Description

Liz Phair burst onto the indie rock scene in 1993, riding a wave of hype and acclaim that heralded her Matador Records debut, EXILE IN GUYVILLE. Conceived as a song-for-song response to the Rolling Stones' EXILE ON MAIN STREET, GUYVILLE boasted clever, sexually explict lyrics, punchy pop riffs, and lo-fi production, all pulled together by Phair's flat, matter-of-fact vocals. After two more albums that received lukewarm reviews, Phair finally took the plunge into all-out radio-friendly pop in 2003, signing to Capitol Records and working with Avril Lavigne's production team, much to the chagrin of many longtime fans.

Biography

b. 17 April 1967, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Phair was brought up in a wealthy suburb of Chicago, Illinois, by her adoptive father (a physician) and mother (an art teacher). It was a perfectly happy childhood, during which she befriended the actress Julia Roberts (a friendship later recounted in the song "Chopsticks"). Her first love was art, but at Oberlin College in Ohio she became involved in the local music scene, which included bands such as Codeine, Bitch Magnet, Seam and Come. Phair also began writing songs, and became friends with Chris Brokaw, the guitarist with Come, and after college they both moved to San Francisco and began playing together. When Brokaw moved back east, Phair sent him tapes of her music, which generally consisted of 14 new songs each. Brokaw recognized her talent and alerted others. Although Phair herself was not as confident in the quality of these still-evolving songs, she did agree to sign with Matador Records in the summer of 1992. Entering the studio with her drummer and co-producer Brad Wood, Phair announced her intention to make a "female Exile On Main Street". Ignoring traditional song structures, her approach allowed the low-key production to empower her confessional and occasionally abusive lyrics. With fellow musicians Casey Rice (guitar) and LeRoy Bach (bass) complementing her own playing (like her UK peer, PJ Harvey, critical attention is often concentrated on her voice at the expense of her distinctive guitar playing), Phair produced an album that was both widely acclaimed and enjoyed commercial success. Exile In Guyville (the title was a dig at Chicago's male-dominated underground scene) was a sprawling and powerful double album that inspired a new generation of bluntly articulate female singer-songwriters.
Phair's only flaw became apparent during live shows, when her stage fright was increased by the presence of famous guests such as Winona Ryder and Rosanna Arquette. This was, perhaps, not to be expected from a woman with the confidence to write the overtly sexual "Flower" ("Every time I see your face, I get all wet between my legs"). It was not simply the brash sexuality of her debut that was discarded for her second album, but also her desire to be part of the "Guyville" set. As she explained in interviews, there was no reason to resent her exclusion now that she had proved herself and moved on. Whip-Smart was a more polished set, lacking some of her previous eccentricities. It was still, however, a genuinely exciting and turbulent album, welcomed once again by critics and fans alike. The same reception was not given to Juvenilia, a stop-gap collection of her early recordings which had originally been released on her own Girly Sound tapes. With motherhood preoccupying her Phair remained quiet for nearly five years, although she did appear on Sarah McLachlan's high profile Lilith Fair touring show. Whitechocolatespaceegg adopted a more subtle approach, eschewing the abrasiveness of her earlier recordings. Liz Phair was a baffling record for longtime fans, it was a retro record of simple pop melodies with her usual expletive lyrics.
DISCOGRAPHY: Exile In Guyville (Matador 1993)****, Whip-Smart (Matador 1994)****, Juvenilia (Matador 1995)**, Whitechocolatespaceegg (Matador 1999)***, Liz Phair (Capitol 2003)**.

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