Taylor Momsen stole hearts as little Cindy Lou Who in 2000’s The Grinch, before inspiring many a teen girl to slap on the dark eyeshadow as tearaway Jenny in Gossip Girl. But her heart belongs to rock music. After forming The Pretty Reckless at just 14 years old, she left acting behind and has had an incredible music career to date. Taylor shares some of the lessons she’s learned along the way from touring with AC/DC tp nudity as an art form, bat bites and… crochet?!
START THEM YOUNG
“Music was a big part of my household. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a house that reveres rock’n’roll, especially my father. He was a roadie for Aerosmith when he was younger! He played in bands, never professionally, but if you go to my parents’ house, it is a museum of rock’n’roll paraphernalia. He gave me a strong musical education starting at two years old.
"Most weekends, he would take me down to the basement and play me a new record, from Zeppelin to Black Sabbath to Bowie and Dylan. When I first heard the Beatles, I fell in love with them, and that was my spark of beginning to write songs.”
INSPIRATION CAN COME FROM THE MOST UNLIKELY PLACE
“When I filmed The Grinch, I found out that Cindy Lou Who was going to be singing in the film, and that was the most exciting thing in the world! That was my first experience in a professional recording studio, and it really had a massive impact on me. Standing behind a microphone for the first time, putting headphones on, and hearing your voice through compressors.
"That crystal clarity that a recording studio gives you was magical to me, and truly life-changing. I left that session with an excitement for, and a validation of, music being what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”
Digital pop isn’t for me. Rock’n’roll encompasses everything
FIND YOUR TRIBE
“I had lived this strange life that was very isolating to a degree. It was me alone on sets from a young age, looking to try and find some camaraderie. I looked at The Beatles, and I looked at Elvis, and I thought, ‘Who wants to be Elvis and do this alone when I can do this with my best friends?’
"That’s not something you can force, though. You can’t just audition a bunch of musicians and hire a band; that’s asking for failure. I wanted the real thing, organically. When I met my band, it was like we had known each other forever. It was just this instant connection and instant family, if you will. The Pretty Reckless was formed, and the rest is history!”
NUDITY IS AN ART FORM
“I was looking at all my pictures on my photo reel, going, ‘God, I am just nude in all of these!’ I’ve never seen nudity as risqué. Shock value has never been a goal of mine. Whenever I’m nude, it’s from a very deep artistic place where there’s this purity to what I’m doing. I’m a big lover of fashion.
"I love going to Fashion Week and seeing all the new clothes and putting outfits together, but when it comes to art, music videos, and record covers, I want to make something that is timeless. As soon as I try to make an outfit, it taints it in some way and puts it in a time capsule or dates it. There’s something so beautiful and vulnerable and bold, using your body in your purest, most honest form as a way to express yourself.”
ROCK’N’ROLL ISN’T ABOUT A TATTOO OR AN OUTFIT
“What I love about rock’n’roll is its the ultimate freedom. There are no real boundaries with it. I’m a big lover of the guitar, so I can’t really see myself making music that doesn’t have organic instruments in it. Digital pop isn’t for me. Rock’n’roll encompasses everything: it’s the blues, it’s jazz, it’s folk… it’s country at times, what with Southern rock.
"I never put any limitations on myself while writing like, ‘This has to be heavy!’ Rock ‘n’roll is an attitude, and that’s something that I live every day whether I’m sitting at home in pyjamas, walking out on the street or I’m stepping out onto a stage. That attitude is who I am.”
STAY BUSY
“I actually learned to crochet on the AC/DC tour, and it’s become my new obsession and hobby. It keeps my hands busy and my mind really focused. It’s the best hobby for me in the studio!
"Maybe I’ll make my own sweaters for the next video; there are only so many blankets one can make. I thought it was the funniest thing on the AC/DC tour because we’re onstage singing about hell, and then we get offstage and we’re drinking tea and crocheting. The juxtaposition is so great. I was like, if people only could see this!”
The phone ringsand it’s my agent saying AC/DC called
PLANS CHANGE…
“We had just finished touring the Death By Rock And Roll album and my manager called me up. He said, ‘So you don’t want to tour, you’re going back in the studio?’ I said, ‘Yes, only call me if it’s AC/DC or the Rolling Stones.’ We went into the studio, everything is flowing, it’s the best recording session of my life, real lightning in a bottle stuff.
"A week in, the phone rings, and it’s my agent saying AC/DC called. WHAT?! He goes, ‘Yeah, they’ve asked you to be their only support for their stadium tour coming up.’ So we cancelled the recording, because there are some things you just don’t say no to!”
ESPECIALLY IF YOU KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN
“A week after that, my manager calls me again. He goes, ‘Now you’re really not going to believe this… The Rolling Stones also called, and they want you to open for them in Vegas.’ Talk about witchcraft!”
PROVE PEOPLE WRONG
“When news broke about us touring with AC/DC, I was getting warnings from industry friends. People were calling me, saying, ‘Be prepared that AC/DC’s audience isn’t going to like you. They don’t care about the opener, they’re just there for AC/DC. Be prepared to be booed offstage.’ Thankfully, we didn’t really have that experience. They were incredible to us. It became like a game for me; my goal was to win them over by the end of the set.”
YOU HAVE TO REALLY WANT IT
“My advice to any young band would be to never underestimate how much work [being a successful musician] is. You have to be all in. Because if you half ass it, you will fail! I had multiple side jobs, but my heart and my focus were solely on making the record. To quote AC/DC: It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock’n’roll. Never was a truer word spoken! At the end of the day, though, it is the most rewarding thing in the world.”
IT’S NOT ABOUT GENDER
“I never really looked at gender as a hindrance to me, even though growing up, all my idols were men. I never wanted to be one of the boys or to change who I was. I got told a lot by interviewers, ‘You’re carrying the torch for women!’ But I don’t want to be only compared to women. I want to be equal. And I never thought I wasn’t, until people started pointing it out to me. At 32 now, I do see that there’s a difference in the way people perceive it and the way people look at it, but I’m just me.
"I do think it’s cool that young girls might look at The Pretty Reckless and aspire to this. I’m very proud to be a woman in rock’n’roll. One thing hasn’t changed, though… I want to compete with the best, and the best has nothing to do with gender.”
FOLLOW YOUR HEART
“I’m proud that I trusted my instincts. I’m proud that I listened to myself, and I really fought for what I believe in, against all odds and against a lot of people’s advice. I went for my dreams and really trusted my gut as to who I was and who I am. I didn’t take no for an answer! I stuck to my guns, and it has led me to where I am now, and I feel like I’m in a really good place, and I’m really happy with that.”
The Pretty Reckless play Download Festival in June. This interview was originally published in Metal Hammer #408
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