The Pixies

I couldn't let this lil' Monday Music project of mine go without paying homage to the most shaping and influential band in my life to date. There are several bands that I love and attribute the way they played their music and wrote their songs to have shaped me. The foremost of all those bands that shaped me, for me, is the Pixies.

Thinking back, the reason they shaped me the way they did has a lot to do with timing, I believe. I first heard them in 1993. I was 14, maybe 15. Their chart-topping album Doolittle had been released four years before and I remember being so drawn to "Here Comes Your Man" the first time I heard it. In the flood of many lyrics I heard back then in that critical period in my life, I feel like the Pixies were instrumental in helping me to blindly smash my way out of adolescence.

Funny story (not then, but now, for sure): I, at a tender yet, not so tender 15-years-old, was blaring some Doolittle in my room one night and I guess my mother walked past my closed door and heard the tumultuous lyrics to "Monkey Gone to Heaven". So "concerned" she opened my door with haste and demanded I "turn that off" and "what is this song talking about" ... "did I really KNOW what that song was saying?" Next thing I know, my dad was knocking on the door. He was not quite the reactor that she is. His knock was always deliberate, without exasperation and I was worried he'd take it all away.

I opened the door. He calmly says, "Your mother tells me that this music you're listening to needs a listen to." He asks me to play "that song in question" for him. I turned around and walked as slowly as I could back to my jam-box and cued up screeching Frank Black, abrasively singin' about the after-life. During the one part I knew she'd come through that door about, I spoke up and tried to talk over it explaining what I thought the song meant. Obviously, I knew more than I was letting on.

When the song was over, he and I had a talk about music. I knew he was giving me slack. He didn't take my CD away nor had he ever taken any music away. Looking back now, he handled it perfectly. I think deep down we both knew we saw eye-to-eye about this topic of music.

I will say, I tried hard to think about what the Pixies lyrics were about from then on. The disturbed and even sometimes violent imagery in their songs did capture that period of my life pretty darn well. Looking back, I believe I allowed Pixies lyrics to speak for me at times. It was a new thing for me, to know music or prose and have it be able to be my voice. And that is why this band shaped me so. Few bands or songs have been able to genuinely speak for me to that depth since, like the Pixies did for me then.

If you listen to this band, realize that what you're listening to, this surf rock/punk style, was, in my opinion, as innovative and pioneering to modern alternative/indie rock in the late 80's/90's as the Beatles were to rock-n-roll in the 60's. I know, I know. That's a strong statement to compare someone to the Beatles, but a true one, I believe, only in the case of the Pixies. Radiohead, Nirvana, Beck, even Bono were said to all have been influenced by the Pixies sound and shake-your-head-because-I-gotta-hear-that-again songwriting of Frank Black.

I really would like to see the Pixies in concert, however, I'm totally disappointed as a fan. They are doing a 2009 Doolittle reunion tour. Of course only the biggest of cities get them. So greedy! Middle America gets the shaft once again. Another shaft? The Pixies recently released "The Pixies: Minotaur" Deluxe & Limited Edition box sets. That's great, you say? Well, the Deluxe Edition is $175.00 and the Limited (fully-packed and practically silver-lined) Edition Minotaur is a whopping $495.00. So, right now I can't imagine ever seeing them live or buying Minotaur Deluxe or Limited ANYTIME soon. I'm sure it's worth it, but c'mon guys!

This music is not for everyone. If I heard the Pixies for the first time today, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't attach or identify with them now quite like I did 15 + years ago. However, I do believe that this band that only put out five records in like five years, did more for music than most bands have or ever will do. Period.

So, do yourselves a favor and try to appreciate some genius. Check a few (or all) of these out:

"Where is My Mind" Look at all familiar to this little bloggity blog title?
"Here Comes Your Man"
"Hey"
"Gigantic"
"Wave of Mutilation"

Happy Music Monday all. Hope You're well. Check back next week too. I'm trying to get myself a little Q&A interview with a local band I'm a fan of. We'll see how things shake down. Out for now.