Weekend America

Weekend Soundtrack

"Everything for Everyone," Except on the Weekends

Bill Radke

Michael Raphael

JANUARY 12, 2008

Scarecrow, Witch & Man

(Courtesy Tamara Neff)

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Bill Radke: "I became my own wife." Tamara, why is this your Weekend Soundtrack?

Tamara Neff: That was actually the line that stopped me in my tracks. When I first heard the album and heard that line. I stared right at the radio and couldn't believe that she had just said what was exactly going on in my mind at the time.

Why was that in your mind?

I was in a job that was basically making me crazy. When that was coming to a head after two years, my brother decided to join the Army, which started to make me a little bit more crazy!

What was that like for you when your brother joined?

I was proud of him and I wanted him to do what he wanted. It is also difficult when someone you love is making choices that could have huge ramifications on themselves and the other people you love.

How did this song connect with those frustrations?

You realize that you want to keep everybody happy. You want to make everyone around you happy and you just can't do it. At some point it has to be about what you need. I quit that job, and my brother's doing great in the service, and everything has worked out for the best. But I think you have to remind yourself that you made that choice. I'm taking care of me a little bit more than I'm worrying about other people these days.

She doesn't want to be in pain. She's not the keeper of the plain.

Everything that she says just seems so right on. She would rather be crazy, for real, than to let other people make her crazy.

How does this song drive your weekend?

Part of the decision to take care of myself a little bit more has been to give myself time to do the things that I enjoy doing. I'm a crafter. I do a lot of sewing and a lot of crochet. That's what my weekends are to me now. I listen to the music and I do my creative things, and I don't hold myself to any other obligations. My weekends are for me.

Yeah, that's what this song is. It's a crocheting song! Just listen to it!

Well, punk-rock crochet, let's say.

Tamara, thanks for introducing us to this song and for sharing your Weekend Soundtrack.

Thank you. It's a pleasure.

More stories from our Weekend Soundtrack series

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