JULIANA
IE : Isn ’ t there a line on the album about that ? “ All I ever wanted was to revel in my loneliness ”? JH : Yeah , exactly . I guess that ’ s a way of putting it , yeah . People always think that I ’ m lonely , but to me , being alone does not
want to live any other way ? Unless there are other things that come into it , like financial reasons , or if you actually need help , like physical help . I mean , if you need that stuff , then go for it . But some of us don ’ t need emotional support as much as others do , so they ’ re lucky enough to live alone by choice . So there ’ s a question authority aspect — question the authority of the norms , you know what I mean ?
IE : In the song “ Dead Weight ,” you sing , “ Why do you love me ?/ You must be mad .” JH : Yeah , and I talk about why someone would see me as attractive and how stereotypes about women figure into it . Like ,
Juliana Hatfield equate with loneliness . Some of my loneliest times have been when I was with someone else , and we were not getting along . To me , that ’ s worse than being alone . So I am post-love . I ’ ve evolved into a more highlyevolved state — I ’ ve evolved past needing or wanting that in my life .
IE : How would the average person out there who ’ s starting to feel that way get over that hump ? JH : Well , if it feels good , why fight it ? Or if it feels more natural , then why would you
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maybe men have had an idealized version of me because they were projecting onto me what they thought I was or what they wanted . Someone who was nurturing and loving and all that stuff , which is maybe not who I am . So I ’ ve definitely felt like I was not being seen as the person I really was — people saw what they wanted to see in me , not who I really was . And it ’ s not terrible — it ’ s just the way it is . Everyone does it . Everyone projects something onto other people , and that ’ s just part of how all that works . It ’ s a game , I think . Romantic rela
8 illinoisentertainer . com june 2021