Hole

California’s mystique as a utopian place where dreams really do come true dates back to the Gold Rush, when masses of settlers descended on the territory to seek their fortunes. “In 1849, prosperous farmers looked at their perfectly fine lives and knew they could have even more,” Love points out. “They could have a palace, and even gold out there in California.”

She says the key to understanding Southern California culture is to realize that even the drinking water there came from somewhere else. “People come here by the millions, and yet all the water we use is pumped in from thousands of miles away,” she continues. “Underneath the palm trees and lush lawns is chaparral and desert. It’s all false.”

Still, the foremost inspiration for Celebrity Skin, beyond the state’s history and politics and the obvious, seductive glamour of Hollywood, is California’s storied musical past. The Beach Boys, The Ventures, The Byrds, The Eagles, The Doors, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jane’s Addiction, X and Guns N’ Roses have all seized on California – and Los Angeles in particular – as grist for the creative mill.

Not coincidentally, the members of Hole were at a rehearsal for Fleetwood Mac’s reunion tour when the epiphany to lionize all things California occurred. “Eric and I didn’t have any prior Fleetwood Mac influence,” says bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur. “But seeing them play in that incredibly intimate setting re-awakened the melodic training from my classical music background. That experience forced me to reach further than I ever had before.”

Erlandson confesses a slightly different relationship with the band: “When I was first learning guitar, my teacher tried to get me to play ‘Don’t Stop,’ but I was more interested in Kiss and Aerosmith.”

In fact, Celebrity Skin is far from Rumors redux. It stands proudly and audaciously on its own merits. “We wanted to challenge the tradition in a totally organic way,” Love asserts. “We took our time writing every note and every word. We made it lean in some places and plump in others. And we got help from some great people.” Hole spent much of the past four years honing and perfecting songs for the album, so they were initially resistant to outside input. But Love ultimately decided to invite old friend Billy Corgan (of The Smashing Pumpkins) to assist in polishing the material and vocals.

“I ached over my guitar for months and months on some of these songs,” Love confides. “I’d hit a wall, so Billy came in for 12 days last year. Eric, Billy and I wrote ‘Hit So Hard,’ ‘Celebrity Skin’ and ‘Malibu’ together. Two of the songs, ‘Northern Star’ and ‘Heaven Tonight,’ were solo compositions of Eric’s. ‘Awful’ and ‘Use Once & Destroy’ were an all-band thing. When Michael Beinhorn [who produced Soundgarden’s Superunknown, Soul Asylum’s Grave Dancer’s Union and The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Mother’s Milk] came onboard, he really fleshed out the aesthetic.”

Asked how the band chose Beinhorn, Love says: “We picked Michael because he was ready for us, and we were ready for him. He’s made good records, but he hasn’t made his great record. So I knew he’d be hungry and passionate, and we were hungry and passionate, too – he was in a position to meet us toe to toe. What we didn’t want was someone who’d already been there and had become a hack. We needed someone who had experience, but who also understood how to achieve the quality and elegance we were looking for.”

Beinhorn’s industrious nature in particular impressed Auf Der Mar. “Michael’s a hard worker, and his attitude was inspiring,” she reveals. “He really pushed me on the process of making a record. He would say, ‘Learn your instrument, learn your voice, just learn. Go rip up old Led Zeppelin records and figure out what the rhythm section is supposed to do.’”

As far as what the producer’s supposed to do, Erlandson observes: “There are a lot of engineers and producers who just aren’t interested in the big picture – Michael’s not like that. He always had his ears on where we were going. But he also came in and analyzed the songs, put a lot of thought into them, and really got down to the details. That’s how all those old classic records were made.”

The jangly, effervescent guitar sound that distinguishes much of Celebrity Skin is testimony to Erlandson’s own long view of the album. Its consistent emphasis on song structure allowed his improvisational bent to emerge, with a combination of acoustic and electric instruments leading him down new sonic pathways. He also found himself experimenting more with his playing. “This album made me take risks I’d never taken before,” he attests. “I even started singing lessons.”

For Auf Der Maur, who joined Hole four years ago, Celebrity Skin was her first opportunity to record an album with the band. “This taught me so much about the ugly beauty of California,” she says. “It’s been a good, defining few years of my life.”

“I’m grateful for the help,” Love comments on the efforts of all who participated, “but I’m very glad it’s over.” Spoken more like a prospector who’d lost her shirt than one who’d struck gold.

The California Gold Rush changed the state forever: The sleepy hamlet of San Francisco was transformed into one of the world’s great cities; claim-seekers from across the globe mingled in the crucible of today’s ethnic melting pot; and the “idea” of California – a mindset that spawned Hollywood, the aerospace industry, and Silicon Valley – became a core belief of American national mythology.

Celebrity Skin, too, is a landmark, one that hindsight may suggest changed Hole forever. By embracing their hard-won technical and artistic growth, the band steps into an era of limitless creative possibility. By coming to terms with their tumultuous career thus far and moving forward, they offer the promise of a rich, rewarding catalogue. Despite the extensive praise that has already been visited on Hole, Celebrity Skin may one day be viewed by critics and fans alike as the work that delivered the mother lode.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
“Retard Girl” (7-inch), Sympathy for the Record Industry, 1990.
“Dicknail,” Sub Pop, 1991.
Pretty on the Inside, Caroline, 1991.
“Beautiful Son,” City Slang, 1993.
Live Through This, DGC, 1994.
Celebrity Skin, DGC, 1998.