All Apologies: Mary Epworth
Following on from the excellent Dream LIfe, the brilliant Mary Epworth released her new album Elytral yesterday. We called it "the sound of an artist frustrated but ultimately emboldened by threat, risking everything in the face of constant uncertainty" and it truly is a fascinating listen. We were delighted when Epworth took some time out to tackle our Q&A.
1
What's your present state of mind and being?
"Caffeinated and a bit under pressure to make some music to deadline for the podcast I work on, Within The Wires. Otherwise I’m feeling pretty positive today after a few days of being a bit low. That’s probably too honest but I am by nature an over-sharer."
2
What's the most overrated virtue?
"I actually hadn’t ever really thought about the virtues before, but having heavily researched them on Wikipedia I think they are all pretty good. Forced at gunpoint I’d probably pick Temperance, just because I do love to indulge with delicious things."
3
What one thing have you learnt from your parents?
"Imagine if you had only learned one thing from your parents! Be interested in everything."
4
What’s the most desirable quality you look for in romantic partner?
"Am I filling in a dating profile? Is this Tinder? They have to have really interesting socks, and an ability to enjoy food."
5
What and where was the greatest meal you ever ate?
"Every last delicious meal is the greatest meal I ever ate. I should probably consult Helene from my band as she never forgets a meal. I did a US tour with [the excellent podcast] Welcome To Night Vale two years ago, two months on the road. That was an eating odyssey, and it blew my mind. Proper American barbecue *drools*…"
6
What's your most treasured possession?
"I can think of lots of things I own that I would be heartbroken to lose, but I can’t think of anything that’s a specific treasure. I have had a bit of a tendency towards hoarding, so I’m trying to train myself out of the habit of stuff, and am trying to see objects as things that can come and go. The only things I really own that have financial value are instruments. Please don’t burgle me."
7
What was the last dream you had about?
"Someone in my family is ill, and I dreamed that they aren’t, and that the illness was just a dream. My album Dream Life was sort of named for that kind of experience, and the strange reset and falling into place that happens when you wake up and try to sift out the dreams from the reality, and to separate memories, from now."
8
What's the biggest lie on your Wikipedia page?
"Not quite a lie, but it still feels strange calling myself a composer, even though that is literally what I am doing today. Is this a humblebrag?"
9
If you could say something to your 15-year-old self, what would it be?
"You have sensitive skin, leave it alone. In the future, people will think big bums are a good thing."
10
And finally, who would you most like to apologise to and why?
"Nobody."
Mary Epworth's Elytral is out now.
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