RS: What's your current take on Pinkerton?

Rivers: To me it's a totally brilliant album, so personal, there's such a strong vision, and it was a real joy to go back and crack open the sessions and listen to the tracks one by one and gain inspiration from that. It seems like it's really stuck in people's minds that I disowned or disavowed the record and I'm not sure where that came from.

RS: In 2001, you said the album was "hideous" and a "hugely painful mistake."

Rivers: That's what's so great about it! I didn't mean "hideous" in a negative way. I would say that it's a hideous record in many ways - it's ugly and dark and twisted and embarrassing. Anyway, in 2001 and 2002, I said a lot of inflammatory things.

RS: Like calling your fans "little bitches"?

Rivers: Exactly. I had a way with words then, and I'm still facing the consequences.

Needless to say, I'm awfully excited to see the album performed live.