THE MEDIA AND THEIR MUSIC: Contessa Brewer of MSNBC

This is the first in what we hope will be an ongoing series in which we ask different members of the media about their musical tastes, how music fits into their life, and what music artist they would like to interview. Our first subject is Contessa Brewer of MSNBC (pictured, left).

Contessa spent seven years working in local news in Reno, NV, Palm Springs, CA, and Milwaukee, WI. She joined MSNBC in 2003 and can be seen on Morning Meeting with Dylan Ratigan weekdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and again on weekday afternoons beginning at 2 p.m. In addition, Contessa hosts Caught on Camera, which can be seen on weekends at various times.

Contessa has a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication. She resides in Manhattan with her husband.

POWERLINE A.D.: What role does music play in your life?  

Contessa Brewer: I listen to music on my commute to work. But I especially love music to be on while I’m working on my house. My husband and I have been building our own home, and there’s nothing like tiling a bathroom to the 80s remix.  

POWERLINE A.D.: Do you listen to music when you exercise? If so, what genre?  

C.B.: Doing yoga - just Zen-like spa music. But I like disco, rap, even some upbeat country for my aerobic workouts.  

POWERLINE A.D.: Do you play any musical instruments? If you do, which one(s)? 

C.B.: I play piano. Perhaps that should be past tense, I played piano. As an adolescent, I played in church for my dad, who was the pastor. I’ve played for a couple weddings, parties, and other public events. But most recently, I sat down at a piano in a rented house in Saratoga and sparked a sing-along for almost a dozen grown men (my husband and his buddies). That was a surreal experience.  

POWERLINE A.D.: Do you sing?  


C.B.: I LOVE TO SING! I sing in the studio, the make-up room, the hallways at work. I sing in the shower. I sing in the car. I sing karaoke. I’ll even sing to strangers in the elevator. My co-workers sometimes sing along, and then the newsroom seems like the set of a musical.  

POWERLINE A.D.: Do you do karaoke? If so, what’s your favorite song to sing?  


C.B.: Oh, I beat you to the punch on this question. I feel like Shania Twain’s “If You’re Not In It For Love (I’m Outta Here)” is my go-to song. I also adore 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up” and Fugees’ version of “Killing Me Softly.” I’ll try new songs, but I hate it when I realize, in front of an audience, that I really don’t know the song, or that it’s completely out of my range, or just boring. Embarrassing.  

POWERLINE A.D.: What was the first single or album that you bought with your own money? 

C.B.: I think it might have been Heavy D and the Boyz. I listened to “Now That We Found Love” over and over again.

POWERLINE A.D.: What’s your favorite album?   


C.B.: I think it might be Kenny Rogers’ Greatest Hits. A coworker in Palm Springs, Calif. introduced me to his music and I just fell in love with it.  

POWERLINE A.D.: Were you a viewer of MTV when you were growing up? If you were, what was your favorite video?  


C.B.: When I was younger and a preacher’s daughter, I didn’t have a TV and certainly wouldn’t have been allowed to watch MTV. But at 15 - the rules changed, and I remember seeing Bon Jovi’s “Living In Sin.” How was that for a wake-up? I still love that video and that song. 

POWERLINE A.D.: What was the first live music gig you attended? Who was it, where was it, when was it, and what impression did it make upon you?  

C.B.: I know this sounds like I’m making it up, but I swear it’s true: Milli Vanilli, with Young MC opening. It was in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. I was 16. It was the day after I had my wisdom teeth out, and I was drugged up on pain medicine. My mom made my boyfriend take me. (He was a high school senior, and he wasn’t happy about seeing Milli Vanilli.) I remember him crossing his arms, scowling, and insisting, “They’re lip-synching!” “No, they’re not!” I yelled back. Of course, that was all before the Grammy scandal.  

POWERLINE A.D.: What was the most recent live music gig you went to?  


C.B.: Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It’s a massive outdoor musical festival for ten days, multiple stages, and a really diverse list of performers.  

POWERLINE A.D.: Which artist or band that you’ve seen gives the best live performances?  

C.B.: Pink! LL Cool J. David Lee Roth. Tina Turner. Bette Midler. James Taylor. Sting (by himself, not with The Police). Would it be wrong to say Milli Vanilli?

POWERLINE A.D.: What’s your favorite song to dance to? 

C.B.: Right now, Lady GaGa “Poker Face.” 

POWERLINE A.D.: Did you do any music DJing on the campus radio station when you were in college? 

C.B.: No.
 
POWERLINE A.D.: Have you interviewed any music artists? If so, who was the most interesting? And what was it about them that interested you?


C.B.: Well, Alice Cooper was interesting. I still listen to “Poison” and “House of Fire” - but I interviewed him on a golf course. He was a completely different character than I would’ve expected.  

POWERLINE A.D.: If you could interview any music personality, living or deceased, who would it be and why? What question would you most want to ask them?  


C.B.: I wish I could ask Michael Jackson how it all went so wrong for him and what, if anything, he’d do differently.  

Special thanks to Weesie Vieira of MSNBC Media Relations for her assistance in putting this together

Interview by John Curley