raygun interview w/ kim deal?

[FlyingCloud]

lots of great dialogues and non-dialogues :aliensmile: :aliensmile: :aliensmile:
also some interesting insights in songwriting. thanks, ramleon! …looking forward to the next part :):)

[Aatos]

Thanks! Thats an interesting interview.

[rambleon]

well, there’s lots more to come … i’d say so far i’ve posted about 1/3 of the whole thing – if that :aliensmile: … like i said, it’s loooong

[rambleon]

jm : i’m trying to think if i’ve ever played a song before i recorded. maybe the 1st album. i’ve never really played a song + then recorded it.

kd : i think it’s b/c when i was like 18 or 19 + you tend to write like 3 songs a day.

jm : i never did that.

kd : oh. it’s awful. i think a lot of people do that. + then when i look back on what i wrote when i was 18 or 19, it is so mortifyingly embarassing that i think …

jm : you want to make sure that doesn’t happen.

kd : yeah, absolutely. + it works. i’m not mortified by anything. what are some embarassing songs to sing ? "do you love me now?" is a good example of a song that the lyrics were written when i was like 18. i look at it + i’m just mortified. it’s like a hallmark card. i’ve written a hallmark greeting card. this is so bad it’s good. it’s got every cliche ever imagined + a bunch of lovey-dovey phrases that don’t mean anything. "the look of love in your eyes. how can 2 hearts tear away?" i think it works ’cause i … it’s not that… i like the way the words come out of my mouth. [sings] the sentiment is embarassing, i guess. i wonder if this is another, "oh, really?"

jm : oh, really ?

kd : did you know that the hum from your guitar amps at the reading ’93 festival was louder than my power chord when we played ?

jm : okay.

kd : that’s pretty funny, isn’t it ?

jm : i’m trying to cure that problem right now.

kd : i remember, me + mcpherson were just going, "listen to that hum, it’s louder than our whole stage colume. cool."

jm : i don’t know. i’m into being loud. i’m not into the hum being that loud.

kd : it was only between songs.

jm : i’m trying to work on that right now. i’m getting some system built where it won’t hum anymore.

[rambleon]

kd : did you play the drums on the new album ?

jm : yeah.

kd : how long have you been playing drums ?

jm : since i was 11.

kd : have you been playing drums longer than guitar ?

jm : yeah.

kd : when did you start playing guitar ?

jm : when i was about 18.

kd : do you like playing drums ? you must, right ?

jm : yeah, i had all my lessons on drums. i never really practiced guitar. i have a better handle on drums.

kd : why did you switch to guitar then ?

jm : i just wanted to get a band together, + i was writing some songs + i couldn’t really show anyone how to play b/c i didn’t know how to play guitar well enough, + i didn’t like the people around who were playing guitar, anyway. i figured i could teach someone how to play the drums or show them what i wanted. i had a better concept. like if i hear a song on the radio i can play on the drums. on guitar, i could never do that. i could teach someone how to play the drum parts a lot easier. i hear the drums when i’m writing the song. the drums, the guitar + the melody. somebody told me that your mind can conceive of 3 different things like that at once. + that’s what i hear in my head.

kd : i just kind of, three different harmony parts. nothing else. harmony parts. (…i know that last bit doesn’t make v.much sense, but that’s what’s printed in the magazine…) so basically, you learned how to play the guitar only so you could teach somebody the songs you had written ?

jm : + to write some songs. i started playing pretty soon after buying the guitar. i started playing in the band, + we recorded an album pretty soon afterwards.

kd : have you ever played w/anybody just playing drums ? like a session drummer ?

jm : yeah.

kd : who have you played drums with ?

jm : gobbehoof. deep wound, my hardcore band in high school. i played some songs on epic soundtracks’ album. this guy zeke fiddler. i just played on mike watt’s album. that’s all i can think of off the top of my head.

[rambleon]

kd : that’s a lot of drums. it’s a lot of different bands to play drums for.

jm : i’m a session guy. i’m ready. :aliensmile:

kd : do you play live w/bands on drums ?

jm : i have. not much. in high school + stuff. played some.

kd : but you’ve never toured w/a band being like the drummer ?

jm : no, i never toured. it sounds really brutal, like physically punishing.

kd : it does seem like it, doesn’t it ?

jm : yeah. just wailing.

kd : when you listen to the music by yourself, do you listen to it loud ?

jm : no

kd : but you play it really loud ?

jm : yeah. sometimes i listen to it loud but not very often.

kd : is your hearing going ? do you have tinnitus or anything like that ?

jm : i don’t know. i was going to get tested. i mean, i have a ringing in my ear but then i don’t ever remember not having it. but maybe i didn’t at some point.

kd : i bet you didn’t.

jm : + maybe other people don’t. i mean, i just assume everyone’s ears ring.

kd : so you played drums since you were 11. which one is your favorite instrument ? i mean, if you had to pick one + you weren’t allowed to play the other for the rest of your life, would you pick guitar or drums ?

jm : i don’t know.

kd : you can’t take stupid questions ?

jm : i guess i like drums better. i don’t know if i’d like to play drums touring.

kd : you like just to mess around w/them. you don’t really want to have to play an hour + 20 minutes on drums.

jm : i have to play all these songs.

kd : some tupid schmuck turning around + telling you to have to go faster or slower.

jm : i’d have to be in serious physical therapy + stuff all the time. it would brutalize my body or whatever. my arm is messed up anyway.

