Beth Orton has made three albums—Trailer Park, Central Reservation, and most recently, Daybreaker. The music will not be described in any way here, because you know what it sounds like, and it is very hard to describe. Orton is from England, though the titles of her first two albums had many people, or at least a few people we know, assuming that she was an American. This interview was conducted over the phone, and the interviewer promised himself that he would not ask the following questions: 1) What’s it like to be a woman in a male-dominated industry? 2) What was it like collaborating with Johnny Marr? 3) Because you collaborated with Johnny Marr, does this mean you’re less of a musician than a man, because you are a woman and need to collaborate with Johnny Marr? 4) Why do some of your songs have electronic beats and others do not? 5) How do you like performing live? 6) Why are some of your songs so sad, and other songs still sad, but less so? 7) Why are your albums titled as if you are an American? 8) Where is your favorite place to play live? 9) Was the Warfield show last year one of your favorites, because I was there, and I thought it was pretty good, even though I had sucky seats.

Actually, it was the interviewer’s hope that they would talk about things only tangentially related to music, touring. And for the most part that wish came true. And we found out what many people have found to be true is indeed true—Beth Orton, so melancholy in her music, is really funny. She’s loud. She likes to tell stories, and will tell jokes, and laughs a lot, and generally seems like someone you’d want at a birthday party. In fact, it seems that her friends think of her this way, and take her out on the town, which is how the interview starts, when the interviewer called her on the designated Sunday morning.

—Hector de la Manzana

10 AM SUNDAY, JANUARY 26

THE BELIEVER: Is this the right time?

BETH ORTON: It is the right time. The only problem is that I went out last night and got bladded—

BLVR: Wait. What’s that word you just used? Bladded?

BO: [Laughs] Yeah, it’s my new favorite word to teach Americans.

BLVR: Is that a derivative of bladder? Like “bladdered”?

BO: Well, it just means “really drunk.” And I’m ridiculously hungover and—

BLVR: Wait. It’s got to be like four in the afternoon there, right?

BO: It’s five! [Laughs.] I went to bed at about 6 AM. I managed...