ESCUTA AQUI
A OlimpÃada e o rock
Ã?LVARO PEREIRA JÃ?NIOR
Quando você estiver lendo esta coluna, a OlimpÃada já terá
acabado. Se muita coisa deu certo, o Brasil, a duras pe- nas,
se segurou entre os 20 paÃses com mais medalhas.
Tantos e tantos atletas brazucas que a gente julgava serem
grandes nomes de nÃvel mundial, capazes de disputar primeiras
colocações, acabaram lá em quadragésimo lugar, desmaiando
durante as provas, vomitando, muitas vezes desistindo antes
do final.
As medalhas, poucas e raras, não refletem em nada a situação
do esporte no paÃs. São casos isolados, de gente que treina
sem patrocÃnio ou apoio oficial. Heróis, anomalias
estatÃsticas.
Muito bem, já gastamos três parágrafos falando dos Jogos
OlÃmpicos e você deve estar se perguntando: aonde esse cara
quer chegar, o que isso tudo tem a ver com rock?
Pois tem muito a ver com o rock brasileiro. Nossas bandas
locais, sejam as de sucesso, sejam aquelas que ainda batalham
no mundo "indie", raramente têm gás para fazer sucesso fora
daqui.
Assim como a grande maioria de nossos atletas olÃmpicos, os
roqueiros do Brasil têm fôlego restrito. E não por causa de
alguma competência inata, vocação genética ao fracasso. O
rock brasileiro tem alcance apenas local por causa de um
único fator: isolamento.
Os grandes shows do circuito mundial não passam por aqui.
Jovem brasileiro não cresce vendo, ao vivo, grandes bandas de
projeção mundial. E pior: equipamentos e instrumentos custam
uma fábula, completamente fora da realidade dos minguados
salários pagos em nosso paÃs.
� a mesma coisa com os atletas. Há poucos torneios
importantes acontecendo por aqui, viajar o mundo custa caro e
acontece raramente. Na hora da OlimpÃada, os adversários
todos se conhecem de outras competições, mas os nossos
brasileiros caem de gaiatos na roubada.
Imagino que nem todas as bandas brasileiras sejam horrÃveis,
assim como vários de nosso atletas tenham grande potencial.
Mas sucesso paroquial não enche a barriga de ninguém.
Então, quando alguém vier com aquele papo de que as bandas do
Brasil estão na vanguarda da música planetária, que chegou a
hora do rock brazuca, que nós estamos revolucionando a música
jovem da Terra, pode ficar de pé atrás. Olhe para o quadro de
medalhas dos Jogos de Atenas. � lá que está a verdade.
--------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
�lvaro Pereira Júnior, 41, é editor-chefe do "Fantástico" em
São Paulo
E-mail: cby2k@uol.com.br
CD PLAYER
PLAY - A volta do Helmet
O leitor Carlos Eduardo Igaz avisa que uma das bandas mais
importantes dos anos 90, o violento e cerebral Helmet, está
de volta. Mais informações: www.helmetmusic.com.
PAUSE - Franz Ferdinand em clima de jazz
São dois lados b: "Better in Hoboken" e "Forty Feet", em que
a banda vem intimista, quase acústica, "jazzy". Bacana, mas
FF é melhor do jeito que é de verdade: animado.
EJECT - Crise do Trail of Dead
Fechou o tempo para uma das bandas prediletas de "Escuta
Aqui", a violenta e desmiolada ...And You'll Know Us by the
Trail of Dead. O baixista caiu fora. Calma, rapazes!
__________________________________________________________________________
Acabe com aquelas janelinhas que pulam na sua tela.
AntiPop-up UOL - � grátis!
http://antipopup.uol.com.br/
segunda-feira, agosto 30, 2004
sexta-feira, agosto 20, 2004
MUSICA
Bandas tocam no V Festival, na Inglaterra, que tera nos proximos dias
Madonna, 50 Cent, Morrissey e White Stripes
Strokes e Pixies abrem "maratona rock"
LUCIO RIBEIRO
ENVIADO ESPECIAL A LONDRES
E para ingles ver e enjoar. De Madonna a Donnas. Do megaconhecido Morrissey
ao megadesconhecido Sons and Daughters. Do espalhafatoso Darkness as
recatadas garotas do 5.6.7.8's, que, tirando os japoneses, so quem assistiu
a "Kill Bill" conhece. A esse caldo, junte Strokes, Pixies, Franz
Ferdinand, Green Day, 50 Cent, Libertines, Dido, Pink, The Killers, White
Stripes, o rap e a eletronica.
Mais de 400 nomes que falam alto a musica jovem recente e nao tao recente,
dos mais estelares aos mais underground, se apresentam nos proximos dias em
Londres e arredores, em dois supereventos badalados, um festival novo, em
lugares gigantes como o Wembley Arena ou nos varios clubinhos da capital
inglesa.
Amanha e domingo, cerca de 70 mil pessoas pegam o caminho do Hylands Park,
area verde encravada na cidadezinha de Chelmsford (55 km a nordeste de
Londres). O endereco e o do V Festival, o anual evento bancado pelo
conglomerado Virgin.
Esta edicao de 2004 apresenta no domingo um interessante encontro de dois
gigantes do rock independente americano, cada um a seu tempo. Os Strokes
fecham o palco principal do evento ja dando mostra de seu novo disco, o
terceiro, que esta sendo gravado em Nova York. A banda, que chacoalhou o
novo rock em 2001, (ainda) esta cotada para tocar no Brasil ainda neste
ano.
Logo antes dos Strokes entra em cena a reformada banda Pixies, seminal
banda da virada dos 80 para os 90 que depois de decada separada
protagonizou a volta a ativa mais celebrada dos ultimos tempos. A
celebracao do encontro de Strokes e Pixies fez a edicao do V ter seus
ingressos esgotados meses antes do evento.
