In 1995, the members of rock band Garbage were shocked by how well their debut album was received by fans and critics alike.
Having formed just two years prior, Scottish vocalist Shirley Manson, bassist/guitarist Duke Erikson, guitarist Steve Marker and drummer Butch Vig – who had already made a name for himself as the producer of records by Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth and Nirvana – were giddy with excitement as they headed into the studio and created the record that would go on to spawn hits like “Vow,” “Stupid Girl,” “Only Happy When it Rains” and “Queer.”
All of those tracks, which mixed rock, pop and electronic music, managed to squeeze their way onto mainstream rock radio, which at the time was mostly dominated by grunge artists, and get the quartet’s accompanying music videos lots of play on MTV and VH1.
The record received multi-platinum certifications around the world and was nominated for three Grammy awards in 1997, though the band lost to country artist LeAnn Rimes (best new artist), singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman (best rock song) and jam rock group the Dave Matthews Band (best performance by a duo or group). Now, two decades later, the band is revisiting all of the material and playing the record live in its entirety on its 20 Years Queer fall tour, which comes to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday.
“The whole experience has been pretty surreal,” Manson said during a phone interview. “Who really doesn’t like looking back at old home movies or photographs or to go back and listen to old albums? It’s been an interesting psychological sort of thing.”
Furthering the celebration, Garbage released a 20th anniversary edition of the self-titled album Friday, Oct. 2 that has been remastered and includes b-sides and a few never-before-released tracks that were also written and recorded during those sessions, all of which the band will add into its sets on this tour. Leading up to hitting the road, Garbage has posted several old video clips from the time it was making the record via social media, to which fans have responded positively.
“That’s the one thing about your debut, is that you haven’t had any knocks yet,” Manson said with a laugh of the band’s silly and upbeat vibe the clips from the mid-’90s. “You haven’t had anyone punch you in your face or spat on you and you haven’t been rejected. So yeah, we’re like naive, eager little puppies and that’s amusing also to see because we thought we were so old, so experienced and so wise, but obviously we were really so far from that.”
Social media has been a great way for Garbage, which has had extended periods of inactivity through the years, to keep in touch with its fan base. Manson said that had that platform been around when the band’s self-titled record was released, its success might have been even greater, though she’s happy to have existed in a pre-Internet sharing world.
“I’m relieved that there’s not footage of me flashing my (breasts) every two seconds,” she said with a big laugh. “Which, you know, I tended to do on a regular basis. So for that reason alone, I guess I’m grateful it wasn’t around.”
Now that the band has gone back and sifted through the album, Manson said there are two songs that she’s really thrilled to have in their repertoire, the song “Queer,” which expressed the band’s support for the LGBT community and “As Heaven is Wide,” a cut that takes on the Catholic church and the abuse of minors by Catholic priests.
“A song like ‘Queer’ was a bold move in 1995,” Manson said. “It’s now become common for artists to come out and be vocally supportive of that community, but back then it wasn’t, so I’m very proud that song became an anthem for the LGBT community and also the changes we have seen and the progress that has been made in that particular corner of civil rights. I’m very heartened to witness it and may it long continue.
“‘Heaven is Wide’ was really a politically incendiary song which took the Catholic church to task. I feel like that is a subject matter that is as vital and urgent today as it was when we wrote it in 1995 and again, I like having that kind of song, that protest, in our arsenal.”
Another selection off the record, “Milk,” conjures up less controversial and more fun memories for Manson.
“It was the very first song that I wrote the majority of,” she said, noting that the entire band has always shared the songwriting duties. “I joined Garbage as a complete novice. I had never written any songs in my life and for me to watch a little idea I had on guitar, with the chords, lyrics and melody all come together and have the band working it and realize it into something that made it onto the record was so exciting to me. I can remember bringing a CD copy of it home from the studio and laying in bed literally for hours in a hotel in Madison, Wisconsin, just listening to it over and over and over again because I was that excited about it.”
This anniversary tour, unlike the ones being done by a lot of other big name artists, includes all four original members of the band, which Manson said is something they don’t at all take for granted. Though they may be gluttons for punishment, she added as she shared that the band is currently mixing its sixth studio album, which is due out late next spring.
“It’s incredible that we’ve all been able to survive first and foremost and that the fates have allowed us more life,” she said. “We are lucky and I think we realize that we have something very special and unique amongst the four of us and we’re well aware of what a privileged position we have in that regard.”
Contact the writer: 714-796-3570 or kfadroski@ocregister.com
