Good Hang with Amy Poehler - Sarah McLachlan

Episode Date: February 17, 2026

Sarah McLachlan has always been ahead of her time. Amy hangs with the singer-songwriter and talks about singing Kenny Rogers at her middle school talent show, the most extroverted artists at Lilith Fa...ir, and whether skate skiing exists outside of Canada. Host: Amy Poehler Guests: Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan Executive producers: Bill Simmons, Amy Poehler, and Jenna Weiss-Berman For Paper Kite Productions: Executive producer Jenna Weiss-Berman, coordinator Sam Green, and supervising producer Joel Lovell For The Ringer: Supervising producers Juliet Litman, Sean Fennessey, and Mallory Rubin; video producers Jack Wilson and Aleya Zenieris; audio producer Kaya McMullen; video editor Drew van Steenbergen; and booker Kat Spillane Original Music: Amy Miles Order ALDI on Uber Eats: https://earn.sng.link/A99vk/i2fm/okid This episode is brought to you by Subaru. Love goes the extra mile in a long-range Subaru Hybrid…with up to 597 (Five hundred and ninety seven) miles per tank in the Crosstrek Hybrid and up to 581(Five eighty one) in the Forester Hybrid.  Visit subaru.com/hybrid to learn more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of Good Hang. Very excited about our guest today. It is the one, the only Sarah McLaughlin. I mean, so many hits. Such an incredible singer. Started Lilith Fair. Created a music school. I mean, she's just awesome and talented and nice and funny. And Sarah and I are going to talk about a lot of things. We're going to talk about growing up in Canada and whether those lakes ever get warm. The answer is no. We're going to talk about Lilith Fair, what it took to start it and make it and keep it going. We're going to talk about her new music, making music with her daughters and being a woman in the world today. So many good things. Also, I should let you know at one point, I have a coughing fit, and it is really embarrassing. And Sarah is so cool about it, because of course she is. She's the coolest. So thank you, Sarah. Before we get started, we always like to ask people that know our guests to give us a question and talk well behind their back. And we have a great one today. Also, just an incredible musical artist in her own right. We'd love to get in here. her in here to talk about stuff? The one, the only, the multi-grammy award-winning Cheryl Crow, everybody. Cheryl? This episode of Good Hang is presented by Uber Eats. Big news, Aldi is now on Uber Eats.
Starting point is 00:01:25 And you get 20% off your first grocery order with code New Aldi 26. So whether your fridge is empty in your too tired shop or you just ran out of essential ingredients in the middle of meal prep, don't worry. Fill your fridge in just a few taps and get 20% off your first Aldi order on Uber Eats. For orders over $60, you can save up to $20.
Starting point is 00:01:46 Ends February 28, 2026. Terms apply, see App for Details. I can't tell you. In fact, it's funny, are we on? Yeah, we're on. Well, I'll just tell you, I texted Adam Scott. I was driving home from visiting my parents in Missouri, a three-and-a-half-hour drive.
Starting point is 00:02:15 And my mom's not making memories anymore, so it's always a hard drive back. And I listened to you and Adam on the way back. And I laughed like for literally off and on the whole way. It was the greatest gift ever. So great. Oh, did you say you texted Adam? I did.
Starting point is 00:02:32 I texted him right like right after that. Wait, are you guys friends? I didn't know that. Well, actually, it's funny we were married in a past month. No, I met him. I met him on the Kansas City, the big slick. Oh, yeah. that fundraiser they do every year. It's the funnest thing ever. And I'm from Missouri. So I kind of like edged my way in there. And I met him through that. And oh my God, he and Paul Rudd. And I mean, it's just it's all your people, but it's so much fun. Oh, Cheryl, that means a lot. I love you. Where are we talking to you from? I'm in Nashville. I'm in the, technically the sunroom, but is pouring here. I mean, it's literally Nashville is like the rainforest now. Well, I always, I always associate you with all.
Starting point is 00:03:19 Austin, but you're out of Austin into Nashville. Yeah, I moved actually kind of, I moved from Austin to Nashville. I got, I was engaged, got diagnosed with breast cancer, split up, moved to Nashville basically all in, and had LASIC surgery, most importantly, all in the process of like three weeks. You know what? This just leads me to my, I don't know, it's not even a question. It's just an observation. Just women are amazing.
Starting point is 00:03:50 I mean, I just, I can't. It's just like everyone should be saying this every day. The things you just listed would take any man down. You just pick it up and keep on moving. Well, I've been, you know, we're talking to Sarah McLaughlin today. And I had the pleasure of watching the Lilith Fair doc. And two things. One, that whole experience to me feels like just a great version of what we're talking about,
Starting point is 00:04:17 which is creativity for creativity's sake, like watching artists kind of try to find the fun part. Yes. But it also reminded me of how cool you are, Cheryl Crow. Like every single time you come on stage, I'm like, God, look at Cheryl's outfit. Look at her hair. Anyway. No, go on.
Starting point is 00:04:43 I have time. No, I'm kidding. That is so nice. I will tell you, that tour was not like anything I've experienced. And the whole thing came about such a strange, you know, Lollapalooza was happening. And every time, like I can remember calling my agent and saying, can I get some women on a bill? Like I'd love to tour with Amy Mann. And every time it would be like, yeah, people won't buy tickets to see two women on a bill, particularly men, men won't.
Starting point is 00:05:09 And around that time, Sarah had this crazy idea. And she wound up calling me. and I was just, God, it's just a perfect time for it. All that to say is that what we took out on the stage was, it was defiance, but it was also like community. It was a little bit of a gentle, fuck you to the norms. The fact that, yeah, there were quite a few, you know, there were quite a few gay women in the audience,
Starting point is 00:05:40 but there were as many families and as many heterosexual couples and as many men. I mean, it was totally everything. So it defied what all the agents and the promoters were saying. Like, you're just going to wind up with an audience full of women. And they're not going to, they're not the ones that buy tickets. And she really defied that in her beautiful, genteel, gypsy way. And she brought everybody along with it.
Starting point is 00:06:07 It felt like we were taking a party out on the stage. And hopefully people did feel like they were included. Yeah. I had a brilliant conversation with Brandy Carly. about it. Her being in the audience as a young, you know, as a young girl and wanting to do what we were up there doing. And there's such beautiful power in that.
Starting point is 00:06:24 It really was not like anything else that I've ever been a part of. I always ask my, my guests a question from someone that knows them well. And is there a question you have for Sarah that you think I should ask her? I mean, one of the things I always think is interesting. Well, two things. What would she be doing if she wasn't doing music? because it's so much a part of her. I mean, she has her own school.
Starting point is 00:06:48 And, but I think about that. I was a school teacher. So I'm always like, well, if it doesn't work, I still go. I still say this. If it doesn't work out, I'll go back to teaching school. If it doesn't work out. If it doesn't work out. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:07:00 Okay. So I'll ask Sarah about that. That's a great question. Anything else? Yeah. This is something that I just find interesting with people who wind up making it. Ask Sarah if she just always knew she was going to make it. Like, does she just know she was going to be?
