Lucy Walsh’s “Remember Me as Human:” An Intimate Conversation with the Multifaceted Artist on Her Literary Journey

In her upcoming book, Remember Me As Human, artist and author, Lucy Walsh, takes readers on an emotional journey through her family's history, exploring the profound impact of love, war, and the passage of time.

Remember Me As Human emerges as a poignant reminder to embrace the stories of our loved ones and cultivate genuine connections. Lucy Walsh invites readers to embark on a journey of self-discovery, family exploration, and the celebration of what it truly means to be human. As her book prepares to hit the shelves and the podcasting world awaits her next venture, Lucy stands as a role model for those seeking profound connections in a rapidly changing world.

This exclusive Q&A with Lucy draws insights into her creative process, the challenges encountered during the three-day nursing home interview with her grandmother, and the broader themes of the book…

Your upcoming book, "Remember Me As Human," delves into deeply personal and emotional aspects of your family history. Can you share what inspired you to embark on this literary journey and explore your family's story?

When I was seventeen, my Grandmother Wanda gave me the sixty-three remaining love letters my Grandfather Dale had written her while he was away fighting in WWII, 1943-1945. Immediately I knew I wanted to make them into a film someday, and so I began asking questions of my family about the stories in the letters and my grandparents lives. Before I got a chance to ask my Grandfather Dale much, he died with Alzheimer’s, and his memories were gone from the story forever. This scared me and sent me into overdrive to collect as many of my elder's memories as I could, in case Alzheimer's stole someone else. This led me to sitting with my Grandmother Wanda in her nursing home when she was ninety-seven years old...for a three-day interview about her life. She died four months later. This book is the story of those three final days with Wanda - for what began as asking her questions about the letters, became a master class in what it truly means to be human.

The narrative of your book unfolds during a three-day nursing home interview. Can you describe the emotions and challenges you encountered as you delved into your grandparents' WWII love letters and the broader familial dynamics? 

I faced some emotional challenges in the interview with my grandmother, because there are some skeletons in my family's closet of the past, that she doesn't readily acknowledge, and being my forward self, I ventured to ask her about all of them. I knew it would be painful for her to speak about some things, so I made sure to pepper in lighthearted questions about her life as well. Another challenge I faced during the interview was being there at Wanda's nursing home and seeing the elderly residents withering away in loneliness. The experience was very psychologically overwhelming for me.

From acting in films and TV series to touring internationally with Maroon 5 and now authoring a book, your artistic journey spans various mediums. How do you balance and draw inspiration from your diverse creative pursuits? 

I have definitely explored various aspects of being in show business! I used to think I had to present myself as just 'one thing' to be taken seriously, but I've let that go now. We as humans are many things, our lives unfold as many different chapters, and I have really embraced the joy of pursuing what I'm curious about at any given point. Right now, I'm curious about writing a book! Next year, I may feel more curious about recording another album...who knows. Our lives move in seasons. To me, the art of a successful life is embracing whatever season you're in, with grace and compassion for yourself...even if it's not where you wish you were...just as we wouldn't expect crops to grow in the dead of winter when nature is regenerating, we shouldn't expect ourselves to be in a season it's not time for yet. Right now, I feel I'm in a blossoming Spring, after a long personal season of hibernation and solitary writing.

Your newest venture, the podcast "Broads In A Bathtub," sounds intriguing. Can you give us a sneak peek into what listeners can expect, and what motivated you to venture into the world of podcasting? 

My potential "Broad in A Bathtub" podcast has taken a backseat to a more interesting podcast pursuit- I will be starting a podcast (title TBD) about family history...inviting guests on to share THEIR family letters and artifacts. My previous podcast "The Lucy & Annabel" Show ran for over 60 episodes, check it out! I started it with my friend Annabel Jones in 2020, as her dad was also a superstar (Davy Jones from The Monkees), and we both had major record deals and wanted to share advice for musical artists starting out...but only 3 weeks into our show, Annabel's husband Ryan was killed in a car crash, along with his best friend Max. Annabel chose to continue the podcast in real time as she worked through that process of being widowed at 33, and what had begun as a light-hearted look at rockstar daughters in the music business, became a journey into surviving grief that had a profound effect on both us and our audience. It was life changing for me, as I held space for her grieving process...and deepened my understanding of what it means to be truly human, contributing to my book's theme.

“Remember Me As Human" promises a journey into self-discovery. How has the process of writing this book impacted your understanding of yourself, your family, and your place within the broader context of life? 

Writing Remember Me As Human has greatly deepened my understanding of myself, others, and humanity at large. It is my memoir as much as it is my grandmother’s story, and I can see now how the experiences throughout my life funneled perfectly into where I am today. Growing up in a very famous family also gave me a huge challenge to overcome in understanding what it means to be human. I was starstruck by it all for a long time and had daddy issues in believing that by becoming famous myself, my dad would love me. I couldn't have been born into a more perfect situation for learning the lesson that it’s all smoke and mirrors, and I’m so grateful that life path has helped me deepen my knowledge to be able to teach and share about it now.

As you approach the release of your book and the launch of your podcast, what message or emotion do you hope readers and listeners take away from your work? 

“Remember Me As Human will make you want to ask more questions of your loved ones, while you still have them here. If I can get more people having real intimacy in their relationships, by being curious about each other, I'm happy. So many people who read the book say to me, "God I wish I had asked my father about this" or "I'd give anything to have just one more conversation with my grandfather so I could find out about that"...my message is - ask them now, don't wait! Don't put your loved ones in a box and assume you know who they are- find out more. I can't tell you how many conversations I have where the other person doesn't ask a single question about me, they just talk 'at me' about themselves. It's not OK. This is why depression and suicide are at an all-time high - we are isolated in plain sight, we are not experiencing the beautiful intimacy of sharing our feelings, we are not really connecting about matters of the heart. Social media and AI are robbing us of our humanity, and if we're not extremely careful moving forward, it will slip away completely. I stand for nourishing human connection however possible, and that is why my book is a crucial read at this.

Remember Me As Human emerges as a poignant reminder to embrace the stories of our loved ones and cultivate genuine connections. Lucy Walsh invites readers to embark on a journey of self-discovery, family exploration, and the celebration of what it truly means to be human. As her book prepares to hit the shelves and the podcasting world awaits her next venture, Lucy stands as a role model for those seeking profound connections in a rapidly changing world.