Na mesma hora de Pixies e Strokes, o Massive Attack e a banda Starsailor
vao puxar o palco secundario, enquanto Primal Scream e Groove Armada
comandam a arena de eletronica.
Os artistas principais da primeira noite do V 2004, amanha, sao os
popularissimos (por la) Dido e Muse, no palco principal, e os meninos do
Kings of Leon.
Quando Pixies e Strokes estiverem guardando suas guitarras para deixarem
Chelmsford, neste domingo, a cantora Madonna vai estar recolhendo todos os
seus figurinos depois de apresentacao em Londres, na primeira de sua
residencia de quatro noites no colossal Wembley Arena.
A Re-Invention Tour 2004, que comecou em maio em Los Angeles, e a primeira
turne de Madonna em tres anos, e Londres respira Madonna nas ruas, revistas
e jornais. Mas, ainda assim, nenhuma das quatro noites esta esgotada.
A mesma cidade que abriga Madonna vai ter, ainda na semana que entra, shows
de todos os tipos e tamanhos, como o da sensacao The Killers (Las Vegas), o
dos veteranissimos MC5, herois do rock alternativo americano, alem de Bloc
Party, Futureheads e The Cribs, bandas da falada novissima geracao da
musica britanica.
Ate que chega o outro final de semana. E a coisa complica de vez. Na sexta,
dia 27, comeca o espetacular Reading Festival, cujo slogan e "talvez o
principal encontro de publico jovem, grande atmosfera e boas bandas de rock
do planeta". Em tres dias entram em acao cerca de 140 atracoes. Tudo
espalhado em uma fazenda no meio da cidade universitaria de Reading, que
fica a 40 minutos de trem de Londres, mais ou menos.
O festival deste ano e encabecado, em seu palco principal, pelo gigante
Darkness e pelo Offspring (na sexta), pela excelente linha formada na
sequencia por Franz Ferdinand, Libertines, Morrissey e White Stripes
(sabado) e Green Day e 50 Cent fechando o domingo e o festival em si.
O que reune mais expectativa e o line-up do sabado, que termina com a volta
ao Reino Unido do meteorico grupo escoces Franz Ferdinand, depois de uma
bem-sucedida turne por Australia, Japao e EUA; tem o Libertines, pronto
para explodir com o ja badalado segundo disco "The Libertines", que nem foi
lancado ainda; o sempre respeitado Morrissey; e o White Stripes, que fara
seu ultimo show do ano.
Da enorme lista de atracoes do Reading 2004, 50 Cent (Chimera Hip Hop), LCD
Soundsystem (Sonar Brasil), 2 ManyDJs/Soulwax, Kinky e Dizzee Rascal (Tim
Festival) e MC5 (Goiania Noise) tem o Brasil em sua agenda futura de shows.
Paralelamente ao Reading, mas em Londres mesmo, e no mesmo final de semana
do feriado bancario, os famosos jardins vitorianos de Kings Cross recebem
em oito palcos ao ar livre outra carga de cem atracoes da nova musica.
O Cross Central Festival, armado pela primeira vez, reune badalados DJs
como Derrick Carter, Erol Alkan e Mark Farina, novos grupos como British
Sea Power e The Others e os modernosos LCD Soundsystem, Chicks on Speed,
Ladytron e Soul II Soul, que vem ao Brasil para ser destaque no Brasilia
Music Festival - Electronic, em setembro.
Bandas tocam no V Festival, na Inglaterra, que tera nos proximos dias
Madonna, 50 Cent, Morrissey e White Stripes
Strokes e Pixies abrem "maratona rock"
LUCIO RIBEIRO
ENVIADO ESPECIAL A LONDRES
E para ingles ver e enjoar. De Madonna a Donnas. Do megaconhecido Morrissey
ao megadesconhecido Sons and Daughters. Do espalhafatoso Darkness as
recatadas garotas do 5.6.7.8's, que, tirando os japoneses, so quem assistiu
a "Kill Bill" conhece. A esse caldo, junte Strokes, Pixies, Franz
Ferdinand, Green Day, 50 Cent, Libertines, Dido, Pink, The Killers, White
Stripes, o rap e a eletronica.
Mais de 400 nomes que falam alto a musica jovem recente e nao tao recente,
dos mais estelares aos mais underground, se apresentam nos proximos dias em
Londres e arredores, em dois supereventos badalados, um festival novo, em
lugares gigantes como o Wembley Arena ou nos varios clubinhos da capital
inglesa.
Amanha e domingo, cerca de 70 mil pessoas pegam o caminho do Hylands Park,
area verde encravada na cidadezinha de Chelmsford (55 km a nordeste de
Londres). O endereco e o do V Festival, o anual evento bancado pelo
conglomerado Virgin.
Esta edicao de 2004 apresenta no domingo um interessante encontro de dois
gigantes do rock independente americano, cada um a seu tempo. Os Strokes
fecham o palco principal do evento ja dando mostra de seu novo disco, o
terceiro, que esta sendo gravado em Nova York. A banda, que chacoalhou o
novo rock em 2001, (ainda) esta cotada para tocar no Brasil ainda neste
ano.
Logo antes dos Strokes entra em cena a reformada banda Pixies, seminal
banda da virada dos 80 para os 90 que depois de decada separada
protagonizou a volta a ativa mais celebrada dos ultimos tempos. A
celebracao do encontro de Strokes e Pixies fez a edicao do V ter seus
ingressos esgotados meses antes do evento.
Na mesma hora de Pixies e Strokes, o Massive Attack e a banda Starsailor
vao puxar o palco secundario, enquanto Primal Scream e Groove Armada
comandam a arena de eletronica.
