Springtime Carnivore’s Greta Morgan is essentially the picture of cool. She has a whole pinup girl meets Daisy Duke thing going on which seems to be working pretty well. Morgan’s latest album, Midnight Room, comes out next week, which shows her going through the aftermath of a breakup that almost destroyed her. While it was tough, she came out resilient in the end.
We spoke to Morgan about what she needs on the road to keep her calm and happy.
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THE COLOR RED
Do you remember the Nickelodeon show Doug? Doug Funny had a closet full of repetitions of the same outfit. I am like Doug Funny when it comes to red dresses. My requisite for stage clothes is that I have to be able to move, breathe, and sweat in them, so all the ones I have happen to be cotton and comfortable. A woman a red dress always makes me think of the album cover of Bob Dylan’s Bringing It All Back Home.
“PAJAMA-JAM” ATTIRE
My favorite social activity is what I call a “Pajama-Jam”. It is equal parts songwriting session and slumber party. These are my go-to PJs: a vintage Bruce Springsteen shirt (softest cotton I’ve ever felt) and black cotton shorts.
GARRETT #1 HAT
My dad is a fan of personalized embroidery, so he had a few dozen of these made for my brother Garrett’s first birthday (which was 30 years ago). I found this while cleaning out my mom’s house and I’ve worn it nearly every day for the last five years.
MY GREAT AUNT MOE’S SPOON RING
My great Aunt Moe gave this to me at lunch when I was 15. Soon after that, my first band was signed and I was swept up in a musical whirlwind I’m still riding. I’ve been wearing the ring the whole time. I’m not that superstitious, but a friend recently pointed out that perhaps the spoon ring is my good luck charm.
MY FAVORITE THERMOS
I tour with a portable barista set-up to make make coffee and tea. This little ritual makes even the grungiest venue or hotel feel more like home. My favorite thermos is this one, which has a smaller additional cup aptly named “the buddy cup”. When one of my bandmates wants a swig of hot coffee, they look over and sweetly ask, “Can I be your buddy?”
COLLECTION OF LITTLE JOYS
COCONUT OIL
I’m a minimalist with products, so I use organic coconut oil to wash my face, take off makeup, shave my legs, condition my hair, etc. I’ll mix it with baking soda and salt to make face scrubs or I’ll add a little zinc oxide to make it into sunscreen. It’s a pure little miracle.
ESSENTIAL OILS
These are such a refreshing pick-me-up while traveling. I’ll spray a mixture in a hotel room, dab a little as perfume, or inhale a mix of eucalyptus and peppermint to refresh my respiratory system after being in a plane or the van.
FILM CAMERA
I love developing film long after the fact so that I can compare an actual photo graphic moment with my memory of a moment.
SWIMSUIT
Nights involving swimming usually wind up being the most memorable of a whole tour. A 1am ocean swim on a full moon might be one of the greatest things a human can do.
TAROT AND REGULAR PLAYING CARDS
Sometimes I ask the tarot deck to answer huge life questions for me and sometimes I play solitaire. Both are fun games + both help me relax.
STAMPS AND ENVELOPES
I’m really into snail mail — giving and receiving.
POEMS AND SHORT STORIES
The bursts of focused quiet time are rare, so I stick to short pieces of literature on tour. A good short story is like a perfect pop song — a quick emotional gut-punch that stays stuck in your head for days.
Ilana Kaplan is a writer based in Brooklyn. Follow her on Twitter.
