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Pixies Interviews 2019

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[quote][i]Originally posted by The Maharal[/i]
[br]Here's Charles in slightly more prickly mood putting up (pretty well) with some stupid questions:

https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/you-could-make-the-argument-that-artists-were-overpaid-for-a-long-time-pixies-frontman-black-francis-38471709.html

He is a man of many names; Black Francis when fronting alt-rock heroes Pixies; Frank Black when releasing solo material - something he hasn't done in years; and Charles Thompson, his given name, and the one he uses in his day-to-day life and when taking phone calls from journalists.
Thompson may have a forthcoming Pixies album to talk about but he doesn't seem keen to kick into promotional mode. It's a stance that shouldn't come as a surprise when one considers the uncompromising nature of Pixies' very best music, but it's still disconcerting to have questions answered briskly, without elaboration and - truth be told - a tad charmlessly. Maybe he's not a morning person.

The new album - Pixies' seventh - is called Beneath the Eyrie. The name was inspired by the old church in Woodstock, New York, where it was recorded.
"There was an eagle's nest outside," Thompson says. "David [Lovering] the drummer noticed it. The producer suggested the title. I thought it was a stupid title. Then, he brought it up a month later and I thought it wasn't so stupid, so I just went ahead with it."

It's the first time a Pixies album has not borrowed a song name or lyric in its title. "It was feeling restrictive to just follow the old rule."
Beneath the Eyrie is the second album the band have released since the departure of bassist Kim Deal - she left to focus on The Breeders, the group she founded with her twin sister, Kelley in the early 1990s. The album features the same personnel that made the spirited 2016 record, Head Carrier.
"We didn't book as much studio time as before," he points out, "because we knew we would work together well having done it before."

The 54-year-old Bostonian is an old hand at the art of songwriting, having released a fabled 18-track demo cassette, The Purple Tape, in 1987. It led to an album deal with the revered English label, 4AD. And yet, he says, it remains as difficult as ever to write something special.
"It's not easier now to just arrive at a good song," he says. "The goal is to come up with a good song, but sometimes you don't know [if that has been achieved that] when it's finished. Sometimes it's obvious, many times not. There's an ambiguity to it.

"I'm not better at spotting the difference [between what's good or not]," he adds. "Maybe it's easier to write a song now than it was, but it's no easier to write a good song."

He brought 30-odd songs and fragmentary compositions to the recording session and they were whittled down to the 12 that appear on the album. "Songs never feel like they're in my brain. Once an idea has been executed on an instrument, it's out of your head and in the room."

How does he begin a new song? He seems bored by the question. "You write on the guitar or sometimes on keyboard. I can write on anything. You do things sort of the same. There are always exceptions to the rule. I could write a song on a kazoo, but it's not going to feel dramatic, because the concept is still the same.

"The concept is still guitar, bass and drums with a vocal - that's the formula we're working with."
It may be the most basic format in rock, but Pixies mastered it. They have influenced everyone from Nirvana to Radiohead and The Frames, although Thompson has little interest talking about any of those bands.

He's more interested in discussing Tom Dalgety, the producer who helmed their latest album and its predecessor. "He's smart, he's younger than us, he's a good time manager, he's a nice guy, he's a man of few words. He has a lot of vision and he doesn't sit around talking about it. He probably knows that it's a waste of his time and a waste of the process."

Last year, Pixies played a residency at London's Roundhouse in support of their debut album, Surfer Rosa. The reviews were largely ecstatic. Thompson took it all in his stride. "It was interesting," he says, "because it was so formatted - so scripted, if you will. It didn't feel so different because we play so many songs from that album anyway. I can't say that it was a stroll down memory lane or something like that."

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Pixies' magnum opus, Doolittle, but Thompson has no plans on this occasion to perform the album in its entirety live. Might the band play more tracks from it on their forthcoming European tour, which includes an Olympia, Dublin date? Thompson doesn't hesitate. "No."
Did he realise they had made something special when they first went to the studio? "For which album?" Doolittle. "Joey [Santiago, the guitarisr] and I knew we had something special when we made the demos. You make some demos, you work hard on them, you have a cassette of them. Then you sit around the floor of your apartment and you play it back and it's like 'Woah!, that's good - it sounds like music'."

Thompson has been in prolific form since rekindling Pixies at the early part of this decade. 2014's Indie Cindy marked their first album in 23 years - and the last with Deal. He says he would release more music if the industry was structured in such a way that would allow new material any time he wished.
"The pace has been set by the market," he says, "otherwise, I'd be putting out a record a year or more."
Unlike other artists, he is not bothered by the pitiful royalties paid by the streaming giants. "Streaming is very convenient," he says. But not for the artist surely? "Yeah, whatever - it's show business, man. What am I going to do about that?
"Artists are making more money at the concerts. The artists complaining about the royalty rates on streaming don't tend to mention that there's a lot more demand for them to play in concert and people are willing to pay a lot more money for that experience than they are for the streaming experience.
"You could make the argument that artists were overpaid for a long time - I'm not making that argument, but I am saying that maybe people were overcharged when it came to buying albums."