Starting point is 00:07:15 doing what she's doing. Because I don't think I ever knew I was going to be doing this until I was like maybe eight years in. Great question. Cheryl Crowe, I love you. Thank you so much for doing this. This episode is brought to you by Subaru.
Starting point is 00:07:33 For me, going the extra mile means taking the long way home. If you're going to grab snacks and the 10-minute trip turns into a two-hour journey, suddenly you're on a new street, then your ice cream is melted, it in the back and, you know, we've solved the meaning of life. But luckily, in my Subaru hybrid, that's right. I have one and I love it. That extra mile is built right in with longer range and
Starting point is 00:07:57 better fuel efficiency than ever before. The Subaru Forrester Hybrid and the Subaru Cross Trek hybrid. Great cards. I have them both. Love goes the extra mile. Visit Subaru.com slash hybrid to learn more. Sarah McLaughlin is here. I just had a major coughing fit before we started. It's good to get it out beforehand. It made me think about what do you do when you're singing and you have to cough? Yeah, that's tricky. What do you do when you cough and you cough and you just, you know, it's one of those.
Starting point is 00:08:29 The show has to go on, but you're like, I'm just going to need a moment and pack and take a, you know, and take a drink and go, you know, can't blame that one. I can't, but not that one. Have you ever thrown up on stage? No. Oh, almost. I have a fear of that. Almost. Oh, shit. Yeah. I was doing the tree lighting at Rockefeller. We were doing a Christmas show. And, oh, yeah. And I was freshly pregnant.
Starting point is 00:08:58 Oh, yeah. And was just heinously ill. Like, just green 24-7. And I remember being, you know, it's very public. And you're doing this, you know, your sound check and everybody's watching. And I'm just looking in the course, right, okay, there's a poinsett. over there. I'm just like, where's a quiet corner that I can go hurl? Oh, in front of everybody.
Starting point is 00:09:18 Oh, the glamour. There's so many things to talk about today. I'm thrilled that you're here. Like, when we talk about the guests that we want to have on the show, and your name came up, we thought we're like, that would be a dream. Well, thank you. And so let's start by going back because you grew up in Canada. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:09:38 And we started this interview with me apologizing and saying, sorry, sorry, sorry, which does sound very Canadian. I love a Canadian. They're the best. They're so nice. Are they as friendly as people think they are? Generally speaking, yeah. Why do you think that is? I don't know. We just, we kind of are. I mean, you know, there's assholes everywhere. But generally, I think we're polite for one thing. That's for sure. By nature, that's sort of like, you know, there's a certain. thing you uphold of just being civil and polite to everybody. I know, there's a, there's a, um, an attitude, a Canadian attitude that's really lovely to be around, which is basically, and I think, I mean, I think a lot of it has to do with the weather,
Starting point is 00:10:25 which is basically like you can either choose to complain or you can get on with it. Yeah, it's true. There's certainly a solid amount of, you know, suck it up, buttercup. Yeah. And you just don't get anywhere by complaining. No. Also, you know, Irish parents is like, don't go thinking or anything special. Oh, big time. That's very, that's very Boston too.
Starting point is 00:10:45 Like very, like you can't like just don't, don't, don't kind of fall in love with yourself, you know. And we're here to drag you back down. We're going to humble you every step of the way if you do. So you grew up in Canada and you, when did you realize, you know, you had this gift, you knew that music was going to be part of your life forever. Do you remember the feeling when you were young that you knew, I think I'm good at this? I think I really want to do this. What was it? Grade 7, variety show.
Starting point is 00:11:15 And I have to preface this with saying I was really bullied. I was terribly unpopular. And this was my opportunity for redemption. I'm going to prove myself to my community. And I got up there and I sang The Gambler by Kenny Rogers on acoustic guitar. Is it you got a know when a over? You got to know when to hold him. No wind to fold them.
Starting point is 00:11:37 Yeah. No wind to walk away. No when to run. Makes sense that a seventh grade girl would, you know, relate to that. Oh, no, I just loved Kenny Rogers. Oh, same. So I got up there to sing this song, and I got about halfway through it, and the mic stopped working. Oh, God.
Starting point is 00:11:54 And so my moment, you know, my triumphant moment was, you know, dashed because everybody said, oh, that wasn't really you singing, that the tape player must have turned off. They refused to acknowledge that it was me singing, but I knew. I felt good about it and I felt even better about it that they refused to believe it was actually me. And they thought it was a recorded version of something that obviously sounded a little more professional. So yeah. Okay, so you're in Canada. You're a young person who's realizing I have something special.
Starting point is 00:12:26 Who are you listening to at the time? When I was really young, other than Kenny Rogers, it was Simon a Garfunkel, Kat Stevens. Oh, yes. Joan Baez, Johnny Mitchell. Yeah. And then you're learning how to play how? When I was four, I wanted to be Joan Baez. So my mom got me ukulele and I started taking lessons.
Starting point is 00:12:45 I lived in a little subdivision. So up the street, there was a little old lady who taught ukulele. And so I walked up there every week and took lessons. And then when we moved into the city when I was seven, I started with the Royal Conservatory of music, which was kind of classical music was at the time, kind of the only legitimate thing way to learn an instrument. So I took classical guitar for 12 years.
Starting point is 00:13:07 Wow. Took classical piano for six years. I took voice for four years. And, you know, it was a fantastic foundation to learn how to play the instrument, but it was never really my jam. Okay, so then you're listening to all these incredible singer-songwriters and you decide you want to be a singer-songwriter and you get a record deal at 19? Yeah. How did that happen? So the very first band that I was in when I was 17, the October game, we played a gig.
Starting point is 00:13:33 at the Delhous University sub-ballroom, and we opened up for a band called Mov, and they were on a small independent label in Vancouver, and the guitar player, singer of the band heard me sing, and it was like, we want you to come out to Vancouver and join our band. And I'm like, cool. Cool. I'm 17. That sounds great.
Starting point is 00:13:51 So I ran home to my mom and dad, who promptly said, are you effing crazy? Not a chance. You're going to finish high school. And so I was still listening to them at that time, smartly. So I squeaked by high school and then started going to the art college there. And I was working at a place called Club Flamingo. And Terry McBride, the president of the label, came with their band Skinny Puppie, which was this industrial. Do you remember Skinny Puppie?
Starting point is 00:14:18 Yeah. Blood and guts and mud and gore. Yeah. Anyway, so. Very different than your music, skinny puppy. Yeah, a little bit different. So he came and I remember so clearly I was playing Quicksilver. my favorite pinball game. And I was working on my high score. And he's like, hey, I want to talk to you. I'm like, yeah, yeah, give me a minute. So I waited until I finished. And he took me out to his plush, blue velvet tour bus and sat me down at the kitchen table and put a contract for me. So we want to offer you a five-record deal. Whoa. And I was like, yeah, yeah, sure. What do you really want? Does anybody know I'm here? Yeah, there's too much plush in here. Yeah. But no, he was serious.
