Saturday Nine: Angel (1998)

This week's Saturday Nine:

1. Sarah McLachlan wrote this song about someone she barely knew. She read the obit of Jonathan Melvoin, keyboard player for the Smashing Pumpkins, who died of a heroin overdose. What's the most recent news story that touched you deeply? Chester Bennington's suicide. I've literally spent the last week and a half just watching Linkin Park interviews and music videos.
   
   
2. Ms. McLachlan performed this in tribute to Linda McCartney at the 1999 Concert for Linda. She was expressing her hope that, in death, Linda found relief and peace after a long and painful battle with cancer. What do you think happens to us when we die? It's not for us to know. As Dumbledore so wisely says, "To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."
   
   
3. Daytime dramas General Hospital and As the World Turns used this song on-air after a major character died. Do you follow any "soap operas?" Does Riverdale count? I mean, it's pretty melodramatic...
   
   
4. In 2007, Sarah donated her recording of this song to the ASPCA. Do you have a pet? If yes, how did you get it (shelter, pet store, etc.)? I don't, but I really want a dog one day. It probably won't happen until I'm retired because I'm never home to take care of a fur baby, but I definitely want one.
   
   
5. She admits she can't watch those ASPCA commercials, where her recording of "Angel" plays over sad photos of animals. Is there a TV commercial that really gets to you (in either a good or a bad way)? No, because I hate commercials and rarely watch them. It's why I watch shows on Netflix instead of cable and listen to music through iTunes instead of the radio.
   
   
6. In 1994, Sarah was stalked by an obsessed fan. Tell us about a time you were really frightened. In retrospect, was your fear commensurate with the threat? Yes. I had a really bad car accident about 10 years ago. It was in the middle of winter on a particularly cold day and there was black ice on the roads. I was stupid and decided to drive to my boyfriend's with no winter tires on my car. I spun out on the highway, and a pick-up truck hit my car at full speed. If my car hadn't been spinning, I would have died upon contact. My car was totalled. I was scared to drive for months, and didn't have a car for a few years after that. I still drive in the winter now but if the weather's particularly bad, I can get really bad anxiety (I actually almost had a panic attack last year on my way to work through a snow storm).
   
   
7. Sarah was adopted by Jack and Dorice McLachlan. Though she has a friendly relationship with her birth mother, she always considered Dorice her mother and sees herself behaving with her son the way Dorice did with her. Is there anyone in your family that you feel you resemble, either physically or by behaviour? Physically, my brother and I resemble each other. I mean, not to the point where we look like twins, but you can definitely tell we're siblings. We have similar lower faces (noses, upper lip, jowls) and both have really long lashes (which are quite rare for Chinese people). Behaviourally, I'd say maybe my dad because we are both stubborn and don't like to rely on others, but are also generally quite laid back and have a good sense of humour.
   
   
8. McLachlan is one of the founders of Lilith Fair, a summer concert series designed to showcase talented female performers. Do/did your summer plans include an outdoor concert? I went to a couple concerts this summer (Deftones and Rise Against in June, and Jimmy Eat World and Incubus last weekend) at Budweiser Stage, which is an amphitheatre so it's technically outdoor (or "open-air"). In terms of outdoor music festivals, the only one that's intrigued me this year is Osheaga, but I just don't have the time to go all the way to Montreal for the long weekend.
   
   
9. Random question: Which of these men would you most like to be seated with at dinner — Clint Eastwood, Prince William or Jimmy Fallon? Probably Jimmy Fallon. I think he'd be the most relatable of the three, and would at least try to make me laugh or have some good celebrity stories to tell. If all else fails, he's cute to look at.