The band, with former Zwan and Queens of the Stone Age bassist Paz Lenchantin replacing Deal, remain a formidable live proposition and Thompson says he's looking forward to taking the new songs on the road in Europe.
"Touring has not changed much and that's good," he says. "The tech aspects are obviously better and the venues have improved, but that feeling of walking on stage and looking out at a crowd has not changed one bit."
He's happy to be playing the Olympia. "A wonderful building and a wonderful neighbourhood." Having played big outdoor shows here in support of the likes of Red Hot Chilli Peppers (in front of more than 100,000 people at the Phoenix Park) and Arcade Fire at Marlay Park, Pixies aficionados will be pleased to see Thompson and friends kick up a racket at a more intimate environment.
"It's good to see the whites of their eyes," he says. "It's easier to make that connection."
'Beneath the Eyrie' is released on September 13. Pixies play the Olympia, Dublin on September 26
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T O P I C R E V I E W
Bedbug	Posted - 01/29/2019 : 09:17:25 Dave on memories https://patch.com/massachusetts/burlington/pixies-drummer-burlington-history-buff
35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
pixie punk	Posted - 10/25/2019 : 04:48:52 https://www.hotpress.com/music/interview-joey-santiago-pixies-22792599 Joey. PUERTO RICO PIXIE
picpic	Posted - 10/17/2019 : 11:00:36 Wow, really interesting interview. Thanks ___ "Service Unavailable"
natenate101	Posted - 10/16/2019 : 07:40:15 Pixies interview on today�s Rolling Stone podcast. Good stuff.
Bedbug	Posted - 10/02/2019 : 06:53:35 quote: Originally posted by pixie punk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emGAmNIHq3w&t=3s Full band Q & A at The Phil. PUERTO RICO PIXIE Black is super smiley to kick it off. Love seeing that.
pixie punk	Posted - 10/02/2019 : 03:22:25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emGAmNIHq3w&t=3s Full band Q & A at The Phil. PUERTO RICO PIXIE
pixie punk	Posted - 09/29/2019 : 14:08:04 http://trinitynews.ie/2019/09/spontaneity-musical-backgrounds-and-missing-socks-with-pixies/ PUERTO RICO PIXIE
Bedbug	Posted - 09/28/2019 : 04:43:13 �Mr Doolittle meet Mr Beneath The Eyrie� haha
pixie punk	Posted - 09/28/2019 : 03:10:41 https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/Music/2019/09/28/Joey-Santiago-Pixies-rediscovering-our-voice-with-new-album/9241569608838/?ls=5 Mr.Santiago interview. PUERTO RICO PIXIE
pixie punk	Posted - 09/26/2019 : 09:26:35 http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/audios/el-sotano/sotano-pixies-entrevista-nuevo-album-26-09-19/5396624/ David audio interview from Spain's Radio Show 'El Sótano' (The Basement). PUERTO RICO PIXIE
two reelers	Posted - 09/26/2019 : 03:41:29 quote: Originally posted by picpic quote: Originally posted by two reelers Why is Joey turning into Walter Sobchak? Well... you know. that�s just... like... your opinion, man ___ "Service Unavailable" The glasses and the eyes. Totally Sobchak. I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band
picpic	Posted - 09/25/2019 : 16:21:54 quote: Originally posted by two reelers Why is Joey turning into Walter Sobchak? Well... you know. that�s just... like... your opinion, man ___ "Service Unavailable"
two reelers	Posted - 09/25/2019 : 11:29:31 quote: Originally posted by Bedbug quote: Originally posted by two reelers Why is Joey turning into Walter Sobchak? I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band Do you mean that in a bad way? Only visually, but yes to your question. I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band
Bedbug	Posted - 09/25/2019 : 07:30:08 quote: Originally posted by two reelers Why is Joey turning into Walter Sobchak? I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band Do you mean that in a bad way?
two reelers	Posted - 09/25/2019 : 07:16:26 Why is Joey turning into Walter Sobchak? I joined the cult of Souled American / 'cause they are a damn' fine band
picpic	Posted - 09/24/2019 : 09:46:45 quote: Originally posted by The Holiday Son Interview with Frank and Joey on french radio. It's dubbed but you can hear most of their answers in english. https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/very-good-trip/very-good-trip-16-septembre-2019?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1NPrs6__mlzerjM2sLgXNf2-sq4SkCMlvyjt5fsSA7ncxu0tmRZRjH8bA#Echobox=1568825775 The host says that Joey was ��not very fresh�� ___ "Service Unavailable"
coastline	Posted - 09/21/2019 : 08:20:50 Love this one. quote: Originally posted by The Holiday Son https://bit.ly/2kWC7Of?fbclid=IwAR2dxNuBPQazgQ3SqnoND7VuNZvhYRErl-QtAcFKnTT_vZe5OUOa1sE_0Ug Nice litlle interview with Frank. Good questions for a change.
