The Days of Lore

Home boy, Stephen Malkmus

Thursday, August 25th, 2011 | interviewZ, musiX, pdX | 2 Comments

I was recently asked by Spin Magazine to hang out at Stephen Malkmus’ house and talk to him about random objects that were ineteresting or held some sort of significance to him. I closed the e-mail, changed my underwear and schemed how I would call in sick to my day job in two weeks. “There’s something going around,” I schemed.

I rarely get starstruck these days—only Rhett Miller holds that distinction—but that’s only because he’s so darned good-looking. Malkmus is a pretty handsome fellow, too. And aside from a few more gray hairs, he’s hardly aged. But I wasn’t starstruck—this was more like, “I’m going to hang out with Stephen Malkmus. At his home. What?”

I walked up to his door, which was attached to a very large, very old house in a cluster of other very large, very old houses near a popular park in Portland. His wife, artist Jessica Jackson Hutchins, answered the door. “He’s on his way,” she informed me. The videographer and photographers were already there trying to decide which room had the best light. It was my job to scour the home for quirky trinkets that would lend themselves to even quirkier answers. While the photogs began setting up their elaborate gear, the videographer Aubree and I headed to—where else—the basement.

It was exactly what you would expect: Records, guitars, some recording equipment, old books, genius-at-work clutter. We noted the signed copy of Sterolab’s French Disko on the wall, which Malkmus would later explain: “We did a big, long tour with them in Europe—and at the end we signed records and there were tears and champagne.” Sadly, there were no half-eaten Twinkies I could sell on eBay for a couple hundred bucks. The best part about all this? I was (sort of) casing Stephen Malkmus’ home because that’s what I was supposed to be doing.

Malkmus arrived about 45 minutes later, which doesn’t really qualify as “on his way” (man, he is such a slacker). He was wearing black jeans, a pair of white Adidas and a blue-and-white flannel (yes!) shirt. Atop his head sat a Detroit Pistons cap. Malkmus disappeared into the kitchen, and I could hear him and Jessica chatting, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. It sounded like married-couple talk. He re-emerged and we all introduced ourselves. I think I was the only one who was really familiar with/enjoyed Pavement and/or the Jicks. After some small-talk, Malkmus and I decided to scour the house to find more what-nots and what-have-yous.

We headed back down to the basement. He rummaged through a closet and pulled out a few things, including a small plaster sculpture of his head as a young child. I pointed out the Stereolab record. We made our way back upstairs. His two kids were not there, but the tell-tale signs were: toys, a nook with children’s books, scattered Cheerios on the kitchen floor. Malkmus disappeared upstairs and came back down with a framed photo of his mother as a young girl, a Jamaal Charles Jersey and some tape reels that included demos from Pavement’s Terror Twilight. After we rounded up what we thought were enough “curios” as he called them, we ended up back in the kitchen to talk about the new Jicks record Mirror Traffic and, of course, working with Beck.

“He gave me a call about two and a half years ago and he was just getting started in producing, and he’s like, ‘I’m a producer now, and I’d like to work with you,’ Malkmus explained. “I ran it by the band because we were thinking of ideas, and everyone really wanted to work with a proper producer—I think they were getting tired of the sort of willy-nilly way we were doing it.” Malkmus was making himself breakfast—English style—a fried egg and tomato on toast. Prior to that he had managed to sneak out for a smoke, which truly made it an English breakfast. It looked delicious … the food, not the cigarette.

“We did recording of the basic tracks in five or six days,” he continued. “It was pretty painless, and [Beck] was positive emotionally about everything and pretty mellow like a musician. He said, ‘I might be better at this than judging my own stuff.’ That’s one of the keys, I think, from the standpoint of the band—you want someone who can be like that, that doesn’t want it to be their thing, and can see what’s good about you. I don’t think everyone would be right for it, but he definitely seems to have a talent for it. And I think he’s going to be pretty busy.”

It’s true. Beck’s touches aren’t ham-fisted. Mirror Traffic is far less bombastic than 2008’s Real Emotional Trash, but maintains a warm quality that Malkmus was shooting for. “I didn’t really know what I wanted, I just wanted it to sound good—have a good fidelity that we liked. That’s what I was more worried about—having it sound too digital or modern.” Best of all, Joanna Bolme’s bass is high in the mix—a good thing, as she’s truly a secret weapon (listen to Quasi’s American Gong for proof).

Recording stalled while Malkmus was out for a year on the Pavement cash-grab extravaganza. During that time he was getting antsy, as were the rest of the Jicks. We convened at the kitchen table, where he chatted between bites. (”Sorry I’m eating while we do this.”) The band finished things up this year and released the album’s first single “Senator” back in early June, a song with a memorable chorus that was accidentally timely in the wake of the Anthony Weiner political boner.

“The chorus is just what I sang for the part, and I just made that up—so, I don’t know, that just came from my subconscious,” he explained. “It wasn’t really like shooting fish in a barrel, to tease guys like that, or to be something that would be on The Daily Show.”

