Article: Kristeen Young interview at Ask Me

[sailor]

She's just someone that happened to be sleeping with Tony Visconti and I guess it paid off. Now she's made a career out of opening up for Morrissey. Shame for us. Great for her.

[CrystalGeezer]

She's just someone that happened to be sleeping with Tony Visconti and I guess it paid off. Now she's made a career out of opening up for Morrissey. Shame for us. Great for her.

I think "sleeping with Tony Visconti" is a ridiculous dismissal. She's obviously very beautiful and talented and charming that any man would be attracted to. She's not blowing him for a record deal and moving on, I think they're a longterm couple, right? Some comments on facebook allude to that, little domestic things. She's not using him to further her career.

[nothappynotsad]

She's obviously very beautiful and talented and charming that any man would be attracted to.

Where is Skylarker?

[Anonymous]

She's just someone that happened to be sleeping with Tony Visconti and I guess it paid off. Now she's made a career out of opening up for Morrissey. Shame for us. Great for her.

Two media whores well suited.

[Skylarker]

She's not using him to further her career.

Who she is or isn't sleeping with isn't the point and shouldn't even be brought up here. The relevant argument regarding her relationship with Visconti is in regard to her professional arrangement with him. While below the belt potshots are easy and sometimes even funny; the fact is that he has basically overseen and engineered every shit she's taken since she got to New York. It would be interesting to see what she could do without him. Of course, that is not likely to happen, because if it was, it (probably) would have by now. Whether or not that is because of a domestic/romantic involvement with him is not for us to say.

However...now that I think of it...Visconti, Morrissey, Bowie...she does seem to have a thing for attaching herself to old men with musical clout, it would seem. Hmmm.

He was the one who told me she's funny as hell in person.

No, I never said that. You misquoted me. I said her interviews are very funny. I wouldn't know how she is in person. I met her for five seconds in a crowded lobby after a show 6 years ago.
And what I discuss with you privately should be kept that way, if you have class.

[CrystalGeezer]

Who she is or isn't sleeping with isn't the point and shouldn't even be brought up here. The relevant argument regarding her relationship with Visconti is in regard to her professional arrangement with him. While below the belt potshots are easy and sometimes even funny; the fact is that he has basically overseen and engineered every shit she's taken since she got to New York. It would be interesting to see what she could do without him. Of course, that is not likely to happen, because if it was, it (probably) would have by now. Whether or not that is because of a domestic/romantic involvement with him is not for us to say.

True.

[goinghome]

Kristeen Young's replies in this interview are both moving and inspiring. She's a bundle of dynamite, so multi-talented. Her honesty here is engaging and kind, something that seemed not to be within her grasp in 2006 when interviewed by Janice Long. For an insight into what Morrissey's friendship can be like, hardly anything compares. Her observations about colour are acute and a little surprising, I think, as regards her own identity -

"You can say “I don’t see color”, but that’s not how non-white people see it. Believe me, they see color and they notice. It’s easy to say “I don’t see color” when you are in the control group."

Quite lovely and very good.

[Lionel]

Sexist comments are allowed?
Is it acceptable to imply women can only be successful because they "slept with" someone?

[Skylarker]

Sexist comments are allowed?
Is it acceptable to imply women can only be successful because they "slept with" someone?

Sexism implies an opinionated, structured mode of thinking about a gender or a member of a gender, however biased or subjectively negative the thinking in question may be. It isn't specifically derogatory to one gender or the other, and it doesn't always equate with or manifest in baseless cruelty, or an attack on a specific person, psychologically or physically.

The person in question isn't even a member of this site.

It's called "free speech." Sometimes, said speech is also worthless. But it should still be free.

[Skylarker]

[VivaGil]

this made my evening

[Skylarker]

I aim to please.

[Anonymous]

Sexist comments are allowed?
Is it acceptable to imply women can only be successful because they "slept with" someone?

Let me explain "It's Morrissey's World" to you. The more often you say or write dully repetitively that you want to have sex with Morrissey the better.

In other words, you are in the wrong movie.

[Anonymous]

My only question is why now is she coming out with more details of her life? If she's been performing since 1997(?), why all of a sudden give this semi indepth interview? While I do feel empathy for such a rough beginning in life, I don't consider it to be extraordinary. I've read better hard luck cases that have done better with their lives i.e. have made a difference to society, done philanthropic work, etc (sorry I am unable to give examples at this point, but I know I've seen on tv and internet news such individuals). If she's booking for a sympathy run, this is a good way to go, the "poor little abused girl" schtick. IMHO I think she should have stuck with opera, her voice is definately well suited for it and the operatic training she received in college shows. I don't consider her music rock and roll as I've read in a few interviews from her describing her music--there was one on YouTube when she was still with Baby Jef that she considered her music at that point to be rock and roll. I would call it alternative but that would be stretching that defination some--she does have a unique, not really defined sound, so you can use whatever adjective you like to describe her music. I found her music to be discordant and repetitive, just not something I can get into and like others I can never hear what she is actually singing about and have only found out what her lyrics are saying by Googling them and reading them. I actually like some of the lyrics she has written but when she sings them they get lost in her voice. I'm a listener to actually focuses on the lyrics not the music. I had a friend tell me the reason I can't dance and have no rhythm is that I'm listening to the lyrics too much, not listening to the music. So for me listening to her is losing out on both points...I can't hear her lyrics and don't like the discordant sound she puts out, so I have never found her opening act with Morrissey pleasurable (only been to 2 Morrissey concerts, several Smiths ones).