Starting point is 00:14:58 And originally they wanted me to come out to Vancouver and work with a bunch of other network bands. Then when I got out there, they're like all these other network bands hadn't been asked. And like, we're not going to work with this punk kid. She's got no track record. She hasn't written anything. No, never mind.
Starting point is 00:15:13 But I was already there. So at that point, they were like, well, let's just see what you come up with. And so I just kind of started writing to the best of my ability. I mean, obviously I had, as I said, a great foundation of understanding music. in theory. I had done deep dives into my favorite artists, which at the time were Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush. Don't give up. Oh, yeah, just... Don't give up. Sorry. No, it's good. It's good. I hear you. I feel
Starting point is 00:15:41 you. So I just, you know, I just kind of fake it to you and make it. I just made my first record in about a year and started touring and toured and toured and toured and then, you know, just kind of went from there. That's a thing that I think sometimes we kind of like, you know, we're kind of of tough on ourselves when we look back and look at our naivete about things and think like, oh, we didn't know what we were doing. But there's such a freedom when you're young about kind of not knowing what's around the corner. Sometimes it's better to not know. Ignorance is bliss. Yes. Sometimes that's true. If you knew how important your decisions were that if you went left rather than right, it would change your whole life, you'd never take a step. Well, you'd be living in
Starting point is 00:16:24 fear, constant fear and constant uncertainty. So you're right. Just that sort of, you know, you know, dumb and green. Yeah, totally. Just like the world is kind of your oyster and all these possibilities feel endless. Do you remember your first time you ever heard anything that you'd ever written on the radio? Yeah. Where were you? I was in a taxi cab with my first publicist, Tony, on our way to Toronto to do our very first promotional tour for the record.
Starting point is 00:16:49 And Vox came on the radio and the two of us looked at each other and just started screaming. You did not know what was going to be on. Taxi driver was like, what the hell's going on? And he said, that's me, that's me on the radio. And he's like, sure. And we got out and we pulled out the albums that we were bringing with us to sign for the record or for the radio station. And he's like, can I have a picture with you? That's so cool.
Starting point is 00:17:10 Yeah, suddenly he wants a picture. Yeah. But it was like it just felt like validation. Oh, yeah. Oh, my God. How is it that this is already happening? It all felt so surreal up until that moment. And I mean, honestly, there were still many, many surreal moments after that.
Starting point is 00:17:24 Well, you've had so many hits, like throughout your career. I mean, we were, I was listening to your music all morning and your new record, which is great. And it's so hard to, like you're, I imagine, I imagine that songs, you know, just like any piece of art. They just kind of have a life of their own. They take all these journeys. They bloom. They come back. They mean something different the next time around.
Starting point is 00:17:48 Some of them you think, oh, these are going to be the ones that are going to really go and they don't. Or others that you think, like, this is the one that's like the one that everyone's always singing back to me. You have so many hits and so many songs. Like, do they, does that, does, does, does songs feel that way to you, your songs, that they have their own life and journey that, like, is out of your control? Absolutely. I mean, music art is so subjective, right? It's like, you see something, you hear something, you read something, and it resonates with you or it doesn't. And it, you then, in part, you put your own story into it.
Starting point is 00:18:24 And then that's where you draw inspiration from. That's how it affects you. So, I mean, the coolest thing is when people come up to me and say, oh my God, you know, this song you created or the song you wrote has helped me in this way. I brought it with me on my trip. And, you know, like I've met so many people who went through high school with my music or went through university. So, you know, really pivotal times and huge changes in their worlds, losing a parent, losing a child. Like, yeah.
Starting point is 00:18:50 So all these stories. about what it means to other people are beautiful and cool to know that there's something I've created has made some kind of impact in someone's life and been there with them on, you know, a beautiful journey, a tough journey and somehow help them in some way. I mean, you've been like a Serino for so many people because they've used your music to tell someone how they feel about them, you know? I mean, we came up in the era of like mixtapes and putting music together. It was such a big deal to, you know, hand someone over.
Starting point is 00:19:24 a bunch of music that you picked for them. And it was always like, here's my playlist. Yeah, exactly. It was like, this is how I feel about you. Yeah, yeah. It was like, I can't tell you, but I'm going to have you listen. And there was always like coded language and what we put together for people. And so many of your songs and your music did that for people.
Starting point is 00:19:42 They allowed people to kind of, you know, feel through you, you know. And is there is there, I mean, there's so many hits. Is there a song that like became? bigger than, like, is it that still kind of is, like, surprising to you that it, like, it had the kind of journey it had? Well, I suppose that would be Angel. Yeah. And that was one of those very, it very seldom happens as a songwriter that something happens
Starting point is 00:20:09 quickly and easily for me. It's like music is flowing all the time, but lyrics are really hard work. It's like extracting blood from a stone often for me. And I'm super ADD, so trying to, you know, it's like, give me any distraction when I'm trying to do something that is hard. and challenging in the sense of, you know, trying to focus. But Angel felt like I was just a vessel. And it just came through me in like two days and it was done.
Starting point is 00:20:33 And I remember thinking at the end of when I first put out surfacing, like the rest of this album's crap, but Angel's solid. I mean, obviously, I had no perspective. Yeah, exactly. So many hits on the record. Yeah, you know, there was actually some good songs on there. Yeah, a few. A few.
Starting point is 00:20:48 But that is, you know, that's that mindset when you've just worked and worked and worked at something and you don't have any perspective. But Angel has had, you know, such a life of its own. Yeah. And has done, you know, so many things. As I said, talking about how it's helped people through, you know, individual tough situations. So many stories of my, I've played this. My mother played this when she was passing.
Starting point is 00:21:10 Yeah. It really helped us. You know, the SPCA, obviously. Well, you raised $30 million. Well, that was within the first year, I think. So who knows what has happened since. Do people assume that you, like, do people, assume you're constantly fostering and adopting animals.
Starting point is 00:21:29 Oh, yeah. Because you must get that projected on you. You would not believe the, and also just, you know, like the, you know, 10 or 20 letters a week about, you know, people sending me, you know, all their rescues and or I'm doing this charity. I'm working with this. Can you help? Yeah. You know, and it took on such a life of its own. I remember I was doing a food bank charity gig in New York eight years later.
Starting point is 00:21:54 And they said, can you please not play Angel because it's so synonymous with this other charity. There's going to be some brand confusion. I'm like, wow, are you serious? Is it true that I will remember you was a B-side? Like that that song was on a, like in a film. Yeah, it was Brothers McMullen. It was Ed Burns' directorial debut. That's right. And it just, that, that's like one of the many monster hits. Yeah. How many, how many, how many number one? Like, how many hits have you had?
Starting point is 00:22:23 I should know this. You're asking the wrong people. I suppose I should know this too. Hold on. We're going to look it up. I don't have a clue. You know what I want to do? I want to brag about you.
