New Matt Pinfield Interview

[Grant V]

I wonder how butch vig feels about corgan saying it's him he told james and darcy they couldn't play on the record.

[MyOneAndOnly]

which one is Matt Pinfield?

http://yourlifeisnotyourown.files.wo...pg?w=362&h=272

[RenewRevive]

he's said this before. not that suprised, it's the producer's job to get the record made, no?

yeah the mayo thing, even corgan seems to get that its childish but he can't get past it. james has writing credits on soma too, seem to recall corgan throwing a fit about this on the last dvd (iirc). now that was childish.

interesting hearing his views on which songs aren't that good. quiet is an excellent song, but it is one of the worst on the album, but geek usa? recalls billy's comment in a recent interview in which he says fans want mediocre old songs rather than good new ones. didn't really know what old songs he was referring to, but surely not geek? i understand an artist kind of has to be inversted in what he's currently doing, but he can't be suggesting the likes of lightning strikes, owata etc are superior to geek usa, pissant etc...can he?

[subzero]

what are you talking about, a stitch in time is awesome.

[MyOneAndOnly]

widow

wake

my

mind

[Catherine Wheel]

I know I'm probably in the minority with this but Quiet is my favorite song on Siamese Dream.

[redbreegull]

Fantastic interview. Guy asks the right kind of questions to get Billy to cut the bullshit and talk straight. I would have liked to have heard more about his writing process for Oceania versus how he wrote songs in the early 90s... and they got really close to discussing clipping but then somehow dodged it?

The commentary on individual songs was fucking great. Who would have thought b0lly once considered Bury Me to be a throwaway?

[samuel redman]

hmm. interesting because i was never much on Geek U.S.A.

[great poster]

Originally Posted by iPumpkin

the part where he says Bury me in Blood

fuck you

[aztec litany service]

Originally Posted by lala

sad to hear billy doesn't like burry me. it is a fucking A+ song!

the gish lyrics in general, i don't get the feeling he really understands how interesting and inspiring they are. he may not find them very meaningful but they were always really amazing to me.

though i'd still like to know what 'she knows', and what the fuck a 'mustard lie' is lol

[lala]

Originally Posted by aztec litany service

the gish lyrics in general, i don't get the feeling he really understands how interesting and inspiring they are. he may not find them very meaningful but they were always really amazing to me.

though i'd still like to know what 'she knows', and what the fuck a 'mustard lie' is lol

i think "mustard lie" has got something to do with LSD ... and yeah i agree about the lyrics. they are solid

[Fellatio Mask!]

Originally Posted by aztec litany service

though i'd still like to know what 'she knows'

hos

[???]

[T&T]

uh.... she knows the truth.
obviously.

[Funky_Gibbon]

Originally Posted by T&T

uh.... she knows the truth.
obviously.

...and if you don't pay her $5000 a month to keep quiet about it she'll go to the cops.

[TuralyonW3]

GOOD INTEVIEW


THE MAYOANSIE WAS PRETTY FICKING PETRRY


BUT AT LEAST HONEST

[TuralyonW3]

CRGAN AD MITS



THA HIS LYCICS ARE BULSSHIT

[wounded]

definitely has issues with sharing credit

[iPumpkin]

Originally Posted by RenewRevive

he's said this before. not that suprised, it's the producer's job to get the record made, no?

Butch all but confirmed this in his Q&A he did a couple years ago.

[houseofglass11]

I've read Billy say before in an interview that even if people have added other parts to the songs that all the credit should go to him since he originated the initial idea to begin with. He just doesn't like it to work the other way around I guess.

[SlingeroGuitaro]

a song is a song regardless of the 'parts' that are on top of it. the parts can make it more interesting, but the lyrics, and the melody are what MAKE the song.

[Teagardener]

fat

[iPumpkin]

Originally Posted by houseofglass11

I've read Billy say before in an interview that even if people have added other parts to the songs that all the credit should go to him since he originated the initial idea to begin with. He just doesn't like it to work the other way around I guess.

Source?

I have heard him say many times & on the If all goes wrong vid that they wrote it together.

