A Phone Call From Bebe Buell

photo: John Espinosa

photo: Norman Blake

I can tell you from first hand experience there are few things more exciting than receiving a phone call from the fabulously talented and beautiful Bebe Buell. For those not in the know, Miss Buell is a unique and interesting musician who is just as famous for her modeling days and for being the mother of Actress Liv Tyler. She has lived an exciting and well documented life among all the icons and legends of rock n' roll, so much so that she is one herself.

Her newest release called "SUGAR" is one of the best records I have ever heard. She plans to start touring in the Spring. She called me up on Valentines weekend to discuss the making of the record and to plan a photo session with me when she comes to Los Angeles. Luckily I had my recorder handy so I can share our conversation with you. Bebe supplied me with these live shots from a recent performance and her CD cover. Check out the great video of Bebe performing the title cut at the Hiro Ballroom in New York. She'll be back on this blog after we do the photos and she plays Los Angeles.

AM: I am so excited that you went through the trouble to release "SUGAR."

BB: Thank you.

AM: I can tell it comes from your soul.

BB: Yes I worked really hard on that record. It was a long time coming too.

AM: How long did you work on it?

BB: It's been pent up inside me for years and years. It was sort of a release. I needed to get it out of my system.

AM: One of the things I believe about you is that you are a musician from the very core of your being.

BB: Well thank you. I think I got a little side tracked in my youth. Imagery was so much more important in the 70's. The first thing you do is the thing you're remembered for. I've always thought people should be multi-faceted and do many things and wear many hats. It never dawned on me that coming to New York as a young model would hinder or distract me from achieving my dreams. It became shocking to me to hear some of the labels people throw at you. You don't know if you're supposed to be defensive or roll with the punches. I don't like to sit back and let things go without trying to make them right. I've always been a little bit of a fighter.

AM: I can tell that from reading your biography "Rebel Heart."

BB: As far as my book goes, I was never 100% happy with that. I wrote the book with another person. It's not completely my voice. He wasn't a ghost writer he was a co-writer. That girl in 'Rebel Heart' is not completely me. She's me with a lot of testosterone. So when I do another book someday, I am going to do it on my own.

AM: You have what it takes to do that.

BB: The thing about my book was I didn't pursue a publishing deal. What happened was in 1998 an agent approached me and he said it was time for my autobiography. He said he knew several publishers that would be interested. At first I balked at it. People had been asking me for twenty years to write a book. I didn't think I had lived enough life to write an autobiography.

AM: But you went ahead and did it.

BB: He was a very convincing agent obviously. He convinced me that it was a good idea so I dove in. I get a lot of letters from women who were helped by my book. It's the story of a girl who did many things but her heart was really in one place the whole time. I don't know if it comes off that way but I've got my fingers crossed.

AM: It does come off that way. The music is first.

BB: It absolutely does come first. I embrace everything else about my life that is important. My daughter, my grandson, my husband, my dogs, my friends, are all so important to me. Those people know me and they know I needed to get this record done. I'm very fortunate that I have people around me that support that. Bobby and Jim went into the studio and created all that music for me around my lyrics. I really owe a lot to them because I don't know if it would have happened the same way. It was a resurrection for me. It really went well because of their support.

AM: Are you getting ready to tour the United States?

BB: Oh absolutely. We're trying to find an actual home for my record. Right now it's out digitally. You can buy it on I-tunes and Amazon. We have labels that actually want to put a physical record out and it's very exciting. We're talking to three different people right now. We're actually making a decision. It's going to be decided in the next few weeks. We'll know exactly where it's going to land. It's all indie's, not a major label. They are very cool indie labels. They get product in stores. That's really all that is important.

AM: Downloading is the most important now.

BB: Yes downloading is important and I wanted to do a lot of groundwork. I wanted to do all the pre-work, the pre-promotion. We've even got a few radio stations that are playing 'Sugar.' It seems to be a favorite, a track that everyone is embracing, so that will be the single.

AM: Seems like you've done well so far.

BB: I'm just going to keep forging forward. We're definitely going to be in LA to showcase. One of the labels we're talking to is LA based. We're looking at May.

AM: I'm going to keep my fingers crossed.

BB: I'm very excited about that. I haven't played LA since 1998!

AM: That's too long.

BB: (Laughing) Yes it is. The act I was doing in 1998 was very different than what I'm doing now, which is a lot more mystical, atmospheric, biographical. I did kick ass rock n' roll in your face for years. You would come to one of my shows, get beat to a pulp, and you'd go home happy. I still throw a couple of kick ass songs in for my fans who like that part of me as an entertainer. I'll always have that side. It takes a lot of conviction to perform these songs because they are very emotionally draining and deep. They affect me every single time I perform them.

