When Avril Lavigne announced she’d be going on a cross-Canada tour this summer, this reporter decided this could be the long awaited chance.
With stops in nearby Toronto and Ottawa, perhaps Napanee’s pop punk princess would be open for an interview with her hometown paper. So with high hopes, the Beaver reached out to Lavigne’s reps in hopes of scoring a one-on-one.
As exciting as it would be to say they got back to us eager to make that happen, so far its been radio silence. We remain hopeful.
In the meantime, Lavigne did make time to chat with Alex Cooper of the Call Her Daddy podcast. It did take the sting out of it a bit when Lavigne admitted she doesn’t do many interviews. At least we’re not the only ones she’s avoiding (for now. We still remain hopeful it’ll happen).
Lavigne’s chat with Cooper made some headlines in the entertainment world, mostly because she took the time to address the silly body replacement conspiracy. For those who haven’t heard it, the basics are Avril died years ago, replaced by a lookalike named Melissa. Whether ‘Melissa’ is supposed to have grown up in Napanee as well is unclear. Until proven otherwise, we can still claim Avril as a hometown celebrity.
The interview was an interesting one, save for the at times cringeworthy overuse of the ‘F’ word by Cooper. While she may have an image to project, using vulgar language in every other word did come across as childish, which ironically enough probably ruined the interview for some of Lavigne’s younger fans who may have wanted to check it out. Although to be fair Cooper scored the one-on-one and the Beaver didn’t, so maybe that’s the key.
The wide ranging talk covered an assortment of topics, including Lavigne’s youth. Though not exactly a secret in these parts, Lavigne did touch upon the fact she dropped out of high school on the path to becoming a multi-million album selling artist who enjoys world-renowned fame.
Maybe not the best message to share with those dreaming of following in her footsteps, but there could be a silver lining there too. Education is important, but there are paths to success beyond the traditional class room for those willing to put in the work. Though keep in mind, the odds of enjoying international success as a recording artists are likely less than one per cent-so it never hurts to have a back up plan.
Still, for getting expelled from NDSS, Lavigne has done things that are impressive no matter her background. The fact that her tour is still being talked about some 22 years after her debut album is noteworthy. Despite her admitted habit of under-aged drinking as a teen, Lavigne has remained virtually scandal free in an industry full of less than stellar people. If the worse thing the tabloids can say is that she was replaced by a clone early in her career, she must be doing something right.
And so through it all, Napanee can still proudly boast about Lavigne spending her formative years within its boundaries. Like her music or not, she’s thrived in a career that is notorious for being unforgiving.
And if by some chance she reads this, we’re still open for that sit down interview.
-Adam Prudhomme