My yesterday was greatly improved by reading the news of a Pixies reunion in April. Knowing their history, I wouldn’t bet my life on it, but I will keep my hopes up. Why? Because the Pixies fucking rock.
My one and only Pixies concert was in the Fall of 1989 when they came to my campus. I was on the concert board doing hospitality, so I got to set up their dressing room and hang with them a bit. I brought a preview I wrote for the campus paper, a screed on how much the Pixies fucking rock. The band seemed to think it was neat. Kim gave me a giant hug. I had wood for days.
The show was a beautiful swirl of sweaty chaos both on and off the stage - bodies flying everywhere, Black Francis screaming like an ADD kid on crack while Kim smiled and rocked back and forth, seemingly making love to her bass while singing with a perpetual demented grin. All the guys up front had wood for days. They are one of the tightest bands I’ve ever seen live - they fed off each other’s energy and the Raaar! of the moment grew exponentially.
After the show the band wanted to hit a bar, so I took them to Chuck’s, an underground, dimly lit madhouse that would scare the crap out of any outsider but held the fierce dedication of us all. Kim did not go. Black Francis either was in a bad mood that night or is a cranky egomaniac, I couldn’t figure out which. Joey and David were super nice, though - I spent most of the night drinking with them while girls hit on Black.
It’s hard to explain how amazing the Pixies were at that time in history. There was no commercial alternative radio format - they didn’t sound like any other band out there (though many bands since have tried to sound like them). They were that brief moment of crossover, bringing the inspiring rage of punk rock bands most kids would never see into a sound and image that would pull them in. They petered out a bit toward the end, but their early stuff will rip your face off. Their fans are still die-hard and numerous. Their music still makes me want to jump around the room in a frenzied fit and scream a lot.
I don’t know if their reunion will capture their glory, but it can’t be as bad as other music coming out of Boston lately.
sid world headquarters
Mala | 11-Sep-03 at 10:43 am | Permalink
Moby?!!!! WHAT the hell is that campaign staff thinking?
And thanks for the heads up on the reunion. That’s Pixies news to me
MER | 11-Sep-03 at 5:23 pm | Permalink
SHAKE YOUR BUTT!!!!!!!
….not too hard…
LALALOVEYOU (Sid)
Dont mean maybe
shane | 11-Sep-03 at 6:14 pm | Permalink
I never got to see the Pixies. Earlier this year Frank Black rocked my ass (well, um…) at The Bottleneck. He ended the show with songs by The Mercy Seat (Gordon Gano’s mid80s gospel band) and Tom Waits (The Black Rider, more than appropriate, given that William Burroughs wrote the lyrics and Lawrence is where he breathed his last). In grand nerd fasion, I bought Surfer Rosa knowing nothing of the Pixies–only that 4AD was an awesome label, and I thought I was in for another Cocteau Twins. Go on, laugh. But it was love at first scream. And there were breasts under that silver sticker!
Damon | 08-Apr-04 at 7:16 pm | Permalink
They will be at Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin in September. I will be there. I will have wood all fuckin’ day