Not long before the major-label landscape collapsed in a heap, only to morph into a crud formation of reissue-happy conglomerates, Garrison Starr signed with Geffen. It was 1997, and if ignorance truly is bliss, the 22-year-old singer/songwriter from Hernando, Miss., couldn’t have been happier. Those 15 years feel like a lifetime ago for an older, wiser, slightly more cynical Starr, who’s busy promoting her sixth full-length effort, the self-released, fan-funded Amateur (Radtown Music). It took her some time to come to terms with her sexuality (and others’ opinions of it), and it’s taken her even longer to get comfortable with her creative self. To that end, the angsty-yet-optimistic, stylistically diverse Amateur is a coming out of sorts. Starr will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with her.
Starr: I used to be deathly afraid of flying. I have pretty intense anxiety issues as it is, and the air travel really exacerbated all those fears under the surface. So I did what I do whenever I’m scared of something: I faced it head on. I bought all kinds of air-travel books so I could learn about the different sounds going on in pre-flight and inflight, I learned a lot about all the different aircrafts and educated myself on the different aspects of each one. I really got into it and started enjoying kind of having a new hobby. I even took a couple flying lessons. Through that whole process of discovery, I found a favorite plane: the Boeing 757. Something about its design, I guess, that’s aesthetically pleasing. It looks like a giant wasp. Anyway, as much as I travel, getting to ride on a 757 makes the cattle call tolerable. Because let’s face it: The whole airport experience fucking blows.
Video after the jump.
2 replies on “From The Desk Of Garrison Starr: Boeing 757”
I don’t think that the airport experience blows. This seldom happens and only if your flight is cancelled or delayed. There are also studies on the safety of air travel. I just can’t remember the stats but based on the ratios, there are more people who have accidents while riding their cars than on airplanes. That’s something to think about.
I find the older I get, the bigger my fear of flying becomes. I get so anxious I usually freak myself out. I don’t think I’ll get over that. I think a lot of it comes from having my daughter and the legalities of what happens if something happens to me. Regardless, flying is stressful!