This last year, two good things happened to former Til Tuesday leader Aimee Mann: her music was prominently featured in the film “Magnolia” (one song, “Save Me,” received an Oscar nomination) and she escaped a record deal that was keeping her latest album ( “Bachelor No. 2”) in limbo. Mann and husband Michael Penn will share the stage Tuesday night in a sold-out show at Park West.
Q: What were you doing when the word came in about your Oscar nomination?
A: I was in New York, staying at a friend’s house, and . . . I kind of assumed that somebody would call. I didn’t hear the phone ring. So, much later I was making calls and called my manager and we were talking about a bunch of other stuff and he said, “Did you get my message this morning?” I said, “Did you call this morning?” He said, “Yeah, you got nominated. ” (laughs) It was extremely anti-climactic.
Q: I know “Magnolia” director Paul Thomas Anderson is a big fan of yours. Did his request to write songs for his movie coincide with your decision to break away from your record label?
A: No. Interscope had the soundtrack and they could’ve put out the soundtrack, but they didn’t . . . the impression I got was that this was just another Aimee Mann record. They certainly didn’t want two of them out at once, much less one.
Q: One of the songs on your new album is “Ghost World,” based on a comic book by former Chicagoan Dan Clowes. Do you read a lot of comics?
A: I don’t read a lot of them. There’s a couple of things I’ve read that I liked, but “Ghost World” is obviously the best of that world.
Q: How does touring with your husband work in terms of presentation?
A: We have a comedian with us, who opens the show and then comes back and does our banter for us. There’s a lot of comedy in the show. That’s why we call the show “Acoustic Vaudeville,” because it’s not like your regular rock show. . . . we’d been talking about how we never knew what to say on stage, so it (was) like, “Well, if you can’t play piano, hire a piano player. ” (laughs) And if you can’t tell funny stories on stage, hire a guy who can.
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