Suzanne Vega says she’s taking a step back in time for her new tour, kicking off in Glasgow

 

SUZANNE VEGA has been following the example of her many fans recently – by listening to loads of her own music.

The reason is that the singer/songwriter is taking a step back into the past for her latest tour.

It’s a special tour, kicking off in Glasgow, to mark two anniversaries.

It’s 30 years since the release of her classic Solitude Standing album and 25 years since the hugely popular 99.9F.

The gigs will see Suzanne showcase them by performing both in their entirety, as well as playing other tracks from a career that has seen her sell more than seven million albums.

While she obviously knows the songs, she has told iN10 that a bit of homework was required.

“I’ve been revisiting the lesser-known cuts from the albums and figuring out how to play them again,” laughed Suzanne.

“They’ll sound like the albums but it’s been a long time so there may be a few liberties taken.

“When I’ve gone back, there are a few songs from Solitude Standing that I’ve done forever.

“I probably sing Gypsy at every show and of course I sing Tom’s Diner and Luka.

“They’ve been part of my stage show for years but there are others I don’t visit so often.

“It’s the same with 99.9F, some favourites that I play and others that I’ve had to re-learn.”

Marlene On The Wall and Left Of Center are a couple of Suzanne’s other well-known hits.

And Tom’s Diner had a more recent outing when Britney Spears did a version.

“I wondered how it happened but I heard that she was a fan and brought it to the producer Giorgio Moroder who was doing an album.

“I thought it was really cool that she’d even known about the song. I liked her version.

“She didn’t change it that much. It’s a little sexier than the way I do it – like Tom’s Diner in a bikini!”

Many other well-known names have been fans of Suzanne’s and at least a couple became good friends.

“Leonard Cohen and I were friends for several years which, especially now he’s gone, was very meaningful to me,” reveals Suzanne, who is still very much a New Yorker through and through.

“He sent me a lovely gift for my daughter Ruby when she was born and it was special because his work meant a lot.

“And I got to know Lou Reed in the later years. It was a privilege to know him.”

Suzanne’s songs made her globally famous and, looking back, she says they were heady, but incredibly busy, times.

“I remember being exhausted,” she confides.

“I’d do nine or 10 interviews during the day and then a show at night.

“I never saw any part of the town I was in because I was working so furiously.

“But it was also very exciting playing huge venues and knowing there were thousands of people paying to see you.

“I had the feeling it would probably pass, and it did, but I was in it for the long run.”

Suzanne first took to the stage aged just 16 and with her 60th birthday now just a couple of years away, she insists her performing passion has never waned.

“Playing the music has always been the rock steady bottom of my career,” she says.

“I’ve always loved playing for others. The music industry is something else.

“I’ve seen its highs and I’ve seen it heading towards its lows in terms of being able to make a living.

“But it comes down to whether you can get out there in front of an audience and entertain them.

“I think it’s what I was meant to do.”

While hectic times limited Suzanne’s opportunities to see many places she was playing, she is more than familiar with Scotland.

“I played King Tut’s in Glasgow many times and had a rollicking good time,” she adds.

“My memories are always that everyone expresses themselves. Glasgow audiences are never quiet and shy.

“They speak up and let you know what they think, which I love.”

Suzanne’s tour starts in Glasgow at the Royal Concert Hall on September 22 before moving on to Gateshead Sage on the 23rd.

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