Starting point is 00:22:31 I don't think of any number one hits. You know, we're always like, oh, I don't even know. And we should know. No, this is embarrassing. I don't know either. No, it's totally normal. And actually, it's why you're a normal person who doesn't look at their hits. But I'm going to look at your hits right now.
Starting point is 00:22:48 Okay. I'm going to read them right now. Sarah, can you handle this? This is very American. And not very Canadian. Well, I just wrote Sarah McLaughlin hits. You consulting the Oracle? Okay.
Starting point is 00:23:01 Building a mystery. Sweet surrender. Possession. Better broken ice cream. Oh, yeah. Angel. Vox. We talked about Fox.
Starting point is 00:23:10 Heard it on the radio. Into the fire. Elsewhere. Fall in. Fumbling toward ecstasy. Adia. Possession. Sweet surrender.
Starting point is 00:23:19 Building. Everybody listening right now is having this moment of like, Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh, huh. Because they're remembering, I mean, monster hit, Sarah. Oh, hit maker. Thanks. Sorry, I'm just going to brag for you. Okay, so then you leave Canada.
Starting point is 00:23:34 You're in a band. Sorry, you're making music. Are you in a band at that point? No, you're just kind of making music under your, you're, it's never Sarah McLaughlin and the. You mean when I got signed. Yeah. Yeah, no, that was the other tricky bit of that when they came and offered me that deal, my band that I, we hadn't been together about a year because they'd gone off to school.
Starting point is 00:23:53 So we'd kind of split up, but still, they knew about it. And they were like, what do you say? And I'm like, oh, you're like, well. So I had this sort of excited moment that I was like, I think they just want me. Yeah. Yeah, that's always, so that was a bit of a tough, a tough moment too. But now you're, you start to tour. And when, how old are you when you ask Paula Cole to open for you?
Starting point is 00:24:15 21. Wow. 22. Yeah. And why did you ask Paula? Because I loved her. Yeah. I loved your music.
Starting point is 00:24:25 How did you find out of our music? I think just radio. Yeah. Yeah. I was listening and watching what, you know, what else was going on out there and discovered her. I was like, oh, my God, what an incredible voice. She's so powerful.
Starting point is 00:24:37 And I love her lyrics and love the melodies. And I think, hmm, I wonder she'd want to come sing. Well, what I love about the Lilithair doc, which is on Hulu, is that it talks about the kind of slow process of realizing there's a way to work. Like there's a way to choose how to work. It's very relatable, I think, for a lot of women who, if they're lucky enough, get an opportunity to figure out, is there a way I like to work that I could figure out? Like, that's the dream. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:25:07 And you asked Paula to join as an opening act and you two realize, this is fun. This is actually fun. Yeah. Well, it's a back then, I mean, I was, all my crew were men, my friends. band were men. I had a female backup singer, but, you know, it was just us and the sea of men, who I adored and loved. They were my crew and there were a wonderful bunch of people. But I just, you know, having Paula there was just this breath of fresh air for me and this awareness of like, you know, we kind of need each other. This is a weird industry. It's isolating.
Starting point is 00:25:44 We make music alone and, you know. Yeah. She's just really nice to have her around. Yeah. It really, it was great to connect with her. Oh, my. God, I saw her at the Tiff. She showed up. I didn't even know she was coming. And we both bursted in tears. I was like, oh, my God. That's so nice. I mean, it's wild to me, but there are people that don't really understand what Lilith Fair was. And for people who don't, they should watch this doc, certainly. But in a nutshell, how do you describe it to people who are, who have never heard of or didn't get a chance to go see it? It was a celebration of much of the great music that was being made by women in the late 90s. And it was, yeah, it was basically that. And that was the simple
Starting point is 00:26:31 origin story. And then we were told we couldn't do it because you shouldn't put more than two women on a stage together. You certainly can't play two women back to back on radio. And I had felt that. I had seen that and witnessed it time and time again. And I just never understood or liked the competitive nature of it. Yeah. You know, I didn't think music should be put into those kind of pigeonholes. I didn't think we as artists should be. I certainly didn't notice it happening with men and that pissed me off as well. So, though it didn't start out as a political statement, it'd be kind of, you know, it'd be kind of came, became that. When I was told you can't do that. I'm like, oh, oh, yeah, that doesn't work for me. It just put a fire under me to prove them wrong. Because people were saying,
Starting point is 00:27:15 there's just no way anyone's going to pay this money to see all these women performing. Yeah, how insulting. We proved our point in 1996. Yeah. And then went, oh my gosh, this was so amazing and so fun. Let's do a full tour next summer. And that was the point at which just like, oh, yeah, no, you can't do that. So funny. Really? Really? And it was still, you just can't do it because we won't sell tickets. Yeah. Promoters would not take any risk. They were like, you can't do that. I said, well, we just did. And we just sold out 15,000. people. And they were like, well, that's a, that's a one-off. That's an anomaly. They're like, this isn't going to last. It's not going to last. It was, you know, oh, that was just a little blip,
Starting point is 00:27:54 a little fad or a little trend. And I'm like, no, no, no, we can do this. And again, that back to that naivety of just, yeah, you know, going, what are you talking about? No, we're going to do this. Right. And, you know, we took for the most, there's like no guarantees that we took all the risk. By taking the risk, did you make more money because you took the risk? Yes. Do you know what I mean? Like that's good. I mean, it's like you had some control.
Starting point is 00:28:19 We had some control. We had a ton of control. Yeah. And we got, you know, we raised over seven million dollars for local and national charities over the three years as well. No kidding. I mean, people don't, you know, again, I can't stress enough to watch the doc. But on top of everything else you were doing, I think what was so incredible about Lilith Fair is it really did feel like a fair. It was there were people walking around.
Starting point is 00:28:42 There were booths everywhere. There was fundraising constantly. There was backstage, everyone was hanging out, all the women were bringing their kids on tour. It was like a utopian version of what it would look like if women were in charge of most of the systems of how to work. And it looked and still looks like this ideal way in which to be part of a community and still feel like you're an individual with, you know, you had a lot of artists who were very, very different on that tour. Yeah. And yet they still all wanted to hang out with each other. They took care of each other.
Starting point is 00:29:14 you gave health insurance to crew who often never had it on tour. Yeah, they never had it before. That's kind of unheard of in the industry. Yeah, I mean, listen, it was just an extension of the way I live my life. And again, looking at what it is, how it is as an artist, as a band member, a crew member coming into someone else's environment. Like, how would I want to be treated? How would I want to be made to feel? I want to feel respected and taken care of.
Starting point is 00:29:47 And that was just the MO. It's like, we're going to take care of everybody. We're going to make sure everybody feels good, respected. This is a safe space. This is fun. You're all going to get fed really well. I mean, I'll never forget. Crew came in first day of new artists and they're always super grumpy.