Os artistas principais da primeira noite do V 2004, amanha, sao os
popularissimos (por la) Dido e Muse, no palco principal, e os meninos do
Kings of Leon.
Quando Pixies e Strokes estiverem guardando suas guitarras para deixarem
Chelmsford, neste domingo, a cantora Madonna vai estar recolhendo todos os
seus figurinos depois de apresentacao em Londres, na primeira de sua
residencia de quatro noites no colossal Wembley Arena.
A Re-Invention Tour 2004, que comecou em maio em Los Angeles, e a primeira
turne de Madonna em tres anos, e Londres respira Madonna nas ruas, revistas
e jornais. Mas, ainda assim, nenhuma das quatro noites esta esgotada.
A mesma cidade que abriga Madonna vai ter, ainda na semana que entra, shows
de todos os tipos e tamanhos, como o da sensacao The Killers (Las Vegas), o
dos veteranissimos MC5, herois do rock alternativo americano, alem de Bloc
Party, Futureheads e The Cribs, bandas da falada novissima geracao da
musica britanica.
Ate que chega o outro final de semana. E a coisa complica de vez. Na sexta,
dia 27, comeca o espetacular Reading Festival, cujo slogan e "talvez o
principal encontro de publico jovem, grande atmosfera e boas bandas de rock
do planeta". Em tres dias entram em acao cerca de 140 atracoes. Tudo
espalhado em uma fazenda no meio da cidade universitaria de Reading, que
fica a 40 minutos de trem de Londres, mais ou menos.
O festival deste ano e encabecado, em seu palco principal, pelo gigante
Darkness e pelo Offspring (na sexta), pela excelente linha formada na
sequencia por Franz Ferdinand, Libertines, Morrissey e White Stripes
(sabado) e Green Day e 50 Cent fechando o domingo e o festival em si.
O que reune mais expectativa e o line-up do sabado, que termina com a volta
ao Reino Unido do meteorico grupo escoces Franz Ferdinand, depois de uma
bem-sucedida turne por Australia, Japao e EUA; tem o Libertines, pronto
para explodir com o ja badalado segundo disco "The Libertines", que nem foi
lancado ainda; o sempre respeitado Morrissey; e o White Stripes, que fara
seu ultimo show do ano.
Da enorme lista de atracoes do Reading 2004, 50 Cent (Chimera Hip Hop), LCD
Soundsystem (Sonar Brasil), 2 ManyDJs/Soulwax, Kinky e Dizzee Rascal (Tim
Festival) e MC5 (Goiania Noise) tem o Brasil em sua agenda futura de shows.
Paralelamente ao Reading, mas em Londres mesmo, e no mesmo final de semana
do feriado bancario, os famosos jardins vitorianos de Kings Cross recebem
em oito palcos ao ar livre outra carga de cem atracoes da nova musica.
O Cross Central Festival, armado pela primeira vez, reune badalados DJs
como Derrick Carter, Erol Alkan e Mark Farina, novos grupos como British
Sea Power e The Others e os modernosos LCD Soundsystem, Chicks on Speed,
Ladytron e Soul II Soul, que vem ao Brasil para ser destaque no Brasilia
Music Festival - Electronic, em setembro.
segunda-feira, agosto 16, 2004
ESCUTA AQUI
O massacre das crianças
Ã?LVARO PEREIRA JÃ?NIOR
Numa ilha deserta do arquipélago japonês, 42 adolescentes têm
de cumprir uma ordem do governo: matarem-se uns aos outros.
Eles estão lá contra a vontade. Foram drogados, dormiram e,
ao acordar, viram-se dentro desse pesadelo sem escapatória: a
Battle Royale, uma batalha sangrenta e real, que só acaba
quando resta um único sobrevivente.
O cenário é um Japão neofascista, com desemprego alto e
desprezo dos jovens por todo tipo de autoridade. Nas escolas,
professores são maltratados, humilhados. Quando os alunos se
dignam a aparecer.
Num ato extremo para moralizar o paÃs, o governo edita o Ato
Institucional da Batalha Real. Segundo essa lei -represália
extrema ao afrontoso comportamento juvenil-, todo ano um
grupo de estudantes é escolhido ao acaso para participar da
Batalha Real. Não importa se entre eles há grandes amigos,
namorados, companheiros. Na BR, só existe um vencedor.
Ao chegar à ilha, cada jovem ganha uma arma: pode ser uma
pistola, um fuzil, uma metralhadora, uma foice. Mas também há
quem receba um par de binóculos, uma tampa de panela, um
localizador eletrônico tipo GPS.
A essas alturas, o leitor mais ligado em cinema e bizarrices
asiáticas já percebeu que estamos falando do filme "Battle
Royale" (2000), continuamente citado pelo diretor americano
Quentin Tarantino como principal influência na criação dos
dois "Kill Bill". A adoração é tanta que Tarantino
dedicou "Kill Bill" ao diretor de "Battle Royale", Kinji
Fukasako (1930-2003).
Fukasako, que tinha 70 anos ao filmar "BR", leva a violência
a nÃveis inimagináveis. Há de tudo: suicÃdios, garotos
fuzilando os melhores amigos, menininhas cuspindo sangue e
uma cabeça decepada com um granada na boca. Mas são cenas de
tal modo incorporadas à narrativa, e o roteiro é tão
envolvente, que não há nada gratuito ou repugnante.
Nenhum tabu fica em pé nessa obra de arte genial e
devastadora, que no Japão passou em grande circuito comercial
e chegou a número um nas bilheterias (nos EUA, ninguém teve
coragem de lançar).
Pesquise na internet, não deixe de ver.
