Though it’s probably not what Shakespeare meant when he had Hamlet pondering “…the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” it’s a phrase that comes to mind in pondering the fortune of Krysten Ritter. For years, she’s patiently taken every small, prescribed, and hard-fought step to acting—mall discovery, modeling, commercials, countless ‘friend’ roles and a couple of cancelled shows—before landing the lead in Marvel’s Jessica Jones on Netflix, a role Rolling Stone called “…the sort of conflicted, damaged anti-heroine who’s right in Ritter’s sweet spot.” Ritter didn’t mind the journey, believing each step prepared her for the next. But nothing quite prepared her for Jessica Jones. With exponential opportunities, success (and minor injuries) came an outrageous new schedule, responsibility, and fame that she’s still learning how to handle without throwing up or fainting dead away. But she’ll take every arrow in the quiver if it means continuing to do what she loves. Ritter talks about her tough but formative adolescence, being at the forefront of an unprecedented new TV format, and why you might want to pick up a pack of Post-Its the next time you’re at the store.
Though it’s probably not what Shakespeare meant when he had Hamlet pondering “…the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” it’s a phrase that comes to mind in pondering the fortune of Krysten Ritter. For years, she’s patiently taken every small, prescribed, and hard-fought step to acting—mall discovery, modeling, commercials, countless ‘friend’ roles and a couple of cancelled shows—before landing the lead in Marvel’s Jessica Jones on Netflix, a role Rolling Stone called “…the sort of conflicted, damaged anti-heroine who’s right in Ritter’s sweet spot.” Ritter didn’t mind the journey, believing each step prepared her for the next. But nothing quite prepared her for Jessica Jones. With exponential opportunities, success (and minor injuries) came an outrageous new schedule, responsibility, and fame that she’s still learning how to handle without throwing up or fainting dead away. But she’ll take every arrow in the quiver if it means continuing to do what she loves. Ritter talks about her tough but formative adolescence, being at the forefront of an unprecedented new TV format, and why you might want to pick up a pack of Post-Its the next time you’re at the store.
At least once, and hopefully many times, each of us has experienced the rush of being completely transported by a musical experience – one concert, one song, or even a single riff. For 15-year-old Dave Evans, Moment One was playing guitar (loudly) for his classmates in a high school auditorium with a band of three friends. One of those friends thought maybe the band could become as big as The Beatles. Evans’ reaction? “Yeah, right.” How U2 struggled out of Dublin’s small music scene and actually became the world’s biggest band is one of the best stories in rock, but even more amazing is how they’ve managed to stay that way for decades. Equally proud and humble about the journey, The Edge recounts it from the inside, sharing the origins of his iconic guitar sound, the unique songwriting process that both confounds and inspires him, and how the band chased – and then adjusted to – success. And, why success is never a good place to stop.
At least once, and hopefully many times, each of us has experienced the rush of being completely transported by a musical experience – one concert, one song, or even a single riff. For 15-year-old Dave Evans, Moment One was playing guitar (loudly) for his classmates in a high school auditorium with a band of three friends. One of those friends thought maybe the band could become as big as The Beatles. Evans’ reaction? “Yeah, right.” How U2 struggled out of Dublin’s small music scene and actually became the world’s biggest band is one of the best stories in rock, but even more amazing is how they’ve managed to stay that way for decades. Equally proud and humble about the journey, The Edge recounts it from the inside, sharing the origins of his iconic guitar sound, the unique songwriting process that both confounds and inspires him, and how the band chased – and then adjusted to – success. And, why success is never a good place to stop.
At least once, and hopefully many times, each of us has experienced the rush of being completely transported by a musical experience – one concert, one song, or even a single riff. For 15-year-old Dave Evans, Moment One was playing guitar (loudly) for his classmates in a high school auditorium with a band of three friends. One of those friends thought maybe the band could become as big as The Beatles. Evans’ reaction? “Yeah, right.” How U2 struggled out of Dublin’s small music scene and actually became the world’s biggest band is one of the best stories in rock, but even more amazing is how they’ve managed to stay that way for decades. Equally proud and humble about the journey, The Edge recounts it from the inside, sharing the origins of his iconic guitar sound, the unique songwriting process that both confounds and inspires him, and how the band chased – and then adjusted to – success. And, why success is never a good place to stop.
Despite his promising start as a vendor of illegal fireworks, there was never much question that Glen Hansard’s street trade would be anything but busking music—a practice, it’s safe to bet, would never be outlawed in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland, where it’s also apparently not illegal to leave school at 13 to take it up. He rose to decent acclaim in his rock band The Frames, but it was a no-budget, quickly shot little film called Once that changed the trajectory of his life and fame. At height of that success, he began work on his latest and most deeply felt album, only to be told his songs were essentially no good. If there’s one cliché we’re happy Hansard perpetuates, it’s that the Irish are delightful storytellers. The singer, songwriter, and reluctant actor talks about his complicated family life, the folly of courting the muse, and the risk of tunnel-career-vision. He also divulges how you can sell the same piano four times and improve your songwriting by replacing words like “heart” and “love” with… something a bit less romantic.
Despite his promising start as a vendor of illegal fireworks, there was never much question that Glen Hansard’s street trade would be anything but busking music—a practice, it’s safe to bet, would never be outlawed in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland, where it’s also apparently not illegal to leave school at 13 to take it up. He rose to decent acclaim in his rock band The Frames, but it was a no-budget, quickly shot little film called Once that changed the trajectory of his life and fame. At height of that success, he began work on his latest and most deeply felt album, only to be told his songs were essentially no good. If there’s one cliché we’re happy Hansard perpetuates, it’s that the Irish are delightful storytellers. The singer, songwriter, and reluctant actor talks about his complicated family life, the folly of courting the muse, and the risk of tunnel-career-vision. He also divulges how you can sell the same piano four times and improve your songwriting by replacing words like “heart” and “love” with… something a bit less romantic.
Despite his promising start as a vendor of illegal fireworks, there was never much question that Glen Hansard’s street trade would be anything but busking music—a practice, it’s safe to bet, would never be outlawed in his hometown of Dublin, Ireland, where it’s also apparently not illegal to leave school at 13 to take it up. He rose to decent acclaim in his rock band The Frames, but it was a no-budget, quickly shot little film called Once that changed the trajectory of his life and fame. At height of that success, he began work on his latest and most deeply felt album, only to be told his songs were essentially no good. If there’s one cliché we’re happy Hansard perpetuates, it’s that the Irish are delightful storytellers. The singer, songwriter, and reluctant actor talks about his complicated family life, the folly of courting the muse, and the risk of tunnel-career-vision. He also divulges how you can sell the same piano four times and improve your songwriting by replacing words like “heart” and “love” with… something a bit less romantic.
