Courtesy of Nellie McKay
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I had the opportunity to see Nellie McKay perform with Moby for an E-town radio recording in Boulder, CO a few weeks ago. It was a fantastic performance; both artists had the audience and show hosts engaged, laughing, and thinking—about politics, about community, about their diet and how it relates to climate change.
I caught up with Nellie a couple days after the show to have a longer chat about her veganism.
Planet Green: How long have you been vegan, and how did it start?
Nellie McKay: Five years now. We were on tour, we were at a kind of loading center for cows—I don't know if it was for auction or transport to slaughter or to another feedlot—it was out west, where sometimes it isn't so hidden. And I just thought, I was at Denny's where they serve food pornography of the desserts--you know they have those close-up pictures, and it so delicious and inviting, and I really wanted a brownie with ice cream. And I didn't get it, I guess that was kind of the turning point.
A lot of animals, the best time of their lives is going to be when they get that glimpse of fresh air. Less so for cows than for chickens or pigs. And the male animals, they have it better than the female animals, because [females are] used as breeding machines and milk machines and egg machines before they're slaughtered. So it was a rather benign side of the industry. It wasn't like I saw something that bad, I had just wanted to go off of dairy and eggs for a long time, and it's still hard. A lot of good junk food is vegan.
PG: You've gotten a lot of press lately, since the release of your new album. Has there been much interest in your veganism or politics in general?
NK: I think there's always interest, but they usually try to dismiss it, or they try to find a reason why people are into animal rights. For instance, with Doris Day, saying it was because her dog died when she was young.
But it doesn't always have to be a personal reason, they're always trying to see why you're so strange. And in fact, you're being perfectly reasonable, you're extending your ethics, of not wanting to see suffering and pain, to animals.
So I think that's the thing, they'll ask you about it and then try to make you look like a kook.
PG: Do you make a point to talk about activism or veganism during performances?
NK:I think I'm better at talking from the stage, and trying to make it entertaining. And I think in a way people are more receptive if they hear it from someone far away than someone close to them. It's like that old thing where you tell your parents something they've been telling you for years, and they just want to shake you and say, "I've been saying that for years!"
I think people...they don't want to hear it, because they love their food so much. It's all about the food, it's not about the clothing—that would change very quickly, and it's not about the experimentation, even though people say, if we test on this animal, we might find a cure. And that can be important to people, but we wouldn't put up with that kind of torture if we weren't accustomed to torturing animals in order that we can eat them.
Some people feel like their civil liberties are being trampled on by defending the weakest among us. "How dare you make me care about this animal?" But I think people are getting more considerate as they learn more.
PG: Time for the cliche question. Do you think there is a connection between art and politics?
NK:You know, they say politics is show business for ugly people.
You can't not be political. Everything you do is political. Sometimes you have to ignore that, because it gets in the way of the art or it will just drive you crazy. But you can't be neutral on a moving train. And too many people try to be. By not saying anything, you are supporting the current regime. So you're not actually being neutral, you are being supportive of what is currently in power. So that whole thing, "I stay out of politics"—you can't. You can't stay out of politics.
Related Posts:
Drum Roll, Please: Instrumental is Here, Covering Renewable Music
Moby on Stage: Wanna Talk About Climate Change But Ignore Meat? It's Like Talking About Lung Cancer But Ignoring Cigarettes
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