AM: I believe that! I can tell you are coming from some place deep. They are not songs to sing along to.

BB: No, no, no it's a very important step for me. There is something profound going on. I just let the Universe guide me. I don't want to sound nutty to people and talk about divine intervention. I have no idea where songs come from. They just sort of happen. They bestow themselves upon me. They are little gifts.

AM: I love every single song on your record. There isn't one that is less than another. It's one of those rare records that is divine from the opening note to the closing note.

BB: Thank you so much. I am so happy because that's what we were going for. I just performed at the Hiro Ballroom in New York and played the whole album live from beginning to end. I wondered if everybody would be able to focus on that for a performance because not everybody in the audience knows the record. I was very surprised with all the girls in the front that knew all the words. There is a power to downloading.

AM: One song that stays in my brain is the second cut, "Love Is."

BB: Oh thank you. That's one of my favorite cuts to perform. It's very challenging to sing. It's not easy to sing. It comes from a deep chakra so you have to find all your air and let it rip. There's no hocus pocus on that record. I do straight vocals with no over-dubbing.

AM: Your voice is a magnificent instrument.

BB: I'm a contra-alto. I have been since I was a young child. When I went to Catholic school I sung in the choir. I'll never forget the Mother Superior trying to make me a soprano in the 6th grade. It just didn't work. I was the only alto. I knew I didn't have a Mariah Carey sort of songbird voice. I knew it wasn't going to be a voice where everyone would go, "Oh that woman can really sing!" I knew some people were going to love it and some people were going to hate it. My style of singing comes from how I feel. People who have seen me live say I never do the song the same way twice. You get something from my heart, that's for sure.

AM: That makes you authentic. You are a real musician.

BB: I don't have dancers on stage or go up there scantily clad. I'm old-fashioned. I believe when you get on stage you should give the audience what you have to give them. There should be no distractions. I have synergy with my band. We are so tight.

AM: Is this the band you will tour with?

BB: Yes absolutely. I am living my dream. I'll be honest with you. It's really fun and rewarding to have worked as many years as I have. I've been knocked around a little bit but I keep surfacing. I don't let people sink me. I'm one of those annoying inner tubes that never runs out of air! One of the things I am loving about the industry right now is that ageism seems to be dissipating. People want to see an authentic performance. They don't seem to care how old the person is or what color the person is or where they're from. They want a "real" offering so that's what I try to do. I have no qualms about letting people know how thrilled I am to be up there and how happy it makes me to do this.

AM: That is what sets you apart. It comes through in all your artistry.

BB: I want people to feel renewed when they leave the show. From the reactions I am getting it seems like people are leaving my show happy and exhausted. They think about it for days later which is all I can ask for as an entertainer.

AM: That's very rewarding.

BB: I like hearing from people two weeks later and they tell me they are still high off the gig. I love getting those emails. That makes me really happy.

AM: Will you be in Los Angeles a few days?

BB: Of course. My daughter is bi-coastal right now so I have been out there a couple of times. She's been making a movie in New Orleans but she'll be here in New York this next week. The next trip to LA will be for the show but we'll time it so I can be there for a few days. I would love to do a photo session with you.

AM: I would love that so much! You are one of the world's leading beauties.

BB: Beauty gets us a lot of places when we're young but it doesn't sustain you in later life. Your beauty can only go so far. Beauty changes. Beauty evolves. As you get older it becomes a different thing. I'm one of those people that is not at all afraid of age. I don't need to be perfect. It doesn't scare me. I'm trying my best to give myself to people as I am. I do have a very young girl fan base which is exciting. I like having all the young girls. They remind me of when I was a young girl and I wanted to see Eartha Kitt or Wanda Jackson, all the great female performers. I didn't get to New York until 1972 so I missed a lot of the fun!

AM: You are extra special to call me!

BB: I was very moved by one of the blogs you did. I think we always meet the people we are supposed to meet. We connect with people who's art that we admire. I think that's what it turns out to be, just a big art exchange. We help each other when we admire each other's work.

AM: It's the best way to live.

BB: I think it's really important. I don't sit around and dwell on this, but one of the things I miss about the 70's is the groups of artists getting together. There would be every type of artist and everybody hung out together. We all treated each other like artists.

AM: That must have been fun. I can't wait until May when you are in LA.

BB: Me too. I can't wait to meet you and do a photo session.

AM: Thanks so much for calling me.

BB: Oh yes, I hope we talk again soon. Bye-bye.