[dustrock]

The funny thing is that Quiet might be one of the weaker songs on SD but it's still a phenomenal song.

[paranoid]

I'm getting from this that Corgan is saying that James and Darcy could PLAY, and that they did bring a lot to the band, but they couldn't play up to Vig's technical standards.. as he was a pretty strict technician (guitars in tune, perfect timing, etc etc).

It's also been documented in the past that some of the drum parts on Siamese Dream were edited to sound more tight/perfect.. and that's Jimmy he's editing! No wonder James and Darcy had a hard time with it. Also keep in mind that ultimately it was Billy who had the MOST time invested in the songs.. so of course he could play through them quicker.

Here's what I don't get though.. If James and Darcy are cut out out of the picture, and that leaves Corgan to record ALL of the bass and guitar parts, wouldn't it take MORE time for one person to cover those tracks, even if he can do takes quicker? It seems like more time was spent having Corgan cover it all, as they went over deadlines and budget.

Either way, Corgan went for it. Vig isn't all too blame here.. I'm sure James and Darcy felt like they would have liked Corgan, their ring leader to stand up for them when things got that tense.

[paranoid]

And yeah I agree about Quiet.. fantastic fucking song, but as it stands against some of the others on the record, it's easier to skip over.. in line with Spaceboy.

And Geek.. maybe he felt it seemed out of place because it was the most metal/aggressive of the songs.. and he had a different kind of vision for the record? Either way, it's a great interview and gives a pretty interesting insight on how Billy's mind was working making the album.

[stumpycat]

Yes, that was a seriously quality interview for once.
Note to Billy: people respect and appreciate candid interviews.

And unfortunately in anything other than guitar mags, where the focus is obviously very technical and specific (though somewhat limited in scope, for similar reasons) you tend to get a lot of bullshit interviews. I used to get frustrated at the interviewee for taking interviews down the path of fatuous and evasive non-answers, but in hindsight I suppose it is the interviewee's way of dispensing with an interviewer who is equally fatuous. I still think it's highly unfortunate that it is the fan (i.e. the whole reason for the interview really) and not the interviewer is ultimately the one most disserviced by that attitude being taken, however. It seems as though once most artists' bullshit detectors have been set off (whether it's the magazine they're interviewing for or the interviewer themselves) there's little hope that the artist is just going to take the high road and deliver serious discussion. Luckily Matt Pinfield doesn't have the reputation of being one to fuck around either.

[stumpycat]

Yeah, Geek USA always stuck out to me as being a "different" track from the rest of Siamese Dream...like if it was recorded with Mellon Collie-era guitars and production, it could have just as easily fit in with the harder and darker side of that record.

I was actually pretty surprised to hear that Billy's first LSD trip was when he was 21 or 22...I would have thought it was probably down in Florida with the Marked, around age 18 or 19. And that a number of songs back then really were just an expression of tripping out in some way or another. And also that "mustard lies" rather than a more sensible line like "must I lie" are, indeed, the correct lyrics. It's like a horrible mondegreen, for fuck's sake!

In regards to the SD studio sessions, why didn't Billy just come out in the first place and nuance the (more or less unchallenged) rumors that he played "all the guitars and bass himself" with the more explanatory and reasonable justification he provided here? Was this Billy's own weird little way of showing care in that he was basically saving face for his bandmates by not saying something that could easily be construed as saying that their playing capabilities were basically a bit shit? Was he actually feeling a bit of guilt for what happened, and thus the much different "group effort" approach taken when recording MCIS?

[amoergosum]

Originally Posted by paranoid

It's also been documented in the past that some of the drum parts on Siamese Dream were edited to sound more tight/perfect.. and that's Jimmy he's editing!

>>>

I can explain why we did so many edits. In rehearsals, I was timing the band around 145 bpm (as far as can remember). When we tracked it, we used a click, and Billy thought it sounded too fast. So we slowed it down to around 141 or so. After we recorded what I thought was the master take, I started to notice certain snare hits that dragged.
So I measured where the kick landed with a china marker on tape, then measured where the snare landed. The bars that felt good to me, were in fact around 145 bpm.
So Jeff and I went through and starting shaving any snare that dragged forward.
And we went in kinda deep! There were probably 200 edits when we were finished!
The song was recorded at 141 but ended up at 145!

