James Iha on AOL, Feb.26, 1998 - Transcript http://www.netphoria.org ------------------------------------------------ OnlineHost: Copyright 1998 Virgin Records; licensed to : America Online, Inc. OnlineHost: Welcome to AOL Live, America Online's premiere : showcase for live events! AOL Live can accommodate : thousands of guests and is truly the place to meet : up with your favorite personalities-ranging from : film and television celebrities, sports stars, : best-selling authors and more! Each event is led : by MCs who will guide you and the guest through : the event. OnlineHost: As an audience member you can "talk" to members in : your "row" (just like a real auditorium). Text typed : in your "row" is prefaced by the row number in : which you are sitting and is shown in parentheses. : For instance: (1) How are you? The MC/host onstage : cannot see what you are "saying" in your row unless : they tell you that your row is being "broadcast." : Don't worry, you can't break anything! OnlineHost: To interact with or send a question/comment to : your hosts or their guests on stage, click on the : "Participate in Event" button. Select either "Ask : a Question" or "Send a Comment" -- please be aware : that your hosts may not be able to address all : items sent to the stage due to time constraints. : Questions or comments not relevant to the current : event will not be addressed. OnlineHost: Your AOL Live emcees tonight are Judi (AOLiveMC11) and Mary Alice (AOLiveMC5). OnlineHost: Whatever you might expect the first solo : album by a member of The Smashing : Pumpkins to sound like, it probably : wouldnít be anything like the music on : James Ihaís "Let It Come Down." OnlineHost: With the help of a tasty studio ensemble : made up of old and new friends, Iha has : created an album of earnest, engaging : songs that are refreshingly free of : trendiness and irony. He's here : tonight, live from Chicago, Illinois to : take your questions!! AOLiveMC11: Welcome to AOL LIve, James Iha! J Iha LIVE: Thank you very much. I'm please to be here. AOLiveMC11: Here's the our first audience question... Question: I love your music, and i think it is very awsome, and truley touching. I Question: love you so much. My question is: Why did you decide to do a solo album? and Question: when did you decide to? J Iha LIVE: I wanted to do a record of my own songs the way I J Iha LIVE: heard them with my singing and it was hard to fit J Iha LIVE: all my songs in the band context. J Iha LIVE: I just wanted to do a more personal records. J Iha LIVE: I stared thinking about doing this record about 2 years ago. Question: for james: i really like your album! why do you think its getting mixed Question: reviews? J Iha LIVE: I think a lot of people see the record in tems of the band that J Iha LIVE: I came from and read a lot into it that way. In total, most of the reviews have been J Iha LIVE: really good. Especially in Europe, most of the revies have been J ha LIVE: really good and seem to review the record on a real honest level J Iha LIVE: without too much pre-judging. Question: What are your music influences? J Iha LIVE: A lot of different things. J Iha LIVE: I like Neal Young, The Band, Fountains of Wayne, J Iha LIVE: Pop, Country, Folk. Question: James What is yuor favorite song on your new album? I LOVE YOU J Iha LIVE: I love you too and I will always think of you. My favorite songs J Iha LIVE: are "Be Strong Now", "Sound Of Love", "Lover, Lover," and J Iha LIVE: "No One's Gonna Hurt You" Question: Hello James. Thanks for taking the time to talk to your fans! You talk Question: about faith and God in many of your songs, I was wondering, are you religious? Question: If so, what religion do you live by? J Iha LIVE: I don't belong to any organized religion of such, but I'd like J Iha LIVE: to believe in a higher power. Question: James, will there be any of your solo work on "Adore" (either co-writing Question: credits or full)? If so, what can we expect? If not, why not? I hope so anyway! J Iha LIVE: Probably not, because I went right from recording my record J Iha LIVE: right into the next Pumpkins record and I used up all my songs J Iha LIVE: on my record. Question: JAMES: Did the record turn out as you had pictured it would? Would you Question: change anything about the record? J Iha LIVE: I think you always want