Wellbeing, Compassion, and Walking the Walk on the Stage of Life

All right.

Hello, welcome to another edition of Be well Together. This is going to be an amazing 30 minutes that you are going to spend with us today. We have the absolute legendary Chrissy Hind with us. So, so excited. She actually joined us like maybe a week or two ago on the leading through Change series where she played live and she helped us raise money for the World Central kitchen. And today we have a backstage pass with Chrissy to get to answer a lot of your questions. So I am super excited about this now, you know, if you have been, you know, living under a rock for the last 40 years. Chrissy is the lead singer of the Pretenders. She's a songwriter, she's a singer, she's a rhythm guitarist and she still to this day plays out to sold out audiences all across the globe. So we are thrilled to have you. Chrissy, welcome to the show.

Thanks very much. Take the tea bag out.

All right, so get the tea.

Settle in.

This is good.

That's good.

I like it. So Chrissy, this show, Be well Together. This is about well being. This is about kind of coming together, learning from one another about resiliency in the face of adversity. So I just kind of want to start, start really simple with like, how are you? What's your health regime these days? How are you taking care of yourself through all this shelter in place business?

Well, how am I? Never better actually. I mean I'm responding to this environmental miracle that we're experiencing and I'm not ill, so I feel pretty good. And I've been locked down. I don't go out much. I might go out for a walk every couple days. So I'm trying to stick to the recommendations and I live alone, I don't have any pets, so I'm just hanging out.

Just hanging out. Just hanging out. And you are in England as I recall, is that correct?

Yeah.

That's great. That's great. A couple of weeks ago you posted this really raw and just frankly beautiful post about kind of where you were in this emotional kind of journey. And you mentioned that she couldn't stop sleeping. And I wondered if you could. Yeah. So I wondered if you could kind of talk a little bit about like. I think it's. I just think that's something a lot of people can relate with right now and all these phases that we're kind of going through.

Because I don't really post blogs very often. I'm still reminded every, I don't know, four weeks or something to do one, but my, even my office forgets so but then I wasn't very well that first week. I. I mean, I'm not a big sleeper. And I found myself going to sleep really early and I didn't. My head was wrong. And I felt. To be honest, I felt kind of an excruciating loneliness which I've never really experienced before. I don't really get lonely. I'm happy being alone. And that kind of freaked me out. And I thought if I feel something, obviously I'm not unique. Other people feel it. And I just thought I'd just say that that's how I felt.

And that's where you were at.

I'm not much of a sharer. I'm not very touchy feely. I don't go to any therapy or anything. I probably should.

Well, we all should.

I'm a little bit antisocial that way, but I did that and then I bounced back. So maybe this confessional stuff works.

So who knows? So what do you think? Like, what got you over the hump? How did you really literally get out of bed, turn it around?

Well, I'm not sure that I didn't. That I wasn't ill. Here in England, we say, oh, that I wasn't sick, not with the virus, but, you know, some other flu or something. You know, I was under the weather and then it went. And that's. Then I got more into, you know, this feeling of being like in a hotel room on a day off, but for some reason not getting out of the hotel. And that's how it's been, you know, so I'm doing all the things I can't do if I'm on tour, you know, I can do my laundry and hang it up. I've got a pulley system that I can hang it up. I do that every day. I'm, you know, keep the place clean. I'm actually. I'm having the time of my life, to be honest.

So actually I kind of want to touch on that. That was one of the things I was thinking about. So I was in a meeting yesterday where someone was talking about, like, my gosh, it's so monotonous. Every day is just like another day. And I feel like I'm having problems kind of tapping into my creativity. And I started thinking that really kind of struck me because I felt like, I mean, I'm no, I'm no legendary rock star who goes on the road, clearly. But I. When I think about, like, what that, you know. But hey, I'm young, you know, I mean, maybe this is my next career. But my.

That's gone in ways. I've heard a lot of people say the same thing. Like that first week people were writing me saying, oh, you must be painting up a storm. And, you know, other people were like starting to, you know, oh, you should do music online. Of course, if someone tells me I should do something, you're out. No, I'm not going to do it. But it seems that everyone felt this kind of inability to focus or to concentrate. I heard that a lot people said how to read and they couldn't focus on it. It seems to go in waves generally. And now everyone seems to be, you know, I'm getting a request every hour to do hand claps on this or we're doing a tribute or. And I found my own thing to do in the house here where I'm doing some Bob Dylan songs with my guitar player over the phone. Oh, fun. Because we've always wanted to, and now I have, actually. I realized I can't remember in the last 50 years ever not being under pressure. So I'm really responding well to that.

