The Pixies moved on quickly following the recent departure of Kim Deal, releasing a polite statement before replacing the longtime bassist and releasing a new EP. Now, the adored band have shed some light on the circumstances surround Deal's decision to quit.
Apparently, Deal made her exit while the band were in Wales for a recording session. "We were at a little coffee shop near the studio," singer Black Francis told Rolling Stone. "Kim walked in at some point and said, 'I'm flying home tomorrow.' She quit the band. It was an awkward moment. We didn't hug or shake hands or anything. [Guitarist] Joey [Santiago] and I just stood up and said, 'Okay.' Then we had to get out of there, so we immediately went to a bar. I had to move from coffee to alcohol."
Manager Richard Jones suggested that the new EP may have been the reason for Deal's departure, saying, "She just had enough. She didn't want to do all the things that go with releasing new music, as in all the traveling and touring. She just decided that she wanted to move on."
Black added that the band had gone out for an Indian meal a couple of days earlier. "Thinking back now, I realize this was her saying goodbye. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I think it was meant to be our last supper," he said.
Meanwhile, the Pixies were still in the middle of the recording sessions. Within a few days, Deal asked to have her bass parts removed (they'd already been laid down) and tap Simon "Ding" Archer (PJ Harvey, the Fall) to temporarily fill in.
Rolling Stone reports that all this went down earlier this year, although reports have previously indicated that the Welsh sessions took place last fall. In any case, it seems that Deal may have left the band well before we heard about it.
EP-1 has subsequently received a mixed response, but Santiago said, "I don't think people are giving them a fair listen. They were begging for new songs for years, and I think they'll be embarrassed in three years when they read their initial thoughts."
This evidently hasn't deterred them from planning more EPs, as they plan to release several short collections over the next year-plus.
The Pixies are touring in Europe over the next couple of months with new bassist Kim Shattuck. See their schedule here.
Apparently, Deal made her exit while the band were in Wales for a recording session. "We were at a little coffee shop near the studio," singer Black Francis told Rolling Stone. "Kim walked in at some point and said, 'I'm flying home tomorrow.' She quit the band. It was an awkward moment. We didn't hug or shake hands or anything. [Guitarist] Joey [Santiago] and I just stood up and said, 'Okay.' Then we had to get out of there, so we immediately went to a bar. I had to move from coffee to alcohol."
Manager Richard Jones suggested that the new EP may have been the reason for Deal's departure, saying, "She just had enough. She didn't want to do all the things that go with releasing new music, as in all the traveling and touring. She just decided that she wanted to move on."
Black added that the band had gone out for an Indian meal a couple of days earlier. "Thinking back now, I realize this was her saying goodbye. Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but I think it was meant to be our last supper," he said.
Meanwhile, the Pixies were still in the middle of the recording sessions. Within a few days, Deal asked to have her bass parts removed (they'd already been laid down) and tap Simon "Ding" Archer (PJ Harvey, the Fall) to temporarily fill in.
Rolling Stone reports that all this went down earlier this year, although reports have previously indicated that the Welsh sessions took place last fall. In any case, it seems that Deal may have left the band well before we heard about it.
EP-1 has subsequently received a mixed response, but Santiago said, "I don't think people are giving them a fair listen. They were begging for new songs for years, and I think they'll be embarrassed in three years when they read their initial thoughts."
This evidently hasn't deterred them from planning more EPs, as they plan to release several short collections over the next year-plus.
The Pixies are touring in Europe over the next couple of months with new bassist Kim Shattuck. See their schedule here.
