Star of hit TV show Portlandia and guitarist of the critically acclaimed band Sleater-Kinney, Carrie Brownstein has spent almost half of her life in show business. A self-described, "perennial seeker" Brownstein has now decided to put pen to paper, baring all in her recently released memoirs, Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl.

Behind all of the lights and attention experienced throughout her thriving career, there is a witty, intelligent, irascible and successful multi-tasker. Brownstein vacillates between TV/Film (a recurring role in Transaprent and a minor role in the recent film Carol), music and writing with apparent effortlessness, utilizing all three as creative forces of expression.

Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl is a confronting and intriguing read, undoubtedly her most confessional work. It’s all there – the self-combustion of the band (almost literally), the past loves, her mother’s battle with anorexia and her father’s “coming out”. But discussing this with Brownstein is a nerve-wracking task. She chooses her words carefully, speaking slowly, remaining guarded and never allowing you to feel comfortable enough for a natural conversational environment to create itself. That being said, at times her sharp firmness makes her all the more engaging, it’s a trait that commands respect. A modern girl? You bet. There’s a lot of very specific details in the book. Were you keeping a diary during all those years that you were then able to go back to and pull these details from? Yeah I did keep some tour diaries and I wrote a lot of letters in the early years of touring which I had my friends send back to me as a reference. But we each attach value to particular memories. I think with regards to the memoir it’s not about writing what you know but what you want to know. That’s why the first drafts are so important. Often in the early drafts you’re figuring out which memories can serve the narrative and help create an arc. It’s really about construction. Was there an element of embellishment to the stories in the book at all? No nothing like that. It was just about picking what I wanted to write about, picking out which instances have the most value and relevance. Some parts of the book are very personal and raw. You write about your mother for instance and her struggle with anorexia. Were you apprehensive about revealing certain things like that to the rest of the world? People tend to use words like catharsis and vulnerability when talking about memoir as a form, but during the process you view things more from an architectural point of view. I was worried about making good sentences and tempo and structure and creating an interesting narrative to the book. Of course there’s an emotional aspect to it but that often comes in retrospect. It’s a lot more of a fastidious process. It’s not just emoting onto a page.

"One of the things I really like about working in comedy is that sometimes when you look out into the world and sense the collective despair, the only way to really make sense of it is through the absurd." Carrie Brownstein

I recently read Kim Gordon’s book, ‘Girl in a Band’ and I’m sure many people have referenced this in response to your own book. She said that memoirs are the new records. Do you agree with that sentiment? I think I understand what she’s saying. But I see it as one form of expression among many. I felt that there were parts of the book where you held back on comedy in favour of something more real. Was there an element of wanting to remove that veneer of the witty persona we see on TV and in interviews? It was definitely an intentional creative choice. There are parts of the book that are humorous that then vacillate into a more serious tone. I think depending on the subject and the chapter there are different stylistic choices, but it was all very intentional. It seems like you’ve undergone such a transformation from where you first began in Sleater-Kinney to where you are now. Is there anything you’d like to go back and tell your younger self? I would tell my younger self to be less anxious and to enjoy it more. But was the anxiety perhaps a part of your creative process? Did that feeling help you artistically at all? I think an inherent restlessness leads me to be someone who is a perennial seeker. And I think that desire for possibility is married to creativity in some way and so yes, it has helped me in that way. And I enjoy the peripatetic nature of my life. I thrive as a multitasker. I think it’s my preferred way of being. If you can remove the acute anxiety then it’s quite fulfilling and exciting.