Hello, My Name Is David
Q&A with the Pixies’ David Lovering
IE: How do you feel about doing an old album in its entirety? Some bands are weirded out by it.
David Lovering: It’s kind of cool because Doolittle, for me the drummer, it’s the easiest record we did. So I was happy [we chose it]. We’re all loving doing it, though I’m sure we’ll get sick of it after awhile, doing the same songs every night.
Pixies will perform Doolittle November 19th through 21st at Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.
IE: With the box set coming out and the Doolittle tour, do you feel like you’re reliving your 20s?
DL: It is kind of weird. We’re doing the same stuff we did years ago and playing the same music – nothing new. So it does seem a little deja vu. We should have come out in canes and wheelchairs on this tour.
IE: Did you spend a lot of time relearning parts?
DL: When we did all the albums, we recorded the next quicker and quicker. So I wasn’t really happy with my drumming. Six months into the tour on whatever album, I’d go, “A-ha!” and figure out how I wanted to change them. But when the Doolittle concept came up, we all wanted to recreate the album exactly as it was, as if you were listening to the record. So I had to throw out – not that I was doing anything wild or different – and relearn it, add a triangle, and things like that to make it happen.
IE: Any songs particularly tough?
DL: “Silver” we never played live. The only thing that’s hard about it is it’s in 3/4 time and it’s really slow. So to keep the beat in your head and have everyone follow along is kind of tough.
IE: Do you waltz in your chair?
DL: I do. If you see us, you’ll see me going back and forth. It looks like I’m dancing, but it’s the only thing I can do to keep the time.
IE: What are plans post-tour?
DL: There’s been little talk about maybe doing some music, but that’s just talk. I don’t know if anything will happen. I’ll do magic. [Pixies guitarist] Joe Santiago and I have a band called Everybody. We just had a lot of free time and made up some songs for an album that will be released in January. It’s mainly instrumental stuff: synthesizers, guitar, drums, bass. I sing on a couple. We’ll throw it against the wall and see what happens.
The career-spanning Minotaur box set is available now. Q&A by Steve Forstneger.
