Eliza Cuts: The Truth Behind the Scissors

article and photography submitted by Jade Sperry

editor’s note: this week’s Round Table is a special article that was submitted to CONFRONT by Jade Sperry, who isn’t on our current correspondent roster.  Because of this, I chose to post the article as is, with no content editing.  As such, the comments and opinions listed in this article are that of the author and no necessarily reflect that of CONFRONT.  Enjoy!

Chicago. November 2008. Barak Obama is taking North America by storm, and I’m in the midst of positive energy and optimism. I’m here to work with Eliza Cuts for 3 days, and the timing could not be better. She has just launched her new band, The Trouble (http://www.myspace.com/thetrouble), has played a show in October, had a CD release party and is busy as a bee. And then I arrived on the scene. But, before I begin this interview, I’d like to start by saying that many people claim they know Eliza, or know about her. One thing that I know is that she was the target of some of the worst Internet bullying and gossiping I’ve personally ever witnessed, and so I would like you to join me as I find out who Eliza Cuts is in her own words.

Eliza was born and raised in the Quad cities in the Midwestern United States along with her older sister. She comes from a hard working, very morale, religious and active family. When Eliza and her sister were born, her mother made a conscious decision to stay at home with them during their super-formative years. When her sister was about 3, she became very ill with Spinal Meningitis which left her with Epilepsy. Her father was a student back then, studying in Seminary school, so Eliza’s mother then took on some odd jobs to help the family financially. She house sat and baby sat other children, as well as home schooling all of them. She also did other odd jobs here and there. Her father was also doing a Christian radio show at this time. Eliza enjoyed being home schooled as it seemed to fit her personality better. The few times that she was in the “school system” were not memorable except that she was more drawn to the Arts. In the end, she and her sister asked to be home schooled. Eliza’s parents are both very smart and well educated people who were very capable of home schooling their children. Her parents believed more in teaching by example and by going to different places which meant that the family ended up traveling a lot; going to castles, museums and on field trips. They also taught them to respect and appreciate different cultures, people and experiences.

Eliza has lived in many places and traveled quite extensively in her 27 years. She is also a very talented hair stylist. And her latest project is her band, The Trouble, which was also the name of a hardcore band from the 1990′s. Her friends describe her as intense, obsessed with hair, talkative and emotional. One of her friends, Miss E, says that Eliza’s theme song should be the Batman theme song. The reason is because the song is awesome just like Eliza. And interestingly, on the photo shoot we did, she is wearing a Batman pendant. Brian, who is in Eliza’s current band, has described her esoterically, saying she is luminous, precocious and perspicacious. All of these words and phrases describe her well and are accurate. I found Eliza to have a lot of energy and personal drive with a healthy dose of confidence. And there is nothing wrong with that. Many famous actors and performers were, and are, “driven” to perform: to act, to sing, to dance, to write, to paint or to draw. She always tries hard to be a good friend and she has a very warm personality.

In coming to Chicago and meeting Eliza for the first time in person, I had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only is Eliza a nice person, she has found people much like herself to hang with. Some are musicians, some are aspiring managers, others are rappers, some go to school, and a few are just ordinary people who work 9-5 jobs. Eliza can interact with a total stranger just as easily as with some of her closest friends. This is a rare quality that not many can claim to have, and I personally know only one other person who is like that. Over the course of 3 days we talked, went shopping, drank Americanos, talked some more, ate deep dish pizza, went to McDonald’s, Angels and Kings, talked again, became ill and did 2 photo shoots – one with her band, The Trouble, and just her. She is an articulate woman who takes the time to think before answering every question put to her. In beginning this journey, I’m going to take you back in time before anyone knew who Eliza was…..