--------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
�lvaro Pereira Júnior, 41, é editor-chefe do "Fantástico" em
São Paulo
E-mail: cby2k@uol.com.br
CD PLAYER
PLAY - "Fever", Pink Grease
Seis ingleses que fazem a banda Franz Ferdinand parecer um
bando de feios, sujos e malvados. "Fever" é a faixa disco
punk mais gay e irresistÃvel- do ano!
PLAY - "The End of the World", Cure
Quem diria que, depois de décadas de estrada, os tiozinhos do
Cure viriam com uma música tão moderna e, ao mesmo tempo,
100% Cure? Viva o produtor Ross Robinson!
EJECT - "Escuta Aqui"
Há 15 dias, pedi que os leitores explicassem por que acham
legal a banda inglesa Libertines. Prometi publicar a melhor
resposta, mas furei. Semana que vem rola.
__________________________________________________________________________
Acabe com aquelas janelinhas que pulam na sua tela.
AntiPop-up UOL - � grátis!
http://antipopup.uol.com.br/
O massacre das crianças
Ã?LVARO PEREIRA JÃ?NIOR
Numa ilha deserta do arquipélago japonês, 42 adolescentes têm
de cumprir uma ordem do governo: matarem-se uns aos outros.
Eles estão lá contra a vontade. Foram drogados, dormiram e,
ao acordar, viram-se dentro desse pesadelo sem escapatória: a
Battle Royale, uma batalha sangrenta e real, que só acaba
quando resta um único sobrevivente.
O cenário é um Japão neofascista, com desemprego alto e
desprezo dos jovens por todo tipo de autoridade. Nas escolas,
professores são maltratados, humilhados. Quando os alunos se
dignam a aparecer.
Num ato extremo para moralizar o paÃs, o governo edita o Ato
Institucional da Batalha Real. Segundo essa lei -represália
extrema ao afrontoso comportamento juvenil-, todo ano um
grupo de estudantes é escolhido ao acaso para participar da
Batalha Real. Não importa se entre eles há grandes amigos,
namorados, companheiros. Na BR, só existe um vencedor.
Ao chegar à ilha, cada jovem ganha uma arma: pode ser uma
pistola, um fuzil, uma metralhadora, uma foice. Mas também há
quem receba um par de binóculos, uma tampa de panela, um
localizador eletrônico tipo GPS.
A essas alturas, o leitor mais ligado em cinema e bizarrices
asiáticas já percebeu que estamos falando do filme "Battle
Royale" (2000), continuamente citado pelo diretor americano
Quentin Tarantino como principal influência na criação dos
dois "Kill Bill". A adoração é tanta que Tarantino
dedicou "Kill Bill" ao diretor de "Battle Royale", Kinji
Fukasako (1930-2003).
Fukasako, que tinha 70 anos ao filmar "BR", leva a violência
a nÃveis inimagináveis. Há de tudo: suicÃdios, garotos
fuzilando os melhores amigos, menininhas cuspindo sangue e
uma cabeça decepada com um granada na boca. Mas são cenas de
tal modo incorporadas à narrativa, e o roteiro é tão
envolvente, que não há nada gratuito ou repugnante.
Nenhum tabu fica em pé nessa obra de arte genial e
devastadora, que no Japão passou em grande circuito comercial
e chegou a número um nas bilheterias (nos EUA, ninguém teve
coragem de lançar).
Pesquise na internet, não deixe de ver.
--------------------------------------------------------------
------------------
�lvaro Pereira Júnior, 41, é editor-chefe do "Fantástico" em
São Paulo
E-mail: cby2k@uol.com.br
CD PLAYER
PLAY - "Fever", Pink Grease
Seis ingleses que fazem a banda Franz Ferdinand parecer um
bando de feios, sujos e malvados. "Fever" é a faixa disco
punk mais gay e irresistÃvel- do ano!
PLAY - "The End of the World", Cure
Quem diria que, depois de décadas de estrada, os tiozinhos do
Cure viriam com uma música tão moderna e, ao mesmo tempo,
100% Cure? Viva o produtor Ross Robinson!
EJECT - "Escuta Aqui"
Há 15 dias, pedi que os leitores explicassem por que acham
legal a banda inglesa Libertines. Prometi publicar a melhor
resposta, mas furei. Semana que vem rola.
__________________________________________________________________________
Acabe com aquelas janelinhas que pulam na sua tela.
AntiPop-up UOL - � grátis!
http://antipopup.uol.com.br/
quarta-feira, agosto 11, 2004
Iignorance is Bliss
Nao e massa aquele tipo de pessoa que teve condicoes de estudar, fez
faculdade e tudo mais, porem nao consegue sair do circuito novela das oito,
raul Gil, Tribalistas?
Que coisa deprimente a falta de consciencia em procurar entender a situacao
na qual nosso brilhante pais esta inserido. Temos gente aos borbotoes
cultuando bandas que copiam ate o osso coisas de fora, e ninguem nem
imagina que isso acontece. Temos também os genios da musica popular produzindo em
um nivel sofrivel e todo mundo babando ovo.
A informacao simplesmente nao chega, nao circula! E note, estamos falando
de uma epoca na qual a internet e ferramenta diaria dos elementos supra
citados.
E triste, muito triste. "Sou Brasileiro e gosto das coisas feitas aqui,
mesmo que sejam um lixo." Quer dizer neguinho nem tem nocao que a coisa nao
presta, pois nao tem referencia para comparacao.
Puta falta de senso critico. E isso na minha opiniao contribui para a
continuidade da mediocridade reinante.
Repetindo: estou falando de gente que fez faculdade de primeira linha. Tem
acesso a informacao, etc.
Abre os olhos mane!!
