The power of words and music: Aimee Mann, Julie Andrews

Aimee Mann and Julie Andrews? Can Coachella top that? OK, so they weren't on the same stage, but they did both appear at the L.A. Times Festival of Books on Sunday.

Aimee Mann, above, and Joe Henry with interviewer Steve Almond kicked off the second frying day of the fest with a 10:30 a.m. panel titled "The Lyrical Line: Conversation & Music."

And Julie Andrews took the children's stage at noon to talk about that very thing: the intersection of literacy and the arts. Andrews, who was introduced as Julie Andrews Edwards, talked about "Simeon's Gift," the children's book she wrote with her daughter Emma Walton Hamilton with illustrations by Gennady Spirin. A musical adaptation of the book will be performed July 18 and 19 at the Hollywood Bowl.

Mary Forgione

(Photo of Aimee Mann by Tom Politeo)

Comments

[wrongshore]

Aimee Mann was charmingly humble on the topic of whether she's a "literary" songwriter. "The bar is really low," she said. "It takes two or three details in a four-minute song. All you have to do is mention that it's Tuesday and someone had a coffee and you're a literary writer."

[George Oakley]

I'm not a fan of either Mann or Henry's music (I was dragged by a friend), but I enjoyed Mann's comments, and found her description of her process fascinating. I was turned off by Henry, who seemed completely in love with the sound of his own voice, and acted like he, not Mann, was the main attraction. The real annoyance here, though, was moderator Steve Almond, who asked terrible questions, and constantly got basic information wrong (like repeatedly mispronouncing the title of Mann's new CD). Rather than ask, for example, about Mann's inspiration for the songs from MAGNOLIA, he asked what songs from her past now embarrass her. The capper was when Almond asked Mann about the writing she'd done that was not songwriting. To which she replied, "As I mentioned backstage, the only other writing I've done was one op-ed piece for the New York Times on the anniversary of SERGEANT PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND." The guy was clearly in over his head, but how difficult is it to ask: "How do you first start to develop an idea?" or "What was going through your head when you wrote "Save Me?"

[kylie]

aimee man is amazing i love her ability to write songs. she reminds me of this similar artist her name is rebecca pidgeon.