This week: Sara Quin, who plays in Tegan and Sara with her twin sister, Tegan. She lives in Montreal but is currently working on new material in New York City.
FAVORITE SONG:
“I’m On Fire” by Bruce Springsteen. I remember when I was in elementary school my stepdad had a VHS tape of all of Bruce Springsteen’s music videos and I would watch the video for “I’m On Fire” over and over. It made me feel funny inside. I still think it might be the perfect dark pop song.
FAVORITE ALBUM:
Lately I’ve been considering the incredible impact Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream had on my life. I was in Grade 8, and I can still remember coming home from school and playing track 3 (“Today”) feeling acutely aware that I had never heard music like that before. It led me on a path (the old fashioned, pre internet way) to discover important bands like the Replacements and My Bloody Valentine.
FAVORITE REDISCOVERED ARTIST:
Lately I have been rediscovering music that left a great impression on me from my childhood. My grandparents would slow dance under their disco ball in the basement to Patsy Cline and Hank Williams. They made me a romantic.
FAVORITE TV SHOW:
Deadwood blew my mind and I re-watched the entire series three times. The Wire, Arrested Development, Friday Night Lights. We do a lot of DVD consuming on the road and it feels like a terrific time because there are so many quality shows being made these days.
FAVORITE ESSENTIAL ITEM FOR TOURING:
Sheets for my bunk on the tour bus. Usually a dark green, promoting harmonious soothing tones, my bunk is the envy of my busmates.
FAVORITE WAY TO PASS TIME ON THE ROAD:
Reading! I feel like I’m a part time musician, part time book reviewer. Its one of my greatest luxuries, the time to actually finish, cover to cover, books I love.
FAVORITE BOOK:
One of my favorites of all time, because it’s a manual of sorts, A Lover’s Discourse by Roland Barthes. I’ve earmarked and underlined many copies, and I always have one close at hand when I’m traveling.
FAVORITE MOVIE:
I love so many films, but Chungking Express by Kar Wai Wong stands out to me as something that I found both aesthetically astounding and heart wrenching as a story. I related to “COP 633,” the main character in the film, in a way that was paralyzing for my brain.
FAVORITE FOOD:
Coffee. I only picked up the habit in my 27th year, and I’ve more than made up for lost time. I’m a snob, but I’m also addicted — so give me the good stuff or the bottom of the coffee pot at a gas station, doesn’t matter.
FAVORITE RESTAURANT:
L’Express in Montreal. It’s French, it’s bright and always packed full of people, and it’s always delicious. Way too many bottles of red wine and house ravioli during those meals.
FAVORITE PET:
She was the cat that stole my heart. She was loyal and protective of me. The other cats living in my house ignored you indiscriminately and their affections were desperate. Not my Taya.
FAVORITE PLACE ON EARTH:
Anywhere my dearest friends and family are all gathered together. (And any establishment or household that serves a good cup of coffee.)
FAVORITE PLACE TO ESCAPE:
The closet in my bedroom in Montreal. It’s my sound booth for vocals, but it’s also where I keep all of my shoes and sweaters. It’s a safe place — not so much a panic room, but a panic-free room.
FAVORITE PIECE OF CLOTHING:
I have a white waffled cashmere sweater, a leather coat, and a pair of mustard ankle boots that I couldn’t live without!
WATCH: Tegan and Sara, “Hell”
