Get Flip on Facebook! Now you can make and share flipbooks on facebook. Add the application!
•
Quizzes We've got lots of Style, Entertainment, Beauty, Love, Life and Friends quizzes. Take one here.
•
What Do You Think? Want to talk to other members or share your opinion on anything on your mind? Come sound off on our boards.
•
Read Your Daily Horoscope Want to know what's in store for you, your best friend, crush, or boyfriend? Read Fiona's astro predictions.
•
Say Anything Read and rate our newest mortifying moment.
Moore From Mandy
Who decides at the tender age of 19 that they'll release a CD of cover songs? Mandy Moore, that's who. And the singer is pretty proud of Coverage, her homage to old-school artists like Elton John and Carole King, which is out on October 21. She's also feeling pretty good about her life. Her movie career has taken off — she's just finished filming a new movie, to be released in January, in which she plays the president's daughter — and her relationship is in top form — her boyfriend, tennis star Andy Roddick, recently won the U.S. Open. But don't take it from us, here's what Mandy has to say on the subject of Mandy...
What kind of artists do you cover on the album?
Everyone from XTC, the Waterboys, Todd Rundgren, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Elton John. A little bit of everything.
How did you choose who you were going to cover?
I had the concept for the record, and along with that came a good solid list of about 10 songs, and then while we were in the studio in the midst of actually doing the record, we came up with a couple more suggestions. It was a fun recording process. There was no pressure, no big studio, it was just in this little garage and I had fun for once doing the record.
Were there songs that you went into the project thinking, I've got to record this song, I've loved it for years?
Joan Armatrading's "Drop the Pilot." I always knew that if I had the opportunity to do a cover on a record, I'd do that. But I also wanted to do an Elton John song and I definitely wanted to do Todd Rundgren, too, then I just decided — why do I have to narrow it down? Maybe it's not a smart move in many people's eyes for an artist like myself who hasn't had too much success in the music industry, or hasn't been in the music industry long enough to do a cover record, but I was like, You know what? Screw that. I'm going to make my own rules. I'm passionate about this music, and I know a lot of people my age out there are missing out on songs like this and artists like these. So if I can bring my passion to them, and introduce them to music they may be missing out on, then it's a bonus.
How did you first hear these songs? So many of them were released before you were even born.
I'm really good friends with my manager and he's introduced me to a lot of artists that I've never heard of before and I'm really grateful for that. Also I've been lucky enough to work with a lot of really kind of music maniacs on different films. I was working with Elijah Wood a year and a half ago. He has such great taste in music, and I remember going through the Virgin Megastore across the street from the hotel we were all staying at. He made me buy Bjork's Icelandic jazz standards record, and different things that I wouldn't necessarily buy for myself. People like that influence you to look in a different direction.
Are you more nervous than normal about this album because there are people there who recorded the songs the first time around that are listening to your versions?
There's no way I could ever even be compared, or my version could be considered anywhere near as genius as these original artists, but that wasn't the point of making the record. I love the music and I guess it's in tribute to them. We've sent out each individual song to almost every artist now. Carole King really loved the version, and Carly Simon supposedly really liked "Anticipation."
How different do you think this album is from the other stuff you've done? Do you feel there's a kind of maturity to it?
Absolutely. Not to sound cheesy, but I'm 19 now and my musical taste has changed so much as I've grown up. And I think that this record is definitely reflective of it. There are some quirky, fun elements in some of the songs, but for the most part, when we play these songs live, they're going to sound exactly like they are on the record, and I love that. It feels so natural and organic and pure and the way music should be.
You've been filming a new [still untitled] movie in Europe recently, how was that?
I left yesterday from London and I'm very happy to be done because it was a long summer. I had so much fun, I made great friends, I loved making this film, but people don't realize, it's long hours and crazy stuff you have to do. But we had beautiful locales. We were in Prague and Venice and London. It was just a grand summer vacation.
Did you get some downtime to do some exploring and shopping?
The great thing about this film is that we were in so many different locations, each and every day, so you felt like you were playing tourist and getting to sightsee while you were working. And of course, on my lunch break, I was definitely out shopping. My parents were there with me and they're into finding local art and different painters, so in Venice I just loved to walk around with them, with no real ambition or goal.
Did Andy [Roddick, the tennis player and Mandy's boyfriend] get to visit you while you were in Europe?
While we were shooting in London I saw a lot of him, and whenever I had a free weekend, I would fly to go see him. So it ended up working out. I was freaked out that we wouldn't see each other much of the summer, but we saw each other quite a bit.
And did you enjoy the romance of Europe together?
You have to find romance wherever you are — whatever city or dinky hotel room you may be in. I experienced romance in the film! I took my first gondola ride with my co-star Matthew [Goode]. I was so bummed — you're supposed to go to Venice in a gondola with the love of your life! So I'm sitting in the gondola, and there's this big romantic scene and there's kissing — and I love Matthew, he's a great guy — but I'm sitting there the whole time thinking, "My boyfriend should be here. This is wrong, I feel like I'm cheating, I shouldn't be in Venice by myself."
— Sarah Tomczak
Photo: Sherlyl Neilds/Epic Records
