Peaches webchat – your questions answered on Trump, feminism and being yourself

Tronna! Nettie, I totally remember you, much love. She was in my theatre program at York University.

Send me the link!

I am a true Scorpion Peach - I'm sexual and very loyal. I love my birthday because it's lined up as doubles: 11/11.

Well thank you for that! I don't think Impeach My Trump sounds as effective. But also it's just too horrifying to think about. And my blood is boiling thinking about it.

I'm not a huge fan of Hillary, I think she also is not very honest, but what politician will ever be honest? A two party system does not work and the system in general will never work. Bernie Sanders was my number one choice and I was really excited for the prospect, but then this abstract notion of super delegates took over, and not by popular demand, Hillary became the candidate. There's just so much corruption and greed on all ends, but Trump is the be all, end all, greediest, most sexist, dumb shit ever. In fact, my song Dumb Fuck should be dedicated to him.

First of all: vagina vagina vagina. Second of all: what is your idea of a party?

Thank you for letting me know about Claude - I'm always thankful to find out about past incredible artists. And now I have a chance to become obsessed with Claude!

I don't know! That's why I'm asking! I need a jizz forensic specialist to help me - do you know any?

This may turn into a future Black Mirror episode.

It's a long drive to Dublin, so we're going to high tail it after the show. Concorde 2 forever! I've played there like a million times.

It's such a complicated question... in a way, your music can be heard more than ever because the internet is so vast, but again, it's the way that it's heard and how it's listened to for less than three minutes and over.

It has allowed me to be even more hardcore, because things like MTV don't exist for what i'm doing and never really did, but now people can find my voice if they want it. But I was established before the internet exploded, so it must be really different for those just starting out.

All those things are incredibly exciting, and it's also an incredible privilege to be able to travel around the world and give your message and your music and your performance to those who wish to hear it. A day doesn't go by when I'm not appreciate, and that might sound cheesy to you, but I'm so grateful.

My core message is just to feel comfortable in your own body. That's all. Which is not an easy thing to do. And it's very difficult for people to understand that it's ok. It's hard to wrap your head around it because of certain social constraints, and years of political and religious ideologies. And other people's general fear of one's own self-expression.

I'm really not into the word sex-positivity though, because who isn't sex positive? How can you be negative about sex, your own body, and your own pleasure and needs? Again, the organic farmer analogy...

If Richard was that pilot who was caught nude flying a plane, maybe it is about him! But mostly it's all on the up and up. I wrote that song as a response to "put your booty in the air" - dicks go up, they're very animated, so I'd like to see them shaking in the club.

In my live shows, I have a 11-metre long inflatable dick-like condom that I walk through over the audience. I hope you can picture that. There is an Italian artist who calls himself Plastic Fantastic, who approached me one day in a bar and told me that: "I av a beeg dick for you". And before I could slap him, he explained to me about his inflatable, and we've been friends ever since.

I do have a fuzzy outer layer...

Aww! That is the most endearing thing I've ever heard. Yes, I wanted Nina Simone to be singing to me but I'm sure she wasn't going to change the last name of the four women to Merrill, so I changed my name so she would actually be singing to me. I just get raw passion from her.

Would you consider adding a name, and calling your child Nina Peaches Merrill, just to bring it all back home, for me at least?

I have a shared pet with my roommate in LA. An adopted Persian named Catenza. Named because I was trying to buy a credenza. The name is best said as a character from The Dark Crystal. She loves people, hates animals. Must have five treats a day. A happily spoiled little Persian with too many hairballs.

I am not a fan of Haribo. It's like a maraschino cherry - that gummy stuff must stay in your body for like seven years.

Yes. But don't worry, I'm over them now. The poem is an honest poem, we all go through it, when you go through a shitty breakup and somebody particularly wrongs you and you want to off them.

Yes, I've never understood Not Suitable for Work tags. If that's the case, quit your job.

About LA - too weird. I have no advice. But one day, you'll tell someone a story about how you once bumped into a celebrity and it was somewhat exciting for you. Like the time Eric Idle showed up at my house, with my friend Rita. And entertained us for hours.

We have probably smoked 1000 joints between the two of us, in six months in the year 2000. What did we do when we were high? We made music!

Yes, we are working on a version of Islands in the Stream together right now.

I recently read an article about an organic farmer who said: why, when I'm an organic farmer, I have to specify that I'm organic, but other farmers don't have to say: I'm a chemical farmer. My message is direct and honest - is there any reason why other artists who do not include politics and activism don't have to describe themselves as vapid, empty artists? Why does it have to be "political" - why can't it just be normal?

It's just my point of view. My point of view is somehow political, because of the way I'm somehow twisting a mainstream political message around.

It's amazing that I haven't had this question before. Just keep doing it, and the pain will go away. People say they gave birth during that song, and conceived their child during that song.

That big red strapon appeared in The Face magazine as a picture and caused quite a stir. It was used for the song Shake Yer Dix - by the way, it was made out of leather.

Cold pressed. So so modern.

Yes! I have a huge Peaches sign that I used to wear at the end of concerts. I used to have two of them, and when I met Peaches Geldof backstage at one of my shows I asked her to put on one of them, come out first at the encore and then I would come out wearing it too. She said yes, but never showed up for the encore. It would have been so good! RIP.

Women over 50 look good in everything. People over 50 don't give a shit what you think.

Mitch Steinman is my all time favourite power ballad writer. And yes you may find this embarrassing - he wrote all the Meat Loaf hits, and Total Eclipse of the Heart. I would be honoured for him to write me a phone-light-in-the-air ballad. Nobody uses lighters any more at concerts.

I love power ballads because I can actually sing them - I can sing Total Eclipse of the Heart with so much passion that I'll make you cry.

I am all things. And the Liverpool show is on my 50th birthday, so bring me a present!

Could you clean my house? My friend has a kid, and the kid was listening along to Fuck The Pain Away, but she was so little she sang: Bup the Say Away. Phew!

Erotic City, If I Were Your Girlfriend, and When You Were Mine. When You Were Mine is just one of those longing for something, when you can't enjoy something when you have it. Erotic City is just all-out deadpan sex, with really good beep sounds. If I Were Your Girlfriend is basically... Prince not just getting into your pants, but getting into your skin.

"I could eat a peach for hours?" Yes please!

I wouldn't sing, I would cry.

Fuck gimmicks - this is real life.

What else can you offer?

I'd just like to say that it's very important for men to be feminists and for us to work together. Men need to reexamine their privileges and the way they're brought up in the same way women do, so we can all come to a balance. #JustinTrudeau

b) Watch Better Call Saul.

Thank you for including me in influential and provocative intersectional feminist work. It was such an innocent time when Shary, Leslie and Kika Thorn were creating works and generally partying and enjoying ourselves, which is to me part of being Canadian and creating important work.