Black Francis, frontman and primary songwriter of legendary indie group The Pixies, has opened up in a recent interview about the departure of the band’s bassist Kim Deal, who remained as one of the band’s most popular and endearing members since their inception.
In the new Rolling Stone interview, Black Francis a.k.a. Frank Black discusses the warmth Deal generated from fans of the band, saying “She was cool standing onstage with her cigarette, and she’s cute and people just fell in love with her.”
Deal’s departure from the band earlier this year came as a shock to many fans, who struggled to comprehend how a band could go on following the egress of such an iconic member. The Pixies recently released their first collection of new material in 22 years.
Describing Deal’s departure, Francis said:
“We were at a little coffee shop near the studio. Kim walked in at some point and said, ‘I’m flying home tomorrow.’ She quit the band. It was an awkward moment. We didn’t hug or shake hands or anything. [Guitarist] Joey [Santiago] and I just stood up and said, ‘Okay.’
“Then we had to get out of there, so we immediately went to a bar. I had to move from coffee to alcohol.”
“She just had enough,” said Pixies manager Richard Jones. “She didn’t want to do all the things that go with releasing new music, as in all the traveling and touring. She just decided that she wanted to move on,” adding “Everyone was just devastated.”
Francis also described a possible memento Deal had organised before leaving, a meal at an Indian restaurant, saying:
“I can’t remember the last time we all sat down and had a meal, just the four of us. It was wonderful. We broke bread together, shot the shit and had a nice meal. After the meal, Kim wanted to go back to her lodging, so we all walked her to a cab.
“Thinking back now, I realize this was her saying goodbye. Maybe I’m reading too much into it, but I think it was meant to be our last supper.”
The band recently premiered two new songs not on the recent EP at a secret gig in LA, with former Muffs member Kim Shattuck handling bass duties. The band are currently embarking on a European tour.
(Via Rolling Stone)
