Ryan Adams released his cover version of Taylor Swift’s 1989 in September — and then he got to interview the star herself for GQ.
Swift, who appears on the November cover of GQ, sat down with Adams for a video where they explored Siri’s strengths and weaknesses (tip: don’t ask her how to end your interview), discussed getting inspiration for songs from dreams, and talked about how John Hughes movies played a part in creating 1989.
“I would think, okay, pause, freeze frame: What’s she thinking in this moment, what’s he thinking in this moment?” she said of Hughes’ films. “1989, I wrote when I was single. I didn’t have much intense drama going on, I was like living for my friends, and I was living in New York, and everything was exciting. So to access those emotions again, I would kind of put myself into other peoples’ perspectives.”
It worked, at least for Adams. Speaking to EW, the singer-songwriter said he felt that Swift’s album was in its “own alternate universe.”
There’s just a joy to 1989,” he said in an interview last month. “I think she said it as well: she was in a joyful place making that record. Even if there are elements that describe these situations – that describe interactions and the world of romance and the confusion of being alive and knowing how you fit in – all that stuff is there. It’s what we write about.”
Watch the full video below, and read the cover story here.
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