The Albums:

"I suppose listening to a double album is kind of like going to the chiropractor... It's pretty good for you but you can't force it on anyone else." [PRINT] JI00009

On Let it Come Down: "I wanted it to be a singer/songwriter record, but not an unplugged record. That would have been taking an even bigger risk than I'm taking now." [PRINT] JI00006

" I thought the most important thing was that it not sound like a secondhand Pumpkins record, and then that it should be able to stand on its own, as its own record, and just not hide anything. " - on Let it Come Down [PRINT] JI00006

"There's a lot of differences between the Pumpkin's sound and this [Let it Come Down]. I was in a relationship during this record and I guess I was feeling romantic and sensitive. The central idea of a song, lyrically and musically, comes to me at once. The songs seem to have this warm conversational and intimate feel. The lyrics seem to match the mood of the music." [PRINT] JI00005

On the new album, Adore: "The Pumpkins record is more of a down record. It's less about rock, but it doesn't sound like my record. It's sort of half-organic, half-electric. It's sort-of hard to say what it is, actually." [PRINT] JI00006

On Adore: "Billy was talking about a full-on electronic record, but this is more of a hybrid of acoustic and some electronic elements." [PRINT] JI00007

"Recording with D'arcy is always an experience. She's crazy... I mean nuts, but she's great. I can't explain it." - on recording with D'arcy on Let it Come Down [OFFICIAL] JI00001

When asked if Adore would be a double album: "No. It will be three CDs... I'm kidding..But I'm going to tell people that from now on: 'A three CD Pumpkins extravaganza! The name of the record: Good Booty.' " [PRINT] JI00011

*NEW!* Q: Was it frustrating for you not to get more of your songs on the Pumpkins' albums?

James: "I like the songs I write, but there was no way they would come out as some kind of body of work in the band context because that's not what the band's about. The band is mostly Billy's songs. I talked with Billy about doing this record for a while, and he encouraged me to do it. I used to write instrumentals for the Pumpkins, and it got lame to me after a while to be toodling away with these weird songs. I had to learn how to sing. After I got comfortable with my voice, the songs just started coming -- full melodies, verse, chorus, bridge. That happened maybe three or four years ago." [PRINT] JI00014

*NEW!* [On Let it Come Down] So you didn't make an alterna-rock record. And it's not a techno record. It doesn't have any rap beats on it, and neither Puffy nor Babyface produced it. You realize, James, you're committing commercial suicide by putting a record out like this, don't you?

James: [Laughs] "Right. I don't know how to do these songs any differently. I went with a certain kind of sound, so whatever else happened is the way of  the world. I'm happy with the way it turned out. I just thought that if I turned on the fuzz pedal, it would fucking ruin these song -- they'd just be terrible and annoying. I think alternative rock is just so lame these days that it isn't anything I would want to be associated with." [PRINT] JI00014

*NEW!* "To take on a full record I knew would be daunting.  At certain times I thought, "Oh God, this is too much," because I'd always worked in a band context with Billy producing. So I knew it would be a lot more work than I'm used to. But I knew what I didn't like. I knew I didn't want songs ruined or played wrong, so it wasn't really that hard to hear what's a good part or differentiate between a good drum sound and a bad one. Everybody who came in, it wasn't like they were hired help. I respect them all as musicians. I definitely directed them, but it was more about the feel of the song. If I knew exactly what to play, I'd just play it myself. But I wanted outside input on some things. I don't really know piano parts that well, so I let Adam (Schlesinger) and John (Ginty) make up their own parts, which was fine, because the parts stuck close to the song." (Schlesinger & Ginty, keyboardists from Fountains of Wayne) [PRINT] JI00014

Music:

"At the end you flip back to the beginning or maybe somewhere in the middle and you always find the same thing: music." [???]

"Rock music is so passé." - from 1996 VMA post-show interview [???]

