2007-10-13 NME

WHEN KATE NASH MET REGINA SPEKTOR

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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

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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.

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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.

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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..."