Hot 30 radio interview
June 1998
B=Billy
D=Darcy
I1=Interviewer #1 (male)
I2=Interviewer #2 (female)
C= assorted callers
I1: There's been a lot of talk about the new album, Adore, and how it
differs from the last one, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. And a
lot of people say that the anger has gone. Do you agree?
B: not true.
D: it's just been transferred to me.
I1: Is that where it's gone?
D:it's contagious.
I1:Is it still on the inside, though?
D: no, not at all.
B: i always felt that that part of the band was overplayed. I mean if
you
listen to any of our previous three albums, they're not angry albums per
se, there's elements of that but there's also, i mean for every song
that
sounds angry there's a beautiful love song or something like that. It's
just, people like to think of everything in bold strokes, it's angry,
it's
sad, you know we get all these labels put on us, but it's like, what
other
band in the world encompasses all these different feelings, emotions and
kinds of music? But somehow we've ended up as the band that's angry and
sad. Which I don't, you know, 1979 does not sound like an angry, sad
song
to me, so, i think that's probably one of the biggest songs we've ever
had,
so I don't really understand where that comes from.
I1: would it be true to say, would you say, uh, 1979 one of the biggest
songs, but officially, as far as success goes, is disarm you biggest
song
so far?
D: I don't think so.1979, tonight, tonight
B: and bullet
D: bullet...
I2: maybe they like to say you're angry because they like to think of
that
rock star, rocking out, angry, labelling thing, dressed in black.
B: you're the one dressed in black today. Are you angry?
I2: I am not! You know, I'm not, I'm feeling good.
D: well there you go.
I2: see that's what I'm saying, it's just a generalisation maybe.
I1: Perhaps.
B: all I can say to people is, like, it would be the same thing if we
walked in and I looked at you and said ' i don't like the sweater you're
wearing, so you must be a college student, and i don't like college
students ' and ' she's wearing leather pants, so she must be, ah, she
must
be a more provocative woman than someone who'd be wearing a nice dress.
That's how we feel after a while, it's just like, we just feel you can't
put us in a box. I mean you could try, but you can't, even like, even
with
the problems we've had, and the way people have reacted to that, it's
like
people wouldn't let us just deal with it how we would react to it, they
would try to make us like with all the stuff that happened with us we're
supposed to be the anti drug band, and we're supposed to do anti-drug
messages. It's ironic, but that's just the way that things work.
I1: Is it uh, something that you, or even the whole band are trying to
achieve, um, being unpredictable?
B: I wouldn't say we try to achieve it, we are unpredictable.
I1: without trying?
B: I'd say, uh, it's just in our dna.
I2: I'd say that if we were on t.v today, tomorrow there would be a new
nail polish trend of painting you nails, and picking half of it off.
I1: Billy...
I2: when really, Billy has just been having this nervous thing,
scratching
half of his nail polish off, if you know what I mean.
B: this is how I put it on.
I2: that's what I'm saying, though. you know what i mean.
I1:The next question is from Steven.
C: hi guys, you rock!
B: thank you.
D: thank you.
C: I was just wondering will you be doing any sight seeing while you're
in
Australia?
B: actually I went to Manly yesterday, and I wrestled a midget.
I2:really?
I1: a bit cold for the beach, though.
B: uh, I hear that the midgets on Manly are most...
D: don't say it.
I2: magnificent.
D: i know what he was going to say, don't say it.
I2: how about the Everly Brothers last night, did you go as well, Darcy?
D: uh, they played last night?
I1: that's a no.
D: I went to see Seinfeld, though.
B: she was too busy in her rock star palace to notice. I of course was
out
on the streets with the kids.
D: Oh yeah, me in my rock star palace with the temperature of...
whatever
the Celsius is here, and coughing up whatever that green stuff was.
I1: is a case of having no time, basically? you're in and out?
B: actually we have a little time here because we just came from Europe
and
because of the amount of time it takes to get the equipment here we
actually had three days off.
I1: more than normal?
B: yeah, oh yeah, by far.
D: we don't usually have any days off.
B: and uh, you know, things like we're rooting for Iran in the World Cup
because Australia couldn't be in the World Cup, so, because of Iran...
I1: they beat us!
B: yeah, right, so I'm rooting for Iran, at least for Australia's sake.
I1: actually on the sporting thing, is Chicago still home for you guys?
B: oh yeah
I1: are you bulls fans?
B:oh yeah.
I2: so you'd be happy about that.
I1: where were you game six? did you see it?
B: actually we were in the... Australian Sports Club? What's it called?
Some sports club here we went and saw it. And they show the Australian
Rules Football.
I1: so you still saw it and jumped up and down?
B: yeah, and kicked some Utah fans ass.
I1: and will Jordan be back next year?
B: absolutely. That is my inside prediction.
I1: O.K, thanks for your question, Steven. hey alana, smashing pumpkins
are
here, say hi.
