Similar to the stop/start aesthetic that, along with its “loudquietloud” signature sound, defines legendary alternative band Pixies’ musical style, a recent phone call with guitarist Joey Santiago to his Los Angeles home had to be repurposed on the fly.
Instead of previewing the Pixies opening up for two Nine Inch Nails shows originally scheduled for Sept. 21 and 23 at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica that were canceled due to pandemic-related concerns, the same interview now highlights the 30th anniversary of “Trompe le Monde,” which was recently re-released as in limited-edition green vinyl form.
The 1991 album came at a tumultuous time for the group, which marked its fourth release in the same amount of years and led to a gig opening on U2’s stadium “Zoo TV” tour.
The News-Herald recently talked to Santiago about the making of “Trompe le Monde,” the band’s alternative-rock bona fides and the possibility of Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction.
Q Hello, Joey, let’s turn the clock back exactly 30 years, when “Trompe Le Monde” was released. What was the band feeling?
A It felt like doomsday, quite honestly. It felt like there was not much love in the air. At the end of the day, we had studio time, we had to record an album and we recorded the album. The work process didn’t change that much. We knew we were going to do our best. We’re rock historians, so you go back and you’re like this one band member from The Kinks punched his brother and Charlie Watts punched Mick Jagger. We weren’t at that point. We were just psychologically mind-(expletive)-ing each other.
Q In terms of the Pixies’ appeal today, which includes packed headlining shows and opening gigs for the likes of Weezer, the irony is had the band not broken up and tried to ride the mid-’90s alt-rock zeitgeist, it may have very well gotten lost in the din. Instead, breaking up created a heart-grows-fonder scenario that post-reunion reframed the conversation around the Pixies.
A (laughs) We planned all that. We had a band meeting where we said, “Look, it’s beneficial for us right now to break up. I got into my time machine and went, like, Michael J. Fox-and-(Christopher Lloyd)-style, and we saw the future for us was brighter if we broke up now.” No, we didn’t have any (expletive) plan. But I know we left on a high, high note. There were high hopes for us at the time if we manage to stop going on a downhill spiral psychologically but I think that snowball was too big to stop.
Q The band’s last studio project is 2019’s “Beneath the Eyrie.” Can we expect a new Pixies album anytime soon?
A We’re working on it. We worked on it in New Zealand. We were down there three weeks prior to the shutdown. We were going to go to Japan and China, but we canceled that. Instead, we went to New Zealand and filled up that time with recording new stuff. So we have some of that under our belt, and we’ve been chipping away at it lately.
Q Finally, in terms of influencing a generation of musicians and their impact on alternative rock, the Pixies are worthy of induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. What is your thought about one day getting that call?
A You know, at this point I wouldn’t mind getting into that building. We would be honored to be inducted. Now that I have kids who are old enough to know what it is, my ego tells me, “You know what, kids? I’m cool.” As soon as we get in there, I think they’re going to listen to me. They’re going to (expletive) do the dishes when I tell them to and mow the lawn, and I’m going to save a lot of money on gardeners and housekeepers. That’s exactly why I want to get in there. So that’s the benefit of getting inducted into the Rock Hall.
For more information, visit pixiesmusic.com.
