BILLY HOWERDEL of A PERFECT CIRCLE: Reapproaching The Former
An interview by Sarah Kidd.
In 1992 guitar technician Billy Howerdel – who had cut his teeth with some of the world’s greatest bands including Fishbone, The Smashing Pumpkins and what was to become his personal favourite tour wise Nine Inch Nails – met Maynard James Keenan, lead vocalist of the band Tool. A friendship formed and by 95’ Maynard had accepted Howerdel’s offerings of lodgings.
This was Howerdel’s chance to play Maynard his demos.
It was a chance that has paid off, not only for the duo as artists, but for anyone who is a fan of A Perfect Circle; their music being both cerebral and deeply emotive while never compromising on it’s often underlying razor-sharp edge.
In 1999, with only a handful of songs under their belt they embarked on their first tour; and swiftly the word spread. Here was something special, all encompassing, a project, a work of art that had to be seen to be truly understood. Their debut album Mer de Noms [Sea of Names] was released a year later and heralded by both fans and critics alike. Thirteenth Step their sophomore offering followed in 2003, reaffirming their place in the world and garnering even more followers.
Then in 2004, A Perfect Circle took what was for many an avid fan a questionable side step; releasing an album of political themed cover songs. With no accompanying tour for its release A Perfect Circle went into hiatus, Maynard (who had returned to Tool and would later release solo work under the pseudonym Puscifer) stating that it was time for Howerdel to “explore himself, his own sound and let people hear what he has to say.”
Fast forward and April the 20th, 2018 ushers in A Perfect Circles new album entitled ‘Eat the Elephant’, fourteen years after their last studio album. Several singles have already been released, each one a perfect encapsulated piece of intellectually thought provoking material that challenges as much as it entertains.
A Perfect Circle has returned with vengeance.
With the group sounding stronger than ever, I recently spoke with the man behind the music itself, Billy Howerdel, to discuss the creation of the album and some of the themes explored within its tracks…
Congratulations on the new album Eat the Elephant, after fourteen years it must feel in many ways a satisfactory relief to have a new album out there?
“Yeah, for sure! [chuckles] I don’t know, it’s funny, I know the record’s coming and you’re my fourth interview today but my mind is still on the live show I guess, the matter at hand is reinterpreting these songs to be able to be played live. So I guess it will all hit me when the record comes out.”
The title – ‘Eat the Elephant’ – is rather interesting. Is this in reference to the time and patience it has taken to get the album to its release point? Or is it more a reference to the elephant in the room that not only needs to be acknowledged but devoured?
“You know, I don’t speak to the lyrics, Maynard writes them, so I don’t even know. I’m kind of the non-verbal, emotional [chuckles] adjudicator in the band, so it’s hard for me to say. But I think it’s so much more interesting to have your own interpretation of the lyrics anyway!
I kinda like not knowing, sometimes I find out who it’s about or what it’s about you know and I had already inserted my own topic that was a little more personal. I think that’s what music is; finding your interpretation and having it be the soundtrack to that moment in your life.”
With this album you actually worked with music producer Dave Sardy; this is the first time that A Perfect Circle have worked with an outside producer [Howerdel himself usually assuming these duties], what was behind this decision?
“I just wanted to try. I wanted to take a little workload off but also to be able to see the aerial view of the songs, I thought it would be a good, new approach to do that. I just wanted to sit back and be a musician and be less worried about file management and engineering and that part. And also to have a different set of ears and eyes on the songs.”
And did you find that because those usual tasks were taken away from you and you could just concentrate on being a musician that it changed the way the music came out of you?
“Yeah, there’s costs and benefits to it, I would say it goes both ways. The hard part was … it was hard to communicate verbally for me with music, I’ve just never been good at it, I don’t know if I’m still any better at it! Because you’re trying to get something done; if I can’t do it with the instrument I usually do it with computer. Dave uses Pro-Tools and I use Logic so it’s speaking a completely different language and so that was challenging for sure.
What was great though was sitting back and being able to just give Dave ingredients and let him make the soup; you know just throw things onto a blanket. Then you’re gonna take that blanket, dump it out on the floor and rearrange it into a collage and then you’re gonna have a different result then you might have initially intended and then you can kinda fine tune from there. And that was kinda the beauty of collaboration in that way.”
I found it interesting that between tracking and mastering you threw in a whirlwind tour; considering how busy both yourself and Maynard are was this done because playing together live generated the thought processes required when fine tuning the songs for the album?
“I think that’s exactly right. I think pushing yourself a little further, you know going a little deeper into the water than you’re comfortable with is the way to grow, and scheduling and setting those deadlines has always been our approach to that.
You know in 1999 we had … I don’t know five songs or so, and maybe that was in May or June and we said ‘Ok, let’s book a show, book our first show and let’s kinda put the fire under us to get going!’ Same kind of thing here, last year we wanted to brush the cobwebs off, feel what it was like to have energy and play live in a room in front of people, and I think that energy can translate into the record. Even though we weren’t playing all the songs, we did play two and then three; it just helps them start to find the glue of past work.
So yeah, that part is all by design and sometimes you self-inflict some pain on yourself to try and get a good result.”
I recently read that many of the pieces for Eat the Elephant you actually wrote several years ago?
