Vegetarian Star

Nellie McKay is basking in the glory of being a mom these days. Best of all, she didn’t go through hours of labor to take the credit. She simply went to her local shelter and adopted a pit bull named Bess, who she was walking during our exclusive interview with her. 

On her new bundle of joy
Her name is Bess. I’m on an email list that lets you know when animals are about to be put down at the local shelter. I never took in an animal because I travel so much. It didn’t seem fair to them and it seemed kind of impossible for me. But I just couldn’t say no to her. They had pictures of her still lactating. She had just given birth. They [former owners] had taken her puppies and dumped her. She was a throw away mom.

At first she pretended like she didn’t know how to sit. It turns out she just needed the incentive of a treat. She was pretending and she knew all along. She’s the greatest thing that ever happened. She’s the light of my life. She makes life worth living.

On the Obamas not choosing a shelter dog
I think he definitely made the wrong decision. The pressure should be on them for the next animal they get. All this pure-breed stuff…We should all be going after mutts. There are hypoallergenic mutts as well as breeds. We have to get rid of the whole breed mentality. It’s animal racism. Just don’t go for it.

It isn’t hard. The hypoallergenic dogs are available as we speak. The Humane Society and other animal rescue groups offered to help with that search. And the argument that it’s a personal decision-well, so is meat eating but it hurts others.

This seems like something that could have helped so many animals. It could have drawn attention to the plight of so many animals in shelters. They are so influential. It could have saved so many lives and made so many lives better for animals that are just languishing there waiting to be seen, let alone be adopted. I’m disappointed and I just hope that their second dog or cat they will get from a shelter.

Learn why Nellie loves Kevin Eubanks after the jump… (more…)

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Animal lovers across the nation are disappointed that the Obamas have chosen to go with a dog from a kennel versus a shelter due to allergies in the family.

While some feel this is a setback for rescue animals, we’re ecstatic to bring you the news that another shelter dog has indeed been given its earthy wings and will be living high with singer-songwriter Nellie McKay.

McKay performed at VegFest in Denver this past weekend and Susanna Speier, who blogs as the Denver Sustainable City Examiner, had a chance to watch her that evening, where it was revealed Nellie has recently adopted a pit bull.

“In effort to end this on a somewhat brightish not, I shall also inform you that Nellie McKay is now a proud new parent. Although, Denver’s strict pit bull regulations, precluded the golden hearted singer/songwriter from being able to bring him to Denver with her, his newly adapted presence was with her in spirit, throughout the night. And yes, in case you are wondering, Nellie McKay chose to rescue a shelter dog.”

Sweet deal. Karma works in ways you couldn’t imagine. If you’re interested in adding more magic to the shelter pet pot, visit the Humane Society or rescue shelter in your area.

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The famous vegan junk food lovin’ Nellie McKay will be performing at the Denver, Colorado VegFest 2009 on April 11.

VegFest will feature all day veggie fun complete with guest speakers such as Dr. Milton R. Mills, associate director of preventive medicine for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), cooking demonstrations, and vendors.

The evening will end with Nellie’s concert as well as a performance by Amy and the Rock Sisters.

Nellie McKay, although a vegan, has said many times she just loves junk food, and thinks more people would be vegan if more vegan  junk food was available. We’re guessing VegFest won’t have a lot of junk food, but there’s still probably something for everyone to chow down on.

 VegFest will take place at Mariott City Center in Denver. For more information, visit VegFest.net.

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Your inauguration tickets get lost in the mail? Cause you know you were sooo invited, being the special person that you are.

Don’t be disheartened, vegan singer-songwriter Nellie Mckay will throw a little ball of her own with live music at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue.

She, along with bands Jukebox the Ghost and These United States will be performing Of Great and Mortal Men: 43 Songs for 43 US Presidencies.

The event is Saturday, January 17th and tickets are $16 in advance, $20 at the door.

Not sure if there will be any vegan appropriate hors d’ oeuvres served, so fill up on some vegan junk food before the event.

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It’s no secret vegan musician Nellie McKay likes junk food, from calling herself a “junkatarian” to her theory that more vegan junk food would convert people to veganism. In this video from her Uncensored Interview set, she lists her favorite restaurants, which, ironically, don’t sound as if they’re serving junk at all. Veggie Paradise 2, the veggie burger at Better Burger, and even the Chipotle Burritos are on her fave list.

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“I think we need more vegan junk food. Who has time when you’re out in the world to get something quick? Why can’t we have a dollar menu? So many people don’t respond to animal rights as a whole because they know they will have to change their lifestyle so drastically. Why not make it easier for them?”

“You can’t preach with veganism. You need to be funny and lively.” A lot of people treat veganism as a my-way-or-the-highway type thing, but it’s good to keep a sense of humor. You can do this while still moving toward a more compassionate world.”

—-Singer and songwriter Nellie McKay, in an interview with Vegetarian Journal. Earlier, we told you how she calls herself a Junkatarian and has an addiction to the french fries. Her idea of vegan fun is potato chips, beer, and spaghetti. Now she’s aiming for the Cheetos.

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We hope we’re not giving Nellie a hard time or a bad image. But look at it this way: She’s good proof that vegans enjoy crap food like everyone else. And if it makes some of us like everyone else, hey, we won’t look so bad to the carnivores, huh?

McKay has jokingly called herself a “junkatarian,” in the past because she loves to chow down on french fries. In this Sprig.com video, she explains that although veganism can be hard, there’s still plenty of “vegan fun,” which she names as “potato chips, beer, and spaghetti.”

Woohoo! Go Nellie! Besides, spaghetti is full of protein and good carbs. She’s not so junkatarian as she’d like to believe. Hear her say how being vegan is the “primo” title of the eight she holds, in addition to singer, songwriter, and ukulele player.

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Happy Vegetarian Awareness Month! Yes, we’re horrible with birthdays, anniversaries and the like so we’re a little more than halfway into it, but hey, time’s not up yet.

The good green folks at Ecorazzi are on top of things, though and they’re featuring a series of vegetarian celebrity interviews this month. Their most recent chit chat session was with the infamous French fry eating junkatarian Nellie McKay.

McKay, a singer and songwriter who’s also had some fame on Broadway, has been a vegetarian since age eight, but admitted to “cheating” a few times in the school cafeteria.

If she could go back in time and meet some of the famous vegetarians she would have liked to have been in the presence of Zora Neil Hurston, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Caroline White, founder of the National Anti-Vivisection Society. Speaking of vivisection, protesting animal research is something she is very passionate about and she once wrote a song, “Columbia is Bleeding,” to symbolize her disapproval with the vivisection labs at Columbia University.

“Unwilling experiments on human beings have yielded certain kinds of “progress,” but most people would say that it’s unconscionable to test on prisoners or disabled people or minorities or women — which would probably be the first types of people they would try that on. Most people wouldn’t accept that, and the same thing should be said with animals. No matter what the benefit! And the benefit is really small to nil that comes out of animal experimentation; it’s not worth what we have to do.”

Read the interview in its entirety, here.

Photo: Amy T. Zielinkski on Creative Commons

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