We met with icon, musician, performer, director, and voice of a generation, Peaches, aka Merrill Nisker, in her Berlin rehearsal studio, just a week away from beginning her anniversary tour in North America. While we hurriedly made ready for the photoshoot, I pulled up a chair and began to interview Peaches while our makeup artist, Alex, prepared her for the shoot.
When I entered the studio there were rails of well-organized costumes hanging neatly in transparent garment bags, archiving her performances and documenting the life and evolution of Peaches over the past twenty years. The room felt precise, deliberate and fun. The sun warmly lit the room in the same way Peaches welcomed us into her universe. As she was on a tight deadline, we slid into go-time.
我们在柏林的排练室会见了偶像、音乐家、表演者、导演和一代之声 [瑞典街头朋克乐队]，Peaches ，又名Merrill Nisker，距离开始她在北美、然后在欧洲和英国的周年巡演只有一周。绝对是一个瞩目的场合，可以体验这个无畏的、聪明的、推动边界的艺术家的令人难以置信的激动、有趣和性感的表演。当我们匆忙为照片拍摄做准备时，我拉起一把椅子，开始采访 Peaches，而我们的化妆师 Alex, 则为拍摄做准备。
当我进入工作室时，透明的衣袋里整齐地挂着一排排整齐的服装，记录着她的表演，记录着桃子过去二十年的生活和演变。 房间感觉精确、深思熟虑和有趣。 阳光温暖地照亮了房间，就像桃子欢迎我们进入她的宇宙一样。 由于她的截止日期很紧，我们进入了准备时间。
So you are about to embark on your 20th-anniversary tour of the Teaches of Peaches album. In terms of nostalgia, how do you feel about who you were then and who you are now?
Oh! Get right in there, get right in!
I think I reflect a lot about that time because it really changed my life, you know? I made it in my, you know, bedroom in Canada and I liked it & had fun making it. You know, I wanted to combine a lot of things that I felt were not happening in music at the time. In terms of like, just kind of electro. Like punking up electro in a way that also was very, you know, gender fluid and inclusive. So. And so, I feel so proud that I… or proud may not be the word, but I just feel like I had this idea, and I feel like it’s grown in terms of like, where music and culture have gone, and to me, it makes this album and the whole experience relevant. It’s exciting and I’m happy and I’m excited to celebrate.
所以你们即将开始《the Teaches of Peaches》专辑20周年的巡演。回望旧时光，你对当时的你和现在的你有什么体会？
哦！马上进去，马上进去！
我想我对那段时间有很多反思，因为它真的改变了我的生活，你知道吗？我在我的，你知道，在加拿大的卧室做的，我喜欢它。我在制作它时很开心。你知道，我想结合很多我觉得在当时的音乐中没有发生的事情。就像，只是一种电子。就像以一种非常，你知道的，性别流动和包容的方式来捣毁电子。所以。所以，我感到非常自豪，我……或者说自豪可能不是这个词，但我只是觉得我有这个想法，而且我觉得它在音乐和文化方面的发展，对我来说，这使得这张专辑和整个经历都有意义。这很令人兴奋，我很高兴，我很兴奋地庆祝。
For me too! For all of us, and to see how much progress has been made since then.
Yeah, but of course, there’s also been shitty things. I like to focus on America. It’s so easy to point out that you can’t even get an abortion in Kentucky or Ohio, and how horrible transgender teens are being treated, and not being able to play sports, or how these laws are now like, ‘don’t say gay or critical race theory,’ how all these things are trying to erase all of the work that is being done. So we can’t forget that there is still a struggle and that even though there is a big progression on one side, people are fighting to keep their fucking patriarchal bullshit alive.
