Hello Garrison Starr

Photo by Heather Holty-Newton

After more than 20 years of making music, Garrison Starr has made her most personal record yet. Girl I Used To Be is packed full of truths from Garrison’s life, it’s searingly honest lyrics surrounded by excellent guitar-led Americana. It’s some achievement. I spoke to Garrison about her album and what went into writing Girl I Used To Be.

Hey Garrison, how the heck are you?

Hey Max!!! I am so good, dude. Thank you for asking, and thank you so much for taking time to highlight my new record!

Total pleasure. So, where are you right now? And what are you up to today?

I am at home, in Los Angeles, and I’m about to head to a golf lesson.

Tell us something about you that we won’t find in your bio.

I love dogs, and I love to play golf.

It’s been four years since What If There Is No Destination, what have you been up to?

I’ve been writing, mostly - doing sessions with other artists and producers, and I’ve released a couple songs for TV and film, have done a little touring here and there… always looking for inspiration.

Tell me all about your new record, Girl I Used To Be, in a couple of sentences?

It’s honest, raw, real and it feels like me again. I feel like I’ve come full-circle as an artist in terms of reconnecting with what it is that I’m good at.

One of my favourite songs is the opening track, ‘The Devil In Me’, I know that’s a really personal song, can you tell me the story to it?

Well, I actually wrote that song with a young artist named Carly Paige. I had written that chorus and she came over for a co-write session, and I played it for her. I had assumed we were writing something for her, but we ended up writing that song for me. I’m so grateful to Carly for helping me to tell that painful part of my story about growing up in Evangelical Christianity and being cast out because of my sexuality. I still get angry when I think about it because it hurt me so much to be treated that way by people who claimed to love me. Hurt like that takes a long time and a lot of work to heal.

How difficult (or cathartic) is it to write songs based on tough personal experiences?

I mean, it’s both. For me, it’s necessary to tap into the hard subject matter so I can work through it, and it’s definitely a cathartic process. I like to share personal stories, as well, so that other people know they aren’t alone. When I was growing up, I didn’t have anybody safe to talk to about my sexuality or my true feelings, so songs were refuges and friends for me. I want to be that safe and empowering place for somebody else.

‘Run’ is another cracking song, you can probably tell I like the guitar-ier ones, what can you tell me about that song?

Ahhhh I do love that one. I wrote that with a friend named Dominique Arciero (sister of Jillian Jacqueline). We wrote this one pretty quickly one afternoon, shortly after Trump had been elected. That election was really hard for me, as my family are all Republicans and they love Trump. I still can’t understand how a Christian could look themselves in the mirror after casting a vote for that piece of trash, and I had to call it out in this song. It’s also a struggle because you don’t just stop loving people when they do something you disagree with. I don’t run away from hard things. I run toward the fear.

You wrote ‘Don’t Believe In Me’ with Katie Pruitt, she’s an amazing artist and songwriter. How do you know Katie and what was it like writing that song with her?

Well I had a session already set up with Kevin Rhoads in Nashville, and my manager asked if Katie could join our session. Katie is very cool. I love her sensibilities and her guitar playing. I remember loving that song so much when we wrote it, and I assumed she would record it for her record. Lucky me that she didn’t because it’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever been a part of writing.

If people only had four minutes and could listen to one song from the album, which one do you feel sums you up best right now?

‘Make Peace With It’

The last twelve months have been particularly tough for artists and others in the music industry, I know you’ve started a Patreon, how’s that going?

Oh man I love Patreon! I actually started that about three or four years ago, around the 20th anniversary of my debut record on Geffen, 18 Over Me. I had an idea to re-record that record with different versions I created with some friends, and I let them pick the songs they wanted to do. Patreon keeps me accountable and it’s a fun way to connect with folks, especially when I’m not playing live much. I also write a lot for TV and film, so the pandemic hasn’t been terrible for me in terms of work. I don’t rely on touring to make a living, and I feel very sympathetic to my friends who do. this time has been devastating for some. I’ve been using this time to hone my skills and get ready to get back out on the road!

You’ve been doing cover versions on your Patreon, what’s been your favourite to play so far? And why?

Hmmm maybe ‘Insider’ by Tom Petty. That’s one of my favorite songs of all-time and he’s one of my favorite songwriters and artists of all time. I love this song because it talks about a language that if you know, you know. You know?

How have you been getting on with live streams?

I haven’t done a ton of them, but I have a cool studio out back and I like being in there, so I enjoy them when they come around.

What’s your biggest personal achievement over the last 12, weird, months?

Learning to love myself.

What can we expect from you for the rest of 2021?

You can expect me to be working my ass off. And I’ll be out on the road again in the fall!

Who (or what) has inspired you?

My friend Tamara Price, who recently passed away from stage 4 metastatic breast cancer who fought that disease like a warrior all the way through COVID with grace and courage. And my partner, Rene, who was recently diagnosed with late-onset type 1 diabetes who has had to learn how to be her own pancreas. Again, facing this brutal disease with grace and courage.

If you could recommend one artist to hear this week, who would it be?

Joe Purdy, “Who Will Be Next”.

What’s the question we should have asked you today but haven’t?

If I have any pets. I have two dogs, both rescues, Gracie and Oreo.

Finally, how do you take your coffee?

Cream and sugar, preferably iced.

If you want to find out more about Garrison you can visit her official website, or check out what she’s up to on her Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

Girl I Used To Be is out now and available to stream on Tidal, Spotify, and Apple Music. You can, and should, buy it from Garrison’s official shop.