Starting point is 00:30:03 I mean, you know, I've had that experience going into a festival, you know, where it's like, are we even going to get a sound check? Are we going to get fed? It's going to be a long day. By the end of the day, everybody's happy. everybody's smiling like, okay, this is, this is going to be great. And that is the environment that I wanted to create for everybody there. It's like, this is an extension of me, of my, of my hospitality, of my ethos. Yes. This is how you want to work. Just be respectful. Treat, treat everybody the way you want
Starting point is 00:30:30 to be treated yourself. Just, you know, like live and let live. Let people be and let's just, I don't know, sounds very woo-woo and utopian. I'm still like that, though. I mean, I just, man, it's like, Why can't we all just get along? Why do we have to keep? And also, why do we have to say these kind of things and then apologize for like how earnest and like, because like you. It's hopeful. We need to stay hopeful. It's like, you know, that was the thing about the doc is that what I felt was, you know, you didn't, no one can get anything exactly right, right?
Starting point is 00:31:03 So what was really wonderful about what I felt like you were doing was constantly pivoting, taking feedback. and adjusting. Like there was a lot of adjustments you made you. What were some of the things that you, you know, when you were making that fair in second or third year, you realized, oh, we have to adjust here. Yeah, I mean, the big adjustment was very early on, which was like, you know, white chick folk fest. I mean, I knew that was coming and I was, I agreed with that.
Starting point is 00:31:30 And I was frustrated by it because we asked everybody. We asked all these different artists from all different genres of music. But, you know, to be fair, their management teams would look at the lineup so far and go, I'm not sure where the place is for my artists in this. And, you know, in my head, my naive head, I'm like, I listen to all different kinds of music. I know that most of my friends who are fans of music, they don't listen to just one genre. It just depends on their mood. So why are we being so, you know, minimizing of the, you know,
Starting point is 00:32:07 and sort of looking at our fans and going, oh, they can't handle this. Of course they can handle it. They want it. They're hungry for it. And so to create that opportunity for all of us to showcase our unique talents, again, it felt like the most natural thing in the world. But it was a struggle to get a lot of black and brown artists for sure. Like, I don't know where my place is on this tour.
Starting point is 00:32:32 And they want to see how it does. And they want to see if it's real. So the success of the first year then allowed us, way more latitude and way more freedom to go, hey, you know, go back and push and say, look, this is a really great opportunity for your artist to expand their fan base. Yeah. And, you know, we, in the second year, we also, we realized there was an opportunity, again, to how do you expand your fingerprint in a community after you leave, not only giving a dollar
Starting point is 00:32:58 of every ticket sale to a local women shelter, but having a stage for local artists in every market. you know so just creating those opportunities tons of tabling of various local organizations um you know women's organizations local and national like just raising awareness creating the space where there's open dialogue about all these things yeah and the women that came through that festival i mean pretty diverse and dynamic so good can we talk about them just for a second like okay so we've got we've got Paula, we've got Sean. Incredible. We've got Cheryl Crowe. Yeah, Erica Badu, Michelle and Diegocello, Queen Latifah. Missy Elliott. Missy Elliott. First time ever on tour. I know. That was a coup. How did you get Missy? Well, you'd have to ask Marty that. I mean, he was the... Yeah, that was above my pay grade. But somehow he got Missy and that was awesome. I mean, that footage of her coming out on stage, like in the giant, when she was, when she used to do the big garbage bag stuff with like all the inflatable stuff in that style. So she's incredible. Yeah. And such an incredible. And you saw the entire audience instantly stood up as like, oh, okay, wow, what is this? This is so much fun. What about, you had the Indigo girls join. The Indigo girls were such an amazing anchor for me. They came on early on and kind of got everybody.
Starting point is 00:34:40 you know, feeling comfortable about singing together. Like, I was still a good Canadian. Like, I was afraid to ask. I really wanted to sing with everybody, but I didn't quite know how to do it. And it's funny watching the doc, how Jewel was so, you know, said it exactly the same way. It's like, I didn't know I was allowed to do that. They're like, oh, no, why isn't everybody singing together? I'm like, oh, we can do that?
Starting point is 00:35:00 He's like, yeah, let's just go do it. And so they just opened up this huge opportunity for all of us to really feel a whole different kind of connection. and that's when things really took off. And I also love what they say in the doc. The Indigo girls are basically like, you need some like openly gay girls here to teach you how to party. Yeah. You had Pat Benatar.
Starting point is 00:35:23 Yes. Emmy Lewis. Emmy-Rate. Chenate O'Connor. Yeah. I mean... That was the part in the documentary. I mean, I've seen so many iterations of this over the edits, but I cry every time.
Starting point is 00:35:35 Tell me why. Well, because she's gone. And she was such a... Yeah. Such a gift. What was she like? She was really shy at the beginning, but wow did she open up. She was a little shit as well.
Starting point is 00:35:48 Like she was super playful, like a jokester, prankster. We had so much fun together. And then to get to sing with her, you know, it's like being in the presence of, you know, a goddess, basically. When she opens up her mouth and starts to sing, it's just, it's otherworldly. Yeah. And I got to be part of it. that and I got to sing with her a number of nights. And yeah, that was pretty magical. And then just, you know, getting to watch that. Like all these moments that were so powerful and important to me and
Starting point is 00:36:19 watching myself grow up on screen. Like not a lot of humans get to have a gift like that given to them where it's like this is such a powerful and important time in my life that has been so succinctly and beautifully captured. Yeah. So yeah, watching. watching that. She's gone now and it's so sad. So sad. Such an incredible talent. Yeah. And she was you know, she suffered
Starting point is 00:36:48 even back then. Like she just she was really misunderstood and yeah. Yeah. It's tough. Tracy Chapman, another beautiful artist who I love in the documentary you talk about how she was the one everyone of many people that everyone came out and watched. Yeah. Every
Starting point is 00:37:05 night. I mean she just talk about grace. Yeah. Just this quiet, graceful presence. She was very shy, too. Yeah. It was kind of hard to draw her out. It's so funny that people who are performing, you know, it's a thing that we learn over and over again, obviously, but we're reminded that people, her performers are not necessarily extroverts. Oh, she's such an introvert.
Starting point is 00:37:25 Yeah. Who's the most introverted? Who's the most introverted on that tour and who is the most extroverted? Tracy is probably the most introverted and extroverted. maybe Cheryl I mean me I was you know
Starting point is 00:37:41 I was pretty extra actually okay I mean Amy and Emily for sure yeah because they were just loud you know
Starting point is 00:37:48 they were loud and proud yeah let's have fun yeah so they brought that really like they said this really sort of geeky
Starting point is 00:37:54 fan fan energy and you had like you talked about Amy Lou Harris um Bonnie Ray Chrissy Hind
Starting point is 00:38:02 and I don't know if you feel this way but I know I do because, you know, I grew up in a generation where I feel like women my age right now are working together all the time and feeling really good about that and loving that experience. And when you meet someone who's maybe 10 years older than you, they just haven't had that experience very much. I've been on many sets where women in their mid-60s have said, oh, I've never, you know, been on a set with this many women. Well, yeah. I mean, they grew up at a time where we, you know, in whatever industry we were in,
Starting point is 00:38:36 we were being offered a tiny sliver of the pie. Yeah. And we were in competition with each other in every element, like it or not. And think about what they came up against as they were coming up in the world. That was even, you know, I would argue, more toxic and more marginalizing towards women. Yeah. And, you know, you just kind of had to deal with those were the social norms then. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:38:59 You know, you walk into a radio station and get your ass grabbed. Fucking him. Or just knowing that that made happen or just the comments, you know? And it. Yeah. I think I blocked it out. Yeah. Well, because it was normalized.