"At some point, I had to make a decision: I could practice more and become a really great guitar player or I could work on writing better songs. There are only so many hours in the day, and I found writing songs more fulfilling than working on becoming this virtuoso guitar player." [PRINT] JI00008

"The Pumpkins are a huge part of my life. I've been doing it for 10 years. This solo record [Let it Come Down] is more personal to me; it's all my songs and my words. But the band is like a family thing. You're a team player in this big monolith machine. I don't think about the difference in terms of the audience." [PRINT] JI00011

"Trying to gauge what people will like is crazy. These [the songs on Let it Come Down] are the kinds of songs that I write. Nothing was calculated. I thought about the whole side-project thing, coming up with some wacky name like the Ten Commandoes or something. It just didn't fit. There's no band. Unfortunately, it's all about me." [PRINT] JI00011

*NEW!* "My songwriting style is obviously much softer and less edgy than the
band's. I think this record was a reaction against touring with the Pumpkins, because every night was saturated with super-heavy, distorted guitar. And we toured on that for, well, years, and the last thing I wanted to do when I came home was play a Marshall stack." [PRINT] JI00014

*NEW!* Q: How do you mesh your guitar style with Billy Corgan's in the Pumpkins?

James: "When I started working with Billy, I was more a rhythm player, a supporting  guitar player. I've always done what we call "drop-ins." They're not really solos or rhythm parts, but melody lines. I think my playing has gotten better, or at least more creative. Once again, it's more about what the song needs." [PRINT] JI00014

*NEW!* "There are two hats I can wear, as a producer or guitar player. Billy is pretty focused on what he wants to hear, but I freely give out advice if I can hear anything. It's not hard for me to switch back and forth." [PRINT] JI00014

Success and Celebrity:

In response to what he did the first time he saw himself on MTV: "[I] freaked out! I didn't have anyone to call so I called the operator and said, 'Look, it's me on TV! I'm playin' guitar on TV right now!' The operator referred me to the psychiatric ward of the nearest hospital." [PRINT] JI00013

Fan: "Are you also famous in Japan?"
James: "Once I was walking down the street in Tokyo, and these Japanese fans came up to me and gave me some socks, which I'm wearing right now. And they are really nice socks." [OFFICIAL] JI00001

"Uhh... I don't know if I can speak for Bugg [Superstar, Iha's dog] at this moment, but he's dealing with it as any other canine might." - on Bugg dealing with fame [???]

Interviewer: "It must be hard to get privacy after you've been a character on 'The Simpsons.' "
James: "It's not that bad. I'm not Michael Jackson or anything. Some people do stop me, but I go to the grocery store in my neighborhood and nobody knows who I am. It's just when I tour or I'm in a major city that people bug out." [PRINT] JI00005

Being an Asshole:

"We have a cardboard cut-out of Billy that we kick occasionally." [???]

Songs:

"It's a song I wrote about this really depressed girl I know who's got really bad self-esteem and I just sort of imagined what it would be like if she had someone she could talk to because she doesn't really talk to many people. If she had like a family member, or a boyfriend, or a best friend. It's kind of like an imaginary sort of love song."- on "Be Strong Now" [???]

Responding to an interviewer who said that "Jealousy" sounds a little like Hanson's "MMMBop.": "I never thought of that before. I wrote it before I heard Hanson. It's a very upbeat song. I guess it's got the Hanson thing -- the upbeat thing. I didn't mind your mentioning George Jones. But a Hanson comparison? I'll have to think about that." [PRINT] JI00012

"I think 'Lover, Lover' sounds like a real eerie, desperate love song. Kind of like a dark cloud song. I don't know what it's about. I know what it's about ..." [PRINT] JI00006

Observations:

"Nothing is ever how it seems." [???]

"People place new emphasis every week on what's big. I guess it's human nature. But I read an article today about the new front-end loading washing machine by Maytag, called the Neptune. It uses a third less water and less electricity, and if everyone gets one it'll save billions of gallons of water in the future. That's more exciting to me than alterna-rock. I actually need a new washing machine; mine broke and it's ruining all my clothes." [PRINT] JI00011

The Band:

On playing with Matt Walker: "...The beginning of a verse will be a different speed than at the end for some reason. And we'll look at Matt like he's making the mistake." [PRINT] JI00003

"We are the kings of doom." [???]

Religion

"I don't belong to any organized religion of such, but I'd like to believe in a higher power." [OFFICIAL] JI00001

Other Bands:

On the album that made him become a guitarist (The Beatles' White Album): "Great songs and great voices. It has a homemade intimate sound that draws the listener in. It also has a cool album cover!!!" [PRINT] JI00002

Indie Rock:

"I wish all these bands with the great indie attitude would just write songs. I don't get anything from them but attitude. Alternative music just bums me out in general." [???]

The Future:

"All the rumors you've heard are true! The Pumpkins are going disco!" - from the 2/2/97 show [???]

