Onscreen, Scarlett Johansson has beguiled Bill Murray, Christian Bale, Ewan McGregor, and…Woody Allen. Offscreen, she’s been the face of L’Oréal and Louis Vuitton. So given this A-lister’s tony image, it came as a bit of a surprise that her debut disc would be a collection of obscurities by the ever-rumpled Tom Waits (plus one original). But in the chicken-and-waffles spirit of counterintuitive combos, producer Dave Sitek, of TV on the Radio, drenches Waits’ barroom laments in woozy sonics, while Johansson adds her own world-weary, Nico-esque vocals. Since her only prior experience seemed to be singing backup for the Jesus and Mary Chain at last year’s Coachella, we were as skeptical as anyone, but Anywhere I Lay My Head (Atco/Rhino) was always intended to be more than a mere brand extension. “This is not a pop album; it isn’t about to get remixed into European trance,” says the 23-year-old New Yorker, who can spot a Waits reference a mile away. “I wasn’t going to put out something that didn’t justify itself musically.”
“Buy this album and you’ll get a free coffee!” I want it to be discovered.
So you’re not concerned with how well it sells?
You couldn’t be where you are if you weren’t at
least a little ambitious.
I think I’m healthily ambitious, but I never strived
to be famous. That was never my goal. If it were, I
wouldn’t have made Ghost World or Lost in Trans-
lation. I chose do those movies instead of slasher
films. I didn’t go and make a bubblegum-pop album.
I just wanted to make an album that my friends
would like. It’s the same with acting—I’d be just as
happy doing theater in Teaneck, as long as I was
proud of the work.
You’re not the most obvious person to be
singing about drinking people under the table
and eating red beans and rice [on “I Wish I Was
in New Orleans”].
It’s strange that you think that. I can understand that
people will have preconceived notions about how
the album is going to sound, but it’s disappointing
if people expect the characters I play to relate to my
real life or my music. When I listen to music, I’m not
thinking, “What was this person’s background?”
When I listened to Bone Machine in eighth grade,
I just loved how dark and cinematic it was. And, you
know, I actually have had red beans and rice before.
that I needed a producer to help me achieve that. When a mutual friend suggested Dave Sitek, I was like, “I love TV on the Radio!” So I spoke to Dave and he said if I wanted someone to re-create Tom Waits songs, then I should look somewhere else, but if I wanted to do something “bananas,” he’d be into it. He also said the album should sound like you drank a bunch of cough medicine and then saw Tinker Bell flying around. That’s when I knew he was the man for the job.
How do you see yourself in relation to people like
Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton?
I have no relationship with either of them, even as far
as my lifestyle or the music I listen to. They probably
made music that fits with their lifestyle—“Wouldn’t
it be great if I were dancing to my own song in ‘da
club’?” But my album is more suited to my lifestyle.
I live a very low-key life.
But you’ve had these high-profile modeling gigs
and you’re considered a fashion icon. It’s not so
weird that you’d be associated with a certain level
of glamour.
I have platinum blonde hair, and I’m extremely curvy;
I pour myself into a dress and show up and strut my
stuff at premieres. Of course I expect people will
have certain ideas. But it’s weird if people associate
the fact that I sell handbags or wear a bikini with
who I am when I wake up in the morning. People
think I’m going to be some brazen harlot, but I’m not
out there with every Tom, Dick, and Harry or catching
hepatitis at [Manhattan nightclub] Socialista.
There was an essay in Spin last year about how
actors turned musicians so often come off
like dilettantes. Can you understand the
skepticism?
I guess I didn’t study viola for eight years or go to
some conservatory, but that doesn’t mean music is
not important to me or that it’s not a huge part of my
life and everything that I do. If Tom Waits and David
Bowie can be in films, why can’t it be the other way
around? I hope people like the album, but I’m not
looking to go on a worldwide tour or play arenas.
It’s everything I hoped and dreamed it could be. But
people are music snobs. What can you do?
Did you think Dave and the other musicians
[including Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner
and David Bowie] were comfortable giving you
their opinions?
I was definitely concerned that I’d have to deal with
more yes men than some band just coming out of
their garage. I can’t stand to be around that. I’m a
pretty good liar myself, so I can tell when people
aren’t being genuine. But I was a fan of Dave and
Nick; I wasn’t interested in telling them what to do.
I’m an actor; I thrive on creative criticism. The time
we spent working together ended up being really
inspiring. There were no suits around. There wasn’t
anybody asking if we wanted lattes.
What was the last album you bought?
Probably the new Shins album.
Who you are couldn’t have hurt when it came to
getting Dave Sitek involved.
What happened was, I’d started recording with
studio musicians and it sounded terrible, like I was
just trying to re-create these old ballads. It was a
hot mess. I realized that if I kept working on my own,
I was going to come up with some cornball record
that I’d never buy. I’d always had an idea of a very
ambient, dreamlike sound, but it became evident
That came out so long ago. I know, but I buy music in big chunks. I think I got that and a Dylan compilation. I’ve wasted so much money shopping online. I always read reviews, but no one ever says, “Tracks eight and nine are good, but the rest blows.” You end up getting stuck with the whole catalog.
Who do you think is the audience for the album? I’m hoping that people find the album through friends. I don’t want it to be forced on people:
Ever get a Christmas card from a hooker in
Minneapolis?
Does it count if I’ve sent postcards out of Minneapolis?
It wasn’t to a hooker, though. Do hookers even have
addresses? Can you mail a card to Candy on the West
Side Highway?
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