When I started Dark Entries in 2007 I made a list of all of my favorite musicians that I wanted to interview. Eric Avery happened to be on the top of that list, but never did I think that I would get the opportunity to speak with him. When he responded to my email and agreed to an interview I could not have been happier. I have been a huge Jane's Addiction fan since I was about 11 years old when I stole my older sister's copy of Ritual de lo Habitual. Both Ritual and Nothing Shocking are favorites of mine till this day and still stand the test of time. Just to fill you in Eric did not play on that horrid Jane's album "Strays." This interview was conducted over the telephone in either the end of 2007 or very early 2008 (sorry if this is so outdated). Eric has obviously rejoined Jane's and is now touring with them and NIN. I had the opportunity to go see Jane's last month ( I never got to see the original line-up) and it was amazing. I wouldn't even go see them when they had Flea playing with them because it just wasn't the same (no offense to Flea, I think he is a fantastic bassist). So anyway I saw them last month and was blown away. They sounded perfect. I want to thank Eric who was gracious enough to grant me this interview and also for being such a nice guy to talk with.
DE: How old were you when you started playing bass?
EA: I was probably about 13 years old.
DE: What was the first album you bought with your own money?
EA: I'm not certain which one I bought first. The first album I stole was KISS "Alive." The first one I bought was either Elton John's greatest hits or David Bowie's "Pin-Ups." I was probably 11 or 12 and couldn't tell the difference between Elton John and David Bowie.
DE: First Concert?
EA: Blue Oyster Cult, which is odd to me that this was my first concert experience. I think it was because I knew the song "Don't Fear the Reaper."
DE: What music influenced you to start playing?
EA: Well I started off playing guitar. My dad had an acoustic guitar. I was a bored and lonely kid so I would tinker around on it. I started playing bass in grammar school. My friend put a band together and needed a bass player. I think we played Aerosmith covers.
DE: Who is your favorite bassist?
EA: Hands down Peter Hook. He was definitely the most influential. He took bass out of the realm of playing the route note, Peter Hook was sort of like a rhythm guitar player. Also, I like the guy from the Cure.
DE: What music are you listening to now?
EA: I have an eclectic taste in music. I'm listening to Royksopp, Serge Gainsbourg, Velvet Underground, Nick Cave's "Tender Prey," Silversun Pickups, and Blonde Redhead.
DE: What is your band Polar Bear up to?
EA: I recently just got up snow cap modules for Polar Bear's Myspace page, so now you can buy and download tracks. We didn't put the record out, we printed them out for ourselves for when we played. Right now I am working on my solo thing. My solo record "Help Wanted," comes out in January. I also finished music for a new documentary called the 11th Hour. It's an environmental documentary with smart and interesting people. It's directed by two women I've known since high school.
DE: What else do you do besides play music?
EA: Surf, which is something I have done since I was a wee lad. I am interested in everything; science, astronomy, film, chess,and Ancient Rome. It keeps me busy. I also take classes, the last one I took was Calculus. You have to keep your brain moving.
DE: Who is your favorite musician that you've collaborated with?
EA: Probably Perry for creative output. They say that the combination of styles also creates fights. It was also interesting to watch Butch Vig while I was touring with Garbage. He is smart, interesting, and also a great guy.
DE: What was it like touring with Peter Murphy in 2000?
EA: Great! It was really exciting. I'm forever a Bauhaus fan. I just spoke to Kevin Haskins today. He is a really great person. It was great touring with Peter and Kevin on that tour. I spoke to Peter recently and I definitely got like a giddy schoolgirl.
I asked him where he was and he said (imitating Peter Murphy) AN-A-TO-LIA.
DE: What is your favorite album of all time?
EA: That's a tough one. I can always listen to the first Velvet Underground album. It's evocative of my youth and never sounds dated to me.
DE: You have a very loyal fan base. Your fans have a lot of respect for you because you never rejoined Jane's Addiction for personal gain. It seems like so many people I respect end up making terrible decisions for the sake of money. It's great to see that you have maintained your dignity and went against all of that. Do you ever get sick of talking about Jane's Addiction?
EA: I really don't. Peers of mine like Glenn Danzig would want to hit people if they asked him about the Misfits. I'm really proud of the work I did with Jane's Addiction. I think it's the most interesting stuff I've ever done.
DE: Is Polar Bear going to do a tour?
EA: If it makes sense then I will do one. I don't want to do 30 shows in 40 days in a van if it doesn't make sense. We will have to see. Maybe a NY, LA, Boston, and Chicago tour.
Thank You Eric Avery!
whoa totally cool
ReplyDelete