Fashion:

"Some of the clothes I buy, I would never buy them if I wasn't in a band because they look so dumb." [???]

"I call it the 'asian cat'! Meow!!" - referring to his latest hairstyle [???]

"But now I’m so sick or seeing myself this way that I think I’m just going to chop all the crazy stuff of and get a like normal Supercuts cut. I think that would be more rebellious, that would be more punk rock than dyed hair... Just like a regular guy hair cut. Whatever that is. Which is something normal. I’m sick of looking unnormal." [PRINT] JI00004

Concerts:

"I have concerts in my house all the time. I sit with my guitar on the porch and wave to the kids: 'Come on, you know this song.' I can't stop rocking. If the band's not there, Iha will be rocking." [???]

"Sometimes you're up on stage and you look down and think, 'These kids are getting younger and younger. Oh no! I'm getting older and older! Oh no! I'm too old to be doing this!' But it's still good and I'll keep going as long as it feels right." [???]

"And now ladies and gentlemen, we would like to bring a very special guest to the stage. All the way from Milwakee, ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together for- of The Frogs -- Jimmy Frog! Jimmy Frog. I can tell you're very excited about Jimmy Frog. And uh, he will lead us in this next song. So let's dance our way into oblivion with Jimmy Frog."- before "1979" at the 1/24/97 show [???]

"What's with that Bush video? Why is there a giant fly? That's one thing you'll never see in our videos. You might see me in a dress, but never will you see a fly." - at the Jacksonville, FL concert [???]

"Eat your heart out Eric Clapton. That's Chicago blues!"- during a concert [???]

"All right that's enough. I want everbody, from the front all the way to the back to get off their ass and dance. This is a rock and roll show, not a tea party! Yeah! This is Chicago blues!" - during a concert [???]

"The naked man is a genious... to show himself... a free man, free of clothes...We salute you naked man!" - during a concert [???]

"Put your hands in the air, wave'em like ya just don't care! Come'on. We're kicking it like the fucking Fugees!" - rapping to the audience during a concert [???]

"Two rules for dancers... Uhhhh... Dancers -- listen up. Dancers Listen up!!! Ok. So, do not touch us and do not touch our shit. Now we can move on with the program and have fun. For all of those who cannot dance with us on stage, I encourage you to dance with us on stage. But, do it in your mind. Yes, many of you have taken college courses. You know what I'm talking about." - talking to the fans picked to dance on stage during 1979 and to the other fans during a concert [???]

"Well, Thanksgiving was cool but- well, I think Today is the greatest day." - to the audience at a concert before "Today" [???]

"There's a part of D'arcy that wants to just walk off the stage," - comment after D'arcy walked off the stage before "1979" during a concert [???]

Other Quotes:

"...I cried. Just for a second. Then I thought, 'I must rock.' " [???]

"Oh boy. Bad rock cliche #452." [???]

"Five years ago, a puppy was given to a roommate of mine as a present. At first he was welcomed for his cuteness, but she soon disowned him after realizing how much work a puppy created (plus he grew to the size of a smallish prairie-grazing bison). Though I had never owned a pet and regarded them as a waste of time, I felt bad for Bugg and began to help out by taking him for walks, checking his food and water dish, and, reluctantly, cleaning up after him. After a while I had a respect for the beast and I enjoyed the responsibility. And I've seen Bugg grow from the boy that nobody wanted into a strong, loyal and loving, uh...dog." - on how he got his dog, Bugg Superstar [PRINT] JI00010

"And remember, instead of looking at those computer screens, I suggest some form of sports or exercise -- Masturbation does not count. Get away from Doom and experience life to the fullest. Just like us. (laughter)" - from an Internet chat [???]

Fan: "What kind of job do you think you would have if you weren't in a band?"
James: "Gosh, it would be kind of frightening. I would be the bagger at the grocery store with the blond streaks in his hair. Probably putting all the eggs with all the canned goods." [OFFICIAL] JI00001

"One day I wish that all the people of the world, all the males, females, blacks, whites, purples, whatever, and all of the adults and children would all come together and get it on!!" [???]

"Generally I record in my boxers. Nothing else. It throws some people off." [???]

"He's driving an ice cream truck and I'm wearing a dress." - on MTV Videography, date unkown [???]

"Instead of going onstage, I'll just accidentally walk out in the audience." - on being shortsighted [???]