ONOWEB
May 20th, 1998
http://www.cam.org/~rjoly/yoko/

ANA ON ONO - EXCLUSIVE!

Artist Ana C. Voog is releasing her first solo album,first on the net then worldwide in June. It features a cover of "Ask The Dragon". She also publishes two wonderful websites : anavoog.com and anacam.com , "a site containing uncensored real life and art". Ana generously accepted to answer a few of my questions, fan to fan.

To: rjoly@CAM.ORG From : ana c voog Date: Wed, 20 May 1998 12:23:00 -0500

Q: your record, Ask The Dragon When/How did you get into Yoko's music/art ?

ANA: i heard yoko's music for the 1st time because i bought john lennon's last record after he died. i think i was about 13 years old then and it was the 1st "new wave" music i had heard. then, about a decade later, i found her book "grapefruit" and was totally blown away by it...it was then i really started researching her more and finding out about her art

Q: Did you feel isolated, because no one else you knew liked her ?

ANA: well, i've always just felt isolated, period :) not because i liked her...i'm into a lot of things that a lot of people do not understand. but ya, no one else i knew liked her, but it seems that most of that was because of being uniformed and judgemental. no one i know that dislikes yoko, really dislikes her for any concrete reason...

Q:What is your favorite Yoko work/album/song ?

ANA:actually, my favourite album she has done is her latest because the style of songwriting is just closer to my personal taste ...and my favourite work she has done is the book "grapefruit" because i own it and can keep looking at it..it is more a part of my life..

Q: Is her influence on you more on the musical level or on the lyrical level ?

ANA:her influence on me is not really lyrical or musical...her influence is more that she has always done what she wanted to do with no apologies or explanations. and i admire her perserverance and strength in her vision to do her own thing no matter what others may think. even though she seems to be one of the most publically misunderstood people, she still remains happy and true to herself..and this, to me, is an inspiration. but if part of her musical side has influenced me...i think it would be more in her lyrics.

Q:Aside from her music, do you also feel influenced by her 'plastic/conceptual art' ?

ANA:absolutely. it just makes me so happy :)

Q:What about the fact that she's a WOMAN precursor/mentor figure ?

ANA: well, you can't really seperate the fact that she's a woman...from all of her..

Q:Why did you choose to record Ask The Dragon, out of the multitude of other yoko-songs ?

ANA:musically, it was the most "me" song...and lyrically, it was the most "me" song of all of her songs. i just heard it and went "oooo! that is how i feel, too! i wish i would have written that!" so i did the next best thing, i covered it :)

Q: Was there pressure for you NOT to record a cover of her stuff ?

ANA: no

Q:What does your ASK THE DRAGON sound like ?

ANA: it sounds like me