That's fantastic. And so when you. So when you are thinking about, like, your creative drive and like how to just open yourself up to really kind of receive all that creativity, how do you do that in the face of monotony? Like, do you need to be busy and kind of moving to get those sparks, or do you find that it comes?

I don't. I'm just the same. Wherever I am, I do the same routine. If I'm in a hotel, if I'm at home, wherever I am, I have the same morning and I'm pretty much. So I don't feel that it's really different. No, I don't need to be moving and doing stuff. Maybe I thought I did, but now I'm doing nothing. It feels great, but I mean, I'm doing my thing.

And what is your thing?

You know, to read. If you're not watching television, that could be the monotonous. But I don't know, maybe if you live with someone, that might be a monotonous. I'm not trying to be a spoil sport, but, you know, you're always referring to someone else. But if you're just on your own and you're kind of just pottering about, you find stuff to do.

And I'm noticing that you have a lot of paintings set up there and I know you're painting. Are you painting more?

Yeah, I'm painting all the time.

You're painting all the time? Is there any one of Those in particular back there, your favorites?

No, I just. When I went to make a cup of tea.

They're really. They're really beautiful. So you are painting all the time now? Is that what you said?

That's great. That's my meditation. I mean, I get up in the morning and I do my usual routine, and then painting, for me, is a meditation, same as music.

And have you painted all your life, or is that like a new hobby or. How have you kind of gone about that?

Thought I'd get into that. I wasn't. You know, I was flunking out of school, and that sort of kept me from getting, you know, completely getting kicked out. It was about all I really could manage. And then I got waylaid by rock and roll and got into that for 40 years now. Once my kids moved out of the house, then I had more time to. To do stuff that's. I mean, it gets monotonous if there's other people around. But if you're on your own, you can do all those things that you can't do when there's people around. I can't do anything when there's people around.

Yeah.

Interesting. Unless it's on stage or something. Or in the street.

Right, right, right. Well, so, you know, I. In part of this. The work that you're doing right now, I know that you have a new album coming out, which I think is coming out, and I think we postponed that to July. Is that right? It was like. Yeah. Okay. And so I wanted to talk a little bit about that. There were two things in particular that really stood out to me about that. The first one is that I think that we all love. One of the things we all love about music is that it just takes us back to a different place. It transports us to a different place, a different time. Certainly, when I hear your songs, I am transported back. I am, like, so young and so happy. But I was listening to your. Not that I'm Not Now. That didn't come out right. But I. You know, I was listening to the title song from your new album, Hate for Sale, and I just felt like, wow. Like, I feel reckless. I feel like a teenager. I feel like all this great energy. And I wanted to talk to you a little bit about kind of that idea.

What does it feel like when you listen to rock and roll? I mean, how else are you supposed to feel? Right. Well, so.

But this is what's fascinated to me about it, is that, like, you are 68 years old and you are producing this song that is, like, it's like you are drawing from some fountain of youth, right? That. It's like, how do you keep all of that young at heart energy, you know, when you have just decades of unbelievable adversity that you've overcome and disappointment? I mean.

Right.

Like, how do you do that?

Rock and roll is kind of an artistic thing. It doesn't really change. It stays the same all the time. It's three chords. You're just talking about mundane stuff that's going on, but making it fun. It's supposed to be. That's the whole point of it. You don't put on a rock album to feel bad. You know, I don't know. It's meant to be uplifting. And, I mean, you can't contrive that either. I mean, I haven't always got it right in the stuff I'm doing, and it's. But I think on this album we've.

Done seems really, really great. The other thing that I wanted to applaud you on, on this album is that the song the buzz, and you produced this video while fully in lockdown is what I understand. So my question for you around that was, you know, it had this, like, really gritty feel, and it had, like. You kind of were in this loop of the visuals, and it's like. It's like. It's just recurring. And I wondered if that was the original direction you envisioned or if that kind of came out of, like, okay, well, we're in a limited space. We're all locked down. We're all doing this individually, and it just sort of made it, you know, if it was inspired by the circumstances.

