The Pixies mean a lot to me. Their album Doolittle knocked me off my axis and led me to a new world of music listening. Black Francis' otherworldly howl blew me away and resulted in a years long obsession with screaming in songs. They are still one of my favorite bands of all time yet I eyed their 2004 reunion with suspicion and disinterest. Like Freaks and Geeks or Arrested Development, the Pixies never wore out their welcome and ended before they lost the plot so what was the point of the tour? They ended on a pretty acrimonious note and both Frank Black and Kim Deal had continued to make music at varying levels of popularity so were they getting together simply for the money? Since their legacy only grew over the decade since their split, they were certainly due a victory lap but I had no interest in being a part of it. The 2006 documentary loudQUIETloud does a good job of validating my uneasiness over the whole reunion and subsequent tour. At times, it was a pretty uncomfortable film to watch.Because you hate rock n roll?
No, that was not the issue.
Because you hate success?
Um...no. What kind of jerk do you think I am?
The Pixie hating kind. This documentary was the next best thing to being there and I give it an 8. Not only did you get to see fiery performances by a group of phenomenal musicians who haven't lost an ounce of passion but you get to see them as people, kissing their children, putting on eyeliner, practicing magic tricks.
You didn't find that stuff at all depressing? Watching Kim Deal chain smoking and drinking non-alcoholic beer while her sister travels alongside her to make sure she stays clean and sober. Watching Frank Black suffer through endless inane interviews and looking totally bored to be back on tour with these people. Watching David Lovering do anything at all.
He was hilarious with his magic tricks and his hyperactiveness and his lying. What about his weird obsession with his new iPod? That was one of the most bizarre and amazing scenes I've watched all year.
It hurt my soul. He was so desperate to get back together with the band and he was hurting for money so bad at the start of the movie yet he was so annoying on tour and lapsed into some pretty bad habits, nearly derailing the whole thing. He totally creeped me out. And it was so odd how little they seemed to know or care about each other. There was no camaraderie and no friendship. It was all so workmanlike and seemingly paycheck driven that I left the movie feeling very, very sad. It makes me even more perplexed that they are out there touring again playing Doolittle in its entirety every single night. If they are finally getting their due after years of semi-obscurity and relative pennilessness, good for them, but I just couldn't care less about it all.
That's because you hate rock n roll. When the 4 Non Blondes reunion happens, I'll be sure to let you know.
7 comments:
i caught their first reunion tour in camden and it was amazing. i think you'd have a change of heart if you saw them live. camaraderie is overrated.
it's not the lack of camaraderie that saddened me, it was the fact that none of them appeared to be doing it for the music but simply for the payday.
i read that there are plans for a 2010 album. i'm not sure if i'm excited by this prospect or not.
they weren't doing this for the payday. didn't frank black make 10 million from sales of teenager of the year? he doesn't need the money, right?
i don't have any clue what kind of payday frank black got from teenager of the year but you're right, i don't think he was doing it for the money. the rest clearly were, or at least seemed to be, and i got the feeling during the documentary that he was reuniting as a favor to them to get them out of various debts and/or help them financially which is in a way honorable but alos would explain the incredibly bored look on his face throughout the movie.
i was being sarcastic. i assume that he needs the money more than any of them!
there's no way he needs it more than homeless, wine addicted david lovering. i'm pretty sure he's the most financially sound of the group or at least has the least amount of dependents. joey's got his family, kim's got the tobacco and non-alcoholic beverage conglomerates and david's got the pharmaceutical giants but frank's free as the breeze.
ah yes. but frankie has the ego.
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