March 16, 2000 Rolling Stone

A Smashing new addition

by Jane Stevenson

MONTREAL -- Melissa Auf Der Maur says she's getting used to being rock music's pinch-hitter.

The 29-year-old Montreal bassist is currently working her way through her second alt-rock supergroup, having hooked up with the Smashing Pumpkins last fall after leaving Hole.

"I'm very good at adapting to very complicated personal situations," said Auf Der Maur, in an exclusive Toronto newspaper interview with The Toronto Sun yesterday. "It's part of my personality in many ways. I think it reflects even the role of a bass player in a band. Often, musically, as a bass player, you have to be very sensitive to what the other people are doing. You're kind of like the person in the background that glues everything together."

Auf Der Maur's comments come prior to the Pumpkins' arrival in T.O. tomorrow in support of the band's new album, MACHINA/the machines of God.

To back up a bit, Auf Der Maur joined Hole five years ago after bassist Kristen Pfaff fatally overdosed. She was even recommended to Hole frontwoman Courtney Love by none other than Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan, who had known Auf Der Maur since 1990. (Love and Corgan have since had a well-publicized falling out concerning Corgan's involvement in Hole's last album, Celebrity Skin.)

When Auf Der Maur was ready to move on from Hole, it coincided with Pumpkins bassist D'arcy, who played on MACHINA, leaving the band. Corgan then got on the phone.

"This Pumpkins opportunity seemed like a perfect musical thing," Auf Der Maur said. "More than anything, it's where my bass told me to go. I needed to play this rock music."

Auf Der Maur first saw the Pumpkins in 1990 when she was in the audience for a concert they gave at the Montreal club Foufoun Electrique. Immediately after, she formed her first band Tinker. Their sixth show was opening for the Pumpkins.

"With Hole, it was a lot more of a 'female in music thing' that was very important to me," she explained. "This is a lot more about music. Not to say that Hole wasn't. But even in Hole, the way I exercised my musical self in that band was by singing lots of backup and literally my personality complementing Courtney's personality. Whereas in this band, it's just about my bass and about playing with the best drummer in rock music."

Corgan said Auf Der Maur brings both "good energy and good musicianship" to the Pumpkins, which is rounded out by guitarist James Iha and recently reinstated drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, fired back in 1996 for his chronic drug use and involvement in the fatal accidental overdose of touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin.

"I think in our case, me and James and Jimmy having played together for about 12 years, it's a difficult thing to walk into," said Corgan in an exclusive Canadian newspaper interview with The Sun yesterday. "So I think having a personal relationship with Melissa, both me and James, before she came in, I think makes that a lot easier."

As for D'arcy's exit, Corgan said it wasn't a big surprise.

"You can feel somebody kind of drifting for a long time. There were a thousand things that went on. It's hard to put stuff like that in one sentence."

Corgan chose his words carefully when asked to respond to D'arcy's January crack cocaine bust in the band's homebase of Chicago.

"You know any trouble that any band member's found themselves in is not easy to deal with," he said. "I don't mean this in a coy way, but we're real people with real problems and real successes and part of the beauty of the band is we're not perfect."

Auf Der Maur, meanwhile, who was last in her hometown at Christmas, said she was glad to be back for "a frantic 36 hours," including a club show tonight.

"I have a little brother who's 17, so I got to see him," said Auf Der Maur, who reportedly had boyfriend Dave Grohl, band leader of The Foo Fighters, in tow.

The Pumpkins Toronto appearances tomorrow include a visit to MuchMusic (3:15 p.m.) and an HMV autograph session at 333 Yonge St. (5-6 p.m.). They will also play The Guvernment and Auf Der Maur will present a Juno Award at SkyDome for best-selling album.

In fact, Corgan met with Our Lady Peace members Raine Maida and Mike Turner yesterday to discuss the possibility of the Pumpkins hooking up for a cross-Canada tour later this year.

"I hope so," said Auf Der Maur. "I need to tour Canada now. It's my favourite place to play."