I didn't make the video. I have a guy, John Minton made the video. Mm. So, you know, you'd have to ask him. My little cameos I did here.

Okay.

And we've done another one, and we're gonna keep doing them. And I don't. I don't. I don't really feel very different in this lockdown. If anything, I feel. Like I said, just. I don't. Yeah. I don't know what to say. It doesn't feel different creatively. If anything, it feels like I'm more freed up. I don't. I have more time to concentrate now.

That's great. And are you in conversations with the. I don't know, with the record labels or. Like, I just think that this is changing so much about, like, your. Your tour and, like, getting canceled and how those. That might change moving forward, just with mass gatherings.

You know, he does all that business Stuff, we'll just wait. But this is a great time to kind of think about. Not for me so much because I can kind of manage writing songs and stuff, but I think generally well, and for me too. Do we want to do things differently?

Yeah. So what, what has anything sparked you about things that you might want to do differently moving forward?

Not me personally, but if I worked in an office and I drove every day to work for two hours, I would think you thinking about it very seriously. What I'm thinking about is the environment and how clean the air is and I hear the birds singing and it's clean. And this is the significant thing to me that's going on right now. I mean, I'm very sorry that people had to get sick for this to happen, but no one seemed to be able to stop it. And you know, the environmentalists have been going on about this for 30 years, longer actually, but for really for 30 years and no one was doing anything. Now it's happening and maybe people will be sorry to see it. I don't want things to go back to how they were. They weren't good, nothing was good. You know, that we have to get rid of the fossil fuels and the farming. Go back to very small, non slaughter farms, humane farming, good compassionate methods of dealing with everything. We don't get rid of the car culture or kind of reorganize that somehow get the air clean. I mean certainly we're saving lives at the moment with. Because the air is so much cleaner. So that's what's really important right now. I mean really, who cares if I'm at home writing a song or, you know, doing a painting, you know, even I don't care. It's really not that important, you know, I mean, I'm just goofing off. That's what I do. Well, you know, that's what I trained myself to do and then someone started paying me for it, you know, so lucky me. But for most people, changing the way they do things, not going to work, maybe not renting an office space, working from home, saving money on that, having more time with your family, maybe those are the things that, you know, I don't have to think about because I'm past that now. You know, I don't have to look after my family. They're looking after themselves. But for most people, those are real concerns.

I love that you're thinking that way. I've thought a lot about that myself. I think there's a lot of people right now who are kind of recontemplating the relationship with this planet, you know, and what are we doing to make it healthier and what are our roles and responses?

A lot of people been thinking about it every day for the last 30 years, right. Something's happening and, you know, this is a fantastic time to embrace it and think this is how it can be now. So what are we going to do about it? And that's the real conversation. Not about, you know, if you're bored or what are you watching on Netflix, who cares, you know, but rather, how are we going to use this surprise moment where globally we're all in the same moment of we're on hold again. I will say I'm very aware of people suffering and there's a lot of, you know, we have the NHS here, thank you to them. Our national health system, maybe that's a good place to start. Right there is. How do we look after people? Why would you have to buy insurance for your health? All across Europe, in socialist countries, the health service is free for everyone. Everyone gets free health, health service. I mean, the National Health Service here is collapsing a bit because no one expected this to, you know, happen. And, you know, this is an emergency. But it's interesting to look at how we look after people. I know in America, because I'm American, they think that socialism is communism. People don't even know what socialism is, but socialism is, you know, it's a very good system where everyone gets free education, transportation, health care, and, you know, you pay your tax for it, but then that's what you get back. You're looked after all your life. And I shouldn't be telling you anything you don't already know. But I know in America it's not set up that way and it should be.

That's great. Thank you. Thank you for sharing that. And I love that you are thinking about, like, kind of that stronger outcome. And I appreciate people have been doing this for a long time, but, you know, it seems like we got really busy and we got really absorbed in our own lives and we got too busy to really observe what was going on around us. And it is.

Nobody wants to be in this situation. I mean, we thought we did because you're so plugged in and locked into it that you don't even have time to think. You have a choice or not. And now we do have the time to think. What was I spending all my time worried about that for? It didn't even matter. Now we have more opportunity to think about the difference between temporary things, which is what we're Engaged in every single day is this temporary stuff we're trying to get through and more eternal things that really mean something.

