.
Q One of your new songs I really love is Good Hearted Man — the guy you’re playing … wait, is that the way to say it?
A It's funny, I was studying anthropology in university, and we would always talk about mankind. I guess it was some kind of feminist statement in my mind. We are all considered men! It was my own quiet fight. (Laughs)
Q He comes off as this bro country guy, destructive and cheerfully oblivious. I sense you’re not trying to just be a country singer. Obviously you’re aware of what a lot of radio country is right now: tight jeans, cold beer, down by the river …
A I live right by Music Row in Nashville. It's a strange thing to be an independent artist on the fringe, driving up and down those streets every day, seeing all their banners. Here's another person you've never heard of who sold 20 million copies of F--- Yeah! My Truck Goes Fast.
Q Can you write that song?
A Done! I think we just wrote it. But slaving away over here, trying to stick to some sort of scruples, it can be challenging. Hence, the name Resistor for the new album, also the name of our studio. Everyone knows country music sucks these days. (Laughs)
Q Can you talk about your role on True Detective? How she’s different than you?
A: ‘Singer' was the name on my dressing room door. I was only allowed to see the script the day of the shoot. When it came to creating music for her charac- ter, I was really just going on the cues (writer) Nic Pizzolatto had given. They wanted something that was just completely despondent. I remember T Bone going, ‘Yeah, yeah. Make it as f---ed up as you can!' and I thought, ‘This is so cool — OK! Give me some more scotch!' People think that's me in real life, but I am, just like everyone else in the show, acting. To make me look f---ed up, they settled for junkie.
Q One of the great things about that season is you’re a mystery — it isn’t answered. You’re just there, broken and singing beautifully, a set piece.
A Precisely. I was standing on the stage, not really knowing what to do. I still hadn't met them yet, but Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn are just staring at me. Do I smile? Or wave? Or look at the floor? Oh, God! My first day on the set they played one of my songs and Colin … cried. It was not in the script. The music helped them get to the next level. It was a really cool thing to be a part of.