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Transcript
June 2, 2006

HAMMER: Everybody`s been through it. But first tonight, the practice of self-mutilation or cutting as it`s called, is one that often goes unnoticed and at many times it is truly misunderstood. This is an issue that singer-songwriter Plumb tackles in her song "Cut." Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PLUMB (SINGING): I do not want to be afraid. I do not want to die inside just to breathe in. I`m tired of feeling so numb. Relief exists I find it when I am> cut.

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HAMMER: Extraordinarily powerful lyrics. Plumb and I sat down and talked about this very powerful song and her commitment to using her talent to help raise awareness about issues like this.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HAMMER: Now, you were inspired to write this song because of a letter you received from a fan?

PLUMB: Yes, actually, she was on my message board And she said, any cutters out there? And the response was overwhelming. And I realized even when that was brought up that they`re talking via the internet, They didn`t have someone to look them in the eye and say, let`s talk about this together and they felt very alone And she said, my family doesn`t understand, I don`t understand sometimes even myself. But sometimes I feel so numb inside. Just feel alive, I want to cut the skin. When I read that, I used the platform of
Plumb I hope, as responsibly as I can and I felt like I could be a voice for them. Not because I fully understand, not because I in anyway, shape or form can fix that. But I know that music is a great tool to create conversation if nothing else and I think conversation there can be healing. And if nothing else, to feel less alone.

HAMMER: Are you surprised by the response that you got?

PLUMB: I`m not. And I was scared. I was not surprised that there would be a response; however, I was a little nervous. I actually had a girl come to a show recently and tell me -- she was giving me compliments on the show. And then said, by the way, I`m completely offended that you would sing about something so intimate you know nothing about and
by the end of our conversation, I told her that I certainly can`t apologize for the song. I do apologize if it makes you feel that way, but, you know, every song tells a story and often we relate to that story, but it doesn`t necessarily tell our story. And so this song may not
have told your store of cutting, because she was a cutter, I said, but it`s talks about something that you do relate to.

And, but I would say for every 100 comments, there`s, you know, maybe one negative and so I`ve been really encouraged by the level of encouragement I`ve received of saying, hey, thanks for talking about this, I struggle with it, I have a hard time talking about it, And you writing a song about it has opened up a door of opportunity for me to say, hey, did you hear that song "Cut" and suddenly they`re in a conversation about self- abuse where normally they wouldn`t have been. And so, that`s success to me for the song to just do that. You may, 20 years, from now have no idea who Plumb is, but you may remember there`s a song about something that could invoke some healing and that`s a huge reward as an artist.

HAMMER: Is there a resounding theme to either the comments people make to you or the e-mails that you get in terms of why they`re suffering from or why they go through what they`re go through?

PLUMB: I wouldn`t say a resounding theme as much as numbness comes up a lot, of just not feeling and almost becoming apathetic to a lot of things where> they just don`t even care. And that scares them, to not care. And so just to feel like I am still breathing, right? They cut the skin.

HAMMER: You sing about lots of things, not just this. But you do on each of your albums dedicate a song to people who are hurting. Why is that so important to you?

PLUMB: Well, the first album I released, there was a song in there about an emotionally this girl that I went to high school with, that she was really close to me and just told her story. Wasn`t really this really as real intentional profound moment of I`m going to reach this audience. I just wrote the song among ten other songs and the response to it was so overwhelming that it almost defined a path for me as an artist to say, I`m not going to isolate myself from other fans, but there`s an audience that is scared, that feels kind of alone. And I opened up a can of worms. And it is almost like they just felt relief and the reaction from them through letters and e-mails and comments after show, just for some reason gave me some sort of inspiration to say I`m going to dedicate a song to that audience, no matter what other songs are on the record, every record and so I`ve proceeded to do that and I`ve touched on sexual abuse, I`ve touched on physical abuse and now self-abuse was brought up.

And so again, not wanting to capitalize off of that, but I feel that`s an audience that if I reach no one else, I feel like there`s a connection there and I have a responsibility to that. When I noticed that connection, to ignore it I think would be incredibly unfaithful of my art and so I`m hopefully still doing that.

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HAMMER: She certainly has reached a lot of people. And you can find the song "Cut" on Plumb`s latest album, it`s called "Chaotic Resolve" and it is in stores now.