E olha que tem muita gente com muitissimo menos condicoes que e antenado e
consegue furar o bloqueio imposto pelo "homem" (como diria Black Jack).
A coisa é extensa. Mais pitacos em breve!
faculdade e tudo mais, porem nao consegue sair do circuito novela das oito,
raul Gil, Tribalistas?
Que coisa deprimente a falta de consciencia em procurar entender a situacao
na qual nosso brilhante pais esta inserido. Temos gente aos borbotoes
cultuando bandas que copiam ate o osso coisas de fora, e ninguem nem
imagina que isso acontece. Temos também os genios da musica popular produzindo em
um nivel sofrivel e todo mundo babando ovo.
A informacao simplesmente nao chega, nao circula! E note, estamos falando
de uma epoca na qual a internet e ferramenta diaria dos elementos supra
citados.
E triste, muito triste. "Sou Brasileiro e gosto das coisas feitas aqui,
mesmo que sejam um lixo." Quer dizer neguinho nem tem nocao que a coisa nao
presta, pois nao tem referencia para comparacao.
Puta falta de senso critico. E isso na minha opiniao contribui para a
continuidade da mediocridade reinante.
Repetindo: estou falando de gente que fez faculdade de primeira linha. Tem
acesso a informacao, etc.
Abre os olhos mane!!
E olha que tem muita gente com muitissimo menos condicoes que e antenado e
consegue furar o bloqueio imposto pelo "homem" (como diria Black Jack).
A coisa é extensa. Mais pitacos em breve!
NYT
The Pixies Get Their Act Together
Published: August 8, 2004
(Page 2 of 3)
The songs are full of musical and verbal non sequiturs, but skewed as they
were, a decade and a half later they sound like irrepressible pop. And at a
time when rock has grown sodden with earnestness and self-pity, the Pixies'
songs sound like a corrective; they're smart, lightheaded, profound and
comic, and they rock with a vengeance.
That was the idea from the beginning. "I got exposed to some Surrealist
films of the 1920's and 30's and 40's or whatever in college, read a couple
of articles, attended a couple of lectures," Mr. Thompson said in an
interview between shows in London. "And I applied all of that in a really
fumbly kind of way to having a rock band. It was going to be quirky but in
a really simple, brief, swift fashion. It was like, `Oh yeah, I'm going to
add something or I'm going to take something away so that it's a little bit
lopsided or whatever.' Because when it's just a foursquare thing, it at
least stands a 50-50 chance of being boring, cliche-ridden,
heard-it-before. When you lop off one corner of it, well, I don't know if
it's boring or not. But it's definitely something that you've not heard
before.
"Now people pursue rock music, and they go, `I have something important to
say, and here's what it is, and ooh, I'm singing it from my heart, too.'
And it's all too serious. And people totally miss out. They totally miss
the fun, Jabberwocky, fun-with-language, fun-with-poetry."
From the beginning, the Pixies were diligent. They practiced five hours a
day, four days a week, in Mr. Lovering's garage. "We wouldn't be able to
play if we didn't figure out what we were going to play," Ms. Deal
recalled. "We could not jam. I still can't jam."
They invested $1,500 to make a demo tape that eventually yielded songs for
the band's punk-flavored 1987 debut EP, "Come On Pilgrim." With the
producer Gil Norton polishing their dynamics, the Pixies went on to make
two indelible albums, "Surfer Rosa" (1988) and "Doolittle" (1989), and two
solid ones, "Bossanova" (1990) and "Trompe le Monde" (1991). And they
toured steadily for five years, from hole-in-the-wall punk clubs to
European rock festivals.
The grind of traveling gradually frayed the band. "It's intense being on
tour," Mr. Thompson said. "You're cooped up in a bus with a bunch of
different personalities - people you know, people you don't know. You're on
a weird time schedule. Sometimes there's a lot of drinking and drugs and
all, sleep deprivation. It's kind of a weird situation."
By the end of a final tour, opening for U2 and facing audiences that barely
knew them, Mr. Thompson was no longer speaking to Ms. Deal. In 1992, he
dissolved the Pixies via faxes sent from his manager's office. "If I would
have called a meeting or something, then it would have just kind of
devolved into this big discussion," he said " `Oh, come on, Charles. Don't
do this right now.' And I just wasn't up for that. I was just, like, I'm
done. I'm done. Goodbye. There's no discussion, you know what I mean?"
Ms. Deal went on to start the Breeders, who had a million-selling album in
1993 with "Last Splash" but struggled to follow through. Mr. Thompson
renamed himself Frank Black and started writing more straightforward songs
than his Pixies material; Mr. Santiago worked on and off with Frank Black's
bands and started a band called the Martinis with Mr. Lovering in the
mid-90's. More recently, Mr. Lovering gave up drums and was scraping out a
living as a magician until the call came to rejoin the Pixies. He still
keeps a deck of cards close at hand and has sometimes been the Pixies'
opening act. "I love the Pixies," he tells crowds who may not recognize his
name. "I've been to every one of their shows."
The Pixies reunion, Mr. Thompson said, started as a joke. Or maybe it
wasn't exactly a joke, but some combination of wish and strategy. He isn't
about to say. But last July, while on tour with his own band, he was doing
an interview on a London radio station when he was asked the question he
had been asked in every interview he had given for the last 12 years: Would
the Pixies ever reunite? And for the first time, he allowed that there just
might be the possibility of a reunion.
The Pixies Get Their Act Together
Published: August 8, 2004
(Page 3 of 3)
The news zipped across the Internet to fans who had been waiting since the
Pixies ended their six-year career in 1992, and anticipation started to
build. Mr. Thompson had joked with the interviewer that the Pixies were
still jamming and working on new songs, but he also said that any time he
envisioned a Pixies reunion, it was like the classic anxiety dream of being
unprepared in public. Still, in August he quietly held some strategy
meetings with his manager and booking agent. He called Mr. Santiago, who
called Ms. Deal. "I just went, `Oh really?' " Ms. Deal said. "But Joe was
telling me, `This could be a change of school district for me. This is
important to me.' And because of that I said I'd do it."