[zepfan1]

Some of you people are the nastiest fuckers I have come across

[Skylarker]

My only question is why now is she coming out with more details of her life? If she's been performing since 1997(?), why all of a sudden give this semi indepth interview? While I do feel empathy for such a rough beginning in life, I don't consider it to be extraordinary. I've read better hard luck cases that have done better with their lives i.e. have made a difference to society, done philanthropic work, etc (sorry I am unable to give examples at this point, but I know I've seen on tv and internet news such individuals). If she's booking for a sympathy run, this is a good way to go, the "poor little abused girl" schtick. IMHO I think she should have stuck with opera, her voice is definately well suited for it and the operatic training she received in college shows. I don't consider her music rock and roll as I've read in a few interviews from her describing her music--there was one on YouTube when she was still with Baby Jef that she considered her music at that point to be rock and roll. I would call it alternative but that would be stretching that defination some--she does have a unique, not really defined sound, so you can use whatever adjective you like to describe her music. I found her music to be discordant and repetitive, just not something I can get into and like others I can never hear what she is actually singing about and have only found out what her lyrics are saying by Googling them and reading them. I actually like some of the lyrics she has written but when she sings them they get lost in her voice. I'm a listener to actually focuses on the lyrics not the music. I had a friend tell me the reason I can't dance and have no rhythm is that I'm listening to the lyrics too much, not listening to the music. So for me listening to her is losing out on both points...I can't hear her lyrics and don't like the discordant sound she puts out, so I have never found her opening act with Morrissey pleasurable (only been to 2 Morrissey concerts, several Smiths ones).

She's hardly pleading for sympathy. She was asked about her childhood and background and she answered bluntly. And this is not some "ploy" of hers; she's been very forthcoming about her life whenever asked and she is always asked. In fact if anything, I'm sure she holds a great deal back from public knowledge. At any rate, she has done many similarly themed interviews for quite a few years now. If you are not aware of them, it doesn't mean they didn't happen.

Basically your viewpoint is that if someone has physically or psychologically abusive parents, and as a result they have a very depressing, damaging childhood, then they should pretend otherwise if asked about it, because to be honest is tantamount to begging for sympathy. While we're at it, let's tell all rape victims to keep quiet too. After all, if they're still alive then they have no right to complain. Right?

As for genres, unless your stuck in 1995, "alternative" means nothing. As the great Billy Joel said, "it's still rock and roll to me." Could she sing opera? Yes. Many singers, even very gifted ones, can't. But if her passion if rock music and that's where she wants to parlay her vocal talent, I'm fairly sure that's her prerogative.

Don't like her? Don't listen to her. Problem solved.

Some of you people are the nastiest fuckers I have come across

[Guernie]

Hey Skylarker , Thanks for putting the clip of Luke Haines. Songs of pro wresting glory days ............ love it . And yes I do admit I enjoy watching it !

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the insight Skylarker. I have tried to research her but have had limited success so unless I simply was not looking in the right places for whatever interview she may have done, I could not find them to learn more about her. I wasn't put off by her interview, it did leave me speechless for a moment and I actually enjoyed the blunt, matter of fact way she answered. I guess what I am trying to say is that...well....if it had been me giving answers, they are not ones I would have chosen. I've not had the best childhood myself and like Kristeen have learned from those horrors. My abuse is not something I would be telling about, other than maybe to use it as a platform to assist others--which is why I am in the medical field and am using my knowledge about abuse to help others. This type of conversation could go on forever with it simply boiling down to what you ened your statement with "Don't like her? Don't listen to her. Problem solved." I'mnot sure if I like her music or not, my jury is still out on that one, so therefore I don't really listen to her. I simply gave my view point and that's that. Thanks for giving me something more to think about. :-) a medical assistant still trying to help

[Anonymous]

A staged interview. If you did not know the answers you would never ask anybody those questions.
I wouldn't be surprised if the questions were not even delivered by Kristeen Young or her publicist together with the answers via e-mail.
And of course the twitter account is already followed by the usual stalkers. lol
Just had a look to find out more about this "Marie Violette" who runs the site.

[Skylarker]

Just had a look to find out more about this "Marie Violette" who runs the site.

So what did you find out, Encyclopedia Brown? Did you crack the case?