And you're right. And it's a huge opportunity. I mean, like, you know, the national pastime now around here is going for a walk, right? That's all you can really do. So you go for a walk and you know, I drag my kids every night on a walk and we bring a garbage bag and we just pick up the garbage that we see. Because why not? But, you know, I think, gosh, I've been going on walks 47 years and I've never picked up trash along the way. And it's. It's so easy. I should have. I completely should have. Right? Like.

But everyone can think smaller now. Instead we have this global thing. I mean, no matter how we feel, we're suffering and we're locked in. There's still some kid across on the other side of the planet who has to walk three hours to get a bucket of dirty water to take home for their family. You know, and that's the reality, and that's something beautiful about the moment, is we really are seeing this global experience now.

Right? We're all experiencing it.

They don't have the affluence that we do in the west and we own it. You know, we've abused it over consumption. The best place to start and see how out of control we've got is to just pick up a high end fashion magazine and there's handbags in there that cost 20 grand. And a teenager's looking at that. Why would anyone want one? What's the message that's going out to people that you want? All this junk that you don't need that costs a lot of money. Why get on a treadmill to get this stuff that you don't need, you don't want, and it's bullshit. So, you know, let's get rid of it. Let's start over. Even the fashion designers will tell you that. I know some of them are mates. They don't want to do a collection every two years. Everyone's in this treadmill to keep, you know, to keep it because of the competition, because that's the way it's done. Well, guess what? Do it differently.

Yeah. This time is a gift. It's a gift to really reevaluate what's important and what we want to be and who we want to be. Katherine, can we.

Exactly. That's it. Who do you want to be?

Who do you want to be? Who do you want to come out of the other side of this pandemic being right. Yeah, yeah, I'm with you. I'm enjoying it myself. I got a little talk show now in my bedroom. This is hilarious.

Yeah. I mean, Katherine was saying she's doing a gardening, growing her food, Right? Bingo. That's what happened in Detroit when all those. You know, when the downtown collapse, right? Yes. So people start growing things. Grow things.

Oh, my gosh. The urban gardens in Detroit are just beyond me. They are amazing what they are doing there.

They're doing it all over the country. You know, I think the big mistake that people make is they. Because they're too busy maybe to really do it, to think about it differently. Don't wait for the government to change anything. They're not going to change anything. You've had your whole lifetime to find out that that is not what's going to change anything yet. Vote and then shut up. Then start thinking about how you're going to change yourself because that's all you have control over. And if you make yourself do better things than everyone else around you will, don't wait for someone else to do it for you. I hate that. It's like a cocaine mentality, Talking about something and then not doing anything. I just think it's moral bankruptcy. That's why I said for this. You can ask me anything, but don't talk about American politics to me.

I'll just leave you to bring that up. I didn't go there.

Okay, Kat, Americans are hypnotized when you think about it. Whenever I talk to any of my friends in the states, I say, I've got to go now. As soon as they say that one name, I'm like, It's like the invasion of the body snatchers. Wake up, people. Do it yourself.

Preach. Katherine, let's take some questions before we run out of time with Chrissy.

All right? We have a ton of questions in here, and I'm really. I'm really enjoying this conversation, by the way. So thank you for being here and to kind of continue along a similar type topic. One of our employees is from your hometown of Akron, Ohio, and she mentions that when she goes back to Ohio, she's not always happy with what she's seeing there. And how do you stay true to your roots when the gap between people in the Midwest and those in big cities keeps growing?

You know, I've been here since I was 22 here in London. And every day when I do go out, people say, so what are you doing here? Because I've never Lost my accent. Nobody knows I live here. I am a Buckeye all the way down the line. There's nothing about me that isn't 100% American. My parents were staunch Republicans. My dad was a Marine. My mother was a secretary. She worked all her life. My dad worked for the Ohio Bell Telephone Company. You know, we're real, real. The Ohio, the. One of the original 13 states. You know, I'm a Yank through and through, but I'm also a citizen of the world. So how do I stay connected? I'm there. It's right there.

Great. Thank you. And now I'm going to switch topics a little bit because somebody's asked, you've done some amazing collaborations over the years. So what is your key to a great collaboration?