to change a few things but in general J Iha LIVE: I'm very happy with it. I like the sound of the record, I like the songs, J Iha LIVE: and I like the singing. Comment: You write really aesthetic songs. J Iha LIVE: I try. Question: james: are there going to be any more singles/video's off of Let It Come Question: Down, besides Be Strong Now? (which by the way is great!) J Iha LIVE: Thanks very much. I'm hoping there will be a second single J Iha LIVE: although we haven't really talked about it. Question: James- Your new album is great. About how long did it take you to Question: record it? By the way, how's Bugg? :) J Iha LIVE: The record took about 2 and a half months to record. Bugg is in the upstairs J Iha LIVE: bedroom so that he won't be bothering us with the online chat. J Iha LIVE: He's great though. Comment: sorry!!!! i didnt mean to hit return!golly,well james: i really love Comment: everything about your music.your music helped me to feel better when i was sick Comment: a couple of weeks ago(your cd was a get well present) yours & sp's music is Comment: everything to me! love, Cristen J Iha LIVE: Thanks so much. I'm really glad that it has some sort of healing J Iha LIVE: power. Question: Most music now is so angst-filled where as in comparison your album Question: seems so sweet and kind -- do you find it challenging to write that way? J Iha LIVE: Not really. I just tend to write a lot of personal conversational J Iha LIVE: warm songs as of late. I'm not really that angry about anything J Iha LIVE: right now. Question: Are you thinking of making another solo album sometime soon? J Iha LIVE: I'll keep writing songs, and I'll keep playing with the band and J Iha LIVE: yes I will definitely make another solo record. Question: Why did you decide to make an "acoustic" album? J Iha LIVE: It's not an unplugged record, but I wrote most of the songs on the J Iha LIVE: acoustic guitar because I wanted them to stand on their own J Iha LIVE: with just guitar and voice and I didn't want to stray too far J Iha LIVE: from the original writing so I didn't think it called for distortion J Iha LIVE: or heavy drums. Question: Hi, James! I am an inspiring artist/musician, but many people seem to Question: look down on it. What inspired you, and are you happy with the results of Question: being a musician? Do you think I should follow my dream, and would you Question: encourage others to do it too? Chris J Iha LIVE: I would definitely encourage you to follow music if that's what you J Iha LIVE: want to do. I think it's the greatest thing and I'm still a huge fan J Iha LIVE: of music. Things that inspired me were just my own personal J Iha LIVE: love of songs and bands that I was really into when I was younger J Iha LIVE: and I didn't really care what anyone else thought. Question: Why did you chose to work with Nina Gordon again on this album? J Iha LIVE: Nina is a friend of mine and she's got a great voice and she's really fun in the studio. J Iha LIVE: She has a lot of energy and it's just nice to have friends play on the J Iha LIVE: record. Question: As a musican, do you fans give give you any insipration to write music? J Iha LIVE: I really appreciate all the good comments that I get from fans J Iha LIVE: and the enthusiasm of the fans as well. I'm sure it makes its way into my J Iha LIVE: music in some way. Question: James, What is the thing you loved most about doing your new album. Was Question: it the part about recording it in your basement? Or perhaps having D'Arcy join Question: you in the recording of "One and Two"? J Iha LIVE: I really liked recording at home because I could have my cup of J Iha LIVE: tea, or I could consult Bugg on a drum track, and it was nice to J Iha LIVE: be out of a cold, sterile studio. Recording with D'Arcy is always and J Iha LIVE: experience J Iha LIVE: She's crazy...I mean nuts, but she's great. I can't explain it. Question: Now that youve released your album are you going to tour solo? J Iha LIVE: I'm going to try to do some shows in major cities on my own with the J Iha LIVE: people that played on my record. In small bars or clubs. Question: JAMES : at your Richmond, Va. concert, you said your new years Question: resolution was to read more books......what books have you read lately and did Question: any of them have an influence your songwriting? J