Upclose with Mary Fahl
Famed New York songstress Mary Fahl is in town to perform “Women of the Revolution,” an assortment of songs inspired by innovative women. She talks to Pavan Shamdasani about sex, drugs and Barack Obama.
HK Magazine: You’re performing a solo vocal recital with Warren Wills backing on piano. How’d you convince him to perform?
Mary Fahl: Warren and I loved working together on a Woody Allen musical we did together. He also performed at the City Festival last year and thought it might be nice for us to put a show together for this year’s festival, too.
HK: What kind of women inspired the show?
MF: I love the idea of women who lived life by their own rules - women who didn’t let their circumstances define them. Josephine Baker, Marlene Dietrich, Piaf. And I love songs from other eras. I actually perform a song written by a woman in 11th century Spain.
HK: So do you think women nowadays have equal rights?
MF: Well, I’d say in North America, yes. But even now, I think women have to work much harder than men to achieve any kind of lasting success, especially in the business world. I just read an interesting piece in the New York Times that pointed out if Barack Obama was a woman, he wouldn’t have been able to run for President with such little experience. He probably wouldn’t even have been elected to the Senate.
HK: OK, but what about people that think women are more equal than men, in the Orwellian sense?
MF: More equal? Does that include Afghanistan? Who says that?
HK: Uh, moving on – so if women are “equal,” how do you explain sexual discrimination based on attractiveness?
MF: Well, let’s face it, attractive people, be it men or women, generally have an easier time of it in this world.
HK: So I take it you're OK with sleeping your way to the top.
MF: I have never slept with someone solely to advance my career - maybe I should have. Then again, I’m not very good a faking enthusiasm.