WHEN KATE NASH
MET REGINA SPEKTOR
New York songstress Regina Spektor is Kate Nash's biggest influence. She's always wanted to meet her, so we made it happen. Just call us NME'11 Fix It
Normally at 730am on Friday morning in New York, you'd find NME collapsing into bed following the previous night's blow-out at Club NME NYC. Not this Friday. Today, NME has risen bright and early, with a brief to escort Kate Nash to Philadelphia to make her teen dream a reality by plonking her in a room opposite her ivory-tickling idol Regina Spektor with a licence to drink all the tea she can make, shoot all the adoring looks she can muster and say "Oh my God" as many times as she likes (which will, as it turns out, be rather a few times).
In the madness outside the station, Kate's extremely easy to spot; her shining strawberry hair and red dress stand out from the blur of grey office donkeys like a beacon of indie style. On the train, she excitedly plays NME a continuous flow of tracks from the New York songstress back-catalogue, declaring every other one to be her "favourite ever" before a miserable old biddy stalks over and asks us to turn it off with one of the meanest frowns this side of a hungover brontosaurus.
"Regina got me through all the angsty stuff I went
through from the ages of 16 to 18," sighs Kate. "Whether it was parents, friends, hating working at Nando's, getting my heart broken for the first time or being really ill, I always felt like I could turn to Regina. I first went to see her when I was 18 and I was so happy afterwards that people were asking me if I was on drugs!"
Such is the extent of glee on Kate's face as we arrive at
the hotel where the meeting will take place, it's hard not
to wonder the same thing. By now in a blind panic, she
turns to a coffee-craving NME and exclaims for the
17,835th time, "Jesus, I'm so nervous!"
"It's OK." we reply. "Regina's really nice, y'know..."
"Yeah, but I'm such a dickhead!"
The very second Regina throws her arms
room and they begin to chat in an
almost sisterly way. Regina could pass
as a distant member of the Nash clan by
virtue of the red hair, striking dress and
excitable disposition alone. 'Bless' just isn't the word.
REGINA: "Look at how we showed up today! Were
wearing similar things and our hair is worn the same.
It's not a slick style, it's more playful. I've never felt good
taking a piece of clothing when there are 12 other exact
copies of that thing hanging there too."
KATE: "Yeah, I hate that as well..."
REGINA: "And if I do I try to alter it somehow. Like
these elbow pads - I made them out of socks just this
morning. (To NME) You can tell that Kate likes to dress
in a way that isn't out of a catalogue."
But, quicker than you can say Topshop, talk turns to
music and they continue their hyper-speed bonding over
Björk. Kate has a picture of the icelandic oddball during
the mid-90s as her laptop wallpaper, while Regina
recounts her delight at meeting Ms Guömundsdóttir at
Scotland's Connect Festival over the summer. "We were
watching LCD Soundsystem by the side of the stage and
she said, 'I know this is not hygienic, but...' and then
offered to share her wine with me. I was thinking. 'Are
you kidding? I want you to spit on me!"
Kate constantly carries around a pen and pad, writing
down anything she's not familiar with like some kind of
gonzo scholar. As Regina talks, she scribbles so furiously
it's like she's being taught the meaning of life.
KATE: I've always had this desire to learn and to be
clever, but I didn't get into university so I still feel
paranoid about not having enough knowledge. I've got
a fear of being left behind. so I'll do things like buy £70
worth of CDs of stuff that I don't even know what it is.
but I know I should have them."
REGINA: "Well, at least your paranoia is fuelling your
education. It's commendable that anyone is trying to
educate themselves because, even now, I think a lot of
girls are taught even by their parents to not get too many
big ideas - to sit quietly and be pretty."
KATE: "Since I've become involved in the music
industry I've become like a raving feminist! I'm so aware
of virtually everyone within the business being male,
and I got really paranoid when I was starting in the
business and I didn't have anyone I could turn to."
