Portada en Rock Sound

[Dagger]

Mirad que guapa:




A ver si en la edición española también la ponen (dentro de un par de meses o cuando sea). Como mínimo supongo que pondrán la entrevista que trae (6 paginitas del ala).

[verox_1979]

Mejor que el sexo??  

[McRabo]

Mejor que el sexo??

Jejeje... NI DE COÑA!!!!

[Nihil]

Mejor que el sexo??  

Eso dije yo sí... (*nihil acaba de descubrir que el messenger 6.0 guarda los logs...)

[Gish]

Que raro sale Billy... me lo han cambiao :_(

[rafAdore]

La foto está chula pero........es que no se quitan las bufandas y la ropa de abrigo nunca??? Los tres mosqueteros de enmedio siempre abrigaditos y Paz ligerita ligerita..

[Raham]

A ver si era un error ortográfico y querían poner "Better with sex ?". Jejeje porque a nuestra querida Paz seguro que no le iban a faltar proposiciones  

Por cierto la foto esta maja ^^

Saludos!!

[Mercury Frozen]

¿Y no podíam poner el articulito de los Queen of The Stone Age en otro sitio de la portada?      

[AnnieDog]

ya verdad?? y poner tb el cartelito ese gordo de zwan mas a la derecha, asi como tapando a la extra esa ligerita de ropa y cascos..  

[Mercury Frozen]

Mejor un poco más arriba de lo que está, ya se sabe, no recuerdo quién fué que dijo algo así como: "no me gusta que en las sesiones de fotos me pongan al fondo, porque eso quiere decir que creen que soy el feo"

   

[Dagger]

Alguien transcribió el artículo en el foro oficial. Lo pego aquí:


ZWAN

No Man is An Island

Many were keen to dismiss Billy Corgan's new project as being - well, just Billy Corgan's new Project. But Zwan are so very much more than that, as Rock Sound happily confirms.

For some, the experience of being in a band is as addictive, if not more addictive than, any narcotic imaginable. No matter how many world tours you undertake, how many records you sell, how many awards and accolades you recieve or how many dizzying highs or devastating lows you go through, people like William Corgan Jr continue to have a pathological, moth-like attraction to the bright light that is making music. More than anythng else, it is this rationale that explians Zwan. After almost 15 years in the still fondly remembered Smashing Pumpkins, Corgan has produced enough songs and shifted enough units to ensure that work need no longer be a four-letter word in his vocabulary.

Indeed, considering that he could easily be sitting in a cosy little pad somewhere in the heat of the hollywood hills, instead of freezing his backside off in a windswept london town talking to his third journalist of the day (all before lunch time), suggests the motivation behind Zwan is huge."I've considered a life outside of music many times," he explains. "but at the end of the day, I love to make a fool of myself so...I'm back."

Corgan is of course being more than a tad disingenuous in his remark, because Zwan is the least foolish-looking incarnation of his on-stage persona since before the Pumpkins began wearing ridiculously elaborated Victorian style S&M costumes during their gigs. The art-rock heroes finally called it a day in December 00 by playing an epic farewell show in their hometown chicago, and despite entertaining some ideas of taking time off, Corgan found himself suffering from a mild form of itchy feet.

"I wanted to take a year off but then I got restless pretty quick," he remembers. "So i went out to Salt Lake City in April 01 just to write some songs and while I was there, I hooked up with Matt and we did a little jamming. Then Jimmy (Chamberlin, drums) heard about it and decided he wanted to join us too, so then we started talking about forming a band. Whilst we were there, we were hanging out with a local white reggae band and one night, the three of us got up with Bjorn (Thorsrud Zwan producer) and did a 20 minute version of 'Whole lotta love' in front of a totally mormon audience. That was the first official appearance of Zwan".

Humble though these beginnings were, the infant Zwan were still encouraged enough by the experience to continue their new project - "It showed us that we could RAAWWKK," laughs Corgan. The addition of guitarist David Pajo soon followed, and with the line-up completed by the acquistion of A Perfect Circle bassist Paz Lenchantin, Zwan entered the studio in the Spring of 2002.