对我来说也是如此! 对我们所有人来说，看到自那时以来取得了多大的进展。
是的，但当然也有一些糟糕的事情。我喜欢关注美国。指出你在肯塔基州或俄亥俄州甚至不能堕胎，以及变性青少年受到多么可怕的对待，不能参加体育运动，或者这些法律现在是如何，”不要说同性恋或批判种族理论”，所有这些事情是如何试图抹去所有正在进行的工作的。因此，我们不能忘记，仍然有一场斗争，即使一方有很大的进步，人们也在为保持他们该死的父权制的爹味文化而斗争。
Sometimes it feels like one step forward two steps back.
Or that they’re going at the same time.
有时感觉就像前进一步后退两步。
或者说，他们是同时进行的。
How did you feel about becoming a rock star?
When I started in music, I was playing acoustic guitar. I was teaching kids music. I needed a job and I got a job at a daycare and it was really boring and I had an acoustic guitar so I used to like sing songs and makeup stories and I noticed that the kids really responded to it so I made up this drama music program and I ended up working all over teaching nine classes a day, drama music to kids all over and at the same time playing acoustic guitar at night with a little band we called Mermaid Cafe, after a Joni Mitchell song. We played once and they asked us if we wanted to have a weekly gig, so just things were going on, and after a year of playing folk music I was like, oh I don’t want to play this music and I started to experiment with a bunch of other kinds of music.
你对成为一名摇滚明星有什么感觉？
当我开始从事音乐时，我在木吉他。我当时在教孩子们音乐。我需要一份工作，我在一家托儿所找到了一份工作，那真的很无聊，我有一把木吉他，所以我过去喜欢唱歌和编故事，我注意到孩子们真的对它有反应，所以我编了这个戏剧音乐课程，最后我在各地工作，每天教九个班，给各地的孩子表演戏剧音乐，同时在晚上和一个小乐队演奏木吉他，我们叫它美人鱼咖啡厅，取自Joni Mitchell的歌。我们演奏了一次，他们问我们是否想每周有一次演出，所以只是事情在进行，在演奏民谣音乐一年后，我想，哦，我不想演奏这种音乐，我开始尝试一堆其他种类的音乐。
What else shaped you as a performer and artist?
Not feel like I fit in with whatever normal things were happening.
还有什么塑造了你作为一个表演者和艺术家？
我不觉得自己适合生活在任何正常的事务中。
I was looking up the lyrics to that Nina Simone song, and how you chose the name Peaches.
Well, yes, and I would like to say that I am not identifying with the struggle of the women in the song. To me, it was just how she says ‘Peaches’ in the end with such passion. I wanted her to say it to me. Literally the word, ‘Peaches’. She wasn’t about to sing, Merrill. MERRILL! So I wanted to be inspired by that passion.
我在查那首Nina Simone的歌词，以及你如何选择桃子这个名字。
嗯，是的，我想说的是，我并不认同这首歌中女性的挣扎。对我来说，只是她在结尾处如此热情地说出 “桃子”。我希望她能对我说。从字面上看，”桃子 “这个词。她并不打算唱 Merrill。MERRILL 。所以我想从这种激情中得到启发。
When I was reading your book, there was this one part by Elliott Page where he went to a Peaches show and there was blood.
Yeah, I used to like, fake get sick on stage and spit blood on everybody and Elliott got blood on his arm and wouldn’t wash it off for like two weeks.
当我读你的书时，有一段是 Elliott Page 写的，他去看 Peaches 的演出，有血。
是的，我曾经喜欢，在舞台上假装生病，向每个人吐血，Elliott 的手臂上有血迹，两个星期都不会洗掉。
I thought that was really cool. Because it’s like, even for me, I am feeling more empowered just from speaking with you, I feel like I can do more things. I don’t know how to explain that.
Sounds good!
我认为这真的很酷。因为它就像，甚至对我来说，仅仅从与你的谈话中，我就感到更有力量，我觉得我可以做更多的事情。我不知道该如何解释这一点。
听起来不错!
Just with touring and how crazy touring can be, how do you stay relaxed or healthy?