REGINA: "It was the same for me. I was a real pain
in the ass for the people who tried to sign me and
I recommend you do that too. Don't just feel pressured
or rushed into doing things - it's your right to take
your time and find the people who aren't just drunk
guys in suits."
KATE: "There was a time that signing a record
deal made me want to jump off a cliff. But
I realised that you have to be in it to fight it.
Plus, the whole reason I wanted to be making
music and perform is to reach people, otherwise
I'd have just stayed in my bedroom..."
REGINA: "Oh my god! Are you related to me?
I've spoken those exact words!"
As Kate will be the first to tell you, it's a minor
tragedy that Regina Spektor hasn't achieved a level
of stardom that reflects her huge talent. A classically-
trained musician and a scholar of the piano, she moved
from the old Soviet Union to New York as a child and
began to perform around the city's countless bars, cafés
and all-purpose shitholes while self-releasing albums at
the same time. It was 2003's superb 'Soviet Kitsch' that
converted a 16-year-old Kate to Regina's unique charm
and she wasn't the only one. The press reaction was
orgasmic and she even had the patronage of The Strokes
to aid her. "They were the kindest people when I toured
with them after 'Room On Fire' came out. The second
ever time I opened for them, there were these frat boys
in the front row and, because of the way I was sitting.
they could see my underwear. I heard them slow-
clapping and then they said. 'Good job Norah fucking
Jones!' After my set. I ran offstage crying, but the band
came up to my dressing room and started to teach me
how to deal with hecklers. They said that I should
always turn the tables on them, so by the end of the tour
I was so tough - I'd go on stage smoking cigarettes and
spitting on the floor and saying, 'Fuck you, and you, and
your mother! By the time I went home, my mom was
like. 'Who are you?'"
For a moment, the scribbling stops as Kate recounts
being told to "get your muff out" by a punter at the
Camden Barfly a few weeks ago - the same incident that
caused the Duke of Wakefield (aka Ryan Jarman) to
defend his lady's honour by slinging beer towards the
emotional retard in question.
REGINA: "I hope you let him fucking have it."
KATE:"All I said was. 'Oh, boo!" I haven't figured out
what to do about that stuff yet."
REGINA: "I would have said. 'Get the fuck out. Go
upstairs, get a drink on me - tell them Regina's gonna
stop by and pay for it - but just get the fuck out. I've
worked on this my whole life and that's all you can say?'
I would have let him have it."
It's a true Luke Skywalker/Obi-Wan Kenobi moment.
She may not have written it down but you can tell by
the look in Kate's eyes that a mental note has been
made, and she's already planning future retaliations.
After our snapper engages the pair for a brief
photoshoot, they exchange emails and promise to send
each other countless links, books and songs, while NME
even suggests that they collaborate ("Yeah, we could use,
like, 30 pianos!" laughs Regina). But regardless of
whether that actually happens, there's no doubt that
Kate Nash has exchanged her distant hero-worshipping
of old for a new, and very personal mentor.
"That was AMAZING," she squeals on the train back to
New York. "Now that I've met her and know she's a real
person. I think I can look up to her even more, but she
still has the child in her too. I had a cab driver telling me
the other day how I should always keep the child in me
as I grow up and I can see what he means now. She's
exactly like you think she would be from her songs -
sweet, charming and so clever."
NME thinks those are exactly the three attributes that
make Kate Nash what she is too... no wonder they got on so well.
We've got exclusive one-off Polaroids signed
by both girls. For a chance to win, go to NME.COM/
WIN and answer this: Where was Regina Spektor
born? A) Moscow B) Brighton C)Brooklyn
First correct entry selected at midnight on Monday, Oct 15
wins. T & Cs apply. See NME.COM for details.
See your Fannish Inquisition questions put to Kate
in an exclusive interview on NME.COM/VIDEO
"YEAH, VERY FUNNY. NOW UNGLUE THESE TEACUPS
BEFORE WE HAVE TO WRITE A SONG ABOUT IT..."
