Does art make a difference?
It doesn’t make all the difference, because food, shelter, health care, education and many more needs come before it. But art helps the internal needs, and sometimes makes a difference where nothing else could.
Should politics and art mix?
Anything that calls attention to the human condition is amazing. Art can be so powerful in raising awareness, swaying causes and uniting like-minded people. Then again, I sometimes think politics makes us so divided, and art is there to connect us. I’m torn. In the end I find that I lend my music to causes that I believe in. Though my songs aren’t overtly political, I mix art and politics, and I probably always will.
Is your work for the many or for the few?
It’s for whomever finds any use for it.
Which artist do you most admire?
I love artists who stretch and explore. The Russian bard and actor Vladimir Vysotsky is one. He became so many different people in his songs, and there was so much imagination and love in his work. His whole being would convey it.
Which artist do you least admire?
Hmmm. Hitler?
Which product, if any, would you advertise?
I would do one of those “Talk to your kids – find out how they are doing!” kind of public adverts. Or “Don’t drink and drive”.
If you weren’t an artist, what would you be?
Probably a teacher, of music, like my mom.
If you were world leader, what would be your first law?
Disarmament. Einstein said: “You cannot simultaneously prepare for and prevent war.”
Who would be your top advisers?
It would have to be someone very honest and direct, but gentle, too. I’m too stubborn, otherwise.
What would you censor?
I don’t know if I could do it for other people, but I censor things for myself all the time. I can’t watch violence, and I don’t own a TV. I think that we should worry more about educating people and providing support for them, rather than barricades.
Who would you banish?
It’s better to keep people and accept that we are all imperfect, and to try to help them, instead of casting them out on to others.
What are the rules that you live by?
They are always changing. Rules snap if they are too stiff.
What would you like your legacy to be?
I don’t want to think like that ’til I’m very, very old. No matter the legacy, people just fade.
Do you love your country?
Very much. I love America the way a stray dog loves the family that took him in. Well, maybe a bit more critically than that. But we criticise the ones we believe have the potential for greatness.
Are we all doomed?
I hope not!
Regina Spektor’s latest album, “Far”, is out now on Warner Brothers