darwin	Posted - 09/20/2019 : 18:49:36 quote: Originally posted by stuczuba quote: Originally posted by billgoodman quote: Originally posted by darwin Morning Joe this morning was weird. So weird --------------------------- BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? I liked the bit when Paz' batteries ran out. Were they actually in the studio? :/ Yep, all 4 sitting around the desk with Joe and some guy i've never seen.
pixie punk	Posted - 09/20/2019 : 12:39:33 https://www.msnbc.com/morning-joe/watch/the-one-and-only-pixies-join-morning-joe-69470277842 PUERTO RICO PIXIE
The Holiday Son	Posted - 09/20/2019 : 10:40:32 https://bit.ly/2kWC7Of?fbclid=IwAR2dxNuBPQazgQ3SqnoND7VuNZvhYRErl-QtAcFKnTT_vZe5OUOa1sE_0Ug Nice litlle interview with Frank. Good questions for a change.
stuczuba	Posted - 09/20/2019 : 08:40:15 quote: Originally posted by billgoodman quote: Originally posted by darwin Morning Joe this morning was weird. So weird --------------------------- BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? I liked the bit when Paz' batteries ran out. Were they actually in the studio? :/
darwin	Posted - 09/20/2019 : 08:29:19 I did like Frank's answer that the big breakthrough wasn't Fight Club; it when he could quit his job.
billgoodman	Posted - 09/20/2019 : 08:23:13 quote: Originally posted by darwin Morning Joe this morning was weird. So weird --------------------------- BF: Mag ik Engels spreken?
The Holiday Son	Posted - 09/20/2019 : 08:09:33 Interview with Frank and Joey on french radio. It's dubbed but you can hear most of their answers in english. https://www.franceinter.fr/emissions/very-good-trip/very-good-trip-16-septembre-2019?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1NPrs6__mlzerjM2sLgXNf2-sq4SkCMlvyjt5fsSA7ncxu0tmRZRjH8bA#Echobox=1568825775
darwin	Posted - 09/20/2019 : 07:22:33 Morning Joe this morning was weird.
pixie punk	Posted - 09/20/2019 : 05:04:06 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLWtRtp14V0 Blackus Maximus. PUERTO RICO PIXIE
pixie punk	Posted - 09/19/2019 : 05:27:01 https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008jn7 Black interview starts at 2:35:25 approx.Enjoy! PUERTO RICO PIXIE
pixie punk	Posted - 09/19/2019 : 01:51:09 https://crackmagazine.net/article/long-reads/the-click-pixies/ More from Charles. PUERTO RICO PIXIE
Sprite	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 10:05:13 Francis: If you know Joey, when you hear his guitar playing, it�s like, �Oh, yeah, of course that�s what he sounds like.� I can honestly say that his personality is very much represented in his style. I say this because, in all of the musical analysis that goes on in writing about our records, he probably doesn�t get enough credit for how much his playing makes the music sound like the Pixies. Amen.
tamefan	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 08:35:18 That's a great little interview! I'm glad they plan to continue releasing music as a band :-)
billgoodman	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 08:14:58 quote: Originally posted by pixie punk https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/the-pixies-black-francis-and-joey-santiago-discuss-the-band-gothic-new-album-beneath-the-eyrie Black and Joey. PUERTO RICO PIXIE This: The biggest role Joey has is that he makes it sound like the band. --------------------------- BF: Mag ik Engels spreken?
pixie punk	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 05:02:20 https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/the-pixies-black-francis-and-joey-santiago-discuss-the-band-gothic-new-album-beneath-the-eyrie Black and Joey. PUERTO RICO PIXIE
pixie punk	Posted - 09/18/2019 : 04:33:43 https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/lifestyle/culture/pixies-release-best-album-created-since-the-bands-comeback-951331.html More BLACKness. PUERTO RICO PIXIE
Bedbug	Posted - 09/16/2019 : 09:23:49 This should take you to the financial times article without a pay wall https://news.google.com/articles/CAIiEI4U1RlpAp00jY0GrPSdkiwqFwgEKg8IACoHCAow-4fWBzD4z0gwwtt6?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US%3Aen
sdon	Posted - 09/14/2019 : 23:32:40 NME's video starts with Black Francais instead of Francis :) sounds cool as a pirate name https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/pixies-beneath-eyrie-review -- "Aristophanes! (gong sounds)" "Fucking up my devotion!"
pixie punk	Posted - 09/13/2019 : 04:43:53 http://diymag.com/2019/09/13/his-dark-materials-pixies-september-2019-interivew Another Charles one. PUERTO RICO PIXIE

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