The resulting, 'Mary Star of the Sea' is everything a debut album has no right to be - cohesive but not afraid of being adventurous, extravagant but not at all pompous, optimistic, but not in a way that warrants patronising - but most importantly, it's a record filled with beautifully written, played and arranged songs. With such abundant grace, style, ease and energy in execution, anyone would think Zwan had been around for years. It's certainly a harmonious sound, and considering the stream of personal dramas that propelled the Smashing Pumpkins, it's understandable that Corgan would want to maintain a continuous sense of band unity this time around.

"I definitely wanted to address the possible downsides of what it is to be in a band," he sighs with an obvious air of personal experience resonating in his voice. "I also really didn't want to feel like I was the one calling the shots this time, and the best way to do that is to get people who are extremely commited to music with no other agenda. With Zwan, I can say that is 100% the case, and so we never have a disagreement over why we play or how much we play. Everything else becomes easier from there."

Sweeney is also full of enthusiasm for workng within such as musically devoted equilibrium. "It's reassuring to know that if anyone does anything strange, or has a very strong opinion about something, then it's purely because it's motivated by music, rather than anything extraneous." Although Corgan was inevitably a founder member of the band, Zwan is definitely not the thinly-veiled ego boost that the cynics may perceive it to be.

"I don't worry about people thinking that this is Billy's baby becasue I never get that feeling from within the band, so everyone can think what they want," explains an unapologetic Pajo. Whilst it may have been true that to say that the Smashing Pumpkins revolved around Corgan at least 90% of the time, Zwan's centre of orbit is not anywhere near as easy to locate.

It's The Simple Things That Count

Those of you who have an interest in making High Fidelity-style music lists will no doubt have already compiled one with the heading of, ' Rock Stars Who Have Drunk So Much And Taken So Many Drugs That They Should Be Dead By Now'. Names probably include David Gahan, Iggy Pop, Anthony Keidis and Ozzy Osborne, but another luminary that should not be overlooked is Jimmy Chamberlin. Unequivocally the best rock drummer currently residing on planet earth (Dave Grohl could certainly learn a thing or two from him), Chamberlin's God-given talent suffered immensely during the mid-90's.

During the recording of 'Siamese Dream', his drinking problems were ascending daily, and by the time the Pumpkins began their world tour in support of MCIS, Chamberlin was a full-blown heroin addict. Despite having his life saved on at least one occasion by a Pulp Fiction-style injection directly into the heart, he continued to use the drug whilst on tour, as did the bands touring keyboardist, Jonathan Melvoin. In July 96, the two of them were in a Manhattan hotel, drinking heavily and using heroin when Melvoin overdosed and died.

Soon afterwards, and as an act of mercy rather than anythng else, Chamberlin was sacked from the band and began a process of rehabilitation that culminated in his return to the Pumpkins in time for their farewell album and tour. Today, Chamberlin glows with good spirits and heath and the once rail-thin drummer now looks like the guy at the gym who got given an honorary membership just becasue he goes there so much.

"In the last few years I've had some amazing luck," he explains with a look of genuine bewilderment in his eyes. "I've got another great band which is an amazing thing to happen twice in a lifetime. Plus I got married and had a baby a few months ago. It's an incredible situation to be surrounded by so many people who love you and want you to achieve your best." Admirably, Chamberlin is not one to accept reams of sympathy. "I've been through a lot of hell and high-water, but then so has everyone else - it's not what you've been through, it's how you rise above it. The way I see it, life is one big process of rehabilitation."

Considering the pairs immense personal and musical bond, it's not at all surprising to find Chamberlin's philosophy is shared with Corgan and reflected in the bands relatively upbeat output. "Life is precious," explains Corgan solemnly. "I think living your own life and not everyone elses is the key to happiness. I've never waited around for anyone to tell me what to do, which has caused me problems but has also brought me great things. However, I've always gone to bed knowing that everything has been my choice. That said, we still have to co-exist as human beings, so in amongst an individual pursuit there has to be a moral backdrop to why you do what you do. As an artist, you are a symbolic representer of ideas but it has to be in balance - you can comment on what's fucked-up, but you also have to be responsible for not leading people down a primrose path. That's why I still have a problem with people who don't take responsibility for the message they put out."

Do you see that as a problem within popular music in general? "It's on every level. The first time we were in New York, I saw this guy puke on the sidewalk and everyone just walked by - I was horrified. In a way it's the same with governments too. Like, in America we now have to deal with problems like terrorism but at the same time we have to deal with it intelligently and try to understand why it is these countries hate us. Showing respect for other people stems from having respect for yourself."

