Mollie O’Brien and Carla Sciaky joined Meredith Carson to share memories of their longtime friend Jill Sobule. They reflected on her sharp humor, deep songwriting, and collaborative spirit, noting how she balanced lightheartedness with profound observation. O’Brien and Sciaky also performed “Rock Me to Sleep,” co-written by Sobule on the night of Princess Diana’s crash, highlighting the poignancy and craftsmanship that defined her music. (Interview: 9/19/25)
Meredith Carson: Morning! Carla Sciaky is here, and Mollie O’Brien is here. Good morning, ladies.
Mollie O’Brien: Good morning.
Meredith Carson: Let’s see if we can get a little volume on your mics there. Good morning, good morning. Oh, much better—yes, better. So, the two of you are taking part in a fabulous event that is happening not only in Denver, but also in a number of places around the country, called Gilli Fair. These events are celebrations of Jill Sobule’s life and her enormous contribution to our culture through her music, her sense of humor, and her fabulousness.
So, the Denver Gilli Fair is coming up. Carla, could you tell us a little bit about that one?
Carla Sciaky: It’s Sunday night at the Jewish Community Center—the day after tomorrow.
Meredith Carson: Right.
Carla Sciaky: Yep, the 21st. I even have a promo paragraph to read. Shall I just read it? I don’t have your broadcasting voice, Meredith.
Meredith Carson: You have your voice, which is fabulous.
Carla Sciaky: Okay. “Gilli Fair: Celebrating the life and music of Denver’s own Jill Sobule. No other city can say that—Denver’s own.”
Meredith Carson: Born right here.
Carla Sciaky: Right. On September 21st at the Denver JCC, as part of the JAAMM Festival. Tickets are available at jccdenver.org. Performers include Tony Trischka, Mollie O’Brien and Rich Moore, Hal Aqua, Rabbi Joe Black, Megan Burtt, Liz Barnez, Finn O’Sullivan (a young singer-songwriter who saw Jill years ago), Jerry Kazor (who went to elementary school with Jill), and I’ll be singing as well.
There’s going to be a rare video—which we saw in August—and a proclamation from the City of Denver.
Meredith Carson: Wonderful. That’s a big event. And I doubt that a lot of the other cities are going to make a city proclamation. Probably not for Jill. This might be the only one, which makes it super special and absolutely wonderful.
It’ll be fun, too, because Jill was one of the funniest people ever. That humor is reflected in the song we heard, “Karen by Night,” and in so much of her music. Mollie, you knew Jill for a long time when she lived here.
Mollie O’Brien: I met Jill when I first moved to Colorado. I moved here in 1980, and I probably didn’t meet her until ’81 or so. There was a series of concerts—the Women in Music Festival, or something like that. I think Lannie Garrett had her hand in one of them.
We played at the old Harvest House and at Union Station—before it was redone. It was a bunch of women, kind of à la Mother Folkers, but it leaned more towards rock and roll. Jill was in her early twenties then—bouncy, funny, positive, and so much fun to be with.
I’d also see her more recently, because she performed here more often in the last 10 years.
Carla Sciaky: We brought her back.
Mollie O’Brien: Right. Everybody was happy about that. She became a big star and a critical success. But sadly, she was killed in a tragic house fire on May 1st. It was really shocking. She was supposed to fly to Denver that very day for a Swallow Hill gig. That night, there was an impromptu memorial.
This weekend was supposed to be the Denver run of her off-off-Broadway musical, F** 7th Grade.* In light of that not happening, they organized the Gilli Fair instead. And that’s why we’re here.
Meredith Carson: That musical—was it a one-woman show?
Mollie O’Brien: No, it was a whole band.
Carla Sciaky: Luckily, they filmed it. It was off-Broadway, and there will be future presentations of it—I don’t know when.
Meredith Carson: Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special treat! Mollie and Carla are performing together.
Carla Sciaky: Yes, we’ll perform at Gilli Fair on Sunday at the JCC. Tickets at jccdenver.org. And here’s a sneak preview of one of Jill’s songs we’ll do.
She was known for her humor, but her depth—the incredible craftsmanship with which she created songs—was unprecedented. Magical, sparkly, heart-wrenching, and profound.
The song we’re going to sing, “Rock Me to Sleep,” was co-written with Richard Barone. They wrote it the night Princess Diana was in her car crash. They stayed up all night waiting for news, and Jill said, “Let’s write a song all night to keep us awake.”
[Song performance: “Rock Me to Sleep” – Mollie O’Brien & Carla Sciaky]
Meredith Carson: [00:08:00] That was Mollie O’Brien and Carla Sciaky, live in KGNU’s studios. They’ll perform Sunday night at Gilli Fair, part of the JAAMM Festival at the JCC, near Colorado and Alameda. Show starts at 6:00 PM.
Many performers will share Jill’s songs, stories, and memories. This will be a celebration of her music, her humor, her impact in the queer and LGBTQ+ community, and the dignity and hilarity she brought to her performances. Tickets at jccdenver.org.
Mollie, you wrote the most wonderful description of Jill in a text when we first started talking about this. Do you have that?
Mollie O’Brien: I don’t have it in front of me, but I’ll just say: the whole night benefits Jill’s funds—the Jill Sobule Fund. It’s both a memorial and a benefit.
Carla Sciaky: Part of her legacy was collaboration. She co-wrote so many songs and often pulled people on stage with her, collaborating spontaneously—which scared some people, but magic always came from it.
At her August memorial, people shared how many unfinished projects she had. Losing her so young, I’ve taken from it the importance of carrying her spark forward.
Meredith Carson: Yes, and I’m sure that will be discussed Sunday night. There will also be opportunities to get involved through her website and social media.
This event will be celebratory, because Jill celebrated everything—big or small.
Carla Sciaky: She even wrote her final song about life ending, long before it happened. We’ll be ending with it Sunday.
Meredith Carson: Beautiful. Well, before we wrap up, Mollie, you mentioned another Jill song you’ll be doing?
Mollie O’Brien: Yes, “Superman or Spider-Man.” It’s about a man in L.A. who dresses as Spider-Man and hangs out on Hollywood Boulevard, making his living by posing for pictures. Jill spotted him and wrote this sweet, funny, poignant song. She was like Randy Newman, Warren Zevon, or Christine Lavin—sharp observers of human life, blending humor with pathos.
Meredith Carson: Excellent. Again: JCCDenver.org for tickets. 6:00 PM, Sunday, September 21st.
We’re going out with one of my favorite Jill songs, I Kissed a Girl. At first, I thought that was just a sweet, funny song. Then I listened more deeply, and realized she was much more profound than I expected.
Carla Sciaky: Meredith, thank you for having us. It’s so lovely to see you.
Meredith Carson: It’s great to see you both. Carla, I’ve seen you more this year than in the last 15! And Mollie, we hardly ever get to have you on the program, so this is wonderful.
Mollie O’Brien: Thank you for having us.
Meredith Carson: You’re welcome.
