WHFS 99.1 Interview by Johnny Riggs
(Posted to Listessa by an Unknown)
JR: johnny riggs b: billy j: jimmy
JR: Live at US Air arena.... with Billy and Jimmy. Can I call you Billy and Jimmy?
b: we prefer it j: yeah, its fine.
JR: So, Billy are the little chunks on Pastichio medley actual songs, or did you named fragments of all sort of things or are they just there?
b; Good question. Both. Most of those were songs. j: Most of those were titles.
b+j :believe it or not
j; Robot lover is an actual song (laughter heard)
JR : Any chance that we will actually hear the whole thing, things, songs?
b: There is one song on there called 'disconnected' which has a different title, but it will come out as a B-side..probably on the next single.
JR: What is the worst physical injury you ever sustained?
B: ohh. I've been blessed never to broken any bones. I need to knock on some wood. Excuse me. (you hear him knocking on something)
JR: Jimmy?
J: well, one time in 8th grade, I was playing football and went out to catch a pass and the ball hit me on the back of the head. (he laughs) I fell on my wrist like this, and I was getting up and looking down, the bone was coming out of my right arm here. Where this little scar is. And I started crying like I never cried before. I mean it didn't hurt at all before until I saw the bone sticking out of my arm, than I just started screaming.
b: the amazing part is, it has to do why he is such a good drummer. So kids...
j: take a hammer and go ahead and take an arm off (laughter heard)
JR Ok--ayy... SO, Billy you have said.. you are not really, really good at learning other people's songs and things like that..
Billy interrupts: you can confirm that
JR .. tell me, the lick you try to learn off something and haven't been able to get a grasp of.
B:hmm.. Well, there was always this one Jimmy Hendrix lick that I loved. It sounded like he was simultaneously pulling up a note and at the same time, bending down.. And for the life of me, I could never figure out how to do it. Asked this guy how to do it and he showed me and it is totally simple. But, I can never figure it out. So, I now know it. Quest done.
JR: Do you have one ? Do you have a drum story?
J: No. (in background some one says, he can play anything)
JR He can play anything. That's true. I think you proven that. So, what's the silliest thing in your rider?
B: Brown M and M's. We only want brown M and M's.
JR: You're the negative Van Halen.[for those who don't know,Van Halen supposedly had some contract that if they found Brown M and M's in their M and M's..
jr:The last book you read?
b: this is a learnin' station.
jr: smart kids listening.
b: smart kids listening. last book I read.. I am actually reading Anna Kremlenaa as we speak. It is only like 900 pages.
J; Umm.. I am reading Casino right now. But, the last book I read was the "Confessions of St. Augustine".
JR: what is that about jimmy?
J" Um.. it is about this guy's life who basically.. this very educated man, who wanted to go out and disprove the church and went out and lived this debaucherous life. He had a calling from God and went to Africa to become a missionary. I mean it is such a turn around from a like being a complete heretic to doing so much good in his life, that he was actually made a Saint.
JR what is the last word you look up in the dictionary?
B: Galapagos (laughter)
J: Restivistism [???]
jr: Did you guys go out last night? We've gotten reports that you were at the Porno for Pyros show and saw Independence Day and we were thinking that there were not a lot of bald guys, Asian guys and blonde girls=20 hanging around. Did you do both of those things?
J and B: Wow.
B: um... He went to Porno for Pyros and I was in Independence Day
jr: singularly? No one else was there?
James and D'arcy went because they were talking about the movie and D'arcy mentioned how she especially wanted to see it in the DC area]
B: Your 'little' Gestapo was right. Wait till you find out were we are going tonight.
jr: why don't you tell everyone so they can find you?
J: we are going to Porno for Pumpkins. (laughter)
jr: What has been your favorite moment of this week?
B: I have been playing this game called 'Resident Evil'.
jr: What game system is that on, Billy?
B: That will be Playstation. You have to kill the undead and solve puzzles. It's my kind of game. And I broken through on some kinds of level and am very excited. Unfortunately, I had to come to this gig.
jr: Sorry. You had to play the rock. [?] Alright, you have to choose between these two...Sex Pistols Reunion or KISS ?
J and B: KISS
jr: meat or vegetables?
B: meat
J: meat
jr: Batman or Superman ?
B: Batman
J: Superman
jr: Pistols or Clash?
B: Clash
J: Clash
jr: Cat or dog?
B: God love them both.
J: I will have to say cat.
jr: drown or burn?
B: Well, I like drown. It is a better song.
jr: Bathe or shower?
B: neither
J; same here
jr: rock and roll guys. Top or bottom?
B: both
J: both
B: We can't chose, can't you tell? Rock or wimpy? You know.. we'll take both.
jr: Favorite smell?
jr: you know the smell of death surrounds you. [I have no clue, why
he said this. It is so ironic or foreshadowing...I shudder when I reheard
it on Saturday afternoon] We did this Smashing Pumpkins A through Z song...
B: I'm totally into that.
jr: It was really good.
B: Thank you.
jr: I did the first four hours [he kids you not] (billy laughs, oh,
boy is said). I got right before 'Not worth asking'. I think I was still
in the M's when I got off [the air].