Starting point is 00:39:14 Totally. And you just, you suck it up and you keep going because, well, if you make a stink about it, then you're pushed out even further into the margins. Yeah. And you're hanging out in a room full of boys. Yeah. And if you want to be in that room, you kind of need to tow the line. It was the same thing.
Starting point is 00:39:29 I was, you know, thinking about that, like, Ann Powers is in the documentary. Love Ann Powers. Yeah. You know, I didn't like Ann Powers back then because she ripped the shit out of us. And I'm like, are you kidding me? You're a woman. And she kind of claims it, right? She's like, I didn't get it.
Starting point is 00:39:43 She's like, I saw it. She couldn't have, though, because she was in a room full of guys. And she was a single woman female critic. Like, I forgive her because I understand now. I didn't at the time. I'm like, how could you be doing this? But the room that she was in was her male count. counterparts and if she, you know, spoke appreciatively or in reverence to what we were doing,
Starting point is 00:40:05 she would have been ostracized. Yeah, we all suffered in debt. We all suffered in our 20s in the 90s with deep internalized misogyny that we didn't even know we had in an attempt to assimilate. We were like, I want to be in the room. I want to figure out how to work the system. And I'm going to, without even knowing, I'm going to buy into a system that I don't believe in. And that's actually hurting me. Yeah. And what I love about Ann Powers, who's a journalist in the film who kind of owns up to the fact that she wrote about, you know, wrote about how she didn't, wasn't getting Lilith Fair and it wasn't for her. She realizes, like, much later on that she was grappling with her own, like, sense of trying to fit in. Yeah. I mean, Lilith Fair got teased. Like, it got, ridiculed.
Starting point is 00:40:53 Did you care about that at the time? How did you? Yeah. Yeah. How did it feel? Um, It was hurtful. It was annoying, but I just kept going back to the fact that, well, you obviously haven't come. Yes. And seen it and felt it. Because if you had, you'd think differently. So I just kind of like, well, you can have your opinion, but I'm having the time of my life. No kidding. And I don't want to go. You're missing out. Sorry. Yeah. Yes. That's right. And I loved how you guys did press conferences in every city that you went to. They were so painful. Did you ever think about not doing them? No, because there were two elements to that. There was one to, you know, the press wanted access. We understood that that was part of the beach that you have to feed.
Starting point is 00:41:40 And the beautiful thing is at the end of the press conference, we got to give attention to a local woman shelter. Yeah. You know, to sort of raise awareness for the issues that they were dealing with and to show that we were, and not to be self-congratulatory, but to show that we were giving money to this in terms of, raise awareness for it. Yeah. And I tell you that it felt so good to have that cherry at the end of this, you know, typically annoying and demeaning and a dumb press conference where I just got besieged
Starting point is 00:42:11 every day with, you know, why? Why do you hate men? Why aren't you doing this? Why aren't you doing that? You're too much of this. You're not enough of that. Very typical. Don't be too pretty. Don't be too loud. Oh, you're too, you know, you're too quiet. Like, you can't win. And that was that thing that I hadn't experienced until I was, you know, in this quiet radical movement that we were doing of just, you know, just basically being ourselves and celebrating each other and celebrating the success that we were all having and appreciating that and lifting each other up. Again, like, why is that so radical? Why is that so threatening? It was kind of shocking. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, the press conferences were painful, but they were also an important thing
Starting point is 00:42:55 to do. I mean, you handled those conferences from what I saw really, really well. For the most part, yeah. You really did. Was it hard sometimes to be running the festival while you were in it? Because everybody else kind of gets to come in and like have a good time. I wasn't running it. Dan Fraser was running it. I mean, he had a hell of a job. You're kind of the, you know, you're the, you know, you're the face of it for sure. And you have to worry about stuff like, yeah. You know, it's like having the house party, right? Yeah, there were a ton of day-to-day stations that had to be. You know, to be. made. There were a ton of fires that had to be put out. Someone didn't show up. Someone, someone slept with someone else or, you know, it was just fun. And then they were like, someone was angry and hurt or someone said something that hurt someone's feelings. And you had to deal with it. Like, HR. Was there an HR? Great. Me. Me and Dan, there was no freaking HR. We were just like, okay, shit. Totally. You just changed. How do we manage this? You put on a blazer and you were like, okay, let's talk. You know, it was like, it was kind of Julie, the cruise director. Yeah. You know, saying hi to everybody, making sure everybody,
Starting point is 00:43:55 felt good, writing letters to every new artist. And it was like a hundred and some artists in one year, you know, so it was just this constant flow of meeting new people and making sure everybody was great. Yeah. And then, yeah, putting out the fires of the day or just being involved in all these little decisions that, you know, we kind of had to make on a daily basis. So yeah, it was exhausting and all encompassing. But, you know, again, the gift at the end was like, I got to watch all these artists. I got to perform with all these artists. Okay. So we do this thing on the on the pod where we ask people
Starting point is 00:44:28 who know our guests to speak well behind their back and to give me a question to ask them. So we talked to Cheryl Crow this morning. Oh my gosh.
Starting point is 00:44:36 I know and it was so fun and so fun to talk to her about those times and you guys performing together and you know I was saying to her you know it was just it's so, it was just
Starting point is 00:44:46 and it will never get old watching you all be each other's fans you know like you're an artist and you're also a fan and she's such an incredible talent. And she wanted me to ask you two questions,
Starting point is 00:44:59 which I thought were really interesting questions to ask. They're kind of opposite, but also feel like they're in the same world. One is, if you were not making music, did you ever think of what else you would do? Ever so briefly, because I don't know what else I would do. Either a hairdresser or a jewelry designer. Which honestly, I think.
Starting point is 00:45:24 still kind of do both. Do you design? Do you design? Yeah, just really simple stuff. Like I made last two Christmases ago, I made like 30 necklaces for all my friends and I'm crafty. You're a crafty. You know, I need something to do with my hands or there in my mouth. Yeah. I love that. Okay. And that makes sense of hairdresser too because you like touching people's hair. Yeah, I was a dance mom for years. So I got to do all these, you know, for your daughters. Yeah. Are you good at a blowout? Do you a good blowout? I do a pretty good blowout, yeah. Do you blow out your own hair? I like the French braids and the Oh, you can do the intricate stuff.
Starting point is 00:45:56 Yeah. Well done. Yeah. Okay. And then so that was one question. And then the other question was, did you have a sense? Did you know deep down, you know, people ask this question from a lot of artists. But was there some part of you that knew that you were going to make it, that you were going to be famous with Cheryl's question?
