Tuesday, June 14, 2005

There Are No Little Surfer Girls In Outer Space

Consider this post a form of carbon dating...

A few good things about seeing the Pixies at Merriweather pavilion:

  • Better than sitting at home with the CD's on shuffle.

  • Satisfying to know I still know all the words to "Monkey Gone To Heaven"

  • Surprised to know I still know all the words to "Bone Machine".

  • Played "UK Surf Mix" of "Wave Of Mutilation", which is far superior to "Doolittle" album version.

  • Gold record stunt seemed off the cuff and special even if it's being done on every other stop on the tour.

  • Kim Deal still sounds cute and menacing in the same breath.

  • Joey Santiago still plays a mean toggle switch.

  • Remembered live review from 1991 in some Brit music rag: "I'm sorry, but 'arrahhg rahg arrhhg!' says nothing to me about my life." Feel satisfied being reminded that reviewer was not an American adolescent in the late 1980's.

A few odd things about seeing the Pixies at Merriweather pavilion:

  • Who the eff are all these people under 25? It was over 10 years ago that Cobain said he ripped off everything from the Pixies and Husker Du, and almost 15 years ago that the Pixies broke up. There's no way these people came on the strength of Frank Black's solo career.

  • Realizing that, much to my suprise, this band has a timeless quality.

  • Ok, so I am one of these over 30 burnouts re-living his misspent youth.

  • I still don't know what the hell that song in Spanish means.

  • Despite surrealist pretentions the best moments are still the ones that go "arrahhg rahg arrhhg!".


A few disappointing things about seeing the Pixies at Merriweather pavilion:

  • Not all that much different than sitting at home with the CD's on shuffle.

  • Kim Deal "Chain Smoking Bass Playing Badass" show is minor footnote to one song.

  • Joey Santiago is effin' bald and is clearly getting arthritis.

  • Wait all night through the encore for "Here Comes Your Man" and get let down when the band gets tired and decides to be punk enough not to play their one pop hit, despite it being one of the most gorgeous pop songs ever.


Final thoughts: The RevCo reunion - if it hasn't already happened - can't be too far away!