B: I'm amazed. Next thing you know you are [going] to start to do.. no
P word for week, but get the lead out..
J: Pair. You said there is no P word [for two]... for pair ?
B: No... ahh.. a Pumpkin Pair. There you go. Jimmy won't chair you for=20
that marketing idea.
jr: I noticed there is a lot of Pumpkin songs that start with the
letter B. I am just pointing that out, not necessarily a question.
B: S's. I noticed a lot of S's myself.
jr: I have been sort of amazed by the B's. I think you have all the strong letters. I don't think there is any
E's as far as we own on anything..
B: Wow.. well, East. We had a song called East. You probably don't
have that..
jr: I have that on a bootleg.
B: whoa.
jr: But, I wasn't going to play it. I did play ( are they going to
get mad..) Is Jennifer Ever actually a song title ? It was on a bootleg an
we played it. Sorry.
B: No. I like that song.
jr: Me too.
B: That is one of the only old songs we actually like.
jr: It was the only one on the bootleg that did not sound like it
was from a crinkly old cassette tape. So, I played it. Sorry for playing
a bootleg, little audience.
jr: Can we do word associations?
Glitter.
B: gumshoe
J: groovy
jr: Courtney Love (there is a long period of noticeable silence, than they laugh).
jr: That one gets nothing... c'mon.
B: Courtney Love, Courtney Pain.
jr: Henry Rollins.
B: muscular
jr: D'arcy
B: angry
jr: What has been your favorite toy as an adult? What has been the
coolest thing you bought when the money started pouring in your big
pockets?
B: That would have been a relationship.
J: A life.
jr: And how's that going? Both of them? The relationship and the life?
B: It's slightly expensive and you can't return it.
[something is missing. I don't know if the radio edited, or my
brother was slow in recording, since he recorded it for me..sorry]
jr: They had tour with you a while back and I think James had given
them a guitar. And it was the coolest thing with a plug in units and things
in the back. Weirdest guitar ever.
j: Yeah. I asked him to give it to me, but he said no.
[radio edit]... No, they are one of our favorite bands (jimmy, I
believe)
jr: And they are good kids. Planet of the Apes. Oh, yeah. What about
the Planet of the Apes theme, who is the Planet of the Apes, freak? Or who
is just the freak?
B: We were going for "apes in the cage".. but, it didn't have the
same...
jr: "apes in a cage". Could you actually say a line from the film for
me?
B: I can do one line from the film for you. "Get you filthy ape hands
off of me!" [sounded like Charlton Heston]. I can do that line for you.
jr: Who has been the single most meanest famous person you met, when
you have been famous yourselves?
B: The guy from Home Improvement, Tim Allen. Did hit me up for some
coke. And called me an asshole and made fun of me for being a
Buddhist. So, he is probably the most jerky guy that I met.
jr: If you can delete any musical artist completely, catalogs, so no
one would ever heard it before, who will it be?
B: You know there is a relevance to almost anything. The crap makes
the good stuff look even better. I wouldn't take away a single note.
jr: Okay..
B: You know all that stuff that is sold and is horrible? You deserve
it. You know what I mean? We asked for it and you got it, the crap.
jr: okay.
jr: What dead person would you like to meet, if they were brought back
to life, obviously, and what would you ask the said dead person?
B: It would depend on whether we were looking for a good time or not.
If we were looking for an astute experience; Gandhi, MLK, Jesus . If we wanted to party, it would be like...
J: Charlie Chaplin (he laughs).
jr: Charlie Chaplin.. hmm.. that would be cool.
B: Fatty Arbuckle.
jr: Just read that you are going to do a MTV unplugged thing with a
huge symphony. Did they make it up?
B: Not true. We are planning to do MTV music awards [which, I doubt,
now] with a full orchestra. But, on an unplugged we are going to do
exactly the opposite of everyone is going to expect us to do.
jr: Should I even ask what it is?
B: Listen, [I] give countless fodder to my friends and fans and
detractors. We just want to do something different. I really don't
want to talk about it.. less someone steal another one of our good ideas.
jr: Thank you from the bottom of my heart.. You guys are the nicest
guys, ever! I'm really glad, you are gigantically huge as you are.. ... years
ago when I saw you on Max's on Broadway and playing... I remember sitting right in front
of you [billy] and I got some sushi from down the street and I talked to D'arcy
before the show and said.. " Do you ever sing Daydream ?" and [she said that], I've only
done it once, but why don't you keep on asking for it, through out the
show? So, I asked for it and stood directly in front of you, Billy while
you were standing in front of the mike and asked.."Any requests?"
and I said "Daydream!" And you looked right over me and asked,
"Any requests?".
It is one of my fondest memories. And again, not a question, but a
story.
B: What is comforting about that [is] at least when you know my basic
demeanor and attitude have been consistent throughout the years. Even
when I was a 'little' guy, I was the same.
jr: You were still a tall 'little' guy. Thanks for letting me talk to
you, because I know you don't do this very often.
Smashing Pumpkins. It is Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Corgan. Live, from
the US Air Arena. Bye!
j: See ya later!