Joan As Police Woman exclusively for Mavoy Music
Joan Wasser has been a veteran of American indie scene, starting in the 90s, and first gaining a prominence as a part of the band Antony and The Johnsons, that resulted in her lifelong friendship with ANOHNI. Joan eventually started to write her solo material and created a project called Joan As Police Woman. The name referenced one of her childhood’s favorite TV shows - NBC’s Police Woman, starring Angie Dickinson. Wasser formed a new band with the drummer Ben Perowsky and bassist Rainy Orteca. A five track eponymous EP was released in 2004, and a full-length debut Real Life followed two years later, receiving a critical acclaim and Independent Music Award for Best Pop/Rock Album. Her recent release, Real Life Evolution, is an unique look at these songs as the classic record hits its twentieth anniversary.
This is the story I haven’t originally planned, even when the offer appeared first in my inbox. But then, to my huge surprise, Joan herself showed up among my Instagram followers, we started talking and I heard, I quote „go on, interview me, it will be fun!”. You don’t miss an opportunity to have a conversation with a musician of this caliber, especially when you are, frankly, at the beginning of your interviewer career. It took longer than I was hoping, but I’m happy to finally share this article with you.
I’m also attaching a recent great poem by Joan that was shared in The Rumpus Magazine
https://therumpus.net/2026/07/30/what-is-freedom-joan-as-police-woman/
So, here's my conversation with Joan:
(photography by Judi Rosen)
Where did the idea for Real Life Evolution come from? I must admit I have never heard the original record before working on this story — it seemed like a natural thing to do. But would you say that the new versions, which I heard first (I only knew the 2006 title track and "Eternal Flame"), can be received as their own thing, or is Real Life Evolution conceived more as a dialogue between Joan of 20 years ago and where you are right now?
It's the 20th anniversary of the release of my first album, Real Life, in 2006. These songs have changed and grown over time. Real Life Evolution is the realization of these transformations.
Is there a song on Real Life Evolution which you believe vastly improves on the original — maybe something that you weren't satisfied with when you first released it? Or are they more simply alternate takes?
Honestly, I would never release anything unless I was 100% satisfied. These songs document the years of touring I've done and how the songs have naturally changed over time. I was not interested in improving them, but in showing how songs are their own animals that evolve over time.
What is your usual songwriting process?
I write songs in a variety of ways.
Often I start with some kind of chord progression. A melody naturally stems from repeating this progression. I just build and edit, like a painting or a sculpture.
Less often I will start with words, or a poem, or even just a line I've written.
And then other times, I'll just start with a rhythm and the whole track will stem from there.
It's perhaps a banal question to a renowned songwriter like yourself, but what are your main songwriting inspirations, and is there a song you wish you had written?
I take inspiration from everywhere and everything.
"For You" — Donny Hathaway made it famous, but Leon Russell wrote it.
Are you a reader, I wonder? What are you currently reading, and does what you're reading have an impact on what you're writing?
A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman.
Absolutely, it has an impact. I love words and writing. I have taken writing workshops myself. There's nothing like writing a line that feels just right.
When you first reached out to me, I realized that you're about to perform at Coachella with Iggy Pop himself, as part of his band. Iggy is also featured on Real Life Evolution. How long have you known each other, and when did you think about working with him on "Save Me"?
Iggy and I met 30 years ago, but I began playing in his band 3 years ago.
His sound engineer had been ringing out the rooms with "Save Me" since 2006. (This is when the sound engineer calibrates the sound of the room using the same track in each venue, so they can hear how it sounds different.) When I decided to document the songs 20 years later, there was no other performer I would have wanted to sing the song… and then he said yes!
The press release for the album mentions an impressive list of your past collaborators — from David Byrne, Gorillaz, and Lou Reed to Meshell Ndegeocello and Laurie Anderson. But I have to ask about my favourite record of yours — the one with Tony Allen and Dave Okumu, The Solution Is Restless. Before he passed away, Tony performed at a free festival in my city in 2015. I feel terrible that I wasn't familiar with him back then and missed out on that opportunity! Dave is someone I have great appreciation for, through his work with The Invisible, Jessie Ware, or even his last record (I Came From Love was in my top 10 albums of 2023). What did you learn from them, and would you be interested in doing more music incorporating jazz? Iggy, for one, could join, as he's a jazz aficionado, and a lot of his music in the past decade also goes in that direction.
I had worked with Dave on a Gil Scott-Heron tribute at the Roundhouse in 2014. We hit it off and promised to work together in the future. When Tony and I decided to record together, I called Dave to play bass. Tony is an idol of mine. To get to record with him was a dream for both me and for Dave. He has a way of playing that makes me feel like I'm levitating. He uttered this genius line, "It's not my job to keep time — it's my job to connect to the universe."
The music industry has changed enormously since your beginnings in the 90s, and most, I think, would argue for the worse. The negative impact of AI and streaming on artists' careers is hard to ignore, but what other factors do you find distinctive when comparing the change in the industry? And they don't necessarily have to be negative — would you say there are some aspects that have changed for the better?
Music is accessible to everyone, everywhere. That's wonderful. If you want to listen to the bulk of Coltrane's catalog, you can, and for free, right now. The problem is that very few people go out to see live music. We can forget that live music is the most exciting thing going (I know I'm biased!). I would love to remind everyone that going out to see live music is an extraordinary act of resistance!
And finally, two things I ask everyone:
I'd be happy if you could make me a playlist — a list of songs that you'd like to recommend. They can be classics, hidden gems from a few decades ago, brand new bands with one or two singles — as much as you want. It could be five songs, ten songs, twenty songs. Or, let's say, they can be records too. Just titles, or if you want to say something about them, please do. There's only one rule: the lesser known, the better. Go full niche if you want. I love finding and recommending music most of all — that's why I love NTS Radio, because of all the artist-hosted shows, or 6 Music and shows like Iggy's. So I'd love to see your treasures :)
Veedon Fleece — Van Morrison
Spirit of Eden — Talk Talk
Untame the Tiger — Mary Timony
Standards Vol. 1 — Thomas Bartlett
Raga Bhimpalasi — Ustav Lal
No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin — Meshell Ndegeocello
I Can See — Nick Hakim
The second idea is relatively new, and it came from the other story I’m currently working on. Since we're talking about Palestine in that conversation, it made sense for me to ask to recommend some charities at the end of the article, to have something really good coming out of the interview. But then I thought, "I could actually do this every time." Just imagine the impact!
Is there any charity that you know and could recommend to Mavoy Music readers as a good cause to support?
Road Recovery — a program to help young people who have problems with substance abuse express themselves and heal through music.
https://roadrecovery.org/donate
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