Artists on the Verge: Joan as Policewoman

Joan as Policewoman isn't just Jeff Buckley's ex

By Althea Legaspi
Published: Dec 01, 2007

Joan Wasser, a.k.a. Joan As Policewoman, has led an intriguing life. After collaborating with artists such as Antony and the Johnsons, Rufus Wainwright, Nick Cave, and Lou Reed, she steps into the spotlight with the release of Real Life. Wasser soulfully sculpts the subjects of love, longing and loss in vivid relief. The classically trained violinist shares the importance of simplifying in Real Life, and coming into her own.

You say, “Beauty is the new punk rock.” Can you expound on this notion?
I got through being an angry adolescent by listening to punk rock and…I never really got rid of that anger. When you get older, you learn to channel it…in less of a screaming and yelling way and more of a productive way. I retreated into attempting to make…the most beautiful thing I could. With the amount of distrust everyone has for the media and the government...being really honest and making...as beautiful stuff as you can, feels almost subversive.

Was it difficult to transition from classical to more pop structures?
When I first started writing it was really complicated [with] lots of imagery in the words and the chords were really crazy. [I began] to not shroud what I was saying in some sort of dark green emerald cloak, [to] just say exactly what you’re thinking, like they do in soul music [and] it will translate because that’s something that everyone can relate to and I just kept simplifying.

“Flushed Chest” is about [former love] Jeff Buckley. Are songs stemming from profound loss more challenging to write?
I have experienced a certain amount of loss at this point in my life and one thing that I’ve learned is that if you really stay in it, connected to it, connected to your feelings – your life is enriched in ways...you never could ever expect. [Death is] one of the most profound things we as human beings have to deal with. [Once] I’m a certain distance from stuff, things get easier to express, and just with experience you learn how certain things feel and what to expect from it.

Althea Legaspi writes for Chicago Tribune, Paste, Stop Smiling, and Chord, among others, and can be heard on-air during NPR-affiliate Chicago Public Radio's "848" program. If she isn't devouring music, she's consuming copious amounts of wine and cheese. Actually, she is often found doing all at the same time.

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