Heather Haley

The Argotist Online

Home Articles Interviews Features Poetry Ebooks Submissions Links

Heather Haley

Heather Haley is an accomplished performer, both as a spoken word artist and musician. She sang and wrote songs for a series of groups, including an all-girl punk band, then the .45s (with Randy Rampage of DOA, Brad Kent of the Avengers and Karla Duplantier of LA's Controllers) and HHZ-Heather Haley & the Zellots—praised by LA Weekly music critic Craig Lee as one of "Ten Great Bands". When she returned to Vancouver, Haley worked the streets as an official BC Transit busker. In 2004, she teamed up with guitarist/sound designer and dj Roderick Shoolbraid to produce a series of live shows and an audio CD of song and spoken word called Surfing Season. Princess Nut, a new CD of spoken word songs performed by Heather with Aural Heather was released this spring.

Q: Do you think of your lyrics as poetry?

A: No, I make a distinction but poetry influences my lyric writing.

Q: Do you think it is important that songs rhyme and if so why?

A: No. I don't think it's mandatory. Whatever is organic to the song is what should determine whether the lyric is written to rhyme or not.

Q: Do you think song lyrics must conform to recognised song structures such as clear rhyming schemes, choruses, refrains, hooks and bridges or that songs can also be like free verse?

A: I like all kinds of song, traditional and not. I do think songs can be written with a free verse approach.

Q: When you read poetry in school or elsewhere did you recognize any connection to the music you enjoyed?

A: Yes, especially in the structure of verses.

Q: Was there anything about poetry in books that influenced your songwriting?

A: Yes. Imagery.

Q: Why do you think songs are more popular with people than poetry is?

A: Culture. They've become the cultural norm. I think song developed from storytelling. I think people invented rhyme as a mnemonic device, as a way to remember the fables and legends, when they were passed down orally. Same with singing. When the printing press came along, people began to develop verse for the page.