DIVA caught up with the I’m The Only One singer about her new docu-series performing at Topeka Correctional Facility
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY JAMES MOES
Lesbian icon Melissa Etheridge has released a staggeringly pertinent two-part docuseries in which she prepares to perform a concert for the residents of the Topeka Correctional Facility in her Kansas hometown. She has also released a live album of the concert alongside the docuseries.
The I’m The Only One singer has been bringing us rocking anthems since 1988, and after coming out in 1993, she’s been one of the biggest lesbian icons in rock. Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken begins with the American singer-songwriter and musician reflecting on her childhood, and the prisons she had played in as a young teenager. Fast forwarding to the present, Melissa takes the viewer on a candid and honest journey through both her life and the lives of five residents at the Topeka Correctional Facility.
As we learn more about the situations and experiences that have led the residents to end up in the Topeka Correctional Facility, Melissa invites us all to share her capacity for empathy. One of the resounding messages of the docuseries is that everyone should be allowed the possibility of redemption.
Away from the electric guitars and spine-chilling vocals, the power in this new docuseries is its vulnerability. Opening up about the death of her son – who died from causes related to opioid addiction in 2020 – Melissa offers a unique perspective to the residents of Topeka Correctional Facility, many of who have been charged with the possession or selling of drugs.
We caught up with Melissa to find out more about this project and why it was so important to her.
What inspired this project? And why was it so important for you to do this documentary?
In the documentary we explain how I grew up in a prison town, and when Johnny Cash came in the late sixties I was a child. I thought “Wow, prisons must be a place of fine entertainment. That’s something to aspire to.” I had some really great experiences growing up going into the prisons and performing. They were so enthusiastic and appreciative. I always remembered that, and I always wanted to go back because Leavenworth was my home town. When I got my new management in 2013, I told them that this was a project I wanted to do.
How did you think your experiences playing in prisons when you were younger shaped your view on people in correctional facilities?
Because I went in when I was younger I knew not to be afraid. I knew that there were a lot of people who had mental and emotional issues. Having gone in when I was younger, I realised that these were just people who had had different things happen to them.
We see the stories of five women in the Topeka Correctional Facility. How important was it for you to have their stories as part of the journey?
It was really important as I’ve lived my life and seen how life works and I know that a lot of us are dealing with trauma in many different ways. And I’ve seen what early trauma can do to the way we make choices in our lives. I know trauma. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t had early trauma. Talking to the women really sent that home for me that hopefully as we watch this documentary people can really come away with empathy and understanding.
What are the main things you learnt from the women?
Just how resilient women can be. They give me a lot of hope. It was so wonderful talking to them. I am still in touch with them, and they inspire me.
In the documentary, you open up about your son in a very vulnerable way about addiction. Why do you think it’s so important to have these conversations on screen?
When I was going through this with my son for the last 10 years, there was so much guilt and shame involved. You want everyone to think that your family is happy and healthy, and mostly it is. But my son had a really hard time with life. He just had so much pain in his life for so many reasons. We did all we could. Drugs, especially opioids which numb the pain, were his choice. Life was too hard so he was numbing his pain. Hopefully, by speaking about it, it encourages people to talk about it. We need to get rid of this shame. We all think we can save our children. But we will drive ourselves mad. Hopefully, this opens up the conversation.
What do you hope parents take from your openness and vulnerability?
I hope they take some comfort and know they’re not alone. I hope they understand that their children who are gone now do not want them to be unhappy. There’s not a place in the afterworld where they hope their parents feel guilty. Guilt and shame come from the here and now. We’re making that up in our heads. Hopefully, they can not torture themselves with that. He wouldn’t want me to think that I could have changed his choice.
What was it like at the premiere of the film?
I have never seen myself so large on a screen! My wife will always say to me before a show “Hey, I’m going to this show, wanna come with me?” and I’ll reply “No, I gotta work, sorry!” It’s this joke we have. She’s always saying “Gosh I wish you could see her perform”. I sat there with my wife watching this and I finally got to watch myself. This show wasn’t about how I looked, it was about me doing what I love to people who are really receptive. I got to sit there between my wife and my daughter and it was an incredible experience for me.
Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken will be available to watch on Paramount+ on 9 July. You can also stream the album on all platforms on 9 July.
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