I love a lot of the New York bands, but Patti Smith stands out. I just read Just Kids and its an inspirational, well-written account of an emerging New York artist in the late seventies. – James Iha
Even from a listening end now, Im still completely a fan of music. – James Iha
Well, we didnt have our original drummer on our last record. And most of that album was not played as a band in the studio. It was mostly the world of computers and overdubs. There was very few things played live or worked out as a band. – James Iha
So there was something of a learning curve with doing your own thing and people seeing you outside of the band. I mean, people have never really heard my voice before – or heard a whole record of mine before. So it was a completely new experience. – James Iha
President Obama called for a we nation in his Inauguration Address. Art convenes. It is not just inspirational. It is aspirational. It pricks the walls of our compartmentalized minds, opens our hearts and makes us brave. And thats what we need most in our country today. – Anna Deavere Smith