Anne McCue 2 review/interview

Anne McCue “Coming To You”                                           8.0

from Koala Motel (Messenger)

“Dear: I write from these walls, as Her Majesty calls.” Anne McCue and

her acoustic guitar seem to call from walls too, with a little bit of echo;

clear, but not too loud. Voice and rhythm and eyes are tight, not strained,

but focussed and aimed just past and above the ears, even

(or especially) in headphones. It’s a song from (not just in) prison,

apparently (“serving at Her Majesty’s pleasure,” as they say on

Masterpiece Theatre).
Whether the singer’s literally a prisoner or not, there are brief references to imposed conditions, though they’re basically the kind of restraints everyone lives in: day and night and mealtime and so on. And the imposed conditions of separation, in space as well as time. “The sun shines on you, wherever you are.”
Whatever’s happened or will happen, and wherever, this song is now the full-grown embodiment of thought and choice, as well as passion. It’s a call and a response. Connection remade in absence, and as “you course through my veins” in the night. A countermove, counterworld, but within the world: there’s no sense of escapism here. There is a sense, a glimpse of words
within words, of intimate shades of meaning, in the lucid reflections of the singer, the one she’s singing to, and in between.
Anne McCue on "Coming to You"

You’ve said that “Coming To You” is connected to

Lady Chatterley’s Lover. What was it about the sensibility of this

novel that appealed to you?

I read the novel when I was a teenager and didn’t like it as much as his

other books, such as Women In Love, which is also a great film. But I was

too young to get it. As it turns out, I think it is the best of his novels that I

have read, because it has stood the test of time, and deals with themes

that are still relevant today, such as the roles of men and women in
modern society, how to create a meaningful life, what is really important.
His message is that love is the most important thing, not social status
or reputation. Often people rely on the appearance of being happy
to get them through, rather than actual happiness which can come at
a huge cost. We have to work to be happy and make sacrifices,
as in the book, Lady Chatterley has to leave the upper class and
all her wealth to be with her man, the groundskeeper. It’s a scandal!!

Was there a particular section, chapter, passage that evoked or

distilled the song for you?

Yes, it’s the letter at the end of the book that he writes to her. It is one of t
he most beautiful love letters ever written and has in it the theme of chastity

being a true manifestation of the love he feels for her.

Did the book suddenly seem to give you a glimpse or more of the
genesis of a song, or were you already consciously forming one,

and the book brought it further into view?

I had everything but the lyrics and waited for three years to find out what
they were meant to be, till I re-read this book. Sometimes you
have to dig in and wait. If you compromise a song, you will feel
a great emptiness for the rest of your life when you think about it
or hear it. It’s not worth it.

What do you think of Lawrence’s other work? Any favorites?

Have you read his poetry?

I may have read some poems here and there but I don’t remember.
I think he was a wild unruly hippy ahead of his time.

It’s like Kris Kristofferson says,
“I’d rather be sorry for somethin’ I done, than for somethin’ I didn’t do.”