Well, let’s see. (chuckles) It’s fucking hard because you work your body very hard and then you have adrenaline and that adrenaline can take you to some places where you might not be able to get up in the morning, so you have to be careful. Stick to the pot and red wine, that’s what I say! If you’re going to…I like to have, you know, high-quality good sipping tequila or single malt whiskey. You can’t be doing drugs and then expect every night, or you’re just going to go down a slippery slope. And also, you have to take care of your voice.
只是随着巡演的进行和巡演的疯狂，你是如何保持放松或健康的？
好吧，让我们来看看。(笑)这真他妈的难，因为你非常努力地工作你的身体，然后你有肾上腺素，这种肾上腺素可以把你带到一些地方，你可能在早上无法起床，所以你必须小心。坚持使用大麻和红酒，这就是我说的!
如果你要……我喜欢喝，你知道，高质量的好喝的龙舌兰或单一麦芽威士忌。你不能期待每天晚上都在吸毒，否则你就会走下坡路。还有，你必须照顾好你的声音。
How do you take care of your voice? Because I know singers who have actually lost their voices.
I can lose my voice and still sing. It’s fucked up. But it’s true. That’s why you have to be careful with the pot. I just smoke a lot less. You just have to do less, to be honest, you really have to do less. Because you’re not going to sleep.
你是如何保养你的嗓子的？因为我知道有的歌手实际上已经失去了声音。
我可以失去我的声音，但仍然唱歌。这很糟糕。但这是事实。这就是为什么你必须小心对待大麻。我只是少抽了很多。你只是要少量，说实话，你真的要少量。因为你不打算这么一直睡。
What do you think shaped you into like, I mean at least for me, accepting my body or different things…were you always confident?
I questioned a lot of things and once I had this platform I could start playing with it a little more.
Like, I’m not going to shave my pubes, I’m not going to shave my legs or shave my armpits, and I saw the reactions that happened, and I was like this is crazy and unnecessary, so I could play with that a little more. Yeah, just to play with it in terms of like, being ok with it. For instance, I didn’t know I was ugly until I started reading it in magazines.
And they were like, ‘it’s her ugliness that makes this so interesting.’ And I was like, oh, I’m ugly? I never thought I was. But it didn’t bother me. But it’s interesting.
This also was really inspiring because when you decide, and you have this platform and you see how you can inspire others too, and then how it can bring you to new places.
你认为是什么塑造了你，我的意思是至少对我来说，接受我的身体或不同的东西……你总是自信吗？
我质疑了很多事情。我不是真的喜欢…… 我只是在质疑一些事情，一旦我有了这个平台，我就可以开始多玩一些别的了。
比如，我不打算刮阴毛，不打算刮腿毛，也不打算刮腋毛，我看到了这些事情的反馈，我觉得这很疯狂，没有必要，所以我可以多玩一些。是的，只是在喜欢的方面玩玩，可以接受它。例如，我不知道我是丑陋的，直到我开始在杂志上看到它。
他们说，”正是她的丑陋才使这一切变得如此有趣。然后我就想，哦，我很丑？我从来不认为我丑。但这并不妨碍我。但这很有趣。
这也是非常鼓舞人心的，因为当你决定，你有这个平台，你看到你也可以激励别人，然后它可以把你带到新的地方。
So how many hours a day are you dancing and practicing and preparing? Is it full-on?
Yeah, it’s like some days are rehearsals. Some days are music rehearsals, some days are programming rehearsals, some days are organizational rehearsals, and some are just like costume decisions or you know. Yeah, lots of stuff.
那么，你每天有多少个小时在跳舞、练习和准备？是全身心投入吗？
是的，这就像有些日子是排练。有些日子是音乐排练，有些日子是程序排练，有些日子是组织排练，有些日子只是像服装决定的或你知道的。是的，很多元素。
Have your parents ever been to your shows?
Yes, they’ve been to all my shows. My dad was a huge fan and he cried at every one of my shows. He would come to every one of my shows, even if it was just like ten people there, he used to come to my shows. Whatever I was doing. Huge supporter. One day, he said to me, ‘I used to play you, Donna Summer.’ I know. I know what you’re doing.
