Black Francis ( or Frank Black, if you will ) from the Pixies releases his newest solo project NonStopErotik on March 30. Nightspots had a non-stop chat with Black about sex, ghosts and other interesting things.
Nightspots: Hi, Black Francis! My editor, Kirk, and I just saw you on the Doolittle Tour with the Pixies at the Aragon. How was it playing with the old gang again?
Black Francis: It was very natural. I first played with them in my early twenties. When I play with them now it is not strange or alarming. It is the thing I have done the most.
NM: I actually met you guys back in 1993 at a bar in Tennessee after a show. Your album Honeycomb was recorded in Nashville. How was that experience?
BF: I liked working there. I am overdue to spend some more time in Nashville. I know some people since I have done a few sessions there. It is a special place.
NM: The name Black Francis comes from where?
BF: The best I can put together is I got it from my father. Francis is my grandmother's name. Black is a family name from a few generations.
NM: You recorded NonStopErotik in a haunted studio? You must have some stories…
BF: Older studios tend to have that kind of vibe. Maybe it is just the imagination of the people that are there because all of the old records remain there. But there might be some truth to it. I have experienced it before in older studios.
NM: Can you talk about the album and its themes of sexuality?
BF: It is called NonStopErotik. That is the banner of what the songs are. It would be an oversimplification to say the record is about sex. Sexuality can be a complicated subject. It can be reduced to something very simple too. In French art, orgasm and a sexual act are referenced in the same breath as death. Sex instantly becomes a philosophical subject.
NM: You have also released a limited edition of 500 of your score to the 1920s silent German film The Golem, which includes five discs and a 50-page book. You actually sat down and autographed all 500 of them. That is dedication to fans!
BF: It didn't take as long as I thought it would. We just released those on our Web site a few weeks ago. There are still a few left. For the most part they went out the door pretty fast. We are proud of it because we have never done a product like it.
NM: You have a podcast that fans can listen to correct?
BF: Not me but people that run another fansite do podcasts. It is on frankblack.net . Sometimes I even participate, but it's not my thing, it's theirs. I just happen to be the lucky subject matter.
NM: Are you coming to Chicago on a solo tour?
FB: Yes, I haven't organized it yet but I will be there. There is a lot of Pixies action going on in my calendar right now. It is one big long tour and one big long record. Chicago has always been a regular stop for me.
For more information on the new CD and tour visit blackfrancis.net .