Joan As Police Woman - Songs grow along with us

Twenty years after the release of “Real Life”, the album that marked the solo debut of Joan As Police Woman, Joan Wasser returns to those songs with “Real Life Evolution”, a project that doesn't simply celebrate the anniversary but explores how the songs have transformed over time. We had the chance to speak with her about memory, change, illustrious collaborations, and the way songs, just like people, keep on evolving.

“Real Life Evolution” isn't simply a reinterpretation of “Real Life”, but a genuine reinvention of it. Listening back to those songs twenty years on, what do you recognize as unchanged, and what instead feels completely transformed by time?

I've been living with these songs for twenty years. I've always played them live. It's a bit like watching your children grow up: everything happens over such a long stretch of time that the changes are actually harder to notice. What I feel is unchanged is the desire to write a good song, one that can stand on its own two feet — the same desire I still have today. I also still feel the musical influences that surrounded me twenty years ago. And I feel a record that could only ever have been my debut: an entire lifetime spent loving music that was finally finding its outlet in the writing of my own songs.

The title is particularly fascinating. Why “Evolution” and not “Anniversary”, “Revisited” or “Reimagined”? Do these new versions bear witness to the evolution of the songs, or to your own evolution through them?

Both. Songs are like living beings: they grow and change over time. They evolve. Sure, it's also an anniversary. Sure, I've revisited and reimagined them. But more than anything, I let them evolve, and I wanted to share that natural transformation.

The record brings together an extraordinary group of collaborators — Krystle Warren, Iggy Pop, Thomas Bartlett, Tony Scherr, Will Graefe and more. Did you choose specific musicians because they were able to illuminate aspects of the songs that had remained hidden in the original recordings?

Maybe so. For example, “Anyone” started to take on a kind of free, spontaneous atmosphere reminiscent of Van Morrison, and at that point I heard, in my mind, Richard Davis, the double bassist who played with him on “Astral Weeks“. So I called the great Tony Scherr, and he laid down a gorgeous bassline.

Turning to individual tracks, Anohni's presence is deeply woven into “I Defy”. What led you to bring Krystle Warren into that conversation?

I needed to find an artist who had always stayed true to herself. There are few better examples than Krystle Warren. Her voice is extraordinary: intense, soul-drenched, sumptuous… There aren't really adequate words to describe it. You simply have to hear it. I knew she could pick up that legacy and carry it even further.

You recently described “I Defy” as a “stubborn act of love”. Twenty years on, does that phrase take on a different meaning in today's social and political climate than it did when the song was written?

It carries exactly the same message. Love will save us all.

Why did you choose “Anyone” as the opening track? Was there a particular reason it felt like the ideal entry point into the record?

It's a natural way in. It caresses you. It invites you closer without ever being pushy.

I was particularly struck by the new version of “Christobel”, which I've always considered a hidden gem in your catalogue and which now feels even more intense. What did you discover in this song that led you to show it in a new light?

Fans often ask me for “Christobel” at shows. I had just learned to play guitar when I wrote that song. Not long after, I completely changed the way I played and I wasn't interested in going back to that guitar style anymore, but I still wanted to perform the song. So I had to find a new way to present it. The song had been written in 4/4. I came up with an ostinato — a repeated phrase running underneath the song — in 5/8, and everything immediately transformed.

Vulnerability is at the heart of “Save Me”. What drew Iggy Pop to this song? He's often associated with the most visceral kind of energy, but there's also an extraordinary tenderness in his art.

I completely agree. He has one of the most resonant baritone voices out there. He brought enormous vulnerability to the song. You can hear his whole life in that voice. And it's been a truly intense life. I'll be forever grateful to him.

What about the title track? Even though it keeps a slow structure very close to the original, here it sounds completely regenerated without losing its own identity.

I'm so glad you like it. I wanted to move it away from the Kurt Weill-style piano accompaniment that had defined it. But I'd gotten stuck in the way I'd been performing it for twenty years. Thomas Bartlett opened up a new sonic path. He's a master of simplicity and minimalism. I had to hold back tears while we were recording it together.

A slightly unusual question: if the Joan Wasser of 2006 could sit in the audience and listen to “Real Life Evolution” today, which song would surprise her the most, and why?

Great question! Probably “Christobel”, because it's the one that's changed most radically. But also “We Don't Own It”. The original version was so fragile, almost broken. This new version is much more at ease with itself. It has accepted the fact that we don't own it. 🙂

Finally, we can't wait to see you again in Rome next November. We were at your last show at the same venue, and it was truly memorable. What can we expect this time?

You can expect a trio show. The musicians playing with me are so sensitive that the music can become just as vulnerable and stripped-back as when I perform alone at the piano. At the same time, together we manage to create dynamics I could never reach on my own. Will Graefe plays guitar and sings. Jeremy Gustin plays drums and sings. I play piano, Wurlitzer, guitar, bass, and, of course, I sing. And we have a lot of fun together. Every show is different from the last, because it all depends on what happened that day, on the venue, the audience, the weather... on anything at all. We can't wait to come back to Italy and play for you!

(June 14, 2026)

***

Rage Made Beautiful

by Magda Di Genova

There are three sofas at La Casa 139, the venue where Joan as Police Woman will play tonight and where my interview has been set up. As soon as I arrive I notice that the bassist of the project created by Joan Wasser is sleeping on the first sofa. I go upstairs to look for the promo people and, luckily, before I throw my jacket and bag onto the second sofa I notice the drummer lying on it. He's not moving. I'm afraid he's dead, so I tickle him with my scarf. He moves. Good. I quietly step into the dressing room, just to set my things down, and I notice that, lying flat out on the third sofa, is Joan Wasser, asleep.I leave, sit down on the floor in the corner, and try to make as little noise as possible.

