Porcupine Zine Interview

Helium interviewed 4/24/95
By Esther
Porcupine Zine Number Four

**I had the opportunity to speak with Mary Timony when Helium played a free show at the El Mocambo in April. Mary was super nice. Helium rock, that's all you need to know. **

ESTHER: Do you still get nervous when you play? Or do you not get nervous anymore?
MARY: Um, it's hard to say. We played last night and I got nervous, but I usually don't get nervous. We were playing with Sonic Youth so that's why I got nervous, cause, you know, they're Sonic Youth.
E: So how did Ash Bowie (Polvo) end up playing bass for Helium?
M: Well, there was originally a different line-up and the old bass player left. I had played with Ash, like, not in a band really, but we had played music together and recorded some stuff together. It worked really well so we asked him to join.
E: So you were just friends with him before?
M: Mmmhmm, yeah.
E: On the album, you play a lot of the instruments in the songs. Have you been playing many different instruments for a long time or…
M: Well, I started playing guitar when I was like fifteen and I guess what happened is that I just started four-tracking stuff. And when we were doing that, you just get ideas for other parts. My roommate had a Casio lying around and I took piano lessons when I was younger too. It's just like, they're instruments that would be normally lying around the practice space or something.
E: How long have you been playing in bands for?
M: I've been playing in bands since I was maybe 18? And now I'm 25. Is it 18 or 19? No, 20. I don't know. I've been playing guitar since I was younger but Autoclave started when I was 20.
E: What are some of your biggest songwriting inspirations?
M: Oh…you know, the worst thing is that it's been so long since I've been able to write music with the band. Crazy. But um..Songwriting inspirations…Let's see.. Coffee! And peace and quiet probably.
E: Do you find it hard to write?
M: Yes, really hard. It's depends on my mindframe. Like, if I'm feeling confident and I have a lot of quiet and stuff around, then it's totally fine. But if I'm like doubting myself at all, like, I can't make anything if I'm feeling insecure, you know? Cause I'll just fuck it up, or not be able to do it, or think I'm a dork or whatever. I totally have the type of personality that sometimes I'll write songs for like a month and then I won't be able to write songs for like, four months, because I'm in a different mind-set and I just can't do it. It's kind of scary, I guess. I don't know why, but it is.
JANINE: Who would you work with that you haven't already, if you could?
M: Other musicians? Like, to play with? Oh boy…
J: Like, Steve Tyler?
M: Oh yeah, that would be totally fun. Um, I'm trying to think of who…
E: Shaq?
M: Yeah, I haven't heard his music, but Ash just recently met him!
E: Really?
M: Yeah! Polvo were on tour and supposedly they played this bar Shaq goes to all the time. And he was there, and he had his white convertible. He drove up in his white convertible and they all got their pictures taken with him! So we have the picture, it's really funny! [pause] I don't know. It's hard to answer that one.
E: So other than being in Helium, what do you do?
M: I don't have much spare time lately. I mean, we've been doing so much work with the band. What do I do? I don't know.
E: Do you still work?
M: Well, I do work when I'm in Boston. Like, I do temp work. So over the summer and in the fall, I was working in this health care place. It sounds really boring!
E: Do you do art a lot in your spare time?
M: Yeah, whenever I can. I'd like to do it more. But when I do have the time; when there's like periods of time that I can stay home and I don't have to go anywhere-with the band, I mean. It's just the way that my head works, I think.
E: Okay, last question: Which are better: cats or dogs?
M: I like cats. But I mean, I've always had a dog. But I relate to cats better.
E: How come you have a dog if you like cats?
M: Well, no, my parents have a shitzu (sp?). It has like really long hair and a ponytail. And he's always sick. It's weird. I had a cat when I was little. But it got killed by a dog. It was really sad. He was a really strong cat and he always got in fights but it seemed like he always won them. But one day, he was lying out on the porch and a dog came up and started fighting with him and killed him. And it was really sad.
E: Oh, I'm sorry.
M: Yeah, it's okay. It was so long ago that it doesn't even matter…