SHE learned from the masters.
After seven years’ tenure keeping time for Courtney Love’s Hole – and then Billy Corgan’s Smashing Pumpkins – bassist Melissa Auf der Maur definitely knows how to run a band.
With the release of her self-titled solo debut, and a gig opening for the Offspring on Tuesday, the willowy 32-year-old Auf der Maur is ready to take charge of her own destiny.
From her home in Montreal, Auf der Maur told The Post, “When I set out to make the record, I was terrified. The hardest part of this project was actually getting started. Once I committed to it – and faced the music – I stuck to it.”
Love and Corgan both have reputations as demanding, intimidating taskmasters; Auf der Maur is a bit lower-key.
“I feel very comfortable being in charge. I used my own money to make this record, so I was able to create my own utopia.”
She’s also gotten support from her mom, her rocker boyfriend Andrew W.K., and former bandmates like James Iha and Eric Erlandson – both of whom appear on her disc.
The Post: You’ve been on the road touring for the last few months – what’s it like as the front woman, the bandleader?
Auf der Maur: That’s the new challenge. To be on stage and be responsible with connecting with the audience. You have to always be on, between songs and during songs. That’s hard, because I’m shy and a little nervous, but it’s worked in creating this exciting energy.
The Post: How is your management style different from Billy’s and Courtney’s?
Auf der Maur: They’re both very strong individuals. Both of them represent the American dream to me. They’re individuals who were raised in less-than-privileged homes, and they went for what they wanted and created empires for themselves. My management style is more the Canadian dream.
The Post: What’s the Canadian dream?
Auf der Maur: Everything is politically correct. We all communicate with each other and are respectful of each other. My style is Canadian, even in the way I structured the record. I created an open-door policy. I wanted my project to be open to a rotating cast of artists who came in for a visit. We had no demands and no fights.
The Post: That doesn’t work with a touring band.
Auf der Maur: It’s completely different. I though about the band a lot, and chose musicians who’d never been on a world tour before, because I thought these were the people who would really appreciate the opportunity. A seasoned musician would have had a been-there, done-that attitude. I wanted to take a chance.
The Post: Kind of what Billy Corgan did for you when he recommended you to Courtney to play in Hole.
Auf der Maur: Exactly. He took a chance on me, and I wanted to do that for another musician. I was completely inexperienced when Billy called, there was no reason that anyone should have taken a chance on me. But Billy and Courtney took that chance. I’m forever thankful to them for the leap of faith they had in me.
The Post: When you say that, you sound like you’re really grateful, that you really like Courtney.
Auf der Maur: Of course I do. She’s a very funny, sweet, insane, intelligent woman. She’s a force of nature, and it’s rare to find any person with that level of fire and intensity. She can survive anything. She is indestructible. She is an inspiration to me.
The Post: Are you kindred spirits?
Auf der Maur: There’s no doubt in my mind. My five years in Hole are a big part of my destiny. It made me who I am. Courtney was the leader of planet Hole during the most influential years of my life.
The Post: When did you last speak?
Auf der Maur: It’s been years. I don’t have to speak to her because she’s in my heart and in my head. She invited me into her world, and created this big space for me in her mission to make a female impact on a male-dominated landscape. I was honored to be her soul sister.
The Post: What do you understand about Courtney that the world doesn’t?
Auf der Maur: That her public persona is so massive, everyone tends to forget that she’s just human. She’s very smart, but she’s just human. My perception of her is that she was a girl who grew up in a bizarre situation with her family; she struggled for independence to create a world of her own.
The Post: You went to see Billy Corgan play in Canada for the first time, and the club was almost empty. No one else thought he was a talent – why did you?
Auf der Maur: Because his music moved me, and I knew I had to know this person. That meeting led me into working with Hole and then with Smashing Pumpkins. We were all foolish enough to believe in our dreams.
The Post: Are you always guided by your heart?
Auf der Maur: My brain always makes excuses, reasons not to do things. If you’re pursuing the magical life of music, be guided by your gut, not your brain. In rock music, you should leave your brain at home.
The Post: Did you always want to be in a band?
Auf der Maur: When I was 16, my mom asked me what I wanted to do with my life, and I told her I wanted to be a photographer. I got a camera for my birthday that year. My parents always supported what my inner voice was telling me.
The Post: Do you still take pictures?
Auf der Maur: Every day. I try to take a picture of every show I play. I’m an obsessive documenter. Whether I’m writing or making music or taking pictures, I want to document the human existence. I think it’s my duty to show what we did while we were here. When it’s all said and done, and we’re rubble or under ice and the aliens come down, I want them to have as much honest information as possible.
The Post: What happened to you – was it all luck or talent?
Auf der Maur: I don’t think I’m Cinderella. I was born into good hands. My parents put me on a great path and allowed me to follow my heart. I don’t know if it is luck or talent – I think it’s more just believing in my dreams.
MELISSA AUF DER MAUR
“Auf der Maur”
(three stars)
Capitol Records
Playing bass for two of the biggest bands of the ’90s – Courtney Love’s Hole and Billy Corgan’s Smashing Pumpkins – Melissa Auf der Maur has paid her dues and is ready to debut in the big leagues under her own name.
The songs on Auf der Maur’s solo record are melodic, pop punk that only slightly veil references to some of the great women-powered groups of the ’80s. Sure there’s some Blondie and Bangles here, but don’t be fooled into believing this is a sweet girly-girl mix.
With additional help from Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, ex-Pumpkin James Iha and Hole’s Eric Erlandson, this record comes with built-in street cred and powerful alt-rock chops.
Top tunes include “I’ll Be Anything You Want,” “Lightning is My Girl” and “Skin Receiver,” a song that’s a cross between Heart’s “Barracuda” and Patti Smith’s “Horses.”
Auf der Maur’s vocals aren’t as powerful as they should be, but they aren’t overpowered by the boys in her band either. Hopefully that’ll be the case when she opens for the Offspring at the Hammerstein Ballroom on Tuesday.