TMDQA! Interview: Joey Santiago talks about new Pixies album, influence on Miley Cyrus and show at Popload

When we think of the rock giants of the 90s, it’s impossible not to remember names like Nirvana, radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer. What all these bands have in common and not everyone knows is a strong influence from pixieswhich is arriving in Brazil very soon.

The band currently formed by Black Francis (vocals and guitar), Joey Santiago (guitar), Peace Lenchantin (down) and David Lovering (drums) went through several phases but, in addition to establishing itself as a reference for countless other artists, it also showed that it manages to keep updating itself and remain relevant today.

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Proof of this is the recently released album Doggerelsuccessor of Beneath the Eyrie (2019) and fourth to be revealed by the group since their 2004 reunion, which ended an 11-year hiatus.

With a renewed sound, with a lot of influence from cinema and giving a unique touch to traditional Rock, Pixies arrives in Brazil for shows in Rio de Janeiro, on October 11th, and in São Paulo as the main attraction of the Popload Festival, on October 12th.

Before arriving in the country, however, Joey Santiago had a chat with TMDQA! about this new phase of the band and the expectation for the shows. Check it out in full below!

TMDQA! Interview Joey Santiago (Pixies)

TMDQA!: Hi Joey! How are you? It’s a pleasure to be talking to you today. The Pixies are a legendary band and I couldn’t be more excited for this chat.

Joey Santiago: Hi! Everything is ok here, and with you?

TMDQA!: All great too. I wanted to start by talking a little more about this new record. We’re doing this interview before the release, but from what I’ve heard so far, it’s a very different album than we could have expected. A big highlight for me is “Dregs of the Wine”, which has a really cool story you wrote while testing a guitar in a store. In the end, did you buy this guitar?

Joey: Oh yes, I bought it!

TMDQA!: Can you tell us more about him? What guitar is this?

Joey: Dude, I think it’s an old man… let me see here. It’s a 1956 Martin O-15.

TMDQA!: How awesome. And, well, his guitar on “Dregs of the Wine” I feel is exactly what makes such a different song sound like a Pixies song, which is fantastic. Can you explain what it is that makes a song sound like something from the Pixies?

Joey: You know, I think it obviously has that note with a little more bend, which is instantly recognizable. It has Charles’ voice, obviously. But musically speaking, I think I just have a way of playing and picking the notes that sound right to my ear. And I try to make it not sound so… I try to make it sound unpredictable at times, but at the same time I just accept it and do the most predictable thing, if it sounds right. But what I try to do is keep it from sounding too basic.

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TMDQA!: In the same song, you have an excerpt that says “Back to Brazil in 66”. Where did that come from? I know you don’t write the lyrics, but do you know what the reference was?

Joey: Isn’t it the name of a band? Brazil 66 or something?

TMDQA!: Wow! I completely forgot. It’s Sergio Mendes’ band, right?

Joey: That! Exactly.

TMDQA!: There was no membership. I loved that we discovered it together. [risos] Going back to the record, I feel that it explores a lot of an epic sound, very cinematic, with a lot of Ennio Morricone influence, especially there in “Vault of Heaven”. Where did the idea to incorporate that on this record come from?

Joey: Look, I think it’s just this taste we have for Morricone, just because the way I see their stuff, this Surf Rock thing, this Spaghetti Western thing, it’s like a more mature version of Surf Music. You know, it’s still instrumental, but there’s a little more sophistication to it and as we got older, I was kind of fed up with Surf Music; I don’t necessarily hear it anymore.

I used to listen a lot, I had a period where I was a lot, like, “This is cool, this is good, really good” about Surf Music. But to this day I love listening to Morricone, whether it’s here in California taking a drive or whatever. It’s like a state of mind, more than the music.

TMDQA!: Makes sense. And the album is really good too. Changing the subject, now in October you will be coming to Brazil for the first time in eight years, and I wanted to know if you have any favorite memories of your previous visits here.

Joey: Gosh, I have to tell you that everything is kind of a blur to me. But I remember playing in Curitiba, inside this dome, you know… when we took the elevator up to the stage, that was memorable. And there was also the fact that we were stuck at the São Paulo airport for 24 hours, I remember that.

TMDQA!: [risos] A truly Brazilian experience. But now you’re coming back to Popload Festival, and you’re the last attraction of the event, which is different from how it was at Lollapalooza before. Is it possible to expect a more complete setlist? I’ve seen that the sets on this tour are pretty long!

Joey: Yeah, it depends on how much time we have. You know, festivals are very strict with the schedule, and indeed they have to be, because anything can spoil everything. And we always obey. If you ask us to stop at 9:43 pm, we will stop at exactly 9:43 pm. So it depends on how much time you give us. If you give us two hours, we will give you two hours.

