Jessica Simpson admits to being ditsy, but she draws the line at being referred to as dumb.
"I've admitted that I am definitely ditsy," Simpson said during a teleconference call from Cincinnati, Ohio. "I am the one who went and sang at the White House in front of President Bush and messed the words up to 'God Bless America,' because that stuff happens to me. But hopefully through this conversation, you will know that I'm not dumb."
Simpson's ditsiness has been under the microscope since "Newlyweds," the MTV reality TV show in which she stars with her husband Nick Lachey. On the show, Simpson came off as an airhead — especially after the most famous episodes, in which she asks if Buffalo wings come from buffalo meat and whether tuna from Chicken of the Sea is made of chicken. But Simpson claims that those were cases where her mouth was simply moving faster than her brain.
"I mean, obviously those comments I can live without," Simpson said. "But, you know, they happen."
Actually, the Jessica Simpson who participated in the interview came off as quite a bit more cerebral than the one who appears on "Newlyweds." Her answers were direct, sometimes philosophical and always intelligent. Characteristics that some of the music critics participating in the teleconference weren't expecting.
"I grew up in a very sheltered lifestyle," Simpson said, as she cited Michael W. Smith, Amy Grant, Cece Winans, Mariah Carey — and any woman or man who can hold out a note and give people chills — as her main musical influences.
"My father (who is now Simpson's manager) was a Baptist minister at Heights Baptist Church in Dallas," she said. "I was this little innocent girl, and I didn't really know anything about life. I grew up in this little bubble. We were all very religious and very strict about who we were and who we hung out with, and we came across a little bit judgmental in a way."
But that changed when she was discovered singing in a church choir and met her husband Lachey. "I really think Nick, for my whole family, opened up all of our eyes to the world, and to accepting everybody and every religion and every heart for what it is. Nick has taught me a lot of life lessons.
"We went into such a crazy, unusual business with our heads on straight — but (Simpson's family's) might have been on a little too straight, and maybe a little stiff. But Nick opened it up for us. Remember, I was only 18 when we started dating, and now I'm going to be 24. I've traveled all over the world, and it's pretty amazing the things you see and how your character is affected."
Since she came on the scene in 1999, Simpson's career has taken many side roads. Not only does she make records, tour and appear on TV, she has also written a book about marriage and was named Housewife of the Year by Rolling Stone Magazine. Of course, Maxim Magazine also named her the hottest woman alive.
None of that will overshadow her singing, however, Simpson said. "I was signed to a record label because I have a good voice. I care to be taken seriously in my music, but in my personality and everything else, I don't. It's hard to be taken seriously in anything, and I don't really care to be, except with my music.
"I hope all the recognition, as sarcastic as they may be, doesn't take away from my music. I do think, however, that those things have brought awareness to the fact that I'm a singer. I'm not a dancer."
During her concerts, Simpson loves getting in touch with her fans, who are not just "15-year-old screaming girls.
"I mean, there are men and women, college students and people who just came from work, with their husbands and wives, in the audience. I'm reaching a wider range of ages. It's amazing.
"During the show, I have fans up onstage with me, and we do a questions-and-answering session. I don't know the questions that are going to be asked of me, so it really puts me in funny situations, and I think people who come and see the show will be taking a little piece of who I am home with them. I hope it helps them see that I'm a person, not a 'Newlywed' or whatever, but a person."
If you go
What: Jessica Simpson, Ryan Cabrera
Where: USANA Amphitheatre
When: Wednesday, 6:30 p.m.
How much: $41-$51
Phone: 467-8499 or 1-800-888-8499
E-mail: scott@desnews.com