Katey Sagal interview
1
EDITOHIAL ROUTTNG 5-s-94 TO: ENTERTAINMENT -= 7, On the record Sagal gets her singing act together u o o J 3 € o o I o E o o x tr ! d o z € ! D ! FI 5 o o ; 5 p I 'a F llfff""l i"ll,l?;Iffi nlT"'.!;:g everybody,s n ea r miss,' By Frank Lovece John Lennon said it best: Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans. And for singer Katey Sagal, life happened to make her actress Katey Sagal, of Fox's "Married... With Children." But after having toured with Bette Midler, sung on movie soundtracks, and per- formed onstage in an Elizabeth Swados musical, she was always, in her own mind, a singer simply doing this TV thing. Sagal's plans have finally caught up with her life, with the release of her soul-inflected solo album, "Well." Garnering respectful reviews, the reeord is no DoA Johnson/Bruce Willis vanity project - Sagal can sing as well as Streisand can act. "My life has gone nothing like I've planned it," Sagal muses. Her TV- trademark red hair has grown back to a natural dark auburn; she sits "I have to admit, my life's turned out way better thanl could have planned it. The record couldn't have come at a better time in my life, because I was at a place where I was finally able to be OK with what I wanted to do," she says, "and not everybody else's idea of what I should do." That Sagal, 38, can look at her life with some gratefulness is a testa- ment to her ability to survive and move ahead. For despite all the sub- stantial rewards of a long-running TV show, Sagal has suffered tragedy beyond balance. Her father and mentor, director Boris Sagal, was killed in a freak accident in 1981, when he stepped into the whirling blades of a helicopter. Her first mar- riage, to musician Freddie Beck- meier, ended that same year. There were years of drug abuse that final- ly led to recovery in a l2-step pro- gram in 1986, and a miscarriage four years later. Then, in 1991, in the eighth month of a highly publicized pregnancy that was worked into her TV-series' storyline, she and her hus- band, drummer Jack White, endured the soul-wrenching stillbirth of their daughter, Ruby. "When I was younger," Sagal says softly, philosophically, "I went through hard times, and I had this naive belief that once I got through those OK, that nothing bad was going to happen to me ever again. It was like child-thinking," she understands now. "Because then to have more bad stuff happen, later in my life, was startling to me. And I realized," she adds with a sad, small laugh, "that it's not like so much bad stuff happens and then you're immune to it. Life continues to go up and down till the end. Ijust kept thinking naively that at some point it levels off. I think as you g0 on that you 'l was one of these people who got lots of development deals from record companies, but never madearecord, lwas do have better understanding and more acceptance, but I don't know if it ever levels off." The ups, fortunately, have been as extreme as the downs. When still a teen-ager, she played a bit part ftilled as Catherine Louise Sagal) in her father's TV movie "The Failing of Ray- mond" (1971), netting her her critical Screen Actors Guild card. Though she cut short college after a half-semes- ter at the California Institute of the Arts, she began to get work as a singer around hometown Los Angeles - including a stint as a singing wait- ress at the fabled and now long-gone Great American Food & Beverage Company, where fellow alumni include Rickie Lee Jones. Sometime after- ward, Sagal became a backup singer, sort of, for the even-more-fabled Bob Dylan. "I actually only rehearsed with him," Sagal remembers. "I worked with him for two months, and then a week before the tour, he fired me and half the band. I don't know what hap- pened; he just lost it. But also I think I wasn't doing a very good job," she admits. "l was pretty starstruck. I'm not affected by too many people like that, but I would come into the room where he was and just be stunned." A year later, in lg78, music pro- ducer Paul Rothchild suggested Sagal try out for a spot as one of Bette Midler's backup singers, the Harlettes. Out of an open-call audi- tion of 150, Sagal became one of the chosen three. For the next few years, her life was a pattern of touring with Midler, then coming back to L.A. to put together bands. "I was one of these people who got lots of development deals from record companies, but never made a record," she says ruefully. "I was everybody's near miss." An all-singing part in the Elizabeth Swados punk-rock opera, "The Beau- tiful Lady," somehow got Sagal a reading for a sitcom - Mary Tyler Moore's short-lived "Mary" (1985-86). Sagal played Jo Tucker, a cynical, sharp-tongued, chain-smoking news- paper columnist. One year later, she was the cynical, sharp-tongued, but nonsmoking Peg Bundy on her cur- rent show. Maybe it was in her genes: Sagal's mom. Sara Zwilling, was a singer- songwriter and assistant director; her younger sisters are actress-twins Jean and Liz Sagal, stars of the 1984- 85 series "Double Trouble"; brother David, 37, is an entertainment lawyer, and brother Joey, 35, is an actor whose g'ork includes the recent film "The Chase." But it's music, not acting, she says, that soothes the savage beast. "The album," she says gratefully, looking back at everything else going on in her life as she recorded it. "The album, it helped me get through stuff." 01994 NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN. STAR VIEW F 3 r: u \ I fi It ft F a F, tr F( F U F + (r. U. c c l* *. c N C C Fc !D la P (L- -: z o o H -2 c o) G O S N N A cc o)
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Nationally syndicated newspaper column (NEA, May 3, 1994). By Frank Lovece
Transcript of Katey Sagal interview
EDITOHIALROUTTNG 5-s-94TO:
ENTERTAINMENT -=7,
On the record
Sagal gets her singing act together
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By Frank Lovece
John Lennon said it best: Life iswhat happens to you when you'rebusy making other plans. And forsinger Katey Sagal, life happened tomake her actress Katey Sagal, ofFox's "Married... With Children." Butafter having toured with Bette Midler,sung on movie soundtracks, and per-formed onstage in an ElizabethSwados musical, she was always, inher own mind, a singer simply doingthis TV thing.
