Q&A With James Iha Of Smashing Pumpkins
By Aidin Vaziri
February 8-14,1998
Thanks to Shaun for sending us this article
While Smashing Pumpkin singer Billy Corgan was making the society pages last year, guitarist James Iha was locked in the basement of his Chicago home making a solo record called "Let It Come Down." What will surprise fans most about the disc, due Tuesday on Virgin, is its dramatic departure from the hazy distortion and angst of Iha's regular gig.
Co-produced with Jim Scott, who has worked with Tom Petty and Jewel, the album showcases a more sensitive side of the grunge guitarist in gently strummed love songs such as "Be Strong Now" and "Jealousy." Iha has written songs for the Smashing Pumpkins occaisionally, but this is the first time he has taken the spotlight, playing, singing, and producing the material himself.
It hasn't been all work for the solemn guitarist, however. Iha recently appeared in designer Anna Sui's runway shows and heads the vanity record label Scratchie with Smashing Pumpkins's bassist D'Arcy Wretzky.
Q:What got you interested in making a solo record?
A:Generally Billy(Corgan) writes most of the songs in the Pumpkins
and I co-write a couple of songs per record. But I had more than a
couple of songs. At the same time, I don't expect to get my record with
the Smashing Pumpkins label and for it to be a Pumpkins record. That's
why I did my own record.
Q:Did anyone encourage singing lessons?
A:I made every attempt to make the songs and singing good. That's
what I concentrated on the most. Every time I opened my mouth, I didn't
think, "People are going to hate this." I know they're going to be
surprised, but to me it's not a big jump because I've been writing these
songs for a while. I just hope that people are open to it.
Q:Did you have a role model?
A:I like a lot of classic, timeless things like Neil Young and early
Band records. The Beatles "White Album" is really good. Those are things
that inspire me. I never sit down and try to write a Beatles song, but I
listen to them for the quality of songwriting and the overall sound and
vibe on their records. I would like to make timeless music like that and
not put on a pair of bell-bottoms just because they did.
Q:There seems to be a lot of romantic sentiment on "Let it Come
Down."
A:There's a lot of differences between the Pumpkin's sound and this.
I was in a relationship during this record and I guess I was feeling
romantic and sensitive. The central idea of a song, lyrically and
musically, comes to me at once. The songs seem to have this warm
conversational and intimate feel. The lyrics seem to match the mood of
the music.
Q:Does your schedule allow time for romance?
A:It's really hard because all I do is either tour or record. I'm
not at home very much.
Q:It must be hard to get privacy after you've been a character on
"The Simpsons."
A:It's not that bad. I'm not Michael Jackson or anything. Some
people do stop me, but I go to the grocery store in my neighborhood and
nobody knows who I am. It's just when I tour or I'm in a major city that
people bug out.
Q:Do you enjoy that?
A:Just as long as they don't bug out too much. It's nice when fans
say they're fans, but when someone comes up to and just says, "You're
great, you're great, you're great," what else are you going to say? I
just say thanks. They're not looking at you like a regular person, it's
like you're an object.
Q:Does anyone ever tell you that you suck?
A:No. I don't know anyone like that. Generally when you don't like
someone, most people have enough courtesy that they don't come up to you
and say, "I don't like you." So I don't really encounter that too much.
Q:Were the other band members upset about you making a solo record?
A:It's always a matter of schedule. Billy was fine with it as long
as I found the right time to do it.
Q:Is everyone in the Smashing Pumpkins getting along now?
A:It's going good right now.
Q:When was the last time that you got into a fistfight with Billy
Corgan?
A:Whenever journalists bring up things we've talked about in the
press that happened over five or six years ago we just put a blanket
statement over it because we already talked about it. I hate retreading
the past for jounalists just because it makes good copy.
Q:Are the Smashing Pumpkins clean and sober?
A:I really don't want to get into the whole drug issue, but yes, we
are clean and sober.
Q:What lessons have you learned from running your own label?
A:It's a hard road. We haven't really had a hit yet, but all the
bands we work with are really great.
Q:Do you prefer being a rock star or a fashion model?
A:(The modeling) was just a friendly, fun thing. I was friends with
the designer.
Q:Which is a better way to meet girls?
A:I don't know.
Q:Have you dated any supermodels lately?
A:No, no supermodels.
Q:How do you meet girls?
A:This is starting to sound like Teen Beat. OK, next question.
Q:Are you going to tour this record?
A:I'll do a promotion tour where I do face-to-face interviews and
play live at radio stations. I might do a bunch of small gigs here and
there.
Q:When do you plan to resume work on the Pumpkin's next album?
A:We're in it right now. There's no finishing date on it, though.
It's still to early to tell.