Katy Perry says Russell Brand informed her of their divorce via text message: harsh?

On Monday, we covered Katy Perry’s July Vogue cover, which featured a lovely Rodarte dress and a subdued, albeit moderately photoshopped Katy as photographed by Annie Leibovitz. The full spread has now been released, and it’s more of the same — Katy in flowery dresses and largely set in a farm and nature setting. Annie has had a thing for barns in quite a few of her recent celebrity shoots, and I’m instantly reminded of the picture where Daniel Radcliffe was photographed farting sunshine atop a puzzled looking horse. This shoot isn’t bad though, and I’m glad to see a side of Katy that isn’t obnoxiously in our faces. Actually, Katy looks really lovely here, so good on her.

I really do love this red leather skirt. Damn, it is gorgeous.

In addition to this new editorial, Vogue has posted a video clip on its site of Katy’s co-called beauty routine that basically shows her getting made-up by an entire arsenal. In the voiceover, Katy claims that she’s gone from “dramatic makeup” to a “more age-appropriate look.” She also claims that her skin is much better than it used to be, so she doesn’t wear as much makeup anymore. Hmm.

The interview is a mixed bag. Katy admits to being madly in love with John Mayer even though they were broken up at the time of this talk, which was conducted before the Met Gala (Katy mentions that she’ll be wearing Dolce & Gabbana), and of course, we’ve since learned that Katy and John are back together for a third round of grossness. The interview covers a variety of topics that are simultaneously enlightening and predictable. Katy talks both about her failed marriage to Russell Brand and her grand love affair with John, and she talks about her sanctimonious parents even more. Let’s do this:

Is superstardom overwhelming? “Of course I get fazed. And when I am in between records, sometimes I doubt myself. I’ll be like: Did I just get lucky, or did I mass-manipulate the world into thinking that seven songs were worth a number-one position? And then I go back into the studio and I start writing, and the true essential oil of who I am comes bubbling back up and reminds me that it’s always been inside of me, that nobody can take this away no matter what comment anyone makes. It’s going to be there because it’s what I was born with and it’s what I’ve worked on my whole life.”

More about her childhood: The atmosphere at home, she says, was “not fun.” She told me, “My parents did not spare the rod. I wasn’t going to great schools, because my parents didn’t believe in public education. They wanted the education to be influenced by their religion, so I was going to these halfway education-slash-Christian schools that were like pop-up shop–style education. My father is hilarious. That’s where I get my sense of humor from. Sooo, he’s very funny and a practical joker, but he’s more emotional and driven. I mean, my mother is very emotional as well, but my dad is more of the guts of the family. He was the main preacher, so he kind of had this little Pentecostal flair, but they are born-again. So there’s a little bit of my background.”

Russell Brand was a “magical man” at first: “He’s a very smart man, and I was in love with him when I married him. Let’s just say I haven’t heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011. I mean, I have to claim my own responsibility in things. I do admit that I was on the road a lot. Although I invited him time and time again, and I tried to come home as much as I possibly could. You saw that in the movie.” Katy Perry: Part of Me, a documentary released last year that has garnered $32 million worldwide to date, covers the period before, during, and after her time with Brand. “That wasn’t edited to leave footage out–there wasn’t any footage of him.”

On their 14 month marriage: “At first when I met him he wanted an equal, and I think a lot of times strong men do want an equal, but then they get that equal and they’re like, I can’t handle the equalness. He didn’t like the atmosphere of me being the boss on tour. So that was really hurtful, and it was very controlling, which was upsetting. I felt a lot of responsibility for it ending, but then I found out the real truth, which I can’t necessarily disclose because I keep it locked in my safe for a rainy day. I let go and I was like: This isn’t because of me; this is beyond me. So I have moved on from that.”

Is her thing with John Mayer ongoing or over? “Over.” Oh, my. I had made the tabloid reader’s assumption that she was stepping out with Mayer as a classic “revenge” relationship, to show ol’ Rusty Brand what he was missing–but she cuts in: “No, not at all. No, I was madly in love with him. I still am madly in love with him.” With John Mayer? That wasn’t what I expected to hear at all. “All I can say about that relationship is that he’s got a beautiful mind. Beautiful mind, tortured soul. I do have to figure out why I am attracted to these broken birds.”

On her future love life: “I hope I don’t have to live as a widow.” Whaaat? “An emotional widow. No, I don’t believe that. But I think that I can just right now focus on me and strengthening myself and my emotional support system. I’m not in a relationship, I’m just on my own–I am myself in my own bed. I have to be happy being alone, and I am happy.” She tries so hard, Katy Perry. It’s what she does. “I believe that I will be loved again, in the right way.” Bright-eyed, she looks up. “I know I’m worth it.”

[From Vogue]

This is kind of an odd interview for Vogue and features Katy taking the journalist to her favorite taco place for dinner where they run into Orlando Bloom, Miranda Kerr, and Flynn (journo notes that they act weird around each other, and “everyone’s performing except the baby.” LOL). Then Katy talks a lot about how she’s currently working on her third studio album (she plays a few songs for the journo, who nearly cries tears of happiness). Strange.

So what do you make of Katy’s discussion of Russell Brand? I think she’s hinting that he either cheated or just gave up on their marriage too early. He may have stepped out on her (dude isn’t one for monogamy and freely admits it) while she was on tour, but I think the even bigger problem is that these two got married before they even really knew each other. They were both enamored with each other’s public images and never imagined how they could “make it work” until they realized, very quickly, that it wasn’t working. As Rusty recently told Esquire, “you’ve got to really, really want” a successful marriage, and he just didn’t. Katy seems like she was upset he didn’t give it more time before throwing in the scarf. I am a Rusty fangirl, but I’ll admit that texting her about the divorce is pretty harsh. I’m sure that he’d already decided he wanted out no matter what, but Katy at least deserved a phone call.

That’s pretty hilarious how Katy calls John Mayer “beautiful” and “tortured” though, isn’t it? Maybe she really meant “good in bed” and “douchey.”

Photos courtesy of Vogue

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