Lydia Loveless Makes Men Cry, Professes Her Love for Britney and Booze

Posted on Sep 16th 2011 3:30PM by Eric R. Danton
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The Ely Brothers

Lydia Loveless likes booze, making men cry and Steve Earle, and all three play a part on her new album, 'Indestructible Machine.' It's a riveting collection of brawny rock 'n' roll songs shot through with a hearty dose of twang. Also, Loveless (her real name) has a voice powerful enough to knock down walls, and a penchant for lacerating confessional lyrics.

'Indestructible Machine' (out now on Bloodshot) is a far cry from her debut, last year's 'The Only Man,' which had a slicker country feel. This time, Loveless tells Spinner, she wanted an album that captured the gritty sound of her band on stage.

"I just wanted it to sound raw and the way it would sound if you came to see us live," says Loveless, 21, from Columbus, Ohio, during a conversation that ranged from her influences to songwriting, including the story behind 'Steve Earle,' which envisions the country troubadour as an overly insistent musical suitor.

We've heard you're influenced by Hank Williams Sr. and Britney Spears. Please explain.

[Laughs] Britney Spears probably was the person who made me want to be a musician, like a performer. I just thought it was awesome that she made millions of dollars to sing and dance. I was 8 when she came out, and I thought she was awesome. Not that I don't still think she's awesome [laughs], but she doesn't influence me musically, just the way she blew up.

Do you still listen to her?

I haven't bought the new album. I haven't liked any of the new singles. She was just in Columbus and I really wanted to go see her, but it was really expensive. I do still listen to her, though, every now and then.

What about Hank Sr.?

The song that really inspired me when I first started listening to him was 'I Don't Care If Tomorrow Never Comes,' because it was really simple and depressing. I just wanted to capture that feeling, three chords and no bullshit lyrics, just say what you're talking about. You don't need to sit and think about the bridge for two hours. I just like the way his music was so heartfelt and honest. He kind of made it sound so easy, even though it's really not. That's what I liked. He made me feel like, hey, I could write a song.

Are your songs autobiographical?

I pretty much only write about things that have happened to me, or people I know. I'm not really good about totally making up stories, but a lot of the stuff stretches the truth a little.

Lydia Loveless Performs 'Steve Earle'

What about 'Steve Earle?'

[Laughs] That one's definitely a joke. There was this guy in Columbus who would come to my shows and claim to be the Steve Earle of Columbus. He always wanted to have me come over and jam, and I'm glad I did not, because I found out the guy was totally crazy. So it was basically about him, but it was also kind of about Steve Earle, too, in a way. Like, maybe Steve Earle will hear this and think it's funny.

Has he heard it?

I don't think so. A couple weeks ago, someone was trying to get him to do a video shoot with us for this song, and I thought, well now I'm going to sound like the crazy person. I don't know if anyone ever played it for him. It was a joke we had, like, I wish Steve Earle was stalking us.

As far as autobiography, getting drunk figures into a lot of the songs on 'Indestructible Machine.'

Yeah. [Laughs] It happens. I don't know, I guess most people can relate to something about getting drunk and being depressed, which a lot of people won't admit, but I think everyone feels that way sometimes.

You also sing about making men cry. How often does that happen?

It happens a lot, actually. [Laughs] I think I actually made my husband cry on our wedding day. I'm just a jerk.

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