Starting point is 00:46:13 But like, was there a part of you that sense that or knew that? No. No, I can honestly say no. And mostly because I didn't even know what that meant. Yeah. I did not know what that looked like. I did not come from a culture of celebrity, of looking at famous people and, you know, hoping to achieve that. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:46:34 My thing was, I want to do something that makes me feel good. Yeah. It was so naive and so simple. But it's pure. And pure. Yeah. Yeah. And just, you know, again, this sort of blissful time in the world where we could kind of just figure it out, figure out as we go.
Starting point is 00:46:51 Yeah. Yeah. And we were, there were so many more opportunities to just, you know, to fumble around and try and figure it out. Like, I just feel like even both my daughters, there was just so much pressure to decide, you know, what university to go to. And you kind of have to make a decision about the whole trajectory of your life. And I'm like, oh, my God, half my friends in my 50s still don't have a clue what they're doing. You know, I just got really, really lucky that I had this, you know, this path that I kind of got offered. I got offered the golden ticket at 19.
Starting point is 00:47:21 And it's like, well, this will be fun. I'll go do this. And my dad said, listen, if this doesn't work out, our college is still, it's always going to be there. But this will not. You got to try it. Of course, I wanted to. But yeah, I didn't, it's funny.
Starting point is 00:47:37 In my yearbook, someone wrote Destined to Become a Famous Rockstar, which is hilarious. And I'm just like, ha, ha, ha, ha, yeah. But we didn't know what that even looked like. I know. I know. That's Barry Woo-woo. I know. Destin to become a famous rock star.
Starting point is 00:47:55 Yeah. Somebody knew. Yeah. Yeah. So I guess it's combo of both those things. You know, other people can see things that you can't see too often, right? Yeah. And you talk about your daughters, too, and I love the beautiful aspect that your daughter sings on this record with you. Yeah. That was a great full circle moment for me. Why? Why?
Starting point is 00:48:13 Well, because they both have beautiful voices. They won't sing around me. And I guess because, you know, I sing, and that's often the case with kids. They kind of try and go the opposite. But we cannot deny they both have beautiful voices. But the song in particular, one in the long line, it's the last song I wrote. And I think it was this, you know, looking at what's going on in the world and the erosion of women's rights, not only here, but all over the world. And thinking about what do I need to say?
Starting point is 00:48:42 I feel like now is not the time to be silent or complacent. Like I've always, you know, tread that line carefully and not been told. political, but I'm like, I have to say something about this. I'm just, I'm so frustrated and angry and scared and I have two daughters and they're going into the world and, you know, we need to speak loudly about the things that we believe in, even though I was afraid to. So, and I've always used music as my vehicle for expression. Yeah. So that song, to have both my daughters sing on that with me just felt really powerful. Yeah. That's so cool. Yeah. And what was it like being in the studio with each other, the stud? Well, we actually weren't. It was in my daughter's phone, in my daughter's
Starting point is 00:49:28 bedroom on my iPhone because... Perfect. Yeah, it was kind of at the, I wrote that song right at the end of the record, and, you know, Will was actually mixing the rest of the record and trying to, trying to organize my kids. You know, there was a bit of convincing to get them to do it the first place. Sure. I'll do it next week, Mom. And I'm like, I'm like, okay, like we're mixing the record. Will needs these tracks now. So we just actually sat in the bedroom with my eldest, and she sang it. She just put headphones on it.
Starting point is 00:49:55 Oh, wow. And iPhones are amazing for that now. Yeah. And then Taja, my little one went down into the studio. She wouldn't let me near her when she did it. Yeah, I was wondering if they would let you watch. No. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:50:04 But my 23-year-old, you know, just earnest, full voice sang right in front of me. So uninhibited. It was so beautiful. And again, this is deeply more powerful because of the challenges and the struggles that we've been through for so many years as mother and firstborn daughter. Yeah. Because it was tough. What have you been learning about being the mother of daughters?
Starting point is 00:50:24 Like, but what was tough about it? You know, I mean, there's so many things I could say about that. And I wish I knew what I know now to be able to go back, you know, without feeling regret. What would you say to yourself knowing what you know now? I would have been softer on her in a different way. I was a hard ass. And it's funny because I thought so clearly in my own mind that I was being the antithesis of my mother. And I looked at the way she parented and I thought, I'm going to do everything completely different.
Starting point is 00:50:55 And then her words come spewing it over your mouth in a moment of anger and frustration. You're like, oh my God, I can't believe I did that. But I just, you know, she was undiagnosed. We thought she had ADHD. And when things got hard, this wall would go up and she just, rage and be so frustrated. And so, you know, I look at that and going, how do we, how do I help you with this? How do we move past us? Because the world out there's scary and big and you have to have some grit and you have to do hard things so that you know you can. So I was tough. And
Starting point is 00:51:27 what we didn't realize is that it was actually anxiety. And all this came out. We did family systems counseling and peeling back all those layers of the onion. The way I was communicating to her, like, was just making her feel shitty about herself instead of building her up, which was completely the opposite of what I thought I was doing. So, you know, I had to eat a lot of humble pie and take stock and go, okay, look, I want a relationship with my kid. So I need to learn how to communicate differently with her. And in doing so, she also got to take some responsibility for the way she was reacting and recognizing that that's not where it's coming from. Anyway, it says it was a long process, but it was beautiful and powerful. And we have such an open,
Starting point is 00:52:07 loving relationship now because of that. It's so great, Sarah, that you talk about this. I just have to say because it's the way that women help each other constantly is to just like break free from the narrative that we are getting everything right as mothers. Like it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's such a joke. But, but it's really hard. It's, it's, it's kind of the last frontier. Oh, my God, we're all living constant judgment, you know, it's like, oh, you know, you watch people look at you out of the corner of the eye when you let your kid cry in the grocery grocery store floor. That's right. You know, it's like, oh my God, corral that kid. You're a bad parent because you're doing this or you're doing that or not doing this. It's like, again, just constant judgment. Constant judgment and
Starting point is 00:52:44 pressure and the most coming from within on ourselves. For sure. And anytime we share any version of that out loud, or just even in our friend group, like, you just feel this feeling that everyone wants to say like, that's an exhale. Yes, me too. I'm feeling that too. What, you know, like, it's wild how we still do this to ourselves over and over. I mean, we get it done to us, of course, too. But we do it to our stuff. There's an alarm, there's a siren right there coming to pick us up because we're such bad moms. I mean, it's the same thing with menopause, you know, like it was just, there was no conversation about it and just, you know, all the changes that we go through.
Starting point is 00:53:21 And thank goodness, like I kind of love social media for that now because there are so many platforms that women are now talking about this and all, and doctors are finally paying attention to the hundreds of thousands of women who suffered and who went through all sorts of shit. And the doctor's just like, hey, you know, it's just a thing. just suck it up. Yeah, it's like, is my frozen shoulder because of menopause? And doctors are like, we'll never know. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:53:44 And I'm like, you don't want to look it up. No one's going to put any money towards research on that. Yeah, they're like, huh, maybe. Oh, if men could bleed, you know, things would be very, very different. That would be a good heavy metal band name, if men could bleed. A double bills. If men could bleed and skinny puppy. That's perfect.