你的父母曾经看过你的演出吗？
是的，他们已经参加了我所有的演出。我父亲是一个大粉丝，他在我的每一场演出中都会哭。我的每场演出他都会来，即使只有十个人在那里，他也会来看我的演出。无论我在做什么。他是带来巨大能量的支持者。我记得有一天他对我说，”我曾经给你演奏过Donna Summer。我知道。我知道，我知道你在做什么。
What music do you listen to when you’re just at home?
I listen to a lot of nasty rap by women. There’s so much. They’re so great. When I started there was Lil’ Kim and Missy Elliott, and that’s it. But now there’s so much, so many varieties and awesome nastiness that I get really excited about it.
当你只在家里时，你会听什么音乐？
我听过很多女性情色感觉的说唱。有这么多。她们是如此厉害。当我开始时，有Lil’ Kim和Missy Elliott，仅此而已。但现在有这么多，这么多种类，和令人敬畏的情色，真的让我很兴奋。
I heard that when Fuck the Pain Away came out (2000) you produced it in your bedroom while masturbating and had your machines on your bed all around you. There was no video, and it was censored on the radio, but you didn’t even find it to be explicit at all.
我听说，当《Fuck the Pain Away》问世时（2000年），你在卧室里手淫时制作了它，并把你的机器放在你的床上，围绕着你。没有视频，而且在广播中被审查，但你甚至不觉得它有多露骨。 而这是如此的朋克！这就像在说，我就是我，你们需要跟上。至少我认为对某些人来说，这就是为什么它是如此自由的。这是给那些需要许可的人的许可，因为不是每个人都在那里，而且它也是如此有趣。
是的，这对我来说很重要。要有乐趣，让它变得有趣。我喜欢很多愤怒的音乐，我认为我的一些音乐可以是愤怒的，但我希望它有一些幽默的元素，这样人们就会，你知道，软化一些，然后去喜欢，哦，好吧，实际上，有幽默，但它是严肃的。
And that’s so punk! It’s like saying, I am me, and you guys need to catch up. At least I think for some people, it’s why it’s so freeing. It’s giving permission to people that need permission because not everyone is there yet, and it’s also so playful.
Peaches: Yeah that was important to me. To have fun and make it playful. I love a lot of angry music and I think some of my music can be angry, but I wanted it to have some element of humor so that people would, you know, soften up a bit and then go like, oh, okay actually, there’s humor, but it’s serious.
而这是如此的朋克！这就像在说，我就是我，你们需要跟上。至少我认为对某些人来说，这就是为什么它是如此自由的。这是给那些需要许可的人的许可，因为不是每个人都在那里，而且它也是如此有趣。
是的，这对我来说很重要。要有乐趣，让它变得有趣。我喜欢很多愤怒的音乐，我认为我的一些音乐可以是愤怒的，但我希望它有一些幽默的元素，这样人们就会，你知道，软化一些，然后去喜欢，哦，好吧，实际上，有幽默，但它是严肃的。
Okay, looks like the photo team is ready to shoot. Thank you Peaches! (Alex makes her final makeup touches and I sit there thinking, wow. This experience has truly been the Teaches of Peaches).
好了，看来摄影小组已经准备好拍摄了。谢谢你，桃子。(Alex做了她最后的化妆润色，我坐在那里想，哇。这次经历真的是’the Teaches of Peaches’）。
Talent: Peaches
Interview 作者: Angie Jenkins aka Scruffy Kittin @lovatron_
Make Up Artist 彩妆大师: Alexandra Johansson
Translation 翻译: Emi
Photos照片: Keyi Studio [ www.keyi.eu ]
Izabella Chrobok + Grzegorz Bacinski
@ Location 地点: Callie’s Berlin
Production & styling: Soren @sorenmeisterbrau
Assistant: Nobutaka Shomura
Styles & designers: Charlie Le Mindu, John Renaud, Jutta Pfefier, DISCOUNT UNIVERSE, Anastasia La Fey