Sagal's plans have finally caught upwith her life, with the release of hersoul-inflected solo album, "Well."Garnering respectful reviews, thereeord is no DoA Johnson/BruceWillis vanity project - Sagal can singas well as Streisand can act.
"My life has gone nothing like I'veplanned it," Sagal muses. Her TV-trademark red hair has grown backto a natural dark auburn; she sits
"I have to admit, my life's turned outway better thanl could have plannedit. The record couldn't have come ata better time in my life, because Iwas at a place where I was finallyable to be OK with what I wanted todo," she says, "and not everybodyelse's idea of what I should do."
That Sagal, 38, can look at her lifewith some gratefulness is a testa-ment to her ability to survive andmove ahead. For despite all the sub-stantial rewards of a long-running TVshow, Sagal has suffered tragedybeyond balance. Her father andmentor, director Boris Sagal, waskilled in a freak accident in 1981,when he stepped into the whirlingblades of a helicopter. Her first mar-riage, to musician Freddie Beck-meier, ended that same year. Therewere years of drug abuse that final-ly led to recovery in a l2-step pro-gram in 1986, and a miscarriage fouryears later. Then, in 1991, in theeighth month of a highly publicizedpregnancy that was worked into herTV-series' storyline, she and her hus-band, drummer Jack White, enduredthe soul-wrenching stillbirth of theirdaughter, Ruby.
"When I was younger," Sagal sayssoftly, philosophically, "I went
through hard times, and I had thisnaive belief that once I got throughthose OK, that nothing bad was goingto happen to me ever again. It was likechild-thinking," she understands now."Because then to have more bad stuffhappen, later in my life, was startlingto me. And I realized," she adds witha sad, small laugh, "that it's not likeso much bad stuff happens and thenyou're immune to it. Life continues togo up and down till the end. Ijust keptthinking naively that at some point itlevels off. I think as you g0 on that you
'l was one of thesepeople who got lots ofdevelopment dealsfrom recordcompanies, but nevermadearecord, lwas
do have better understanding andmore acceptance, but I don't know ifit ever levels off."
The ups, fortunately, have been asextreme as the downs. When still ateen-ager, she played a bit part ftilledas Catherine Louise Sagal) in herfather's TV movie "The Failing of Ray-mond" (1971), netting her her criticalScreen Actors Guild card. Though shecut short college after a half-semes-ter at the California Institute of theArts, she began to get work as asinger around hometown Los Angeles
- including a stint as a singing wait-ress at the fabled and now long-goneGreat American Food & BeverageCompany, where fellow alumni includeRickie Lee Jones. Sometime after-ward, Sagal became a backup singer,sort of, for the even-more-fabled BobDylan.
"I actually only rehearsed withhim," Sagal remembers. "I workedwith him for two months, and then aweek before the tour, he fired me andhalf the band. I don't know what hap-pened; he just lost it. But also I thinkI wasn't doing a very good job," sheadmits. "l was pretty starstruck. I'm
not affected by too many people likethat, but I would come into the roomwhere he was and just be stunned."
A year later, in lg78, music pro-ducer Paul Rothchild suggestedSagal try out for a spot as one ofBette Midler's backup singers, theHarlettes. Out of an open-call audi-tion of 150, Sagal became one of thechosen three. For the next few years,her life was a pattern of touring withMidler, then coming back to L.A. toput together bands.
"I was one of these people who gotlots of development deals from recordcompanies, but never made arecord," she says ruefully. "I waseverybody's near miss."
An all-singing part in the ElizabethSwados punk-rock opera, "The Beau-tiful Lady," somehow got Sagal areading for a sitcom - Mary TylerMoore's short-lived "Mary" (1985-86).Sagal played Jo Tucker, a cynical,sharp-tongued, chain-smoking news-paper columnist. One year later, shewas the cynical, sharp-tongued, butnonsmoking Peg Bundy on her cur-rent show.
Maybe it was in her genes: Sagal'smom. Sara Zwilling, was a singer-songwriter and assistant director;her younger sisters are actress-twinsJean and Liz Sagal, stars of the 1984-85 series "Double Trouble"; brotherDavid, 37, is an entertainment lawyer,and brother Joey, 35, is an actorwhose g'ork includes the recent film"The Chase." But it's music, notacting, she says, that soothes thesavage beast.
"The album," she says gratefully,looking back at everything else goingon in her life as she recorded it. "Thealbum, it helped me get throughstuff."
01994 NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN.
STAR VIEW
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