Corgan's words have a decidedly humanitarian slant to them. Could it be his own sense of self-respect has heightened lately?

"I don't know if I'd use the world 'heightened' but it's a work in progress." He's certainly come along way from the "I hate myself and my band" attitude which proved to be the soundbite of choice during the Pumpkins' darkest days. However, Corgan will be the first to tell you he is a long way from being totally at peace with himself - the only difference is, at the age of 35, the appeal of suffering for your art has finally begun to wane in favour of other priorities. "I still have a tremendous ammount of perosnal hangups," he candidly admits. "It doesn't just go away...but y'know... I could sit here for hours and talk to you about complicated things. But when we're up their rocking, it just feels great. At the end of the day, Zwan is really simple, it's like a real good fuck..."

"At least it is for me... being the only woman in the band," quips Lenchantin cheekily. The bassist doesn't say much but on the few occasions when her dry wit emerges, it's usually enough to knock you sideways.

Watch This Space...

"I'm really proud of how we work together as a team - we call it Team Zwan," chuckle Corgan.

If there has ever been any question over Billy Corgan's musical drive and ambition in recent years, the appearance of Zwan should be the final nail in the coffin of doubt. "It's always been about being the best, but now I've changed what I want to be best at," he explains. "When I was 24 I was all about having fun and getting laid - I would have been happy leaving the stage in a heap of rubble with everyone cheering at how out of control I was.I wouldnt be proud of that now. I'd rather do a show where we all play well and I sing really great, and people leave with a smile on their face."

Put simply Zwan is an example of how commited all five of them continue to be to the possibilites of making music - MSOTS was rumoured to have been compiled out of a pool of over 100 songs and furthermore, the band already has plans for another two albums. The first of them will be recorded under their acoustic alter-ego The Djali Zwan (check the b-sides on the 'Honestly' single for a couple of promising examples), and according to Corgan, more songs are already being penned for a thrid rock record.

"We're already in transition," he explains. "We don't have a masterplan or anything, but one thing's for sure, we want this to remain enjoyable. If we find we're not having fun 12 months down the line then Zwan is fundamentally finished. There's never going to be that feeling of 'Oh, we're big now so let's suffer and be in different tour buses and not talk to each other' and the whole fucking bit. It's not going to happen. I've been there before." He's no fool is our Billy - the experience of a band gone bad is one that he's learned well from, and Zwan is the opportunity to put knowledge into practice. Let's see how he gets on.

[Dagger]

Y los scans de todo:

http://www.photocountry.com/users/12565/zwanrs1.jpg

http://www.photocountry.com/users/12565/zwanrs2.jpg

http://www.photocountry.com/users/12565/zwanrs3.jpg

http://www.photocountry.com/users/12565/zwanrs4.jpg

http://www.photocountry.com/users/12565/zwanrs5.jpg

http://www.photocountry.com/users/12565/zwanrs6.jpg

[Nihil]

Jo, que artículo más guay . Se nota cuando el entrevistador está a favor de la banda y tal, todo es mucho más bonito.

De todas maneras, habría que ver de cuando es esta entrevista. Pero aquí da la impresión de que están con los pies en la tierra, y todo eso, me gusta la actitud.

Por otro lado, buen resumen de los comienzos de la banda y los momentos más bajos de Jimmy (la línea de "a pesar de haber salvado la vida alguna vez con una inyección tipo Pulp Fiction directa al corazón"). Y tb se explica aquí lo que hablabáis de si se precipitó Zwan o no. Se ve que Billy tenía esa intención (si sabemos que tonto no es), pero no pudo esperar.

En fin, a ver qué pasa ahora.    

[loui]

De lo poco que me he enterado, gran entrevista.. Gracias Dagger.. A ver si ahora la publican en España... o sino invito a unas copas a quien me la traduzca..

En este momento quiero agradecer a todos los profesores de inglés que a lo largo de mi vida han sido incapaces de enseñarme nada realmente útil y que en estos momentos disfrutan de dos meses de vacaciones pagadas como buenos funcionaros que son.

[darkestfears]

pues las fotos molan  
Me alegro x Jimmy, se le ve mu bien  

voy a leer el artículo y veré si puedo traducirte algo loui..... aunq sea x capítulos..... jejeje