NASHVILLE |FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/ AMANDA CAGAN
ALANIS MORISSETTE SET TO RELEASE
‘JAGGED LITTLE PILL, LIVE‘ HOME VIDEO JULY 1
“While I could never do the two years justice in an hour and a half (there was a lot left out), I did my best to show the different mindsets, moods, coping mechanisms and humor that carried us through months of extremes. I am happy to share these moments, knowing that things (and I) will never be the same.”
ALANIS MORISSETTE is talking about the forthcoming release of jagged little pill, Live (Maverick Reprise Video). Due out July 1–exactly two years to the day after she launched her world tour at a small club in Madison, Wisconsin–the 90-minute presentation mixes in-concert and behind-the-scenes (High 8 and film) documentary footage. A fascinating all-access look at the artistry of Alanis and life on the road, it was produced by ALANIS and Steve Purcell and was edited from 220 hours worth of collected footage.
JAGGED LITTLE PILL, LIVE is being released on home video (price: $19.98) and in the new DVD format ($24.98). DVD video discs are the same size as a music CD with an enormous increase in digital storage that accommodates an exceptional picture and theatre-quality Dolby Digital Surround sound.
“My motivation for creating this show was initially to have something for myself to keep as a souvenir,” says ALANIS. “Something I could look back on in five or 40 years and gasp, shudder, be sentimental and proud. As it was nearing its completion, I felt the urge to share it with others. It’s a document of what it was like to tour and support a record that was and continues to be very special to me. It captures being on the road during a time where the illusion taunted my/our growth and where the seductive and somewhat unrealistic aspects of our lifestyles tested us daily.”
JAGGED LITTLE PILL, LIVE features performances of all the songs from ALANIS‘ precedent-setting and critically-acclaimed jagged little pill debut album on Maverick. Included are concert scenes from ALANIS‘ dynamic performance in New Orleans at the UNO Arena in October 1996 that was filmed to air as an in-concert TV special throughout Europe. A part of two new songs written on the road–“Can’t Not” (by ALANIS and Glen Ballard) “No Pressure Over Cappuccino” (byALANIS and Nick Lashley)–are heard at the beginning and end of the video over credits.
JAGGED LITTLE PILL, LIVE follows ALANIS and musicians Nick Lashley (guitars), Jesse Tobias (guitars), Chris Chaney (bass) and Taylor Hawkins (drums) around the world for 18 months before concluding December 14 at her final concert in Hawaii. What’s unique about the presentation is how it’s edited: the viewer gets to see ALANIS perform a song by starting in one venue and, without missing a beat, continuing it in other settings. From this process, the viewer can see the in-concert evolution of the songs and their different incarnations.
“There are some nights where I would channel my rage through certain songs…other nights where I would channel my sadness or compassion through others,” reflects ALANIS. “It is not difficult for me to go back to the root emotion behind one of my songs. It was easy because every night there were new people to communicate to…the conviction would return simply because I was engaging in a new conversation with a new ‘person.'”
As with all of ALANIS‘ music, JAGGED LITTLE PILL, LIVE is probing, intimate, revealing. The viewer gets to see a lot of candid footage of ALANIS and her band backstage, on the tour bus and traveling. There are also stirring acoustic performances from various TV programs including “You Oughta Know” (where she’s backed by a string section), “Head Over Feet” and “Your House” (from the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards), among others. Interspersed throughout are interviews and performances from TV programs and press conferences as well as more personal scenes of ALANIS discussing the experiences of how her songs inspired her in the studio as well as on the road.
ALANIS is expected to head into the studio in the coming months to record a new album for release in 1998. She will also perform a short set Sunday, June 8 at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in New York City (at Randall’s Island).
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