Rock Sound #50 (French Rock Magazine)
September 1997
Q: The Smashing Pumpkins have had a huge success these last two years. Now what does the word success mean to you?
A: Q: What did you learn from that?
A: I think that what I got and what we all got out of this adventure is a
different way of seeing the world and all things. Travelling a lot,
meeting different people all the time, working with many people are
things
that change you forever. It's done progressively and in a nearly
unconscious way, but after awhile, you realize that your view, your way
to see things have changed. I can't give you examples because it's
precisely about little things, not very important ones. But success
allowed us to change the point of view of typical American kids we had.
Q: So you don't feel you're the same guy anymore?
A: Basically I am. Biologically certainly. And I am the same guy in the
sense that I have the memories of what I was. I just know that I've
changed... I don't know how to say that... It's funny you know. I
grew up with people, friends I had always known. When I meet them
today, I still feel like one of them, close to them. But at the same
time, I feel as if something is broken. I don't speak about success or
money that allow me to have a more easy life than they do, but about the
opening of mind. I got out of Chicago and I think that explains a lot
of things. I pushed back limits. I pushed walls around me, broadened
my horizon. I saw the world, I saw people living differently, learned
and enjoyed different cultures. Today, the events that take place on
the other side of the planet affect me, I connect things together. I
see how these events can influence my own life. It's no secret that
a lot of American people bury their head in the sand. Not necessarily
because they don't wanna get informed, but because of the system.
The American - maybe because of the gigantism of the country - is only
interested in his close environment.
Q: How do you see Smashing Pumpkins today? Like a typical US band or like
an artistic group?
A: I never thought our music was typical American rock, in the way that our
inspiration has always come from many different things, not only
American
ones. On the other hand, as individuals, I think we're typical
Americans.
When I think about it, I'd say Smashing Pumpkins is a very strange mix
of
universal consciousness in the American way. Something like that, I
don't
know if it makes sense. We are typically Yankees. But together, we
manage to go beyond this reducive status. Maybe we are, as a group, the
reflect of several Americas, several social classes, several levels of
education, of several ways of thinking. I don't know...
Q: Do you feel like the heirs of a particular family of American rock?
A: I don't see us in a particular branch. But I see little things of the
past in which we can recognize ourselves. Some aspects of the Pumpkins
remind me of some 60s bands, in touring a lot, in putting in a lot of
work
when recording; the way we behave in private, but also in public, during
the interviews. All these things remind me some bands of the 60s, in
the
spirit.
Q: With D'Arcy and Billy, do you have ethics in music?
A: Nothing very formal. It's more in the daily facts that we have this
kind
of principles. We know each other very well, we don't have to write
the
"Tables of the Law". I'd say it's nearly organic, we don't have to ask
the questions. I know exactly where I am with D'Arcy or Billy, I know
how
to read their signals. I know what to do with them, and what not to do.
Our musical dialogue is permanent, it doesn't need a decoder.. It's a
family, and it works like a family. When your brother tells you
something,
you don't need to decipher what he says. You understand immediately.
With the Pumpkins, we grew up together. Many things go unsaid, with
just looks, respect and not only with words.
Q: Are you a compulsive guitarist?
A: No, not with guitar playing. But I write a lot, I produce an enormous
amount of personal songs. Of course I play a lot of guitar. It's an
everyday companion, but I'm not the kind to ruin my fingers in solos or
practise all day long. Guitar solos are not my cup of tea. Q: Do you feel different from other American bands?
A: Let's say that there are American bands in which I absolutely don't
recognize myself. Q: Is Smashing Pumpkins an outlet for you?
A: Yes, it's obvious. Even if today the band is a big machine. We have
built
it in a progressive way so we still control it. I see the Pumpkins like
a
very important job, but with so many sides to it that I always find it
interesting. Despite the business, the schedules, the technical datas,
etc...
Q: Is music still a way to escape reality for you?
A: For me, music is still a need, something I could call my favorite hobby.
It's the way of spending my days without the feeling of wasting them
completely. Yeah, that's what it is, it's the best way to describe what
I feel. I don't speak of all aspects of music... I could tell you that
touring is not my favorite part. Q: Are there things you haven't been able to do with the Pumpkins?
A: In the Pumpkins, I don't ask myself that question, it's a collective
effort. I have the ambition to work harder on my own music. That's
what
I'm gonna do after this summer tour before getting back with the band.
I really want to record my own songs and put them on an album. I'm
gonna
work in a different way in solo, something more eletronic. It won't be
the Chemical Brothers but I'm gonna use lots of keyboards, sequencers
and
computers. It will be very different from the Pumpkins.
Q: What about this solo album we've been hearing of for a long time?
A: I have now a deal with Virgin America. I'm gonna start to record it
after
this tour. Basically, it will be more acoustic, songwriter-like: what I
usually do. I think I wrote all the songs without playing once with a
band! It will be a songs album mainly. A James Iha record. I don't
know what to say to define it. Let me finish it first...
Q: Why did you need to start your own label Scratchie Records with D'Arcy?
A: It's something that was started by D'Arcy's brother in law, her sister's
husband, Jeremy and Adam Schlesinger of the band Fountains Of Wayne.
They
told us what they wanted to do with this label. D'Arcy and I liked the
idea and we started to get involved. Very soon, we thought about the
kind of bands we wanted to sign and that's how things went. This idea
of running an independant label is very stimulating. But at the same
time, we want it to remain a fun thing to do. For that, we promised
ourselves we'd have only bands we like and just because we like them.
The idea is not to sign the next big thing. I don't see myself signing
Celine Dion for example Q: Is it a way to reciprocicate to the independant music?
A: Yes that is correct. We have already gotten some bands the majors had
dumped. That was stupid, given the value of those artists. We're not
gonna be good Samaritans, we just want to give a chance to good and
interesting bands that deserve it. We are soon gonna have a Frogs EP
out:
"Star Job", a kind of wild pop Q: Do you think about the longevity of your songs?
A: No, I don't have the time for that. And in fact, I think I don't want
to.
We make music as we feel it. We will see much later what's left of it.