NEW YORK - Anyone who thinks Susanna Hoffs has been dormant hasn’t been paying attention.
Since her 2012 solo album, “Someday,” the doe-eyed frontwoman for ‘80s juggernaut The Bangles released a third volume of “Under the Covers” – her well-received project with pal and fellow jangle-pop orchestrator Matthew Sweet
– along with a couple of her own covers albums (“Bright Lights” in 2021 and “The Deep End” in 2023) and wrote a bestselling novel, “This Bird Has Flown.”Her 2023 book, a romantic comedy about a former one-hit wonder trying to regain her career footing in her 30s, has been optioned by Universal Pictures, which is giving Hoffs plenty of optimistic anticipation.
But first is “The List,” her album of a dozen new songs that features guest
spots from Rufus Wainwright, Edie Brickell and others, which Hoffs co-produced with CJ Camerieri, longtime brass master for Paul Simon and Bon Iver.
During her recent visit to the USA TODAY studio, Hoffs, 67, is as cheerful and charming as advertised during the heady days of The Bangles commandeering MTV with “Manic Monday” and “Eternal Flame.”
Here’s what she had to say about the creation of her new songs – one of which spotlights a long-ago potential relationship with Bob Weir – how The Go-Go’s influenced The Bangles and why she thinks Harry Styles is a perfect fit for a film adaptation of her book.
Question: This is your first solo album of new material since 2012. Looking back at your career with The Bangles, your other solo work and your collaborations with Matthew Sweet, what does this album represent?
Susanna Hoffs: Meeting CJ was a huge part of it. We've been working together for several years, and I realized at a certain point that my living room actually had the best acoustics I'd ever encountered. It turned out all those years of going to studios, I didn’t need that anymore. I can come downstairs in my pajamas. I’m not actually doing that, but there was something conducive about having band members come over and it was just cozy and a great vibe.
Did writing your novel change your songwriting approach?
Music is the beginning, middle and end of every day for me. I soothe myself and get through every day listening to music. I listen to anything and everything. The '60s and '70s are a real sweet spot for me, and even the '80s.
Who are some of your favorite '80s artists?
I was really good friends with The Go-Gos and they were aspirational. I remember seeing them early on and I don’t know whether it sparked an idea to start an all-girl band, too, which became The Bangles. I was close friends with David Roback, who later formed Mazzy Star. We had been in a relationship and grew up in the same neighborhood … I thought maybe it would be cool to be in an all-girl band and not one with your boyfriend and the complexities of that.
The recent Bangles book (“Eternal Flame: The Authorized Biography of The Bangles”) was enlightening. Were you happy with the way it portrayed the band's story?
I had mixed feelings. There were some unreliable narrators and a lot of negativity. Maybe you need that conflict to make a piece interesting … I do know that bands are dysfunctional families and then you have sisters in the band (Debbi and Vicki Peterson), so they have a dynamic there and it gets exponentially more complex. But when I think back, I just feel gratitude for that experience. It was a remarkable journey.
The new album has a very organic, folky feel, which fits with your love of ‘60s music.
Melody is king for me. A song is kind of like driving a car, where I can push the pedal down a little and give it an extra something and then pull it back. I like it to be nuanced.
Let's talk about the song "Casablanca,” which shares a story about you and Bob Weir. Was it a "What could have been?" scenario?
It felt like a "What could have been" thing because I was single at the time and he was single at the time. It started when The Bangles were opening for George Michael. We had a few days off and were in New Orleans and I was wandering through the hotel lobby when a van pulls up and a tour manager with a briefcase jumps out and all of a sudden the members of the Grateful Dead file out of the van. I introduced myself to (the manager) and both bands had the day off so he said, we’re going out to Lake Pontchartrain and you girls should come with us.
Then I met Bob and he asked me to go for a walk. We walked around the lake and got to know each other and The Bangles sang with the Grateful Dead and it was Mardi Gras. I was so impressed with their road cases that were full of spices.
Did you reconnect with him before he passed away?
I saw him at a Grammy event a couple of years ago and we did photos together and his beautiful wife and daughter were there. It was really sweet.
Another standout song is "None of Them Were You,” which is where the album title, “The List,” comes from. Tell us about the story of “The list.”
Years ago, before my long marriage to (director) Jay (Roach), I found an old Filofax where I'd cobbled a list of the names of people I'd dated. Some were very short-lived moments and others a little bit more. It was all in pencil and there were little demarcations like, “Oh, that was just one night” or “That was an actual relationship.” And then it just turned into “The List.”
Did Jay know about the list?
Yeah, I didn’t mind sharing it. We've been married more than 30 years (the couple married in 1993), so it's all water under the bridge. The song actually prompted us to talk about it more than we otherwise would have.
But the important part of the song is that he's the last one on the list.
Exactly. Which is such a sweet thing.
So your novel has been optioned by Universal. What's the status of a possible adaptation?
A film would be a dream. But the normal way Hollywood works, you always have your fingers and toes crossed. But I’m excited by either a film or (stage) musical adaptation or even a movie musical.
You said that the Alfie character was like Harry Styles. Do you have aspirations that he might be involved in the project?
I wouldn’t hesitate to call Harry Stylesand say, “Do you want to be in a movie?” He’s done many already and he’s so cute and perfect for it.
What are your touring plans?
I have a residency at Café Carlyle in New York (Sept. 21-26), and I'm also opening for Billy Idol (Hoffs joined the tour Sept. 10-16). It's exciting because those are such different experiences. The Carlyle is intimate, while Billy's shows are huge arenas and amphitheaters. I love both.
Music really is one of the few things that can bring people together.
It is. People who disagree about everything else can stand in the same room and share a concert experience. It's kind of miraculous.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Susanna Hoffs talks The Bangles, new music and her Harry Styles movie dream
