Your new album Some Kind Of Comfort features songs from Losing It, the West End Show with Ruby Wax which draws on your battle with depression, so it’s pretty confessional… Can you tell me a little about it?
Music has always been an incredible source of comfort to me. It is the best form of self-medication and has really diffused my depression. These are compassionate songs that deal with incredibly difficult themes. Hide Away for example deals with hiding from things due to the shame and self-loathing associated with depression; Tidal Wave deals with the fantasy of living in your head.
Depression is such a lonely illness and so the point of the album is to explain and express myself in a very human way and to help others that go through what I went through, now I’m on the other side.
You’ve also performed at the Priory clinic at a charity event with Ruby Wax, who also suffers from depression. What was it like working with the comedian?
When you talk to other people who also suffer from depression, it makes you feel safe and comforted knowing others have shared your experiences and know what you’re talking about.
You lost your mother to depression when you were 15 years old. How did you cope with that?
As a family we became a really tight unit, but we didn’t talk about it and I suppressed my emotions. I had my first major breakdown when I left home to study acting – I became agoraphobic, suffered eating disorders and self harmed. I was lucky because I had great friends and family, but there was a great sense of shame having the same genetic and learned make-up as my mother.
What’s the most important lesson life has taught you?
Don’t spend your time regretting the past and catastrophising about the future, so that you completely miss the present.
Where do you live?
Holland Park. I left London for America with a desire to get better when I found love and have returned a healthier person.
You’ve been married to actor and Spinal Tap member Harry Shearer for nearly 20 years. What’s the secret to a happy marriage?
We’ve grown together. We have stood by each other through hard times. The pressure of family problems either bonds you or breaks a relationship. We also love the same things. We’re both in love with our jobs and we don’t have kids, which allows us to be incredibly selfish about work and travel. I believe you have to be with a like-minded soul when you’re a performer. Having time apart (Harry is based in New Orleans) makes us miss each other and we’re very supportive of each other.
What’s it like having him play double bass with you on your London shows?
Fantastic. We look for excuses to work together. We genuinely like each other’s work and are wrapped up in what each other are doing. He’ll be the first person to hear my music and he’ll send me his work; it’s fun having him play bass for me and I loved being his backing singer at Glastonbury.
What’s your most memorable meal?
Pierre Gagnaire in Paris with Harry. We were so full when we left the restaurant that we felt like Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee. We were giggling, almost delirious with food and drink and ended up passing out in our hotel room fully clothed.
Where did you go for your last holiday?
We tend to add on some extra time when we travel for work. Last year I performed with Ruby Wax at the Holder’s Festival in Barbados and afterwards our husbands joined us. Whenever I’m in New Orleans I feel like I’m on holiday – I feel calm and warm. I’m also an avid snorkeller, so if I had some free time I’d head to see a friend in Fiji. If you’re going to go on holiday you might as well commit to it!
What do you miss when you’re away?
The culture and the beauty of the city – its lush parks and grand buildings. I remember seeing my father perform as an opera singer in Covent Garden from the age of five, so he has been a big influence on me. I love the classical concerts, art galleries and theatre of London. I also miss my dog, Doris Day. She now has a pet passport so I’m working out whether it’s worth bringing her over from America.
What don’t you miss?
The eternal grey!
What are you most proud of and why?
I feel less pride and more relief and gratitude to be here and to be writing. I am probably most proud of the relationships I have with those I love.
How would you spend an ideal Sunday?
It would be reading the Sunday papers in front of the fire with my husband, my cat Ella Fitzgerald and my dog Doris Day.
What’s your philosophy on life?
I’m still trying to make head and tail of life but I have a few: Everybody gets a second chance; it’s not over ‘til it’s over; try to live in the present; life is random – everyone suffers hardship – so try to enjoy life and embrace it.