“Yeah, as far as like new songs this year – well in 2017 – I would say ‘Get the Lead Out’ … actually ‘Get the Lead Out’ was written in 2018! I would say yeah a lot of these songs, there was a big bulk of them that I wrote in 14’ and 15’ – around that time – and there’s one in particular that goes like way back.
But it’s all about how you re-approach it now and doing a covers record is the most telling; we could cover a song that was written in the 30’s that you put your aesthetics and the production on it from this year and there’s gonna be that glue.
So I guess I’m less concerned about when it’s written and more concerned about how does Maynard find them; can he be inspired to write to them now? That was kinda the approach that I tried to take on it; what’s gonna make Maynard bring his best work out?”
It’s interesting that you say that, as recently you were quoted as stating [in reference to Maynard] ‘I’m in service to inspire him, and bring his best to the table’.
“I know, it’s true, that’s the way I feel about it. I mean I know it’s probably not the best thing for me to say, it’s just truthful. There’s lots of things that I can do musically that I try to let go of; it’s hard letting go of your ego, and feeling like ‘I think this is a great song, I don’t wanna change it’, he might have something else in mind…
I trust him, I trust that he’s gonna bring amazing things to it you know? Of course I still have to stand my ground and pick my battles and he does too, so it’s like being in a marriage of sorts.
You have compromise, you’re with this person for a reason, and you have to remember to get back to that confidence and trust.”
Well it’s the definition of collaboration isn’t it?
“Yeah.”
The two of you are artists collaborating on a project that until completed and set in stone is ever shifting and changing; which is actually quite wonderful.
“Yeah, absolutely.”
Indeed, while A Perfect Circle have had a continual rotation of different musicians as members, at its core remain both Maynard and Howerdel; living, breathing organisms in perfect symbiosis. Even the A Perfect Circle logo, depicting two crescents that face each other, one slightly smaller than the other, is a representation of APC’s two creators. Howerdel designing the piece himself to represent their relationship, pointing out that the logo actually contains more than what is first seen.
“You can stare at something for so long before you see it in a new light. The insight from something you discover on your own always means more. The APC logo has two perfect circles in there; they’re just hard to see.”
Of course I can’t speak about A Perfect Circle without addressing Maynard himself; and I must say that on this album in particular his voice sounds even more multi-dimensional and powerful than ever before. With you speaking previously of inspiring him; congratulations, you have certainly achieved that, as his voice has gone to yet another level!
“Yeah, I know, I feel the same way! You know I have to sit back before I speak these things and think ‘Am I just excited that we’re making a record or do I really think this?’ And I really do think [chuckles] some of these vocals are what I think are some of his best vocals I’ve heard him do with any of his projects.
I just think the first time I heard even the scat vocal of ‘Disillusioned’, just when he’s singing syllables … I was moved by the syllables before I even heard the words. I just didn’t even know what to expect and then he kinda presented all those layered vocals altogether at once to us and just reinserting the track notes is amazing. I think that Maynard is … he doesn’t disappoint and keeps you guessing as to where he’s gonna go.”
Speaking of the new album, obviously there are three tracks out there already; ‘The Doomed’, ‘Disillusioned’ and ‘Talk Talk’. Now with ‘The Doomed’ I hear ties back to ‘Judith’ from Mer De Noms both musically and in the lyrics. But with ‘Disillusioned’ – the video of course being most beautifully poignant – which speaks to societies present day obsession with technology; while I understand that you cannot speak to the lyrics themselves, how do you personally view the subject matter itself? Do you think we’ve forgotten how to be human in this digital age? Are we in danger of losing our humanity if we continue down this path?
“Again I’m speaking outside of his lyrics – like you said I’m not commenting on his thing. You’re talking in a conversation about humanity and where we’re going. You know there’s a guy called Sam Harris that I listen to sometimes that said something very potent which is; ‘If you think about what AI is, all this stuff is a pre-cursor to AI.’
If aliens sent us a message and said ‘In fifty years we will be there, be ready’ [chuckles] how would you receive that message? And that’s basically what is going on with AI; it’s not an if, but when.
It is all consuming and it’s a scary thought; so I think there’s much that we need to do to prepare for that. I think we have to get our shit together and if anything it’s the greatest wakeup call in history to say this thing is coming – who are we?
And that’s not a singular answer either because there is many ‘we’ in the world so … we could go down that road for hours!”
As I mentioned the music video communicates a very compelling message. We as society have become undeniably obsessed with technology and while yes it is an integral part of our lives, many of us using some form of it for work each and every day, we need to learn when to disconnect and step away when we should be.
“Yeah, well that’s just it, it’s just like having a drink, sometimes it goes too far. The key word’s obsession.”
So lastly Billy, with the new album about to be released the question on everyone’s lips is – World Tour?
“Yeah hopefully, I think that within this next year that’s our plan, you know our booking agents and promoters are talking so the intention is there, so it will be soon.”
That’s indeed exciting to hear. In the meantime would you like to say anything to your New Zealand fans?
“Ah no … just that I’m jealous that you live there and we hope to be back there soon!”
A Perfect Circle release their new album “Eat The Elephant” worldwide this Friday, 20th April on BMG. You can preorder it on CD, Vinyl or a special Limited Edition Double White Vinyl from the Mighty Ape link below.