Awe, terror and rainbow flames across the sky: Neko Case has thoughts on nature

Neko Case wants to be the moon, but knows she’s a tornado. She sings about the consequences of messing with killer whales and at a Toronto concert last fall, told the audience to consider the delicate strength of spiders. From magpies to tigers, floods to bees, her lyrics have always advised listeners to fear, love and “have mercy on the natural world.” 

Case came of age in Washington state and now lives in Vermont, but the singer-songwriter has long been an honourary Canadian. Among other reasons, she went to art school in 1990s Vancouver, was a founding member of indie anchors The New Pornographers, has made an album with k.d. lang and once released a CanCon EP covering the likes of Neil Young in her signature contralto. The winding road of her tumultuous, musical life is chronicled in her new memoir, The Harder I Fight The More I Love You, out Jan. 28.

As for the climate crisis, Case writes about it often in her newsletter, Entering the Lung, where she’s alternately passionate, pleading and pissed off about the state of the environment. But among all of those big, justified emotions, she always makes time for the wonder of tiny details  — consider this musing on the humble chicory plant.

Here’s how the self-described “musician, producer, writer, artist, dork” answered our Moose Questionnaire, which highlights a person’s connection to the natural world. This interview has been condensed for length and clarity — opinions are the subject’s own. 

What’s the most awe-inspiring natural sight you’ve witnessed between the Pacific, Atlantic, 49th parallel and Hudson Bay, i.e. Canada? 

Once while driving through the Rockies in B.C., I saw the most incredible northern lights I have ever witnessed. They were rainbow flames stretching across the entire night sky.

What’s the most awe-inspiring natural sight you’ve witnessed outside of Canada? 

I once saw a giraffe scalp a man in front of me. Needless to say I was in awe and also terrified.

Think of three iconic Canadian animals. Choose one each to kiss, marry and kill. 

I don’t think I could kill any? I think moose fascinate me the most, so I’d marry one. I’d kiss a bison, but I don’t think they’d allow it.

Name a person or group doing something meaningful for the environment that everyone should know about.

Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book Braiding Sweetgrass.

Name one person who could significantly help mitigate the climate crisis if they really wanted to.

Bezos. But he won’t.

Outdoor cats: yes or no?

Yes.

Tell us about a time you changed your mind about something, environmental or otherwise.

I realized PETA were turds when they began to harass Indigenous people about their diet and livelihoods.

Tell us about a time you tried to change someone else’s mind about something, environmental or otherwise.

I am always mentioning things to my friends about how they can use less plastic. Some are annoyed, and some listen. I don’t have a filter about that stuff.

Yes, you have to choose: Rocky Mountains or Great Lakes? 

Rocky Mountains.

Researchers at Yale University, the France-based Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society and other institutions have found women tend to be more concerned about climate change than men. Why do you think that is? 

I literally have no idea. It’s just another thing that hurts.

If you could dip a toe off Canada’s coastline, which ocean would it be in?

Atlantic.

What’s a beautiful or useful thing you’ve owned for a really long time?

My Martin tenor guitar.

What’s the farthest north you’ve ever been and what did you do there?

The Yukon. I played the Dawson Folk Fest and it was one of the funnest things I have ever done in my life.

What’s one way you interact with the natural world on a daily basis?

I consider the plant-life every single day, no matter where I am.

If you could ask one person, alive or dead, about their thoughts on climate change, who would it be?

Robin Wall Kimmerer.

Yes, you have to choose: smoked salmon or maple syrup? 

Maple syrup.

Who, in your life, has had the greatest impact on your connection to nature?

My stepfather, Bill

Whose relationship with the natural world would you most like to have an impact on?

Everyone’s.

Camping: yes or no?

Yes.