William Reid of The Jesus and Mary Chain on Art, Music, and Violence

William Reid, co-founder of the influential Scottish alternative rock band The Jesus and Mary Chain, discusses his views on art and music in an interview. Born in Glasgow in 1958, Reid formed the band with his brother Jim in 1983, with early member Bobby Gillespie (later of Primal Scream). The band's sound, blending Velvet Underground and The Stooges influences with a wall of feedback, inspired the shoegaze genre alongside My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. Key albums include Psychocandy and Darklands. The band disbanded in 1998 due to substance abuse issues, but reunited in 2007 for Coachella and Pomona shows. A new album of original material was released in 2017, produced by Youth of Killing Joke. In 2018, they toured the US with Nine Inch Nails. The 2021 Darklands tour included a single Italian date in Milan on December 12. Reid defines art as "an activity of skill and craftsmanship aiming with purity of heart to create something beautiful," but does not consider himself an artist. His favorite visual artwork is Nicolas Poussin's Et in Arcadia Ego (1639, Louvre). He is currently writing and recording songs for a new album. He recalls a childhood memory of witnessing an elderly man and his dog being attacked by youths.