After 200 edits I looked at Jeff and said "Is it Sweet?

Butch Vig

Source:
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/4291567-post39.html




Some more interesting quotes from Butch Vig (gearslutz Q&A session):


Q:
Siamese Dreams - one of the all time great rock records. I read once that Billy Corgan said it was a miracle that the record was ever completed as it was a struggle at some points.
Was this a fun record to make? Any standout memories? I will never get sick of this record. Those guitars and drums sound so amazing.

BV:
It was one of the most difficult albums I ever made, and one that I am very proud of.
After the success of Nevermind and Gish, there was immense pressure on us to deliver something special. I pushed Billy hard...and he pushed me.
There WERE days when it was fun, but also days where we felt like we had gone into the abyss. At the end of the album, we were both physically and emotionally exhausted.
Alan Moulder had to leave on the last day of mixing (after we had kidnapped him for 6 straight weeks without a day off!) and Billy and I finished the last song Luna about 4 AM. There was no champagne, no high fives, no cheering...we just looked at each other and said "holy shit, are we finished?" and dragged ourelves back to the hotel.
I woke up at noon the next day a the Beverly Garland Hotel on Vineland with all the curtains closed, and listened to the album all the way through in pitch black. I couldn't see anything, I could only listen...and I knew we had something special.

---

Q:
How did you get the Guitar sound on Siamese Dream ?
How many tracks of guitar were layered ?

BV:
Oh yes, there were a LOT of guitars!
Because we were using analog tape, and had most of the guitars on the 2nd reel, we had to punch in different parts in different sections, sometimes submixing 8 or 12 guitars down to stereo...( this is before Pro Tools)...
I remember some songs like Hummer and Soma had so many parts, I had to make "guitar maps" for us to remember how to approach the mix.
Alan Moulder asked "what is a guitar map?"
He knew what a guitar map was after he'd been kidnapped for 6 weeks!

---

Q:
I had heard from someone it was tracked to tape but ADATs and Pro Tools were somehow involved as well.
If this is incorrect and it was actually all tape, does that mean there was absolutely no sample augmentation of the drums or autotune in the vocals? Or were these tasks just accomplished differently (eg. drum head triggers to a module)?

BV:
The albums was recorded to 48 track, using two Studers. There was one song Mayonaise, that had so many tape edits, we found a digital multitrack (mitsubishi?) and transferred the song to it as our new master, cuz we were afraid the tape would break!
No auto tuning...Billy would sing until he got it right. I would usually do comps with Jeff, old school style, punching the best bits onto a new master track. It was time consuming!
I think Alan Moulder used some triggers when we mixed to add ambience to some of the songs...but we never replaced anything, and if we did use a trigger on the snare, it was probably a 70/30 % blend.

---

Q:
I seem to remember reading that they used as many as 13 guitar tracks on some parts.

BV:
I think Soma and Hummer had closer to 40 guitar tracks. Not all playing at the same time, but there could be 8-10 overdubs in one section, then another 8-10 in a second section, etc. A lot of times we would bounce them down...like in the ebow part, I think that was around 12 tracks mixed down to stereo.

---

Q:
Ive heard Jimmy Chamberlin has quite light touch when he plays. Did this cause you any problems when getting the drum tones/tracking etc?
Also, did you and the band have a predetermined sound you were trying to achieve, or was it a case of experimenting until it felt right?

BV:
Jimmy is a GREAT drummer, he has some amazing chops. He does not hit the drums really hard, but he has excellent dynamic control over the whole kit, and sort of mixes himself. We probably could have used 4 mics and he would have sounded amazing.

---

JT:
Triclops studio was used because of 2 main reasons, it was not LA and they had a beautiful sounding Neve 8068. I believe Butch sought the studio for the board and wanted to keep the band away from distractions like there would be in LA.