The band members, now in their 30's and 40's, are temperate on tour these
days. Over dinner, Mr. Thompson and Ms. Deal drank nonalcoholic beer. In
London, Mr. Santiago was joined by his pregnant wife, Linda, and his
year-old daughter; Mr. Lovering played host to his parents.
The Pixies have recorded a new song together, written by Ms. Deal, called
"Bam Thwok," which was originally written for the soundtrack to "Shrek 2."
But the movie company chose a song by Counting Crows instead, and "Bam
Thwok" ended up helping to inaugurate the European version of iTunes.
Marc Geiger of the William Morris Agency, the band's longtime agent, says
he is hoping the Pixies will record a new album early next year. "I have
thought of that concept, yes," Mr. Black said. "I wouldn't mind asking Tom
Waits to produce us. Why not? I like the way his records sound."
But the band members are resolutely not looking ahead. They have kept the
tour as familiar as possible; not just the songs but their business
associates, lighting director and sound man are the same as they were the
first time around. In Brixton, even the backstage caterer was the same as
on the Pixies' last visit to the same theater in 1991.
"There's surprisingly little deja vu on this tour," Mr. Thompson said.
"It's more like just a continuation. It's like there's a bunch of songs. We
played them to death in the late 80's and early 90's for a period of about
five years. So, a bit of a long sabbatical. Now we're playing them again.
And there really isn't any mystery."
Published: August 8, 2004
(Page 2 of 3)
The songs are full of musical and verbal non sequiturs, but skewed as they
were, a decade and a half later they sound like irrepressible pop. And at a
time when rock has grown sodden with earnestness and self-pity, the Pixies'
songs sound like a corrective; they're smart, lightheaded, profound and
comic, and they rock with a vengeance.
That was the idea from the beginning. "I got exposed to some Surrealist
films of the 1920's and 30's and 40's or whatever in college, read a couple
of articles, attended a couple of lectures," Mr. Thompson said in an
interview between shows in London. "And I applied all of that in a really
fumbly kind of way to having a rock band. It was going to be quirky but in
a really simple, brief, swift fashion. It was like, `Oh yeah, I'm going to
add something or I'm going to take something away so that it's a little bit
lopsided or whatever.' Because when it's just a foursquare thing, it at
least stands a 50-50 chance of being boring, cliche-ridden,
heard-it-before. When you lop off one corner of it, well, I don't know if
it's boring or not. But it's definitely something that you've not heard
before.
"Now people pursue rock music, and they go, `I have something important to
say, and here's what it is, and ooh, I'm singing it from my heart, too.'
And it's all too serious. And people totally miss out. They totally miss
the fun, Jabberwocky, fun-with-language, fun-with-poetry."
From the beginning, the Pixies were diligent. They practiced five hours a
day, four days a week, in Mr. Lovering's garage. "We wouldn't be able to
play if we didn't figure out what we were going to play," Ms. Deal
recalled. "We could not jam. I still can't jam."
They invested $1,500 to make a demo tape that eventually yielded songs for
the band's punk-flavored 1987 debut EP, "Come On Pilgrim." With the
producer Gil Norton polishing their dynamics, the Pixies went on to make
two indelible albums, "Surfer Rosa" (1988) and "Doolittle" (1989), and two
solid ones, "Bossanova" (1990) and "Trompe le Monde" (1991). And they
toured steadily for five years, from hole-in-the-wall punk clubs to
European rock festivals.
The grind of traveling gradually frayed the band. "It's intense being on
tour," Mr. Thompson said. "You're cooped up in a bus with a bunch of
different personalities - people you know, people you don't know. You're on
a weird time schedule. Sometimes there's a lot of drinking and drugs and
all, sleep deprivation. It's kind of a weird situation."
By the end of a final tour, opening for U2 and facing audiences that barely
knew them, Mr. Thompson was no longer speaking to Ms. Deal. In 1992, he
dissolved the Pixies via faxes sent from his manager's office. "If I would
have called a meeting or something, then it would have just kind of
devolved into this big discussion," he said " `Oh, come on, Charles. Don't
do this right now.' And I just wasn't up for that. I was just, like, I'm
done. I'm done. Goodbye. There's no discussion, you know what I mean?"
Ms. Deal went on to start the Breeders, who had a million-selling album in
1993 with "Last Splash" but struggled to follow through. Mr. Thompson
renamed himself Frank Black and started writing more straightforward songs
than his Pixies material; Mr. Santiago worked on and off with Frank Black's
bands and started a band called the Martinis with Mr. Lovering in the
mid-90's. More recently, Mr. Lovering gave up drums and was scraping out a
living as a magician until the call came to rejoin the Pixies. He still
keeps a deck of cards close at hand and has sometimes been the Pixies'
opening act. "I love the Pixies," he tells crowds who may not recognize his
name. "I've been to every one of their shows."
The Pixies reunion, Mr. Thompson said, started as a joke. Or maybe it
wasn't exactly a joke, but some combination of wish and strategy. He isn't
about to say. But last July, while on tour with his own band, he was doing
an interview on a London radio station when he was asked the question he
had been asked in every interview he had given for the last 12 years: Would
the Pixies ever reunite? And for the first time, he allowed that there just
might be the possibility of a reunion.
