All Of It — "Regina Spektor Revisited"
Host: Kusha Navadar (filling in for Alison Stewart)
Date: March 13, 2024
Guest: Regina Spektor
Episode Overview
This special episode of All Of It revisits an intimate conversation with acclaimed singer-songwriter Regina Spektor, featuring live performances and deep dives into her creative process, musical upbringing, and the emotional landscapes she explores in her work. The discussion moves from storytelling through song to navigating artistic constraints, the influence of her Russian heritage on her music, and what "home" means musically and personally. The episode is rich with music, memories, and wisdom from Spektor’s decades-spanning career.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Power of Piano and Voice
[01:32 – 06:22] Live Performance: "Becoming All Alone"
- Regina opens with a performance of "Becoming All Alone," showcasing her signature storytelling and dynamic use of piano.
[06:22]
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Kusha Navadar remarks on Regina’s use of piano registers, particularly her movement to the lower notes toward the end, asking about her thought process when constructing these dynamics.
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Regina Spektor (06:53):
"When I first started writing songs, ... I cared so much about dynamics that I really would just write different parts of songs in different places so that it could kind of have this. It could have somewhere to go, you know, it could travel around. ... a lot of the time the piano sort of had to imply everything. And between the piano and my voice, I tried to stretch it as far as I could, you know, with impression, implying things."
Constraint and Creativity
- 07:49
Kusha: “The constraint leads to that creation … you want to make something good, put constraints on it, right?”
Regina: (07:59)"It's true, actually, I think that the limits do kind of help you. Only if you buck against them though, because if you're just kind of staying within the limits and you're just always kind of stuck there, then it doesn't help."
**On “Bucking:”
- Regina (08:14):
"Okay, ... I just wrote a song, and it has arpeggios ... so the next song I’m gonna write is gonna be, like, really staccato and really aggressive ... I also tried ... to sort of stretch my voice into doing things ... try and shape shift ... even though I was just playing ... a piano ...."
2. Artistic Evolution & Staying Fresh
[09:28 – 12:22] Artistic Milestones and Keeping a Beginner’s Mind
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Kusha brings up Spektor’s musical milestones: 10 years since her "Orange is the New Black" theme and 20 years since her breakout album, Soviet Kitsch.
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Regina (10:09):
"I try really, really hard to have a fresh mind ... as we kind of ... do a lot of things, the field becomes narrower and narrower ... But I do think that ... if you have the energy and if you have the curiosity, I think it's very worthwhile to keep that beginner's mind alive and to make yourself slightly uncomfortable..."
"...when you make art, it's kind of your job, like, you have to stay very, very open. ... I really try very hard to do that consciously, even though it's not always easy."
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She details how creating her most recent album, Home, Before and After, during the pandemic forced her into new artistic methods (working remotely for the first time) and how those new experiences offered unique growth.
3. Russian Roots & the Art of Storytelling
[12:22 – 17:16] The Influence of Russian Singer-Songwriters
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Both Kusha and Regina share immigrant backgrounds and discuss cross-cultural influences.
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Regina is asked about influential Russian songwriters and recommends Vladimir Vysotsky:
"There was the official music and all of these other people, they were just making these cassette tapes ... it was because in Russia basically poets were heroes. ... But there's this amazing, brilliant singer songwriter named Vladimir Vosotsky ... He wrote hundreds and hundreds of songs really on all kinds of topics. ... he embodied the characters." (13:32)
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She credits this tradition with helping her "internalize that idea of ... different perspectives and to be these different characters in my songs ... I just loved so much listening to those stories." (15:45-15:59)
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Regina’s hunger for stories:
"I had an insatiable hunger for stories just ever since I was little. Like, if you wanted me to just pay attention to you ... be like, once upon a time. And I, like, sit down and just be like, yes, yes, and tell me more." (16:07)
4. Songwriting Techniques: Time Signatures & Instinct
[16:48 – 18:28]
- Kusha admires Regina’s use of shifting time signatures as reflections of stream-of-consciousness storytelling and asks if this is intentional.
- Regina (17:16):
"So much of what I find out about my own music is from other people telling it to me. ... most of it is actually not very conscious ... As far as, like, knowing what it is I do consciously, I've only found out from people in hindsight. They're like, oh, there's like a flatted ninth. And I'm like, I don't even know what that means."
