UNCUT: The full title of your new album title is a 90-word poem written in response to a hostile magazine interview. Crikey. Was revenge your only motive for this record-breaking act of strangeness?

FIONA: Well. I guess I wanted to say ‘Fuck you' to having a title for the album because I didn't write a movie. It’s not like there’s one title, there’ s a title for each of the songs. Plus the first album cover I had no control over, they had this picture of me that was all airbrushed, so for this one I said there will be a picture of me - except there will be words over it. It was a kind of a personal thing.

UNCUT: You became famous very quickly at the age of 19. Did this have disadvantages as well as benefits?

FIONA: I feel very lucky on one hand, because I read about bands that play for nine years in clubs waiting for some A&R guy to come and recognise them. I didn’t have to do that, but at a certain point I’ve realised that you don’ t ever escape from paying your dues. You’re either going to be playing in clubs for nine years or stepping on your own words for a couple of years. And I just happen to have gotten the latter.

UNCUT: Promoting your debut album, you talked a lot about being raped when you were 12. Do you regret that now?

FIONA: I really hardly mentioned it. It started in Italy. They asked me something about a song and I didn’t want to feel like I had to hide it. This was the first time It happened and I had this huge decision to make right then and there: am I going to say this? They asked me about a song on the first album which was about the rape, and I didn't want to lie about it. But it’s not on my mind as much any more. and it was on my mind then.

UNCUT: You angered Courtney Love by appearing in your underwear in the "Criminal" video. But how different was that from Courtney’s own semi-nude reclaiming of female sexual stereotypes?

FIONA: The difference is I didn’t feel comfortable. Actually, after that video came out. Courtney came up to me at a party and said, 'Me and Billy Corgan want to tell you that we think you’re very talented but you’re going in the wrong direction. You don’t need to be put in your underwear,' And I said, ‘Fucking bitch, you’re in your underwear, too’. But the reality was she wanted to do it, she felt comfortable doing it and I wasn’t. And you can see that in the video. Its not sexy. it’s disturbing.

UNCUT: A lot of your songs sound like sly put-downs to ex-boyfriends. Have you ever ruined a relationship purely to get a good song?

FIONA: I wouldn’t put it past myself to subconsciously screw up something or start a fight. but I don’t think so. If I look back now, everything that I thought was screwed up really was screwed up. I also use the me/you relationship format for these songs because it’s the most direct way to send that message, but a lot of times its not even about ex-boyfriends. There are just a lot of similarities in my relationships with boyfriends or parents or just people around me.

UNCUT: Do you feel any kinship with Britney Spears?

FIONA: No, I just feel really bad because I’m sure she's doing much more work than she should be doing.  ActuaIIy, I don’t feel too bad because she obviously wants that kind of stardom. But Britney Spears ain’t hurting anybody, She’s not hurting me.

UNCUT:Ever been on Prozac?

FIONA: Oh, I’ve probably been on them all. I read magazines with lists of medications and I’m like: been on that, been on that, been on that. And I’ve found that the side-effects of those things are much more distracting than any mood disorder. I realised the best cure for any slight depression is to go through the gauntlet of all those medications so you can have the nightmares and night sweats and awful side-effects and then go off them and say: 'Wow! I’m only depressed!’ Ha, ha, ha!

UNCUT: Have you tried St John’s Wort?

FIONA: Yeah, I think I tried that during the time I was doing all the other stuff. It’s the kind of thing you need to really commit to over a long time. but I was somebody who would take a St Johns Wort and go (looks at watch) OK, nothing's happening! Ha, ha!

UNCUT: Do you see a link between self-hatred and success?

FIONA: Definitely, because the greatest motivator is anger and revenge and wanting to prove yourself, that gives you the drive to make it. It takes you killing yourself to actually get to that place. And unless you have some kind of self-hatred you’re not going to put yourself through that.

UNCUT: Are you planning a long career in music?

FIONA: I have no idea. I’m just going to see how this goes, how much it pisses me off. And if it does then I’ll quit, But that's a real big problem - I don't wanna do this but what else can I do?




(thank you to sallytbyml for typing it!)

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