Starting point is 00:54:03 Okay, I got a few rapid fire for you. Okay. First of all, how do you, what's your story? sleep routine. I love to ask people this. Do you love to sleep? I love to sleep. Are you good at sleeping? I'm really, yes, I'm good at sleeping now that I'm on estrogen and progesterine. Totally makes a big drift. Yeah. It's when I went into menopause. Yeah. And do you take any sleep, do you take anything to go to sleep? No. And what's your ritual to go to sleep? Well, you know what? Red light therapy has been my friend. Hold on. Talk to me about it. I have. I have,
Starting point is 00:54:32 I don't know about this. I have a massage table and I basically have this like six foot long panel of red light. Especially because, you know, when I'm skate skiing three hours a day, as I was doing a lot, like your body needs, your muscles. I'm hearing you say for the far. Skate skiing? Yeah, you know, like it's like cross country. So there's classic, which is in the grooves and skate is on the corduroy. And it's like biathlon in the Olympics. You just said four words, I don't know. Grooves and corduroy. Are you on ice skates? No, no, it's classic. It's like, it's like cross country skiing. It's on these little matchsticks. Okay. And you just, you kind of, they're long like cross country skates. But instead of being in the. two. You just said skates again. So you're on skates or skis? They're skate skis. So what they are is a very narrow, long skis. We don't have those here. You do. We do not. I have been to Colorado and I'm how many years in a row skates skiing. So you do. Okay. Okay. It's a big thing. That's incredible.
Starting point is 00:55:26 So it's so fun. I just, I love, I love being outdoors. I love nature. I would be outside all the time if I could. It just gets a little too cold. But, you know, to be able to be for four hours outside in the snow in the mountains. Yes. Incredible. Like just finding frozen lakes and going on, like, it's magical. And the coolest part, but where I live is you can take my dogs. That's awesome.
Starting point is 00:55:44 Yeah. So doing a lot of that. So back to, yeah, so I exhaust myself if I can. That's right. Climbing hills or, you know, jumping in lakes, whatever. Skate ski. And then, so usually I spend like 15 minutes before I go to bed just lying under this light because it just calms your center and the nervous system down.
Starting point is 00:56:00 It's red light, yeah. Red light therapy. Oh, yeah. Infrared. You heal faster. I'm serious. I get one of these red nights. Yeah, so I do that.
Starting point is 00:56:08 Not every night, but most nights. You know, I don't really have much of a ritual. I try to stop drinking water around 5 o'clock, so don't have to get up in the middle of night and pee. Oh, yeah. So I front load, yeah. As best in my abilities. But, you know, I usually go to bed around 9. Oh, that's what I'm talking about.
Starting point is 00:56:27 That's kind of it. 9 p.m. that is a winner's. I mean, honestly, 10 is probably a little more realistic, but I try to go to bed at 9, especially in the winter. And, you know, I'll watch a show or read a book for an hour. Not much. Especially when you have to get up at six. Shut it down. Go to bed at nine. Wake up at six, feel like a hero. Give me eight hours of solid sleep. I am so much less than asshole. My dream is to eat dinner at 6.30 and then walk right into the bedroom.
Starting point is 00:56:53 What? The early bird special. I try and eat around 5.5.30. And then just start to shut her down. And shut her down. Okay. Rapid Fire. Here we go. Who do you predict is going to be your Spotify Raps this year? Like who were the musicians
Starting point is 00:57:08 you're listening to the most on your, like if we were. Phoebe Bridgers. Ah! Yeah. The best. Yeah. Or Boy Genius or a, you know,
Starting point is 00:57:16 combination of two. Who would definitely be, would be on like a current version of Little Affair if there existed one. And in some ways, Boy Genius is the parent. Oh, you got three amazing musicians,
Starting point is 00:57:27 singer, songwriters, independently unique and beautiful, all choosing to come together to be a powerhouse trio. Yes. Awesome. Best Canadian city. Oh, I'm going to get in trouble, Vancouver.
Starting point is 00:57:39 What's the best thing about being Canadian and non-American? That is so baiting. Sorry, don't worry about it. Forget it, forget it. Health care. Yeah, health care. Surfing or paddleboarding? Surfing.
Starting point is 00:57:53 So you surf. Yeah. But surfing since I was 30. And then you were on SNL and Rudy Giuliani was the host. Oh, my God, I remember that. So it was Sarah McLaughlin and Rudy Giuliani in 19... Back again. In 1997.
Starting point is 00:58:09 Yeah. What do you remember about your experience? Was that the only time you were on us now? I feel maybe like I was on twice, but I'm not sure. Honestly, what I remember is Anna Gangster. And like, you know, based in blood doing that. That was, I don't know if that was really... Were you on the show and Anna did the Lilith?
Starting point is 00:58:30 Not the Lilith one, no, but based it in blood, which was the thing. Thanksgiving song? I got to participate in that. Wait, you were in that? I was in it. Yeah. Okay, this is really interesting. Anna used to play a character on SNL
Starting point is 00:58:43 called Cinder Calhoun. Yes. It was a very earnest, you know, kind of like progressive singer-songwriter. And she sang a song called Baste It in Blood. Let's watch it. Anna's such a good singer. Oh my God. This is so good. I remember this. Oh my God. This is so good. Well, I'm so grateful that you came here. You are always ahead of your time. And I can't wait to see what you do next. And congrats on all the good things that are happening now. And it means a lot that you came by. So thank you so much. Happy to be here. Wow. Thank you so much, Sarah McLaughlin. You are so cool and interesting and so fun to talk to. And it really took me.
Starting point is 00:59:38 down memory lane there. And, you know, for this polar plunge, I just wanted to remind everybody how badass Pat Benatar is. That's all. Just how amazing her voice is and how great of an artist she is. And like Sarah has just always been this, you know, woman kind of making music on her own terms. And she was, I think probably, Pat Benetara, New Edition were my, the first two concerts, I saw when I was in middle school. And I saw Pat Benatar at the Orphium in Boston in, I don't know, I think maybe I was a freshman in high school. And her husband, Neil Geraldo, lead guitarist, still together.
Starting point is 01:00:26 So anyway, that's all. Just using this time to say, Pat, if you're listening, I love you. Please come on the show. And everybody else listening, here's to all the great music we had. Growing up and all the great music we have now and all the great music yet to come. Music will save us. Okay, bye! You've been listening to Good Hang.
Starting point is 01:00:48 The executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weiss-Berman, and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by The Ringer and Paper Kite. For The Ringer, production by Jack Wilson, Katz-Belaine, Kaya McNallin, and Alea Zanaris. For Paper Kite, production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell, and Jenna Weiss-Burman. Original music by Amy Miles.

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