Everything Girl

Maryland born, and Texas raised, our November/December cover girl, the Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Lisa Loeb, is known as much for the cat-eye glasses she’s often photographed in as for the way every one of her songs tells a rich story. She didn’t sing for us, but we did have a lovely conversation about everything from fennel to finding time to write.

Lisa, thanks so much for talking with us today. Before we start, I have to ask - I’ve heard that you and your husband are expecting your first child. Is that information for public consumption?
It’s true, and yes, we’ve made it public.

Congratulations! When are you due?
Thank you. I’m due in winter. We’re keeping the date vague.

I’ve been following your Twitter feed for - it seems like forever now - and one of the things I’m struck by is the frequency that food is mentioned in your tweets. Is food a thing for you?
Food is a big thing for me. It’s creative, and fun, but it’s also about nutrition. I love food, but I also try to balance the things I love with making healthy choices. It’s important to enjoy what you’re eating, and have delicious things that are also nutritious.

In addition to what you’re eating when you tweet, you’ve also been sharing recipes. Tell me a bit about the fennel salad recipe you posted this morning?
It’s called “Dan’s Salad” because I was at my friend Dan’s beach house when I was introduced to it. I liked the flavor combination, and the fennel - it’s this licorice flavor, but it’s also crunchy like celery - and the recipe is simple.

Did you choose this recipe because of the fennel, or because it was easy to condense into Twitter’s 140-character allotment? And are the recipes going to continue?
When it comes to the recipes…my plan was to post a total of fifty.

“It’s important to enjoy what you’re eating, and have delicious things that are also nutritious.”

I was doing them every day, but then I realized I was spending so much time, avoiding other work, because I was spending time figuring out which recipes vary in complexity.

With the fennel - I assume most people know their own tastes, but it was an easy recipe. I’m still planning to do fifty, but not on a regular schedule.

Are they all your own recipes?
Some are mine, some are inspired by people I know, or sent to me, or are other people’s variations on a familiar flavor.

Even when you’re not talking about food, you’re pretty active on Twitter. You already have an extensive website that includes a blog. What made you choose social media as a method of communication?
As a musician, it made sense to branch out. Twitter is a way for me to connect with friends - twitter friends, fan-friends - but still keep the line between public and private.

It’s also a way to learn about things that interest me. I use it to find other bands, or find out what kind of interesting eye-ware is out there.

Let’s talk about eye-ware for a moment. You’re known for those cat-eye glasses, but now you’re designing your own line?

Yes. It will be called Lisa Loeb Eye-ware, and it will be launching in San Diego.

What was the inspiration for it?
I often hear from fans that they want glasses like mine - the dark plastic, cat-eye frames, and I want to create a line that has options for when I want to wear something different. Sometimes I want to wear brown tortoiseshell, or just have colors that are fun.
Some people don’t do well with that sexy librarian look, but I think everyone wants glasses that suit them, that are stylish, but not so stylish they wear you.

Will they be available only in San Diego, or online, or…?
They’re real glasses, so they’ll be available first in Optometrist’s offices, and I’m hoping at some point they’ll be available online as well.

“I think everyone wants glasses that suit them, that are stylish, but not so stylish they wear you.”

How do you choose your frames? Do you have any advice on how people should choose their eye-ware?
You should always bring someone with you, who can look at you and tell you the truth about whether a pair of glasses suits you. For me, if I can’t bring someone, I always bring a camera, because when you try on glasses there’s no correction - no prescription in the lens, and I have to see them.

So I bring a camera and snap a picture, or have the technician snap one. I use those little Japanese digital cameras where you can see the picture immediately, and then I know how something will really look on my face.

Check back on December 1st for part 2 of our interview with Lisa Loeb. In the meantime, be sure to check out Lisa’s website: Lisa Loeb.com.

Melissa A. Bartell likes strong coffee, red wine, and dark chocolate. She earns her living writing web-copy for an Internet marketing firm & dabbles in fiction on the side. She lives near Dallas, TX with her husband, two dogs, and more computers than anyone really needs. She is the Managing Editor here at All Things Girl. Find out more about her on our About Page, check out her blog at MissMeliss.com, or follow her on Twitter: @Melysse

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