Suzanne Vega , of “Luka” and “Tom’s Diner” fame, is playing The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook for two nights, on Sunday and Monday.
As it happens, Vega is a Katharine Hepburn fan who has just finished reading a biography of the film star. She’s also a fan of modern art and manga comic style, which led to the animator Martha Colburn creating the stunning video for Vega’s brand new single “Rats.”
Vega has a wide variety of interests, which is clear in her music. Her songs have ranged from folk to torch songs to folk pop to jazz to the gritty, vaguely punky “Rats.” Her a cappella earworm, “Tom’s Diner,” has inspired dozens of artists over the years, from Fall Out Boy to CupcakKe. Vega compiled an anthology of covers of the song in 1991 after a remix of her original version by the British group DNA became a worldwide hit.
Suzanne Vega chatted with the Hartford Courant about what makes “Tom’s Diner” so affecting, how she fits a style to a song and how the release of “Rats” intersected with a rat summit.
“Rats” is another new sound for you. What’s your upcoming album like?
There are a few different styles. One song has elements of Motown. But in case you’re wondering or afraid that this is “a new Suzanne Vega,” don’t worry.
So it’s all various type of pop?
It just happened that way. They’re just a bunch of different genres. It isn’t like I set out to do a whole album of different types of pop. They do sound pop, though. The whole album should come out in the spring. We released “Rats” so early because, coincidentally, they were having a whole rat summit in New York.
Did you go?
I did not. That was the day the tour began. So I did not go, nor was I invited, but that’s OK. It was the inaugural Internation Rat Summit in New York. If it happens again next year, perhaps they’ll incorporate the song.
What’s the tour like?
The tour is me on guitar and Gerry Leonard also on guitar. So it’s two guitars, but the sound and the production are bigger than that because of the way that Gerry works on pedals. Gerry was the music director for David Bowie, so his knowledge of rock music is great. He had to be ready to do any of 300 songs at the drop of a hat. He knows how to do all of my songs no matter what genre we’re doing.
Have you always had an interest in how the records are produced, beyond how the songs are written?
Yeah, and also how we perform them. I’ve known Gerry now for over 20 years. One of the reasons he’s lasted so long is because we can get all kinds of sounds with just the two of us live. He’s sort of a wizard, but that doesn’t mean he’s always showing off or taking over. He’s Irish, so he has a sense of acoustic guitar as well as any pyrotechnics he might be throwing out. It’s a nice show because of that. It has unexpected little corners.
When you write a song, do you have a sense of the style they will ultimately take?
Yes. If I can play them on the guitar, then they are folky. If I have other ideas that are beyond my capabilities, then I go to Gerry and I say “I have a song in my head that reminds me a bit of The Ramones’ ‘I Want to Be Sedated.’” That’s sort of what this “Rats” song was based on, mixed in with Fontaines D.C., they had this song “Televised Mind” that I really liked. If I say that to Gerry, he can pretty much whip it up in four minutes. Then we have a demo and we can take it from there.
Do you tour a lot?
I like touring. My manager sets it up so I can go out for a couple of weeks, then come home for a month or two, then I go out for a couple of weeks, then come home for a month or two. It’s pretty steady and keeps everybody happy, including me.
In Connecticut, you’ve played everywhere from Toad’s Place to the Palace in New Haven to The Kate. Do you have a preference for theaters or clubs or other types of venues?
I like them all, to be honest. We adjust the show slightly based on what kind of rooms we’re doing. I like the stand-up rock and roll clubs. We do less of them these days because we’re all getting older and nobody likes to stand up for that long anymore, but I like them. I like big festivals. I like small listening rooms. I like folk clubs. I like rock and rock venues. I like theaters. I like big, small and medium venues. What I really like is the audience. Wherever there’s an audience, that’s where we set up and play.
Was that the same in the early days when you were starting out?
No, no. I had to get over a kind of innate shyness and introspection. It took me a while to figure out how to do a show that would work. I still tinker with the show all the time. Every decade seems to bring a new element to the performance. This time, for example, since Gerry is there, I can put the guitar down more, move around more and do improv dances onstage just because I feel like it now, whereas I was too inhibited when I was younger. I mean, I’m not doing Martha Graham, just little wiggles here and there because why not?
You were one of the earlier performers to do online shows during COVID, and didn’t you also perform in a virtual world game?
Second Life. I loved that I still think about that. I don’t think anybody does Second Life anymore but I loved the idea of having an avatar. I guess it was an early form of AI where you could create an avatar with your features and your spirit, so to speak. I think it’s a fun idea, and I’ve kind of done that with some of the visuals with this new song “Rats.” I wanted it to have this manga cartoon energy to it. I played around with AI to get images for it, so I’m sort of my own AI creation. The woman who did the video for “Rats,” Martha Colburn, she’s unbelievably talented. She’s very well known in the art world, and I really like her style. It fit really well with the song.
Do you have favorite covers of your songs?
I love the Lemonheads’ version of “Luka.” It was such a great use of the song. I loved the sound of it, I love the Lemonheads. That’s probably my favorite one. And I have a couple of “Tom’s Diner” favorites. I get asked once or twice a month for permission to cover “Tom’s Diner.” They’re a lot of fun.
Do you have a theory about what the attraction is for “Tom’s Diner”? Is it the beat?
I think it’s that little hook. It’s the melody “]and there’s some rhythmic information supplied in that little hook. DNA created that whole track based on that rhythm. They told me this. I said “What gave you that idea?” and they said “It’s so obvious, the rhythm is already in the song.” People can apply it to their own situations, whatever is interesting to sing about in their life. It’s just become an elemental part of hip-hop and pop culture.
Suzanne Vega plays Sept. 29 and 30 at 8 p.m. at The Kate, 300 Main St., Old Saybrook. $70; $115 for “premium package”; $195 for “soundcheck VIP experience.” thekate.org .
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