Complex Calculus.
I’m trying to map out a tapestry of sorts here that may only be interesting to rock historians. Follow along if you will.
1) James Iha was a featured band member of A Perfect Circle for their recently released album Eat The Elephant.
2) Among his other musical endeavors, Iha is arguably best known as a member of Smashing Pumpkins.
3) Smashing Pumpkins is a band led by Billy Corgan.
4) For a brief period, Smashing Pumpkins featured within its ranks former Hole bassist Melissa Auf der Maur.
5) A Perfect Circle is a band co-led by Billy Howerdel and Maynard James Keenan.
6) Although one might be skeptical1 at the distinction, A Perfect Circle is Keenan’s side project from his primary band Tool.
7) The original bassist for A Perfect Circle was Paz Lenchantin.
8) Lenchantin later left A Perfect Circle and joined Billy Corgan side project Zwan.
9) After the breakup of Zwan, Lenchantin formed a band called The Chelsea that included Melissa Auf der Maur.
10) So Iha has been a featured band member in Corgan’s main project and Keenan’s side project; Lenchantin has been a featured band member in Keenan and Corgan’s side projects, and Auf der Maur has been a featured band member in Corgan’s and Lenchantin’s main projects.
Problem: Solve for X and Y; in which X is the band member who must join band Y in order to produce a single balanced equation.
Note: The answer here might involve Josh Freese.
1 I say skeptical because it’s arguable that Keenan’s main project is actually his vineyard.
Creative Control 