Iha LIVE: I read The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald and I can't say it directly affected my J Iha LIVE: writing but its a really great poetic book. Question: I was disappointed that there weren't any guitar solos on your new album. Question: Couldn't you have woven them in without betraying the style of music you Question: wanted on th record? J Iha LIVE: I tried, I really tried. There just wasn' J Iha LIVE: t any room in the tunes to rock a solo, although there are some nice J Iha LIVE: melodic little drop ins that appear throughout a lot of the songs. Question: Are you influenced in any way by Alanis Morissette? AM69Dana J Iha LIVE: Ummmm, not really. Comment: Hey James!!!!! Just wanted to let you know that I love your album and Comment: that all your songs are excellent.Keep on rawking!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Comment: Love, Eileen J Iha LIVE: It goes straight to my heart. Question: hey James when did you get your first Les Paul Guitar? J Iha LIVE: 1991, right before the first Pumpkins record. Comment: James, happy 30th birthday a month early! :) J Iha LIVE: I'm turning into an old man, help help. Comment: Hey James - I just wanted to say that I love your album, my favorite Comment: song on it is Winter. I especially like the guitar part in it, and it's Comment: mysterious yet kind of sad air. ~*~ Tiina J Iha LIVE: It's the most eclectic song on the record and maybe the most cerebral song J Iha LIVE: on the record too. It has a really nice atmosphere, and kind of haunting J Iha LIVE: feel that I like. Comment: what kind of distortion pedal do you use? J Iha LIVE: I really didn' J Iha LIVE: t on this record. Question: do you feel that writing love songs, help you cope with pain in this Question: life. does it make the lovesick heart feel better? J Iha LIVE: I hope so. I really tried to make a warm, intimate record and writing songs J Iha LIVE: in general is a great release for me. When I write a good song, its J Iha LIVE: one of the best things. And when I can't write, I get kind of miserable. Question: Hi James,first i just wanna tell you that how much I really love your Question: album, it is just as I expected... (c:, most of people i've chat in. didnt Question: really expected that youre album will be different at all but i truly respect Question: your music and youas a musician. J Iha LIVE: Thanks very much. If you've followed some of the songs on the last J Iha LIVE: few Pumpkins records that I've written, like "Take Me Down," "Blew Away," and some of the J Iha LIVE: B-sides on the boxed set, they have a similar tie to this record. Question: James, I love your new record. Be Strong Now is my favorite song. What Question: was the inspiration behind it? J Iha LIVE: I wrote it about this really sad and depressed girl that I know and J Iha LIVE: she doesn't have anyone to talk to. I just sort of imagined what her J Iha LIVE: life would be like if she did have someone to talk to like a friend, J Iha LIVE: a family member, or a boyfriend. Question: do you have any side projects beside the pumpkins and your solo? have Question: you finished all the levels in turok? please say hi to bugg from me :) J Iha LIVE: I'm a busy man these days. Not too many other side projects except J Iha LIVE: sleeping and doing many interviews and I have yet to conquer all J Iha LIVE: of Turok. Hopefully someone can help me out there. Question: the new song "summer" you're working on will this be on adore or a Question: b-side? J Iha LIVE: It won't be on the record. It's incomplete as it stands right now. Question: Are you also famous in Japan? J Iha LIVE: Once I was walking down the street in Tokyo, and these J Iha LIVE: Japanese fans came up to me and gave me some socks, J Iha LIVE: which I'm wearing right now. And they are really nice socks. Question: Do you get much fan mail, and if you do, do you answer it? J Iha LIVE: I haven't recently although we do get big batches of mail to the J Iha LIVE: Pumpkins fanclub, which we sometimes read if we have time. AOLiveMC11: How about an address where people can write to you? J Iha LIVE: I don't have it right now, but go to my website www.jamesiha.com J Iha LIVE: and it will be posted in the next few weeks. Question: What do you say to reviews that compare the album to the late Gram Question: Parsons