TMDQA!: Still on this tour, I feel that the new songs appear a lot there, of course, but the doolittle has been played more than usual even. Is there any specific reason why he is so present on this tour? How was the assembly of this setlist?

Joey: Well, in addition to people liking it and being a much admired record, we know how to play it. [risos] He kind of hasn’t aged at all, and that’s what people want to hear. We know that. It’s what people want to hear, it’s what we want to play, so we’re going to give people what they want. This is rule number one showbiz: Give people what they want.

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TMDQA!: Fair enough. Speaking of festivals, we had Miley Cyrus’ tour some time ago where she appears playing snippets of “Where Is My Mind”, and I think it’s really cool that this is reflected in the audiences of your shows, which now have other young people fans over there. How has it been watching this?

Joey: Man, you know, when I look at the younger fans out there in the audience the first thing I think is, “I think we’re still going to do this for a little while longer.” Because our sound is passed on from generation to generation. You know, my son was born in 2004, when we got together as a band. And now that he’s 18, his classmates want to go to the show. What the hell is that, you know? [risos]

TMDQA!: And at the same time, you are an influence for huge artists, like Miley herself or like Jack White, who will be playing with you on Popload. This is pretty cool, right?

Joey: Yeah, whenever you influence something, I think it’s good. We are part of it, you know? From the language of music. It’s very good, but it happens so fast that we don’t even notice it and when we see it, it’s gone.

TMDQA!: You mentioned that the meeting started in 2004, but there were still some issues to resolve and it took 10 years to get back to the studio, practically. Now, you’re on your fourth post-reunion album. Is it natural for you again, being in the studio and making records? Is it something you intend to continue doing?

Joey: Absolutely sure. Yes awesome. It’s part of what amuses us, and we enjoy doing it. That’s what bands do, you know? If we don’t do that, we can’t just… that’s what we like to do, because you know, when we play live, we have to talk to the audience, right? But when we’re in the studio, we can be super selfish, we can do whatever we want.

We really don’t think about anyone else, whether people are going to like it or not. We’re just wondering if we’ll like it ourselves. So it’s our moment, it’s our private time, for us to have fun and entertain ourselves. And we definitely have fun in the studio.

TMDQA!: Well, you guys amuse others too! No doubt.

Joey: Yeah, but it’s really our moment.

TMDQA!: Makes sense. I wanted to bring up a reflection that I was doing these days: I was born in 1993, so I didn’t catch the Pixies’ heyday and the idea that, between 1988 and 1991, you released a record a year and everyone was fantastic and became classics. When you think about it today, there’s that kind of thing, “How did we do this”? Or do you know how to explain what happened in that period?

Joey: We just thought it was what had to be done once a year, you know? Bands did that in the ’60s and everything, so we were like, “Okay, let’s do the same thing.” And you know, it’s that thing where you’re on a 365-day tour cycle, and once we do the full tour, what are you going to do next? It’s that feeling of having to do something else.

It’s the new season, and then there are new festivals, and we’re not going to go back to everything with the same albums, we want to present something new.

TMDQA!: But is the format of making music more comfortable for you today?

Joey: Yes definitely. It’s the fourth time we’ve done this, the third time with the producer Tom Dalgety and with the bassist Peace Lenchantin. So it’s something natural for us, it’s really comfortable, it’s just what we do.

TMDQA!: And Paz was quite an addition to the band, right?

Joey: Yes, she is amazing. Everything about her is wonderful. The personality, you know, I feel like with us she’s really found a home.

TMDQA!: To close, I was reading a little more about your biography and I didn’t know a detail that I thought was super cool. Back in the 90s, where this was not at all common, you were already studying audio software, something that has become quite popular these days. I feel like it’s easier than ever to make music today, and a lot of that is down to the people who studied it the way you did back then. What is your view on this ease of making music?

Joey: It’s the reason I got into this! I liked the fact that I could record myself, and I’ve done those things with those four-track tape recorders, with cassette tapes, but now it’s so much easier and so much fun. And, you know, it all sounds so good now.

We used to be those snobs who defend analog technology, saying we would never use digital stuff or anything like that. And nowadays it’s the norm. It sucks recording on tape. You know, each tape sounds different, it has a lot of boring details that go into it. People don’t realize that it’s just easier to go digital, you know?

TMDQA!: It makes perfect sense. Joey, thank you so much for your time! I’m sure the Pixies shows will be unforgettable and I can’t wait to see them. A hug and see you next!

Joey: Thank you, see you soon!