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She & Him
Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward
By Cam Lindsay
What are you up to?
She: Promoting the release of Volume One. Working on a movie called Gigantic and writing music for Volume Two.
What are your current fixations?
She: Bobbie Gentry, Marvin Gaye, pumpkin seeds.
Him: The Louvin Brothers.
Why do you live where you do?
She (Santa Monica): Because I enjoy defending it to New Yorkers.
Him (Portland, OR): Friends, family, peace, quiet.
Name something you consider a mind-altering work of art:
She: Getz/Gilberto
Him: 2001: A Space Odyssey
What has been your most memorable or inspirational gig and why?
She: I went to see Anita O’Day, before she passed away, in a small restaurant in L.A. Nobody was paying attention. She was snapping her fingers with her back to the audience. She was fantastic.
Him: Brian Wilson at the Sydney Opera House; obvious reasons.
What have been your career highs and lows?
She: High: I love singing! Any time I get to sing I am happy. I consider it the greatest privilege. Low: there have been times when I haven't gotten to sing as much and it was very sad for me.
Him: I don’t know. Not sure they’ve happened yet.
What’s the meanest thing ever said to you before, during or after a gig?
She: I wouldn't want to honour something like that with a mention in a fancy magazine.
Him: “Wow, that was interesting” and/or “It looked like you guys were having a lot of fun up there.”
What should everyone shut up about?
She: Themselves.
Him: Celebrities, extremists.
What traits do you most like and most dislike about yourself?
She: Like: sincerity. Dislike: too much sincerity.
Him: Like: focus. Dislike: tunnel vision.
What’s your idea of a perfect Sunday?
She: Wake up early. Bake cookies and play piano. Take a walk where I hopefully see lots of cute dogs. Eat spaghetti squash. Watch a documentary.
Him: Rest.
What advice should you have taken, but did not?
She: Always bring a book. I don't always bring a book, and then I get stuck with nothing to do.
What would make you kick someone out of your band and/or bed, and have you?
She: Poor taste or no sense of humour. And no, I think the selection process should be careful enough that the kicking out would not be necessary.
What do you think of when you think of Canada?
She: Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Smarties.
Him: Banff. One of the most beautiful places on earth.
What was the first LP/cassette/CD/eight track you ever bought with your own money?
She: The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night.
Him: The Smiths The Queen Is Dead cassette.
What was your most memorable day job?
She: When I was about 11 years old my dad paid me 20 dollars to help in the costume department of a commercial he was directing. I had to cover a pair of sneakers in dirt. I can't remember why.
Him: Working at California State Parks and Recreation.
How do you spoil yourself?
She: A New Yorker magazine and a bag of peanuts with shells. I'm a simple girl.
Him: Soy mochas.
If I wasn’t playing music I would be…
She: Relaxing on an island with a tropical drink and pulling the strings that make the world spin.
Him: Doing something outdoors.
What do you fear most?
She: maple syrup on my arms.
Him: In 2008, smear campaigns against Senator Obama.
What makes you want to take it off and get it on?
She: At the same time? A brand new wool sweater.
What has been your strangest celebrity encounter?
She: I stepped on Janet Jackson’s toe at a party once...
Who would be your ideal dinner guest, living or dead, and what would you serve them?
She: I would like to have dinner with Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and ask them their opinions on various issues and current events. Then I would serve them wine and lots of caffeinated beverages and watch them duke it out.
What does your mom wish you were doing instead?
She: Nothing! She loves music!
Him: Probably raising a big family.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
She: "This Will Be Our Year" by the Zombies.
Him: “Amazing Grace”
Click here to read a full interview with Zooey Deschanel.
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The singing actor is often the punch line to a bad joke, but ever since she warmed the hearts of viewers in 2003’s Elf singing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” Zooey Deschanel has been considered one of the silver screen’s brightest voices. Partnering up with indie folkie M. Ward to record a cover of Richard and Linda Thompson’s “When I Get To the Border” for the soundtrack to last year’s The Go-Getter, Zooey found herself in the perfect position to show off her chops.
With an established but not exactly mainstream artist like Matt Ward, Zooey’s first real foray into music (she also moonlights in If All the Stars Were Pretty Babies, a cabaret act with actress pal Samantha Shelton) is aligned nicely with her filmography — which to date is select studio pics (Bridge to Terabithia) interspersed with a strong indie foundation (All the Real Girls), not to mention a forthcoming portrayal of classic rock goddess Janis Joplin in Gospel According to Janis.
As She & Him, Zooey and Matt play off each other to near-perfection. “Her” voice is what AM gold dreams are made of: a comforting, oft goofy personality with a smoky jazz club lilt that’s part Linda Ronstadt, part Karen Carpenter, and all delight. “His” arrangements are the utmost flattering for such a voice: predominantly but not completely breaking from the wistful country/folk template, Ward’s rich smattering of vintage ideals (’60s girl pop, Motown, alt-country, old-timey gospel) accentuate Zooey’s timeless taste. The result is an opulent, personable album called Volume One, a title that gratefully indicates this budding partnership is just beginning.
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