An Exclusive STYLE Interview with Jann Arden On eggnog, hockey sticks, music & world peace :-)
Style: We’d love to hear about your favourite holiday traditions. I have a lot of great memories where Christmas is concerned. One of my favourites was watching mom make eggnog from scratch. I wish she could remember what the heck she put in it, but sadly that recipe is lost to time and space. Alzheimer’s has a way of stealing things and hiding them. I can picture her cracking whole eggs into the blender and grating in the nutmeg... adding cream, vanilla extract, milk and cinnamon. It was a foamy, dreamy mug full of wonderful. I should give it a whirl myself one of these days to see if I even get close! We also played Rummoli every year. None of us actually knew the rules of that card game, but we’d laugh our butts off as we dropped our pennies into the various squares on the plastic sheet. Clubs, spades, diamonds and hearts. For some reason, my gram always won the jackpot and no one was sure why! Style: What’s one of the best gifts you’ve ever received? It was always exciting getting a new hockey stick every year. Not kidding. As I got older, I loved getting the big trays of make-up from the drugstore. Pallets of eyeshadow and lip gloss and brushes and blushes and mascara. I have always loved makeup–even when I played girls hockey! Style: We love your “A Jann Arden Christmas” album. Do you have a song that’s particularly meaningful to you? If so, will you share your story about it? Honestly, I LOVE all the songs on this record. It took us a long, long, long time to choose which songs to record, and of course the most important part of that decision-making was that I LOVED the song. If I HAD to pick one, it would be O Holy Night. I love the production and the simplicity of the arrangement. It is a difficult song to sing but well worth the effort!
broadcaster, an actor, a guest host of The Social and you’ve produced two documentaries. You have so many talents! What other dreams do you have yet to fulfill? I would love to work more with animals. I think my golden years are going to be spent saving whatever furry creatures I can; improving their lives, and being an advocate for their rights as living, thoughtful beings. I would also like to learn how to fly, or not. think needs our attention most these days? Lord, where does one start? Honestly, in my mind I feel like we have to really concentrate our efforts at saving and healing the planet. We are ruining the only little piece of ground we live on. Without the earth, every other issue seems to be a moot point. Species of animals, fish, insects, and birds, you name it are going extinct each and every day–never to return. Our tree canopy reduced by 90%, the use of fossil fuels causing unheard of disasters. Global warming, pollution, carbon poisoning–all of it has to be reduced and eventually eliminated. Style: You’re performing select Christmas shows with the Winnipeg and Toronto Symphony Orchestras this holiday season. What’s the best part of that experience for you? The BAND! I mean, forty-plus people on the stage with a common goal; there is nothing like it in the world. A surreal, ethereal experience for sure. Style: Any new albums in the works that you can tell us about? I’ll start recording a new original record next year. Style: If you had one wish for this holiday season, what would it be? Peace. World peace. I feel like I just won a beauty pageant. Style: You’re also a philanthropist and have generously supported several charities. What charity do you
Style: Not only are you an award winning singer/ songwriter, you’re also an author, a columnist, a
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