[rambleon]

kd : question number seven : will you produce my next record ?

jm : i’m not sure. perhaps.

kd : question number eight : who is your favorite guitarist living today ? besides me.

jm : richard thompson, i think, or greg sage.

kd : who is greg sage ?

jm : wipers.

kd : i don’t even…

jm : you don’t know the wipers ?

kd : i’ve heard of them, but i’ve never heard the music.

jm : they’re not that big, although they are influential in certain circles.

kd : what kind of music is it like ? like the lyres or something like that ?

jm : it sounds kind of like all this other crap. kind of grungy. kind of punk rock. they’re big in germany.

kd : why ? are they from germany or something ?

jm : no. oregon.

kd : you lived in germany ?

jm : no.

kd : you got turned on to him when you were in germany ?

jm : no. i was just surprised that when we went there the 1st time, they were big. they had a big influence on my guitar playing. nirvana covered some of their tunes. our bass player, mike johnson, that was the thing we bonded on when i met him.

kd : we can’t talk too much about guitar shit b/c this isn’t musician magazine, but kelly really liked the guitar sound you got for her on "saints." what do you think about kelly’s guitar playing ?

jm : i think she’s good considering how long she’s played. i’m surprised that she does leads + stuff. that’s good just to got for it + start jammin’. what do you think about it ?

kd : she doesn’t noodle + that’s a good thing.

jm : she’s just down to business.

kd : she just knows songs + parts of songs.

jm : on the mike watt record, i was playing drums, watt was playing bass + lee + thurston from sonic youth were playing guitar, + they were noodling quite a bit. it drove watt insane. totally bummed. after a while, he asked them to stop playing in between the takes. he really lost it. so watt can’t handle the noodling.

kd : i know what you mean, watt.

jm : do you miss playing bass ?

kd : i do. when the pixies were just charles [frank black] + joe [santiago], joe had a choice of playing the bass or the lead, kind of like kelly, but he didn’t know how to play either one. i mean, he could do either one, you know ? he’s excellent on anything. so he picked out lead guitar. so when i answered the ad that charles + joe put in the paper it was for a bass player, + i had never played bass but i figured it would be easy b/c it’s only got 4 strings on it.
i always hated bass players. when they would go + strap it up this high. playing bass wasn’t cool. you know what i mean ? so have you listened yet to the sebadoh song that we recorded ?

[rambleon]

jm : no, i haven’t.

kd : you haven’t ? do you plan on ever listening to it ?

jm : i don’t know. i haven’t thought about it.

kd : but you know that when lou barlow wrote the lyrics to "freed pig," he freely admits that they were about you. do you know what some of the lyrics say ?

jm : no, i don’t.

kd : just really nasty. really good. [j chuckles.] that’s one of the reasons why i like that song, i think, b/c usually bad breaks in bands … one of things, like your spin article says, "i don’t got a problem that we don’t get along. i don’t have a problem w/that at all." + he doesn’t either. i think that’s actually more healthy than the pixies w/charles.

jm : i think we get along okay b/c we don’t have to see each other. it’s just on a day-to-day basis, i couldn’t handle it.

kd : people get on your nerves ?

jm : yeah.

kd : right. + that’s normal.

jm : so now i don’t see him that much + i have nothing for him to get on my nerves about.

kd : right. i guess i like it b/c it kind of reminded me a little bit about inner-band relationships + how they’re a really big deal during the time. but then listening to his lyrics while he’s slacking you off just reminded me of so many bands. like, you know, i bet the verve are all pissed off at each other now. just anybody. i bet everybody in paw can’t stand each other. so to me it was just funny. it reminded me of myself + something that i’ve got. it’s funny, but it’s really sad. you can tell it means a lot + when he wrote the song it meant a lot.

jm : so have you talked to charles lately ?

kd : oh, god. no. not for over two years now.

jm : well, why not ?: is it hostile ?

kd : it’s a real hostile thing. yeah. real hostile. he was on the radio the other day. people tell me this b/c it’s so funny. he was on the radio doing an interview w/a woman. you know ? he won’t do printed press on this record, i guess. but he did a radio interview + supposedly people were going to bootleg it b/c it’s funny. it was a real good interview, + at the end she goes, "one last question : what do you think about the enormous success of the breeders? sorry, frank, did you hear the question?" + this woman doesn’t know anything about any animosity between us or anything. she’s just making conversation. "sorry, frank, did you hear the last question ? what do you think of the enormous success of the breeders?"

jm : he didn’t say anything ?

kd : click. he hung up on her.