5. Live Performance: "Loveology" & Stories Behind the Song
[18:44 – 24:54]
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Regina introduces "Loveology," sharing its unique backstory:
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(18:53)
"...the thing about this song that's so special to me is that I wrote it in my early 20s ... but ... there were people coming to my shows and they would record songs and they would put them up on the Internet. ... a lot of them were kept alive by fans and listeners sharing it. ... This song came back into my life because people had been asking me about it for so long..."
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Live performance of "Loveology"
- The song cycles through themes of curiosity, regret, forgiveness, and love, with an inventive classroom motif:
"Sit down, class. Open up your textbooks to page 4 32. Porcupinology. ... Loveology. I'm sorry. Ology. Forgive me. Ology." (22:36–24:54)
- The song cycles through themes of curiosity, regret, forgiveness, and love, with an inventive classroom motif:
6. What Feels Like "Home" in Music?
[25:14 – 27:22]
- Kusha asks if there’s a musical chord that feels like "home" on the piano.
- Regina (25:32):
"Honestly, like, ... I think that just touching it, ... at the center just feels very grounding to me. ... when you do have such a nice, big, beautiful, like, Steinway by your side, ... it's almost like being friends with, like, a huge whale or elephant or something ... more than a chord just kind of touching the piano and being able to lean on it makes me feel, ah, Like I'm home."
- She describes playing with her eyes closed, relating to the piano as both a sonic and tactile companion.
7. Bonus: "What Might Have Been" (Live)
[27:22 – 30:03]
- Regina performs "What Might Have Been" from her newest album.
- The song, filled with vivid images and quietly profound pairings ("Sickness and flowers go together / Bombing and shelter go together"), touches on love, loss, memory, and longing.
- Notable lyric:
"Everyone loves a story about love. Long, long ago ... business, sadness and crying go together / passion and madness go together ... everyone loves a story about far, far away."
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Artistic Growth:
"If you have the energy and ... the curiosity, I think it's very worthwhile to keep that beginner's mind alive and to make yourself slightly uncomfortable ..."
— Regina Spektor (10:09) -
On Storytelling Roots:
"If you wanted me to just pay attention to you ... be like, once upon a time. And I, like, sit down and just be like, yes, yes, and tell me more."
— Regina Spektor (16:07) -
On Artistic Instinct:
"So much of what I find out about my own music is from other people telling it to me ... most of it is not very conscious ..."
— Regina Spektor (17:16) -
On Feeling at Home:
"More than a chord, just kind of touching the piano and being able to lean on it, makes me feel, ah, like I'm home."
— Regina Spektor (25:32) -
On Loveology’s Revival:
“…these songs, even though they never got to be on a record ... had a life of their own. And a lot of them were kept alive by fans and listeners sharing it.”
— Regina Spektor (18:53) -
Kusha, on the tuba:
"Much love to the tuba players, though. They do what they can with." (09:12)
Timestamps of Key Segments
- 01:32 – Host introduction and Regina Spektor’s live performance: "Becoming All Alone"
- 06:22 – Discussion: Dynamics and range on the piano, creativity through constraints
- 09:28 – Milestones in Regina’s career, the struggle and necessity of artistic renewal
- 12:22 – Russian musical influences and the impact of storytelling traditions
- 16:48 – Conversation on songwriting structure, time signatures, and creative instinct
- 18:44 – Introduction and live performance: "Loveology"
- 24:54 – Discussion: The meaning of “home” in music and Regina’s relationship with the piano
- 27:22 – Live performance: "What Might Have Been"
Episode Tone and Style
The conversation is warm, reflective, often playful. Both Regina and Kusha share personal insights and “geek out” over musical details. Regina’s honest self-exploration and vulnerability are matched by her poetic descriptions, making this episode an in-depth portrait of her artistry for both new listeners and longtime fans.
For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard the Episode
This episode offers an intimate journey through Regina Spektor's creative world. You'll find stories behind her songs, live piano performances, and enlightening reflections on the interplay between constraint and art, cultural inheritance, and the ever-evolving search for home—both onstage and off.