Oh, well, you have to be asked to do it first. And then I just, I mean, I don't know. I don't know if. Great. Just if you enjoy it. I mean, in this game, it's all about if you, if you've enjoyed doing it, it's probably good, right? You have to admire the person that you're collaborating with. That's the. I guess that's the key.

It's important. And then this one kind of cracked me up. Some mentioned that you have a love for karaoke.

That true?

And what karaoke songs do you like to sing?

Okay. I never associate rock and roll with like karaoke ing somewhere. The actual star themselves. So that's funny.

Very, very. I was very behind on this. And when they first asked if they could take one of our singles and just do use the backing track because it was for. This is 40 years ago for karaoke, I was appalled. I mean, you much pretty couldn't mess with a single. Of course, now there's 101 different remixes. But in those days it seemed sacrosanct somehow. And I didn't quite get the karaoke thing until I was with this guy I was going out with in Belgium. We were in Antwerp, pretty, very drunk in a bar. It was a karaoke bar. And, you know, I got up there and I thought, first of all, no one was paying any attention. No one cares. They're only waiting for their moment and meanwhile they're just drinking and talking to their friends so I could be whoever I wanted on that stage. He got the original backing track and, you know, I was Carla Thomas for an hour, for three minutes, and it was. No one cared. And I thought, this is. This is like the best experience. And then my mate got up, who's a classical violinist, and that's the only time I've seen anyone stop drinking and watch the stage because he does the most amazing Shirley Bassey impersonation that I've ever heard. So. But otherwise, you get to be anonymous. You get to sing your heart out and you know, no one's watching. It's great.

Okay. Do you have any go to's? Do you have, like a karaoke? Like, if you find yourself in a bar, like, this is the one you're going towards.

Yeah, well, I try to drink now, so I'm kind of. That hasn't happened for a while. I don't have. No, I don't have one.

So you don't sober karaoke?

I haven't tried it yet. I want to very, very bad. Karaoke moment at Stella McCartney's wedding, which I don't remember myself, but I was told later in front of Paul McCartney that I did karaoke to my own song, Brass in Pocket. No, no, that doesn't get you to stop drinking. No.

Friends don't let friends karaoke their own songs.

I'm still ashamed.

I love karaoke. I always put karaoke up as a team event because nothing brings karaoke.

And I always thought everyone could sing. And I won't mention. No, I was a good friend and we did. Was it Islands in the Stream, I think. And that's the fourth when I found out that actually not everyone can sing.

Not true, not true. I am a big believer in the duets. When you karaoke, though. Yeah, I've been known to hit like, Elton John. Don't Go Breaking My Heart. That's a nice grab a mate kind of song.

Solid as a Rock would be mine anyway.

Solid as a rock. Excellent.

All right, so maybe we have time for one more question, and this one's about women in music. So this employee was a huge fan of yours growing up, and at that time didn't consider the uniqueness of a woman leading a rock band. Do you consider yourself a trailblazer for women at that time?

And if not, when you look back, women doing things. First of all, what is often forgot is that birth control pills started about 60 years ago. 50 years ago, before that, women had five kids, they couldn't get on a stage. So these new feminists that say we've taken it upon ourselves to liberate ourselves, you know, they had help because anyone 200 years ago would have said, I only want two kids and I'd rather wait till I'm 30. But, you know, they didn't have the. They couldn't. So I Just want to get that out of the way because I think that's often overlooked, and there's always been women in music, so. Trailblaz. No, I don't. You know, I read a book when I was a teenager by Charlie Mingus called Beneath the Underdog, and he described being in music as living on a colorless island. And I thought, that's where I want to live. So I never. And that's what. What music has been like for me. I've never been discriminated against because I'm a woman. I've never been given a hard time. I haven't had to work harder. If anything, guys carry my guitars for me, and it's fantastic. I think it's. It's show business. So being a woman is kind of a novelty. I think it works in your favor.

Fantastic. Well, thank you for the many contributions that you've given us, for the joy that you bring into my soul every time I hear your music, and certainly for being with us.

Joy back by saying, good, good.

And that is what we're here to do. We're here to be happy. We're here to be well. So everyone take care of yourself.

Thank you, Mark, for inviting me to do this. My mate Mark, who's, you know. Thank you very much.

Yes, absolutely. Absolutely. Thank you, Chrissy. We're in. Good luck with the next album, and we'll certainly be listening to you. All right, everybody, take care. Be well.

Sam.