She’s one of the most famous bassplayers in the world, but
she’d rather have a guitar in front of her. She’s carried two
iconic indi ebands–The Breedersandthe Pixies– andevenher
lesser-known stuff has influenced generations of musos.She’s
doneitall witha toothysmileonherface and arestless capacity
to create; to do good work; to find the place where rock ‘n’ roll
turns hard truth into a beat you can dance to. But back in the
’90s, in her hometown of Dayton, Ohio, nobody wanted to play
with Kim Deal – or at least, nobody with a dick in their pants.
The message she received from guys in the local music scene
was simple: “No bleeders.”
“The weird thing is, the guys in Dayton at the time, they had such
horrible bands. They thoughtthey were rockingout sohard,and
they were all inspandex, and they all had theweakest, weakest
bands,” Kim remembers. “It was physically embarrassing for me
to watch them, andIwould just cringeatwhat they weredoing.
“It was so painful. I felt so alone. Some of these guys were on
skates, and they rolledaround and whipped their hair, and they
weredoing the head nod with theirlips pursed and singing
Pat Benatar covers. None of them would play with me because
I was a girl. You don’t have girls in the band, and you certainly
wouldn’t have any gay people in the band. But that’s Dayton, Ohio.”
Thankfully, Kim found a friendlier reception in Boston, where she
answered an adto play bass inwhat would become the Pixies
- darlings of the ‘alternative rock’ scene and famous crafters
ofweird, fuzzy, singalong tunes. Then, during some downtime
between European tours, she formedThe Breeders: identical twin
sisterKelley onlead guitar; Kim on rhythmand vocals;
plus – during the band’s most famous incarnation – bassist
Josephine Wiggs and drummer Jim Macpherson.
The band’s platinum-selling second album,Last Splash, boasted
this lineup, as does its newbie:All Nerve. You could say it’s been
a while, but Kim’s never stopped making music. She’s had solo
projects; different bands; other members taking their turn in
The Breeders; and a stint or two in the Pixies. Through it all,
her ciggie-sweet voice and penchant for surreal yet affecting
songwriting (not to mention a flair for stringed instruments) has
marked her as a true heroineofrock. Albeit onewho seems too
damn cheerful forany kind of music industry cool. There’s no time
for posing or fakery.Just hard work and good tunes.
Rock ‘n’ roll, Kim says, can be about bravery. “There’s a bravery
in facing lifethatIfeelcan existin country music, itcanexistin
rock. And in pop there can be rock, too. When Celine Dion puts on
blackleather, that’s not going to betherock moment for me and
pop. Maybe the rock moment in pop is going to be when somebody
comes out and tries really hard,andit fails, but they’re there, and
they’re trying. They could be singing a pop song, and that can be
rock. And a lot of it has to do with bravery.”
She might not put it this way, but Kim has had to be brave, too.
While sister Kelley was busted for heroin possession in 1994, Kim
struggled with her own addictions – drink and drugs – throughout
the ’90s. Sheentered rehab in 2002 and has been sober ever since.
“I’ve gotten better,” she says. “I’ve gotten better coping skills. I don’t
reach for a beer if I get bored. If I get frustrated, I’m not lighting a
joint to make the moment go away. If I need to go to bed, I’m not
taking something to make myself go to bed.on stage, kim deal has cut loose with the
breeders and the pixies. offstage, her
life isn’t quite so rock ‘n’ roll.
WORDSJO WALKERILLUSTRATIONCASS URQUHARTthe real deal
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