Alanis Morissette Gets Intimate for Charity

Alanis Morissette will play an intimate acoustic gig Thursday, Dec. 10, along with Greg Laswell and others at L.A.'s Troubadour to benefit Live Arts Group, a non-profit organization that brings arts to homeless and at-risk children. Like many performers, Morissette says the smaller venues are her favorite gigs.

"I actually like the intimacy of the smaller ones even though it does require more of me emotionally because I can't check out," she tells Spinner. "When there are hundreds of thousands of people in Hyde Park, you can completely check out and barely be there."

Because of the intimacy, she admits these shows can be her scariest performances. "They're getting more of an interaction, which for me is the most terrifying form of intimacy because sharing authentically with thousands of people in an impersonal way is pretty intimate, but it's a one-way send," she says. "It's not interactive. You don't really have the dialogue on the side of the stage in-between songs. It's not required at the Troubadour, but there's a good chance there'll be some conversations happening."

Terrifying or not though, Morissette was happy to help the cause, which she got involved with through music video director/friend Liz Frieldander, who will be part of the group's eight-week music video making workshop, 'Pass It On.' "Live Arts Group's mission is to empower and raise self-esteem in underserved youth by redirecting their social and creative energies away from the streets and teaching them the exciting crafts of film production," Friedlander tells Spinner." The ultimate goal is to train participants though mentorship by accredited filmmakers and to ignite their passion for productive involvement in the arts."

For Morissette, an artist who lives for that connection, she can totally understand and support what Live Arts is trying to do. "We all come up with creative ways to feel that type of connection and what I love about Live Arts is it provides young people who are looking for that type of connection with a forum," she says. "In their case, the example they use is giving youth an option rather than going to live on the streets or not knowing where to go or put themselves and put their energy. Providing something for people rather than just having empathy or sympathy for it is so proactive and sexy. Of course I said yes."

For more info on the show, visit the Live Arts Group website.