“When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily I should have been in that band - or at least in a Pixies cover band” - Kurt Cobain
“The Pixies changed my life” - Thom Yorke
Getting turned onto new bands is always a great experience, but it’s even more special when you discover them yourself.
So it was for me when I was a teenager and I read about The Pixies in a guitar magazine. They’d been split up for years, but a Best Of album had been released and I was intrigued by what guitarist Joey Santiago had to say. After buying the record, I felt equally thrilled and challenged by what I was hearing, since it seemed to come from an entirely different place to anything I’d heard before. It was still vocals, guitars, bass & drums, and the songs were still written in fairly recognisable forms, but the angle they came in at took me by surprise and subtly changed how my ear would react to everything that would come subsequently.
A few years later, the Pixies reformed and have been a vital proposition ever since, with one of the greatest catalogues of songs that any rock band could hope to achieve. When Kurt Cobain, David Bowie and Radiohead are lining up to sing your praises, you know something special is happening with your music!
Joey Santiago
As a guitarist, I’ve loved Joey Santiago’s playing style from day one. Blending ultra-melodic, retro surf-style parts with abrasive howls, squalks and screeches, his style is an amazing mix of texture, avant-garde and irony-free kitsch, in a way that has proven hugely influential.
(Pic: Travis Shinn)
He’s the guy who lifted his amp up and crashed it on the floor so that the reverb tank made that exploding noise; he’s the guy who makes those seasick note-bends that are every bit as identifiable as Black Francis’ vocals; he’s the guy who blends the gorgeous with the sonically obscene, painting two separate song canvasses and smashing them together with as much hazard as art. In short, he’s as unique a musical voice as any ‘proper’ guitar hero, and it’s hard to overestimate how significant he is to the last few generations of left-of-centre guitarists.
For years, I’ve wanted an opportunity to sit with Joey and explore his methods, his preferences and his ways of working. A few weeks ago, I finally got that chance via Zoom. Joey was in London and so the time was right. Instead of me describing it all, why don’t you just sit back, hit play, and check out the humble genius that is Pixies lead guitarist Joey Santiago…
EXCLUSIVE Joey Santiago Video Interview
I hope you enjoyed our video! As I mentioned, there are loads of ‘Joey moments’ throughout the Pixies catalogue that I’d still love to enquire about, but maybe they’ll save for another day. My thanks go to Joey for giving me his time (and being a great guy to talk to) and to Charlie for all of his help setting this up! Here's a track from the new record...
That was from The Pixies’ newest album, The Night the Zombies Came, which is released today - Friday 25th October - and will be available wherever you get your music. The Pixies tour often too - and they are not a band to miss - so head over to the official Pixies website to check out upcoming dates and get some merch.
Finally, keep an eye on the guitarguitar Interviews page here for more upcoming exclusives!
