Tim Wheeler Pixies JD Set Interview March 2011
By: Stan Morgan
The JD Set is returning to our screens for a new run of shows in which musicians cover the songs of their heroes, and rope along a number of up and coming collaborators to give them a hand. We were invited down to London’s Premises Studios, where Ash front man and all round nice guy Tim Wheeler was rehearsing for a show where’ll be taking on the songs of popular 80s/90s beat combo The Pixies. We managed to grab a chat with Tim in-between songs:
Tell us how you got involved in the JD Set…
I did a JD thing before in Nashville a few years ago, with Hugh Cornwell, Roisin Murphy and House Of Lords from the Young Knives. That was really fun, we were just doing covers and some of our own songs. I really enjoyed it. It was fun stepping out of the band and working with other musicians, it really made me feel part of a music community. Then JD contacted me and asked if I wanted to do a gig with anyone I liked, covering any artist or any album that I wanted, which I thought sounded great. I picked the Pixies because of the amazing influence they’ve had, and because of how many amazing tunes they’ve got.
What kind of influence have the Pixies had on you?
They were one of the bands that really got me into alternative rock. I was really into metal when I was like 11 and 12, then I started listening to stuff like them. I kind of got into them just as they were splitting up, so I was worried that I was never going to see them live, so I was delighted when they reformed, and we actually ended up being able to support them. They really influenced me with the way they played, and the way they sound. The lyrics on the Trompe Le Monde are very sci-fi, and that was around the time I was writing songs like ‘Girl From Mars’ and ‘Jack Names the Planets’, a lot of that is probably down to the Pixies.
Which songs have you chosen to cover?
It’s all the classics really, and a couple of more obscure ones. Even their songs which are b-sides are killer. It’s stuff like ‘Gigantic’ and ‘Monkey Gone to Heaven’ and ‘Debaser’, ‘Bone Machine’, ‘Here Comes Your Man’, ‘Wave of Mutilation’. The anthems basically. We’re doing one called ‘Manta Ray’ which is one of the b-sides.
Are there any songs which you feel like you can’t touch?
There are a couple that I left out. I didn’t do ‘Tame’ because that really heavily relies on Frank Black’s scream, which isn’t really my thing. I probably couldn’t pull that off.
Have you got any personal favourites?
I’ve always loved ‘Velouria’. ‘Gigantic’ and ‘Bone Machine’ as well were the two songs which really got me into the band. Lyrically songs like ‘I’ve Been Tired’, the kind of weird sexual ones I like. There’s just so many. Oh, and ‘Debaser’.
How faithful are you trying to stay to the originals?
I kind of left it a bit up to the artists I’m working with. There are a couple which we’ve slowed down, or changed a bit, but a lot of them are quite straight. There’s one I’m doing with Ma Mentor called ‘Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons’ where we’ve changed the structure around quite a lot, we’ve even changed some of the chords. The Crookes have slowed ‘Holiday Song’ down quite a lot, it’s really cool what they’ve done with it, it’s quite different. It’s missing the main riff from the song, but it’s got a bit of a darker vibe about it. The stuff I’m doing with Emmy (The Great) is more stripped down, we’re doing it without drums or bass, so I suppose it’ll feel different. I think it’ll work really well in the live set, a kind of break from the loud stuff. I think Black Francis, or Charles, or whatever you want to call him, he often does an acoustic bit, and it works really well.
Why do you think the Pixies are so popular now, maybe even more popular than they were when they were making albums?
They were doing something interesting that no one else had ever really done, they really put their own stamp on rock music. It was unique and fresh then and it still is because they take such an unconventional approach to things, even though they were working with the guitar, bass, vocals and drums format. Everything they do is slightly twisted, with their timings for example, they tend to do a lot of things in threes, where most would do things in four. It just makes everything feel just a slight touch away from normal. The lyrics are so intriguing, it’s just masterful song writing, and playing as well. The guitar playing and drumming is so inventive, lots of weird ‘wrong’ notes that really work.
How did you choose the people you’ll be playing with?
Emmy and I did a song before, and it worked really well, so I wanted to try that again on some different songs. It’s really nice having a female voice, Kim Deal’s voice is such a big part of The Pixies. I’d been hearing so many reports of how amazing And So I Watch You From Afar are live, and they’re also from Northern Ireland, so when I heard they were available I definitely wanted to get them involved. They’re an instrumental band, so I think it’s fun for them to hook up with a singer, and they’re definitely influenced by The Pixies too. Ma Mentor are another Northern Irish band who I’ve liked for a long time. You can really hear the Pixies influence, they’re kind of a sparser, more reverb-filled version of The Pixies. The Crookes were actually suggested by JD. I heard it and I thought it was really great.
How do you feel about covers in general?
I think you learn so much by covering songs. Sometimes the song sounds really simple on the outside, but then you dissect it and there’s a lot more clever things going on that you didn’t realise. You can learn a lot of tricks from it, this process has been a real master class for me, I’m learning such a lot. Even researching what the lyrics are about is mind-blowing. I tend to like doing things quite close to the original because I think I learn more that way.
How do you feel when people cover your songs?
It’s such a big compliment, it really is. Annie Lennox did one of our songs, which was amazing. I love hearing someone else’s voice singing our songs, it shines a whole new light on it and gives it a new perspective. I can never really listen to my own songs, I just sit there and analyse the performance, covers give you a bit of distance, which is brilliant.
Aside from the JD Set, what are your plans for the future?
I’m just chilling for the minute, we just finished putting out 26 singles in one year, and that only finished a few months ago, so we just need a brain break for a few months. We’re doing festivals in the Summer, smaller ones because we did the big ones last year. We’re sort of leading up to that creatively. I think this Pixies thing could really be a good influence on us.
Have you got any plans for more collaborations with other artists in the future?
I sat in on a recording session with Coldplay recently, just jamming along really. I don’t know if any of it will make it onto the record. It was really cool to be playing in a room with Brian Eno and Coldplay. That was probably the highlight of my year and it’s only February!
Tim Wheeler and his gang of collaborators will be performing their covers at a special gig at London’s XOYO on March 24th. Head to thejdset.co.uk for more info
Artists in this article: Ash