[rambleon]

btw, did anyone around here hear that interview at the time ?

+ is there a bootleg circulating ?

[Bucky Ramone]

"rambleon" wrote:

btw, did anyone around here hear that interview at the time ?

+ is there a bootleg circulating ?

Should be fun to hear that interview, with all being ‘love & peace’ again with the Pixies runion tour…..

Hey rambleon, great read thus far, must be a hell of a job typing all this, thanks a lot for all this work!

[Bucky Ramone]

Found this Guitar World interview with Frank Black & Joey Santiago from 1997, it isn’t the one that Kim Deal is referring to, but it sure is amusing….:

Quote:

GW: Will there ever be a Pixies reunion?

BLACK: [pause] No. Sorry, Joe. If it was just me and you, I’d do it. But I can’t go the whole enchilada. That wouldn’t gain any respect. It would fall flat. It would be a letdown for people. Some bands do a reunion because enough time has gone by, coupled with the fact that maybe they need the money. Fortunately I guess I don’t feel like I need the money. It shouldn’t be about money, as wonderful as money is. It should be about music.

[rambleon]

uh huh … talk about eating your words … he’s got enough for a good meal there … … well, even a few months back he was on UK radio + he jokingly said there would be a reunion + when people started to get excited about this prospect, he did another interview to say that the reason he said that in the 1st place is that he thought that of all people the british public would get the sarcasm … but we all know what happened next

[rambleon]

Quote:

Hey rambleon, great read thus far, must be a hell of a job typing all this, thanks a lot for all this work!

well, actually it’s been fun … like robert said, we should all make this the place people come to to check out anything j has ever done + that includes the printed word …

btw, i just went to my storage place again over the weekend + i found a few other great j articles … one of them is my prized dinosaur jr issue of record collector (feb 1993) … i think that article’s longer than this one, but if no one’s posted it before, i’ll type that one out as well … j’s a little hostile to the interviewer which is kind of funny :aliensmile:

[rambleon]

jm : that’s weird. have you heard his new song ?

kd : which new song ? ‘headache?" i’ve heard of "headache." it’s kind of a tom petty kind of thing. i like the video.

jm ; that song is pretty good.

kd : it seems fine. if you could choose any profession other than a musician what would it be ?

jm : priest.

kd : priest. okay. if you could have any producer that would produce you who would you pick ?

jm : i like mutt lange. the way that i heard he works + the things he’s done lately, i don’t know if i want to work w/him, but i like some of the stuff he’s done.

kd : what has he done ?

jm : ac/dc + def leppard. + i like ted templeman.

kd : what has he done ?

jm : montrose. van halen.

kd : 1st van halen ?

jm : yeah. he’s done little feet, van morrison, the new cheap trick album.

kd : wow. really ? have you heard the new cheap trick album ?

jm : yeah.

kd : is it good ?

jm : i didn’t like it that much. but mainly montrose + van halen. you know, he was interested in producing, but when i faced the reality i didn’t really know what he would do. i just didn’t want to deal w/it.

kd : so you’ve never been produced by a regular producer before ?

[rambleon]

jm : i’m trying to think. no. except in like the bbc or something like that.

kd : right. they just sit there + are going, "oh, your guitar is too loud." um, do you believe in karma ?

jm : yeah.

kd : you do ? instant karma ? or do you believe like the next 3 lives down the road ?

jm : not instant. somewhere along. i don’t think it matters.

kd : you know, i actually don’t believe in karma. it’s kind of a drag. i wish i did. almost like believing in god. i don’t believe in god, either. do you believe in god ?

jm : sure.

kd : i wish i did. i really do. that would be great. mascis, is that a german name ?

jm : well, i think it’s maybe greek in origin but it’s been in italy for 1000s of years. like one of my elders was a pope.

kd : no shit.

jm : shit, yeah.

kd : really. that’s why you wanted to be a priest, to kind of continue the family career ?

jm : i don’t really want to be a priest.

kd : it’s just your second choice.

jm : exactly.

kd : how do you like working w/janet billig from gold mountain management.

jm : no comment.

kd : why ? b/c you know she doesn’t like to be talked about in interviews or b/c you don’t want to comment on it ?

jm : no comment.

kd : she’s not going to like that. i know what janet billig means. it means a cheap lesbian.

jm : really ?

kd : yeah, it does. janet in belgium means a lesbian + billig in german is a direct translation of cheap. so she’s a cheap lesbian.

jm : well, i can neither confirm or deny this.

kd : are you going to cover a guided by voices song for their compilation album ?

jm : i haven’t heard anything about it.

kd : have you heard guided by voices stuff ?

jm : a little bit. are you going to ?

kd : i don’t know. i’ve already done one of their songs, but i guess i would do it if they had another album.

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