C: hi. What does Ava Adore mean?
B: you know what? I don't even know. I honestly don't. I think I know
what
Adore means... and Ava, wasn't she married to Hitler? Put the two
together.
I1: It's not an Ava Gardner thing?
D: Ava Gabor
B: never even had... I was more into Ava Gabor honestly, 'cos her
name...
D: it just rhymes with that.
B: that's a really good question, I'm just an idiot for not knowing the
answer.
I1: hey mandy, what's your question for smashing pumpkins?
C: if ginger spice wanted to join your band, would you let her?
D:yes.
B: absolutely.
D: so that we could torture her. we need a good scapegoat. always.
C: she'd be good at that.
B: I've seen her do the dance moves, so I know she has good rhythm, and
we
are looking for a drummer.
C: she's a bit hard up, and you guys aren't so i don't really think it
would mix well.
B: well, the spice girls sell more records than the smashing pumpkins,
so i
think we'd have you join her band.
C: oh no no no no, where's your artistic integrity?
B: it's all gone.
C: no!
B: it's gone. that went out with grunge. it's all gone. we're all about
pop
music now. sorry.
C: no, don't be sorry, you guys are great. thanks.
I1:Alexis, ask your question.
C: seeing as Mellon collie and the infinite sadness was so popular, how
come you changed your style for Adore?
D: 'cos we're stupid.
B:yeah, um, honestly, i don't know if you know our two previous albums,
Gish and Siamese Dream, but, we've played that kind of style, that heavy
rock style for about ten years and we reached a point where it wasn't as
interesting to us, and then we were worried that if it wasn't as
interesting to us then the audience wouldn't get as excited about it,
and
then we also felt that everything had kind of been done, and once you
have
bands imitating what we used to do, um, what are we gonna do?
I1: thanks, Alexis. Tanya, your question?
C: How long do you intend to be the smashing pumpkins for?
B: ha ha ha. Well, it's kind of like a jail sentence, i think we're, ah,
for life. I think even if the band broke up we'd always be smashing
pumpkins, at this point. No matter what we do, it's always going to be
mentioned, people will always think of us in that way, so I guess we're
probably smashing pumpkins for life.
I1: Looks like we've got two Adams. Adam, your question?
C: I was wondering why the band had a special interest in the Russian
Revolution? Seeing as one of the singles from Mellon collie, 33, had
artwork of Rasputin and czar, and one of the b-sides from the new single
is
called Czarina?
B: well my girlfriend is Russian, she likes to say she's Ukrainian, not
Russian, but she was part of the Russian federation at one point, and
she
was born under communism, so i guess there's probably an indirect
influence
as far as that. But I always paid attention to all that, and I always
found the graphic style of the communists kind of interesting, i realise
that they're a horrible regime, but you have to admit that graphically
they
had a pretty impressive style.
I1: thanks, buddy. I think we have one Adam left. Adam? Smashing
Pumpkins
are here, say hi.
C: hi. you guys are my idols, i love you guys.
D: thank you
B:thank you
C: you know your next album, after adore? cos i read on the Internet
that
you guys are going to do another CD and it's gonna be the best rock
album,
ever, you said, or are you just lying to me?
B: no, it will be the best rock album ever because if it isn't...
C: i believe you man, cos everything you do just kicks ass, i like
adore, i
didn't think it was that good but it's starting to grow on me, the
songs, i
really like...
B: see? see? we tricked you again, huh?
C: I'm sorry if i sound really excited but, uh,
B: that's cool, I'm glad, i appreciate and respect that you're giving
the
album a chance. At first listen it's probably a little bit hard to
understand.
C: yeah, it's really different. I really like Behold the Night Mare.
D: yeah, me too, thanks for hanging in there.
C: um, can you do me a favour, please?
B: what you need?
C: can you just please say 'hi' to me?
D: oh... you're Adam, right?
C: yeah, can you just say hi to Adam.
D: hi to Adam
C: hi. thanks. and darcy, you look real nice in that video clip, four
leaf
clover, that you do with that other band...
B: Adam, where is Eve? where is Eve? [I think that's what he said]
C: i reckon you should have come to Brisbane, I'm really disappointed
you
never came to Brisbane
B: Ohhhh, O.K, now you're going to get mad at us.
C: I'll never be mad at you, you like, i love you so much.
B: O.K, well, love to you, and thank you.
I1: thanks a lot, Adam.
C: thanks a lot, man, thank you very much, you made my whole life,
alright?
I1: thanks, buddy. we appreciate you time, darcy and billy from the
smashing pumpkins, continue to have a great time in Australia, all the
best
with adore, the album, and see you back here soon, hopefully.
B: O.K
D: thank you
I2: yay! smashing pumpkins! [claps]
B: I'm applauding myself, i don't know why.
D: you're applauding them. And all the kids.