Jane’s been a bad girl

The songs on Tears Again, Hollywood bombshell Jane Badler’s second album with Melbourne outfit Sir, ache with a lifetime of regret and lost love.

Just clock these titles: Men Who Lie, What A Mess I’ve Made, I Don’t Trust Women, Why Don’t I Fall In Love Any More?

Yet Badler, still stunning at 57, has long since settled into contented family life with her husband and two children here in Australia, where she’s lived for more than 20 years. What gives?

“I’m married now, but I didn’t really have this life until my 30s. Before I met my husband, I had the life that’s detailed on the album,” Badler told the Star Observer.

As with 2008’s The Devil Has My Double, most of the songs on Tears Again were written by Sir’s Jesse Shepherd. Badler said the process had been more creative second time around.

“The first album was Jesse inviting me to sing the songs after he’d already written them. This time, they’ve been written just for me. We’d storyboard and collaborate on titles, then dig deeper into each song.

“Take Snow Carnival Queen — I was the snow carnival queen when I was growing up in New Hampshire. They’re stories from my life and my past, filtered through Jesse’s warped perception and sense of humour.”

Shepherd’s dark humour is most evident on I Want A Lot Of Boys To Cry At My Funeral, a title that seems tailor-made for a T-shirt.

“Hey, you’re right! I think I’ll do that. I can sell it on my website, that’s so clever. I’ll do it!” Badler cackled.

Tears Again is the second in a planned trilogy of collaborative albums with Sir. Before she can think about their third project, Badler must focus on her upcoming album launches across the country.

She said the Tears Again live experience would be a bold, theatrical affair.

“I compare it to Grace Jones and the way her performances are cabaret-esque, with lots of different costume changes, but not traditional cabaret. It’s dark, it’s ironic, and my costumes enhance the show. And I like to bring in different men to sing with me,” she purred.

Away from her musical career, Badler still enjoys the occasional acting stint in Hollywood and Australia. She even got to reprise her most famous role, as rodent-guzzling alien Diana in the 1980s miniseries V, for the recent big-budget TV remake.

She admitted it was a bittersweet experience.

“I thought I’d be there for a cameo and I ended up shooting for four months. They kept me in a dungeon for most of the series, so I was frustrated about that. Then they had to rush the ending, where they kill me off for good, because the series got shortened from 13 to 10 episodes. That was very upsetting for a lot of my fans. But I feel very lucky to be a part of it,” she sighed.

“As hard as I try not to get emotionally involved, I find the pull is so strong, having created that character 25 years ago and wanting to play her again so much.”

info: Tears Again (Remote Control Records) out now. Album launch, Thursday, June 9 with Paul Grabowsky and orchestra at The Basement. Visit www.thebasement.com.au