The Pixies Get Their Act Together
Published: August 8, 2004
(Page 3 of 3)
The news zipped across the Internet to fans who had been waiting since the
Pixies ended their six-year career in 1992, and anticipation started to
build. Mr. Thompson had joked with the interviewer that the Pixies were
still jamming and working on new songs, but he also said that any time he
envisioned a Pixies reunion, it was like the classic anxiety dream of being
unprepared in public. Still, in August he quietly held some strategy
meetings with his manager and booking agent. He called Mr. Santiago, who
called Ms. Deal. "I just went, `Oh really?' " Ms. Deal said. "But Joe was
telling me, `This could be a change of school district for me. This is
important to me.' And because of that I said I'd do it."
The band members, now in their 30's and 40's, are temperate on tour these
days. Over dinner, Mr. Thompson and Ms. Deal drank nonalcoholic beer. In
London, Mr. Santiago was joined by his pregnant wife, Linda, and his
year-old daughter; Mr. Lovering played host to his parents.
The Pixies have recorded a new song together, written by Ms. Deal, called
"Bam Thwok," which was originally written for the soundtrack to "Shrek 2."
But the movie company chose a song by Counting Crows instead, and "Bam
Thwok" ended up helping to inaugurate the European version of iTunes.
Marc Geiger of the William Morris Agency, the band's longtime agent, says
he is hoping the Pixies will record a new album early next year. "I have
thought of that concept, yes," Mr. Black said. "I wouldn't mind asking Tom
Waits to produce us. Why not? I like the way his records sound."
But the band members are resolutely not looking ahead. They have kept the
tour as familiar as possible; not just the songs but their business
associates, lighting director and sound man are the same as they were the
first time around. In Brixton, even the backstage caterer was the same as
on the Pixies' last visit to the same theater in 1991.
"There's surprisingly little deja vu on this tour," Mr. Thompson said.
"It's more like just a continuation. It's like there's a bunch of songs. We
played them to death in the late 80's and early 90's for a period of about
five years. So, a bit of a long sabbatical. Now we're playing them again.
And there really isn't any mystery."
From NYT
The Pixies Get Their Act Together
By JON PARELES
Published: August 8, 2004
LONDON
MIDWAY through one of their four instantly sold-out concerts in June at the
Brixton Academy in London, the reunited Pixies charged into "Monkey Gone to
Heaven," a song about apocalypse and faith. The audience - some who had
seen the Pixies between 1986 and 1992, and an equal contingent of younger
fans getting their first glimpse - all knew what to do as Frank Black
started to sing the song's reverse countdown: "If man is five/ Then the
devil is six/ And if the devil is six/ Then God is seven."
At 39, he looked less like a rock star than ever: bald, portly, dressed in
a shapeless T-shirt. He barely glanced at Kim Deal, 43, the band's bassist
and occasional singer. Yet as he worked his way from a strangled, nasal
whine to a shriek, the whole room sang along, and thousands of hands shot
into the air with fingers raised on cue: five, six, seven. The crowd
couldn't have been more enthusiastic if the song, released in 1989, were in
the current Top 10.
The Pixies have been rapturously received since they started touring in
April, and have been one of the few unqualified successes in a summer
filled with foundering tours. Reunions are a staple in the concert
business, as acts from Simon and Garfunkel to the Eagles to Duran Duran to
the Sex Pistols periodically reappear. Affection for the oldies is one
draw; so is the possibility that every reunion is the last chance to see a
group. Nostalgia seems to peak after two decades, and lately the postpunk
bands of the 1980's have been regrouping - among them, Mission of Burma,
which sold out a club tour last year and went on to make a new album.
But the response to the Pixies reunion has been greater by orders of
magnitude. It wasn't just the shows in smaller venues that sold so briskly;
more than 50,000 tickets were snapped up for the Pixies' day at the
Coachella festival, and theaters around the United States have quickly sold
out for multiple dates. The Pixies were to perform at the New York stop of
the Lollapalooza Festival this month, which had already sold 11,000 tickets
when the entire tour was canceled. Instead, they will have New York dates
on Dec. 12 and 13 at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Meanwhile, the company
DiscLive has been offering instant live recordings of every concert by the
reunited group. Those CD's, in numbered limited editions of 1,000 or 2,000,
are selling out, too, and turning into instant collectors' items available
for handsome mark-up on eBay.
Charles Michael Kittredge Thompson IV, a k a Frank Black, who called
himself Black Francis on the Pixies' recordings, claimed to be unimpressed.
Pixies audiences were enthusiastic for most of the group's initial career,
he said. Now, he added, there are more curiosity-seekers. "I'm wondering if
there's a large section of the audience that kind of isn't really getting
it," he said. "That's good. It gives us an opportunity to preach to the
still-not-converted."
It's an arty underdog's attitude that seems to be a holdover from the
band's first time around. The Pixies, who got started in Boston in 1986,
became hit-makers in England and Europe. Yet in the United States, they
never quite broke out of the collegiate rock circuit, even after they were
signed to a major label, Elektra. Those who discovered the Pixies have
cherished their catalog ever since. When the band played Coachella on May
1, one visitor's license plate read, "DEBASR," for "Debaser," the Pixies
song about (among other things) the Surrealist film "Un Chien Andalou."
Black Francis's songs for the Pixies were terse but wild-eyed. As he sang
about the Bible, science fiction, incest or immigration, the music could
sound like punk or country, surf-rock or metal. Joey Santiago's lead guitar
laced the music with twangy little hooks or solos that threatened to skid
right out of the song; Ms. Deal answered Black Francis's hopped-up vocals
with calm, airy responses, and David Lovering's drums paced the music from
brisk to quasi-Latin to booming. Quiet verses suddenly gave way to howling,
stomping choruses - a tactic that would be commandeered by the Pixies' most
influential and grateful fan, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana.
