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Guitar World
Guitar World
Entertainment
Joel McIver

"The Breeders, Hole, Sonic Youth, The Smashing Pumpkins all had female bass players. That was definitely an inspiration": When Melissa Auf Der Maur went solo

Melissa Auf der Maur the Smashing Pumpkins Bass Player Breeders Sonic Youth Grunge Nick Oliveri Queens ofStone Age
Melissa Auf der Maur performs live at Le Trabendo on December 15, 2010 in Paris, France.

Montreal-born bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur was something of a four-string legend on the alternative rock and grunge scene throughout the early 1990s, with years of supporting roles in seminal bands such as Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins. In 2004, when this interview was conducted, she had just released her debut solo album, Auf Der Maur. Guests on the album included Chris Goss (Masters Of Reality) Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri (Queens Of The Stone Age), Brandt Bjork (Kyuss), Erik Erlandson (Hole) and James Iha (Smashing Pumpkins). Having spent years backing up charismatic, limelight-stealing singers such as Courtney Love and Billy Corgan, preparing for a solo album was no small task…

Have you written the songs on your new album from a bass player’s point of view?

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