J Iha LIVE: Well, he was a great singer/songwriter and had a real smooth J Iha LIVE: heartbreaking kind of voice so I'll take it if I get it. Question: James, when you create your next masterpeice, are you going to use a Question: variety of themes in your music or will you stick with love? J Iha LIVE: I had other songs on this record that weren't about love and my J Iha LIVE: personal relationships but they weren't as good of songs. I'm not really sure J Iha LIVE: what I'm going to do next, but I'm thinking there will be more variety. Comment: I just wanted to say again, I love you and your music with the Pumpkins Comment: and now I love you by yourself.. You are just a wonderful, talented man. Thank Comment: you for all of the nice hours I've spent listening to you. :) J Iha LIVE: Wow. Thanks very much again. Question: How attached are you to your guitars -- have you ever given any of your Question: guitars a pet name? J Iha LIVE: Herbie, Sport, Topps, Rico, Celia, and Angie. J Iha LIVE: I just made all those names up. Question: What kind of job do you think you would have if you weren't in a band? J Iha LIVE: Gosh, it would be kind of frightening. I would be the bagger at the grocery store J Iha LIVE: with the blond streaks in his hair. Probably putting all the eggs with all the J Iha LIVE: canned goods. Question: James, what was your inspiration for LCID? Musical/emotional? J Iha LIVE: Just the feeling I get from listening to good music, good books, heartbreaking J Iha LIVE: gut-wrenching letters, and friends and lovers. J Iha LIVE: Bugg too. Question: What's playing on your boombox today? J Iha LIVE: Beatles, Blur, Marvin Gaye, just groovy groovy tunes. Oh yeah, Pink Floyd, J Iha LIVE: "Dark Side Of The Moon" too. I must be out of my mind. Question: Hey James, you kinda a flamboyant dresser. Do you ever look at old Question: pictures of yourself and think, "What the ____ was I thinking?" J Iha LIVE: Sometimes I do think "What the ____ was I thinking." Yeah, I don't know J Iha LIVE: sometimes what fashion crimes I am committing. I just seem to get J Iha LIVE: all these crazy clothes. Although lately I haven't really been J Iha LIVE: feeling it. Question: Based on your experience, is it harder to lead a band or be in a band Question: with a leader? J Iha LIVE: There are two different things. I think that in different situations, J Iha LIVE: they both can be really hard. Although, when you lead a band you J Iha LIVE: have to make things happen all the time. Question: James, are you doing any more modelling for Ana Sui/anyone else? J Iha LIVE: I'm too old for the catwalk. Question: Yo James, what's in your pockets right now? J Iha LIVE: My wallet, my Pez dispenser, chewing gum, a box of jacks, a J Iha LIVE: 12 string guitar, The Best Of James Taylor CD, and some doggy treats. Question: What's the strangest thing you've ever been given by a fan? J Iha LIVE: Socks, metal trains, robots and hair extensions. Comment: I like your hair style..it suits you. J Iha LIVE: My hair is just a big mess but I'm glad somebody appreciates it. Question: When you were recording your album, did you feel any burden of Question: expectation based on your success with the Smashing Pumpkins? J Iha LIVE: I never expected to sell as many records as The Pumpkins. I just wanted J Iha LIVE: to make an honest record of my songs with a real personal good J Iha LIVE: feel to it and good singing. It was important that it didn't sound like a Pumpkins MK2 J Iha LIVE: record. AOLiveMC11: James, I'm sorry to say that we only have time for one more question... Question: I noticed a camera at the Viper Room when the new songs were debuted... Question: is there going to be a "Vieuphoria 2" sometime soon? J Iha LIVE: We're just talking about it now, but I'm not sure how soon is soon. It J Iha LIVE: will probably take a little bit to put the footage together. J Iha LIVE: But it will happen, eventually. AOLiveMC11: Thanks for joining us in AOL Live tonight, James Iha. Any last thoughts for your AOL fans? J Iha LIVE: I really appreciate all the support I've been getting on this record, and to J Iha LIVE: everyone who wrote in tonight. It really means a lot. Thanks thanks thanks xoxoxo, James AOLiveMC11: Thanks also to the audience for being here and sending in so many great questions! AOLiveMC11: Good night, everyone.