Drag Queens In Limousines

This is an autobiographical song describing Mary Gauthier's youth. She was adopted into a chaotic household where she didn't fit in, and at age 15 she stole her parents car and hit the road. She came across a colorful cast of characters in her journey, which she describes in this song. And while there were lots of good times, Gauthier struggled with substance abuse and wasn't able to finish college at LSU. She eventually found her calling as a songwriter, releasing her first album at age 35. Her life experiences gave her plenty to write about, but she thinks there's hope for well-adjusted songwriters too. In our 2010 interview, Gauthier said: "I don't think you have to go through what I've gone through to be a songwriter, no. I think that fundamentally, just being alive is so mysterious and so fascinating and so interesting that you just have to be awake and look and realize what a miracle and mystery life itself is to be a writer." (For more, see our Mary Gauthier interview.)

This won Best Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song at the first annual Independent Music Awards.