BV:
Exactly, that's why we chose the studio...that Neve was a kickass sounding, and we thought we would be isolated enough to keep the distractions low.
However, within 24 hours Jimmy new every drug dealer, hooker, bookie, and nut case in Atlanta...so that part of the plan didn't work!

---

Q:
How much you'd say the guitar sounds come from Billy's playing per se and how much you'd account that to gear, recording techniques and technology itself? I know this might be a bit tough question to answer, but I was just wondering if Billy always sounds so damn good regardless of amps and mikes and stuff.
It's obvious he's totally obsessed with guitar playing and gear, but if you'd care to give some insight on the process it would be great. Was he patient with finding sounds or was he wanting to move along?
How much he had planned ahead concerning those guitar maps and armies or did you create it as you went along?
Could you also describe the recording process in general with Billy, was everything in general regarding arrangements etc planned out by him or by him and you or was there also happy accidents coming along? How open was he to experiment in the studio at that time?
I've read Billy is a extremely fast worker when laying down guitar tracks and makes decisions very quickly. Is that so?
You and Jeff have stated that the vocal recordings could be time consuming. I was wondering who was the main "****" in the studio at that time, when recording vocals. Was Billy always ready to commit the 8 hour sessions to getting it right or was there some tension when things got difficult when recording vocals? Who was the most critical concerning the takes and who you'd say was the "main producer" when recording vocals? I love how they're done and I love Billy's vocals.
Any special ambience/reverb treatments to get that special sound or is just Billy's unique voice that's working there?

BV:
Billy has a really good ear, and he was just as opinionated about the sound as I was. Most of the time, he knew what he wanted, but sometimes it took a while to get the sound. A lot of experimenting. Sometimes I would suggest and idea, and it would take hours to get the right sound.
Billy is a GREAT guitarist....some of the parts came really fast, others were a struggle: the intro for Today took a LOT of takes to get the perfect sound and feel. Remember, this is before Pro Tools, and that guitar is naked at the start of the song...I think we worked on that 4 bar intro for about 12 hours!!!!
Vocals were time consuming. Billy would do a lot of of takes, I would give him feedback and keep notes until I was satisfied we had the right performance.
Then Jeff and I woud do a vocal comp, bouncing the best bits to another track. We didn't use autotune (it didn't exist!) so I just went for what I thought had the best feel.
There are spots on the album where the vocal is not pitch perfect, but that's not the point...I was looking for an emotional quality in his singing....Billy has this ability to open his heart, so to speak, and sing with a vulnerabilty that draws you into the song.
That was more important to me than technical perfection.
Siamese Dream is a very dry record, very little reverb used on guitars and vocals.
And we seldom used ambient mics on the guitars.
The one efx we used a lot on Billy's voice was the Eventide harmonizer, to add a slight double effect. Usually 20 or 30 ms delay, with about a 10 cent pitch offset.

---

Q:
Sir(s), what mics/chain were used for the *acoustic* guitars(disarm especially)...any compression on those?

BV:
I think we used 1176 or dbx160 on the acoustic...
Jeff, didn't you talk about Billy's acoustic earlier? I was not crazy about how it sounded...
it was kind of dark. It sounds good on the album, but we had to eq it a lot.
I also remember Billy wore a bracelet most of the time, and sometimes the mic would pick it up. I can hear it a little bit in "Spaceboy"...almost like percussion.
I can hear it distinctly on Gish in "Daydream".

---

Q:
I was wondering about Billy's voice, in Cherub Rock and Hummer for example. Do you use an effect? Or was that the room or was it overdubs that made his voice sound great?

BV:
There's very little effect on Billy's voice, I think we used a little bit of Eventide harmonizer as a doubler, set to around 30ms.
Alan Moulder might have added a bit of room in the mix, but Billy and I didn't like reverb.
We did dbl his voice and add harmonies when we recorded the song.

---

Q:
is there a story behind the cool sounds at the beginning of Quiet ?

BV:
The intro is 3 or 4 short guitar licks that we ran into the K2500 and processed heavily.
We didn't use midi, so I had to "fly" the bits back to tape pushing the trigger button...it was tricky to get the timing right.

[reprise85]

del wrong thread