By JON PARELES
Published: August 8, 2004
LONDON
MIDWAY through one of their four instantly sold-out concerts in June at the
Brixton Academy in London, the reunited Pixies charged into "Monkey Gone to
Heaven," a song about apocalypse and faith. The audience - some who had
seen the Pixies between 1986 and 1992, and an equal contingent of younger
fans getting their first glimpse - all knew what to do as Frank Black
started to sing the song's reverse countdown: "If man is five/ Then the
devil is six/ And if the devil is six/ Then God is seven."
At 39, he looked less like a rock star than ever: bald, portly, dressed in
a shapeless T-shirt. He barely glanced at Kim Deal, 43, the band's bassist
and occasional singer. Yet as he worked his way from a strangled, nasal
whine to a shriek, the whole room sang along, and thousands of hands shot
into the air with fingers raised on cue: five, six, seven. The crowd
couldn't have been more enthusiastic if the song, released in 1989, were in
the current Top 10.
The Pixies have been rapturously received since they started touring in
April, and have been one of the few unqualified successes in a summer
filled with foundering tours. Reunions are a staple in the concert
business, as acts from Simon and Garfunkel to the Eagles to Duran Duran to
the Sex Pistols periodically reappear. Affection for the oldies is one
draw; so is the possibility that every reunion is the last chance to see a
group. Nostalgia seems to peak after two decades, and lately the postpunk
bands of the 1980's have been regrouping - among them, Mission of Burma,
which sold out a club tour last year and went on to make a new album.
But the response to the Pixies reunion has been greater by orders of
magnitude. It wasn't just the shows in smaller venues that sold so briskly;
more than 50,000 tickets were snapped up for the Pixies' day at the
Coachella festival, and theaters around the United States have quickly sold
out for multiple dates. The Pixies were to perform at the New York stop of
the Lollapalooza Festival this month, which had already sold 11,000 tickets
when the entire tour was canceled. Instead, they will have New York dates
on Dec. 12 and 13 at the Hammerstein Ballroom. Meanwhile, the company
DiscLive has been offering instant live recordings of every concert by the
reunited group. Those CD's, in numbered limited editions of 1,000 or 2,000,
are selling out, too, and turning into instant collectors' items available
for handsome mark-up on eBay.
Charles Michael Kittredge Thompson IV, a k a Frank Black, who called
himself Black Francis on the Pixies' recordings, claimed to be unimpressed.
Pixies audiences were enthusiastic for most of the group's initial career,
he said. Now, he added, there are more curiosity-seekers. "I'm wondering if
there's a large section of the audience that kind of isn't really getting
it," he said. "That's good. It gives us an opportunity to preach to the
still-not-converted."
It's an arty underdog's attitude that seems to be a holdover from the
band's first time around. The Pixies, who got started in Boston in 1986,
became hit-makers in England and Europe. Yet in the United States, they
never quite broke out of the collegiate rock circuit, even after they were
signed to a major label, Elektra. Those who discovered the Pixies have
cherished their catalog ever since. When the band played Coachella on May
1, one visitor's license plate read, "DEBASR," for "Debaser," the Pixies
song about (among other things) the Surrealist film "Un Chien Andalou."
Black Francis's songs for the Pixies were terse but wild-eyed. As he sang
about the Bible, science fiction, incest or immigration, the music could
sound like punk or country, surf-rock or metal. Joey Santiago's lead guitar
laced the music with twangy little hooks or solos that threatened to skid
right out of the song; Ms. Deal answered Black Francis's hopped-up vocals
with calm, airy responses, and David Lovering's drums paced the music from
brisk to quasi-Latin to booming. Quiet verses suddenly gave way to howling,
stomping choruses - a tactic that would be commandeered by the Pixies' most
influential and grateful fan, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana.
terça-feira, agosto 10, 2004
pixies
Noticia bombastica para fas de Pixies: a cultuadissima banda esta
planejando para 2005 o seu primeiro album de ineditas desde "Trompe Le
Monde" (1991). A informacao foi dada por um dos agentes da banda ao jornal
New York Times na semana passada. Segundo a materia, o vocalista e
guitarrista Black Francis ja teria ate revelado quem ele gostaria que
produzisse o disco: ninguem menos que o veterano cantor Tom Waits. "Gosto
do jeito que seus discos soam", disse Francis.
O Pixies encerrou suas atividades em 1993, em meio a conflitos internos
entre seus quatro integrantes - alem de Francis, o guitarrista Joey
Santiago, a baixista e vocalista Kim Deal e o baterista James Lovering. De
volta aos palcos em abril, a banda segue em uma enorme turne que ja passou
por diversos paises, inclusive o Brasil, no Curitiba Pop Festival 2004. A
primeira faixa inedita da nova fase, "Bam Thwok", foi recentemente lancada
em site de download pago.
planejando para 2005 o seu primeiro album de ineditas desde "Trompe Le
Monde" (1991). A informacao foi dada por um dos agentes da banda ao jornal
New York Times na semana passada. Segundo a materia, o vocalista e
guitarrista Black Francis ja teria ate revelado quem ele gostaria que
produzisse o disco: ninguem menos que o veterano cantor Tom Waits. "Gosto
do jeito que seus discos soam", disse Francis.
O Pixies encerrou suas atividades em 1993, em meio a conflitos internos
entre seus quatro integrantes - alem de Francis, o guitarrista Joey
Santiago, a baixista e vocalista Kim Deal e o baterista James Lovering. De
volta aos palcos em abril, a banda segue em uma enorme turne que ja passou
por diversos paises, inclusive o Brasil, no Curitiba Pop Festival 2004. A
primeira faixa inedita da nova fase, "Bam Thwok", foi recentemente lancada
em site de download pago.
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