After several minutes Joan comes out of the dressing room and, understandably, looks exactly like a woman who has just gotten out of bed. Just a few moments later I'm sitting at the table with her for this interview. She doesn't have a hair out of place, her make-up is perfect, she's at ease, and she smiles in a warm, reassuring way.

I took a look at your tour dates and it seems endless. How's it going?

It's going really well, and when it's going this well you don't want it to end!

Are you tired?

I am a bit tired, actually, but it's fine. I love being on tour.

Let's talk a bit about your solo debut, "Real Life". How did it come about?

I played violin with other artists for a long time and I was happy with those collaborations, then I started playing guitar and it took me a while to get used to hearing myself sing.

The moment I started singing, I realized I had no idea what I actually wanted to say: for so long I had played music without words that I'd never really asked myself what I might write, what I might have to say to people.

I just kept trying to write better and better songs, and at the same time, through songwriting and putting words together, kept trying to figure out what my feelings were, who I am, and the more honest I was about it, the more it seemed to resonate with people. It was that response from people that pushed me down this path. Eventually I had enough songs I was happy with to record and turn into an album of my own.

So it wasn't really a natural step as such: I get the feeling you were quite determined to create a project entirely your own.

I wanted to express myself differently than just playing violin for other people, and singing became something I needed to do.

Playing for so many different artists, recording their albums, touring with them, helped that slow process that eventually led me to express myself in my own voice through singing.

Does "Real Life" sound exactly the way you wanted it to sound?

I never really "decided" how I wanted the record to sound: if there's one thing I've learned, it's that you never, ever get the result you thought you'd get. You might end up with something worse, or even something better, but it's never exactly what you imagined. So I made an effort not to picture the outcome in advance, and that way I let the record evolve in the best possible way.

You put out a call on your MySpace page asking users to make the video for your next single, “Christobel”. Why did you choose to rely on strangers you'd never meet, rather than a video director?

We only had a week, and there was absolutely no way to plan the making of a video that, believe me, normally takes months.

I also wanted the video to be made by just one person, in a very simple way, and that's exactly what happened with the video I picked. You know, I was on tour, there was no way to film anything, and I needed a video within the week.

But you still haven't told me why the rush.

Because the single was coming out and I'd been on tour since March. We kept putting it off, and in the end there just wasn't time to organize anything. That's how this idea came about, and in the end we still got a beautiful video out of it.

Can you tell me how you started playing? I know you started on violin when you were little.

I was eight. At school, for 10 dollars, you could rent an instrument for the whole school year, and I just kept going from there. In college I studied mostly classical repertoire.

Wow! Really?! Ten dollars is next to nothing!

Yeah, but, you know, it was a public school, so the price has to be within everyone's reach.

And piano?

As a kid I only took a couple of lessons, so I can't really say I learned it back then. I only started playing it five years ago.

Before collaborating with other artists, you played in various rock bands. How did playing violin and having a classical background help you play rock music?

Well, I studied classical music, but I always listened to all kinds of other music too. As a teenager I listened to a ton of punk and new wave, and followed those scenes closely.

I finished college with a degree in classical music, but it was obvious I was never going to play classical music: I wanted to play a new kind of music, so I started saying yes to whatever collaboration came my way, whether it was a recording or a show, just to get a new experience out of it. That let me play my violin through amps and all kinds of effects. It was a fantastic experience.

At twenty I joined Dambuilders and played with them for seven years. It was a lot of fun: we toured all over the world and sold tons of records. A fantastic experience.

Joan, a trivial question: how did you decide to go “as Police Woman” for this project?

“Police Woman” was a TV series from the '70s with Angie Dickinson. She played an undercover cop and she was really tough. I loved it. One day I dyed my hair blonde and a friend of mine told me, “Hey, you're turning into Angie from Police Woman!” and it just stuck.

How do you see Joan as Police Woman right now? Is it your solo career, is it a side project, is it a hobby?

It's my absolute priority: I don't do anything else.

Joan as Police Woman is everything I do with my music, whether I'm playing solo or playing as a trio, it's always Joan as Police Woman. Everything that's made by and with my music is always Joan as Police Woman.

To wrap up, I'd like you to comment on a line I found on your MySpace.

“Beauty is the new punk rock”.

Hm. Has someone maybe already asked you this question?

Yes, but that's totally fine, don't worry: I'm very happy to answer!

And I'm happy to ask you. I really like that line!

Really? That makes me happy!

Of course, everyone should be beautiful!

I completely agree! Absolutely!

You know, when I was a young girl, punk was, to me, saying and doing whatever you wanted without worrying about the consequences. Later I got closer to soul music and I realized that, even though it's very different from punk music, it had the same approach: those singers were definitely pretty “blunt” and honest when it came to their feelings, and they didn't worry about what other people thought.

You can scream and shout your feelings, but that's not the best way to grab people's attention. What I'm focused on now is mainly making something “beautiful” that can reach people's hearts and that's far removed from screaming and shouting.

It was easier to do that in the past, but, fortunately, I've moved past that period. And besides, there's already enough ugliness in this world, and we really don't need any more of it.

I tried to record the most "beautiful" thing possible, and I hope that might have brought people closer. Keep in mind too that the anger I felt back then hasn't completely left me. Now I manage to channel it and turn it into something positive and "beautiful". Yes, we could say that all the anger I used to put into playing punk now goes into creating something "beautiful".

(Milan, October 27, 2006)

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google