1973
Celebrates unhappy birthday
By RICKI FULMAN Folk singer Melanie will
celebrate her 26th birthday February 3 by giving a concert at Carnegie Hall. "It's because I'm always
so depressed on my birthday," she explained the other day in her new
Central Park South apartment that resembles a posh cave with orange curved
walls, organic furniture and thick orange carpeting. "I stopped having happy
birthdays when I was 8. I figured by singing this year, I'd be less
miserable. However, now that I've survived the trauma of turning 25, I like
my age, and am even enjoying slowly withering," she said smiling. The February 3d concert and one a day
earlier, kick off the singer's U.S. tour.
Sinking deep into an
arrangement of three cushions she remarked: "I've neglected this country
really." She's
been busy touring Europe, hitting 10 countries in two months. As official
spokeswoman for UNICEF, she raised nearly $335,000 for the organization
through her concerts. "It
was a far more hectic schedule—a concert a day— than I would arrange on my
own. Maybe I'm lazy, but I work better and feel better working at a slower
pace. So, although I loved doing it now I'm going to give concerts at a pace
that's better for me, and donate proceeds to UNICEF from time to time." Melanie found she prefers
singing to English-speaking audiences because otherwise the subtleties of her
lyrics are lost. "Some of those foreign audiences really over-reacted,
and I knew they had to be thinking about something other than what I was
singing," she explained. She liked Yugoslavia best for
its beautiful scenery and warm people, and Copenhagen least "I had the
same reaction that I get in L.A.," she explained. "The Danish are
like their porcelain and pewter— almost antiseptic. But then I've never liked
Danish modern. "And
you might know, they requested 'Brand New Key' the most." Melanie,
who writes the music and lyrics for 90% of her songs, talked about how her
themes are changing. "Looking
back over the last 10 years, I find that like many writers, I am in a lull
now. There's been a levelling off of energy somehow. "I used to address myself
to thousands of people, getting together, and all holding hands —like crowds
at Woodstock or something. Now my work is getting more personal, addressed to
one person, in terms of I miss you because you're far away." Tragedies
are often her inspiration, although she admitted: "I sometimes wonder
myself where the next idea will come from." Born in Astoria, she now lives
in southern New Jersey, as well as Manhattan, with her husband, Peter
Schekeryk, who is also her manager. They have six cats, three dogs and a
goat. Although she loves tending her
animals, making pottery and cooking, music still comes first. "Writing
makes me feel clean," she stressed, "as if I'm airing out my
feelings. I don't feel good when I don't write. Although I never cared about
being famous, or expected such a thing to even happen, it's kind of groovy to
hear yourself on a car radio." |
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