THE SUNDAY SELFIE SERIES #57
Amy Rigby
SUNDAY SELFIE SERIES #57: The inimitable Amy Rigby. I’ve known Amy for over twenty years and she has always inspired me. Fiercely talented, smart, and independent — she’s a dedicated artist that seemingly never compromises what she does in exchange for hollow successes that don’t reflect who she really is.
I wholeheartedly suggest checking out her fantastic records and her memoir and her podcast! She’s got some stories, I’ll tell ya. And she writes them so well. I love her.
theamyrigby.bandcamp.com
1. What has humbled you more than anything else?
I thought it was having a kid or learning to be my own label & then publisher…but turns out it’s dealing with my father’s decline. I lost my mother when I was too young to understand what I was losing - or was too busy trying to raise my own daughter to absorb it. Now that my dad is no longer able to fend for himself, I realize how much I’ve relied on his stability & support even when we didn’t get along. I never imagined having our roles reversed. I hope I can treat this time as the privilege I know it is.
2. Do you feel like you’ve gotten a good education?
I was a kid when pop radio was a cross-genre wonderland & record albums became art. I saw Elton John on the Goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour, the Ramones at CBGB, the Clash’s first show in NYC, Johnny & June Carter Cash, Waylon Jennings; Neil Young solo, Bob Dylan over 5 decades. I’ve recorded with people who helped create music that inspired me in every format from 4track to 24track 2 inch tape, the birth of Pro Tools to Cubase & back to 4track, & played gigs with my heroes & heroines - I even married one of them! My whole life has been an amazing education but I still dream of going back to school and getting an MFA in writing.
3. Do you believe that forgiveness benefits the forgiver or the transgressor?
I love reading this series every Sunday & I’m always impressed with people’s answers to question 3 but it stumps me. To forgive another’s transgressions - to reach the point where I don’t blame myself & could identify harm done without feeling like I was somehow the one at fault would require a level of self-esteem I aspire to. A Catholic childhood can take a lifetime to undo.
4. What is your proudest accomplishment?
Having my daughter & keeping going with music. And then to have my daughter become such a smart, funny & kind person & creative musician.
5. How would you like to live out your golden years?
I want to keep writing & making records til I drop. Sometimes I imagine running a little hotel/cafe/shop/venue where I could make people feel at home & put all the touches I’ve loved at cool places I’ve stayed over the years: flowers, art, fabrics, good beds, dishes, coffee, films & music. Maybe it will be a new model of senior living?