The Jicks released Mirror Traffic on August 23, the final album to feature longtime Jick/pal Janet Weiss, who will be focusing most of her attention on Wild Flag. Joggers drummer Jake Morris has joined the lineup, rounded out by Bolme and guitarist-keyboardist Mike Clark. The record is less jammy, filled with well-crafted pop that manages to keep Malkmus’ quirks intact. It might be Malkmus’ best, most Pavement post-Pavement release.

“For me I decided to make it a little more about melody. That could be what I’m better at. I can try to be a big shredder psych-rocker guy, but I’ll let the memorable vocal melodies be the thing you take from the song.”

Jake the photographer came in and told us they were set up and ready to go. I headed toward the bathroom. “Umm, there’s no toilet paper in there, but I can run upstairs and grab some if you need it.” As much as I wanted to tell Stephen Malkmus to grab me some toilet paper, I assured him it was only No. 1. When I entered the living room, he was seated, surrounded by his own artifacts—among them the plaster head, the Charles jersey (a gift from Pavement bandmate Bob Nastanovich) and his diploma from the University of Virginia, where he got involved in college radio and punk rock in a small city in an even smaller red state. (”It was sort of like a mini John Hughes movie—where you would find weirdos and freaks, and you’d be like, ‘Oh, you’re my people,’ amid the uniformity.”)

Malkmus has come a long way since then. He’s come an even longer way since the day his grandmother sculpted a plaster statue of his head. But not much has changed, and that’s a good thing. He’s still mindful of the DIY, punk aesthetic. He still reads poetry from obscure avant-writers like Louis Zukofsky and Tom Clark, who did the cover art for Mirror Traffic. And he still makes interesting music that means a lot to a lot of people. He’s not hip, but he’s not irrelevant either. Throughout the morning Malkmus joked that he’s too old for this or too old for that, or questioned his coolness. I think it’s something he must think about as he eases into middle age.

Of the dozen or so objects we end up talking about, it turns out that one of Malkmus’ most prized is a drawing by Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart.

“He is an inspirational musical genius,” Malkmus said. He wasn’t smiling, or even smirking when he said this. “You know, he played this really insane music that sounds like outsider music, but it was all planned out. He knew what he was doing, and he still made it sound like it was completely original. To me it’s an inspiration that somebody can be such a weirdo, but also be a calm artist.”

That statement right there speaks volumes. I think Malkmus is going to be around for a while. He’ll definitely continue to be one of the most relevant irrelevant artists of his generation. And he really is a cool dude.

“Senator” - Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks

“Tune Grief” - Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks

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Tags: Beck, Jake Morris, Janet Weiss, Jessica Jackson Hutchins, Joanna Bolme, Matador Records, Mike Clark, Mirror Traffic, Pavement, Spin Magazine, Stephen Malkmus, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Stephen Malkmus interview, Tom Clark

Mission of Burma continues …

Monday, July 13th, 2009 | musiX | 1 Comment

Mission of Burma has written some of the most powerful and anthemic rock songs. Ever. 1982’s Vs. record is one of the best examples of how a band could merge punk rock energy with artiness … without sounding too arty. Credit that to the balance between chief songwriters guitarist Roger Miller and bassist Clint Conley.

And it’s a unique story. After the release of Vs.—the band’s first full-length—Miller and Conley called it quits after Miller developed tinnitus, a result of the band’s voluminous live shows. But the band would reform two decades later, making those 20 years seem like two. Mission of Burma released a pair of post-reunion records—OnOffOn in 2004 and The Obliterati in 2006—both of which continued with the band’s uncanny ability to balance energy and elegance.

Mission of Burma is working on the followup—The Sound The Speed The Light—due out Oct. 6 on Matador Records. The first single “1, 2, 3, Partyy!” is a burner in the spirit of “That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate”—a song that notoriously makes my foot heavy on the accelerator (Warning: Do not ride in Mark Lore’s car if listening to Mission of Burma). Yes. It’s that good.

“1, 2, 3, Partyy!” - Mission of Burma (The Sound The Speed The Light)

“That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate” - Mission of Burma (Vs.)

Tags: Clint Conley, Matador Records, Mission of Burma, OnOffOn, Roger Miller, The Obliterati, The Sound The Speed The Light, Vs.

Jay Reatard is so snuggly

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009 | musiX, pdX | 1 Comment

When I first heard the name Jay Reatard I: a) didn’t catch the first “a” in his last name, and b) thought he was some semi-obscure punk artist from the ’70s known only within circles of dweeby vinyl collectors who don’t listen to anything released after 1983. When I discovered he was a young kid from Memphis, I was actually a little disappointed. Then I listened …

Jay Reatard (born Jay Lindsey in 1980) might as well have been part of the blank generation. He’s an old soul for sure. Reatard’s music is sort of that sloppy and poppy, lo-fi rock that could fit snuggly somewhere between The Ramones and The Voidoids. Ahh … so snuggly.

Reatard’s music has evolved, but it hasn’t lost its soul. His early days with his bands The Reatards and The Lost Sounds were more punk, less pop, ripping straight from Memphis legends The Oblivians. After years of side-projects Reatard dropped the band names and was dropping new songs, which turned into his first “solo” outing Blood Visions (In The Red) in 2006. Not a clunker in the bunch. Still, he continued churning out snarling, three-minute pop songs at a dizzying clip—Singles 06-07 and Matador Singles ‘08 soon followed and Reatard was touring the world.

