Claudia Miriam Gonson is an American musician best known for her work with The Magnetic Fields. She occasionally provides the band lead vocals as well as performing the piano or drums. She is also the band's manager.
Gonson met Stephin Merritt in high school in the early 80's, and the pair have worked together ever since.
While in high school at Concord Academy, Gonson performed in her first band, the Zinnias, in which Stephin Merritt wrote or co-wrote most of the band's material with John Gage. The band broke up when Gonson left to attend Columbia University. Gonson later returned to the Boston area to attend Harvard University, and joined the group Lazy Susan, which also included Therese Bellino and Shirley Simms.She has since performed on many of Merritt's albums, including the critically acclaimed 1999 album 69 Love Songs, and frequently appears with him live as part of the usual quartet that constitutes The Magnetic Fields.
Gonson has been Merritt's longtime manager. She appears extensively in Strange Powers, the 2009 documentary by Kerthy Fix and Gail O'Hara about Merritt and the Magnetic Fields.
As well as her work with Stephin Merritt, Gonson also plays drums in the band Tender Trap. She has written and performed her own music with Shirley Simms, Michael Hearst, Tanya Donelly and Rick Moody. She has also played drums in Providence, Rhode Island-based band Honeybunch and performs as the lead vocalist in Merritt's Future Bible Heroes project. She sang on Neil Gaiman's song "Bloody Sunrise"In an interview with The Advocate, Gonson remarked:
'"When we started Magnetic Fields we purposely had one lesbian, one gay guy, one straight woman, and one straight man. The audience could identify with whomever they wanted."In that interview, Gonson noted that she feels that Merritt's songs are predominantly about "Loneliness, isolation, and the need to be recognized by another person." She believes that if homophobia were not so prevalent, these experiences "would be less rampant instead of being so associated with the gay personality." Gonson believes that many LGBT youth have listened to The Magnetic Fields for "words of wisdom."
In 2010, she gave birth to her daughter Eve.
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Some of their strengths
Claudia Gonson has many admirable traits.
Based on spiritual traditions from around the world, they are someone who can be described as Imaginative, Intense, Brave, Honest, Energetic, Generous, and Practical.
Independent and Brave
According to Mysticism’s Astrology tradition, Claudia Gonson is someone who is an independent, brave, and honest person who approaches life with energy, intuition, passion, and generosity. A person who is charismatic and resourceful.
Adaptable and Versatile
Based on Daoism’s Ba-Zi or ‘Chinese Zodiac’ tradition, people who know Claudia Gonson well know them as someone who can be adaptable, flexible, and polite, like a flower or a sapling.
Truthful and Kind
According to Hinduism’s Jyotisha or ‘Vedic Astrology’ tradition, many would also describe Claudia Gonson as someone who is honest, compassionate, imaginative, and instinctual.
A person who enjoys new challlenges, is a magnet for attracting other creative types, good at identifying opportunities, and who is good at forming loyal, lifelong friendships.
Dynamic and Imaginative
Based on the Mayan Tzolk’in or ‘Mayan Astrology’ tradition, Claudia Gonson is someone who can bring a purifying element to situations, and who is a risk-taker with vision and imagination.
They are also someone who is confident and creative, and who has a love for starting new projects, inventing new things, and giving back to the community.
Independent and Dynamic
According to Judaism’s Kabbalah tradition, Claudia Gonson tends to be someone who is independent, dynamic, and courageous. Who can be positive, energetic, self-reliant, and adventurous, and who can make friends easily.
Some of Claudia Gonson's challenges
While Claudia Gonson has many strengths, nobody is perfect. They also have some challenging traits they need to manage.
For example, Claudia Gonson can be Emotional, Short-tempered, Impulsive, Standoffish, Unrealistic, Indecisive, and Arrogant.
Short-tempered and Impulsive
One of Claudia Gonson's key challenges is that they are someone who can come across as short-tempered and impulsive.
Claudia Gonson must also exercise caution as they can have a hard time reconciling wants and needs, and can have difficulty dealing with responsibility, authority, or criticism.
Unrealistic and Indecisive
Claudia Gonson is someone who can be unrealistic, indecisive, and lacking in confidence, who can be impulsive when it comes to making important decisions, have difficulty collaborating with others, can be argumentative and not willling to accept criticism, and who can be disappointed by the high expectations they place on others.
Aggressive and Domineering
Finally, Claudia Gonson also can be aggressive, impatient, impulsive, and short-tempered.