Some of Reatard’s influences are obvious—Wire, Devo, The Clean—you know, the good stuff. But so are a lot of songwriters’ influences. There’s an interview with Turn It Down where Reatard perfectly sums up his songs: “I think it’s just noisy pop music.” He just happens to do it better than most.

Which brings us to 2009. Jay Reatard will release his new album Watch Me Fall on Aug. 18 on Matador Records. In the meantime, Reatard has been touring Europe and the States and will stop by Dante’s in Portland Wed., June 17 with Thee Oh Sees and locals The Nice Noys (now that is a great show). I’m sure you’ll hear plenty of new songs, including “It Ain’t Gonna Save Me” … which is just noisy pop music. And better than most.

“It Ain’t Gonna Save Me” - Jay Reatard

Tags: Blood Visions, In The Red Records, Jay Reatard, Matador Records, Portland, The Reatards, Watch Me Fall

Barbara Manning: From me to you

Monday, December 1st, 2008 | musiX | 1 Comment

I always thought you were supposed to get starstruck on that first encounter with someone you admire. Barbara Manning made it difficult. She was sweet and approachable. She liked my band. This was the woman who played with New Zealand indie rock royalty including The Clean’s David Kilgour and Graeme Downes of The Verlaines, had Calexico as her backing band, recorded a string of albums for Matador Records. Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore even called her one of San Francisco’s best songwriters. Despite all that, I ended up befriending her rather than fawning over her.

I met Barbara a few years ago through some mutual friends. All I could think of was The San Francisco Seals‘ cover of The Verlaines’ “Joed Out,” which appeared on 1993’s No Alternative with bands like Pavement, Beastie Boys and Nirvana. That was my first introduction to her music.

Name-drops aside, Barbara Manning simply writes amazing pop songs. Any critical acclaim—from her early years as vocalist and bassist for Chico indie band 28th Day, through her solo albums and rock bands like S.F. Seals, World of Pooh and The Go-Luckys!—is deserved. She’s never had tremendous range, but her voice is pure, strong and comforting. Sometimes it sounds like she’s singing to you in conversation, her voice floats and her words slip into these sort of poetic stanzas.

Barbara Manning’s name isn’t all over magazines these days. And sometimes I don’t think she’s appreciated enough in her hometown of Chico. But those who are in the know know better. She’s still writing songs, and has loads of notebooks filled with lyrics and probably more than a few tapes with hummed melodies that may or may not see the light of day. But I have a feeling there’s something on the horizon …

Aside from performing solo Barbara Manning is fronting two bands—pop-punks The Sleaze Tax and twang-janglers Champion, the latter of which recorded a cover of Portastatic’s “Through With People” set to be released on Merge Records in January to honor the label’s 20th anniversary, along with Apples In Stereo, Okkervil River, Death Cab For Cutie and Times New Viking. She regained control of her back catalog and recently launched a new Web site. Barbara also rejoined Calexico during the group’s sold-out September 28 performance at the Fillmore to perform her song “Better By Bounds.”

I’ve known Barbara Manning for almost four years now. We ended up becoming good friends. I played in a band with her. Wrote a song with her. We worked together. Finally, I get to fawn over her.

“Better By Bounds” - Barbara Manning (Champion)

Tags: "Better By Bounds", "Joed Out", 28th Day, Barbara Manning, Calexico, Champion, David Kilgour, Graeme Downes, Matador Records, Merege Records 20th Anniversary, No Alternative, Sonic Youth, the Clean, The Go-Luckys!, The San Francisco Seals, The Sleaze Tax, the Verlaines, Thurston Moore, World of Pooh

A date @ IKEA w/Pavement

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 | musiX | 1 Comment

I had never set foot into an IKEA until just last week … returned a salad spinner with my girlfriend and bought some light bulbs and a couple of multiple-outlet adapter thingamabobbers. It’s kind of like a Yuppy Wal-Mart, although I’ve never actually been to Yuppy Wal-Mart, either. Geez, I feel like I’m from Mars telling you that I have only recently stepped inside this wonderland of Scandinavian chic.

Though I hardly knew what an IKEA was until recently, I might have to sign up for this contest. To help celebrate the release of Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Ed., Matador Records and imeem is going to send one lucky winner on a $500 IKEA shopping spree with a member of Pavement! You see, there was that song on the album penned by guitarist Scott Kannberg called “Date w/IKEA” … anyway, the surprise is that we don’t know which member, but we do know that Swedish meatballs are what’s for lunch. Simply send a photo and a short essay on why you deserve a date at IKEA by December 6.

The release of the B-sides and outtakes-loaded double-disc is set for December 9, the date the winner will be announced. I’m hoping for 300 multiple-outlet adapter thingamabobbers with Gary Young.

“Stereo,” off Brighten the Corners, by Pavement, w/kid accompaniment, in the car

Tags: Brighten the Corners: Nicene Creedence Ed., Date w/IKEA, Gary Young, IKEA, imeem, Matador Records, Pavement, Scott Kannberg