-
neumu
Thursday, March 28, 2024 
-
-
--archival-captured-cinematronic-continuity error-daily report-datastream-depth of field--
-
--drama-44.1 khz-gramophone-inquisitive-needle drops-picture book-twinklepop--
-
Neumu = Art + Music + Words
Search Neumu:  

illustration



edited by michael goldbergcontact


Stephen Malkmus Is In Control

Despite his status as an indie-rock paragon, based on more than a decade fronting Pavement, Stephen Malkmus has often dodged interviews. For years known for his reticence about speaking to the press, Malkmus has an aloof persona. He's pedantic — rumored to be one of rock's brightest — and said to be occasionally off-putting.

But speaking from his home in Portland, Ore. last week, Malkmus could not have been more affable, down-to-earth, and even, at times, somewhat nonplussed. He talked about his band the Jicks, their second album, the angular Pig Lib, and his excitement about the group's gig opening for Radiohead during a leg of the British band's summer tour.

It takes a moment to adjust to Malkmus' manner of speaking. He has a deliberate, almost lethargic way of colliding his words, creating enjambment in casual conversation, his thoughts strung together by unconscious "you knows" or frequent "likes." It is difficult to tell if Malkmus is being glib, or maybe ironic — or if he's really serious.

When asked if he enjoys his role as bandleader, Malkmus simply responded, "Yeah, it's fine." After pausing briefly, he continued, "It's probably better, really. It depends on what you want," he added, laughing slightly.

"You're in more control... but you have more responsibility for other people asking you 'What are we going to do?' 'When are we going on tour?' Most of the information comes to you first, beyond just writing songs and stuff. That can be a little bit annoying, or something. But then again, do you want to be the person that is waiting on somebody else always to tell you what might be happening? I mean, that can be annoying too, right?" Malkmus ended his rhetorical question with another snicker.

For Pig Lib, Malkmus put an emphasis on his guitar playing. Songs such as "1% of One" and "Water and a Seat" focus more on Malkmus' guitar and allow the band to flesh out its sound with spirals of squiggly art-rock inspired noise. He called the band's experiments with jamming and its more guitar-based sounds a deliberate choice. ""That was conscious on that record, I think," he said.

"Lately on the record and playing live I've been doing more solos," he continued. "I know people like my voice and how I sing, and in the end that's the thing that is probably the most important in music in general and probably in our music. Although there's some people like Hendrix, or something, where the guitar's more important maybe. I think I can express myself better with the guitar. I feel happier with it, so I think I tend to — it's just more emotional for me. Singing's good too, but I feel more limited with singing to certain areas."

Aside from growing musically, Malkmus said, the band he formed in 2000 after ending Pavement — drummer John Moen and bassist Joanna Bolme — has also become a cohesive unit. At a recent Chicago show, Malkmus allowed drummer Moen to handle lead vocals on one song. In addition to the musical synergy, the band maintained a loose dynamic, joking with each other onstage.

"With John, I think he's learning to be more loose," Malkmus said about the changes and increased interactions with his bandmates. "When you go to play with people you've got all these preconceptions of what they were like before they were with you. What songs they played before. What other people told them to do. What they naturally do. He's probably just finding out what I like, or what my groove is, and how he wants to make it his groove.

"The rest is just the bass player, Joanna. She's more opinionated and is willing to just say something... critical or enthusiastically. At the start she probably would have been unconfident, understandably."

Now on a break after nearly two months of touring North America in April and May, Malkmus said he's enjoying being home in Portland, a city with a rich and vibrant music scene. He said that sometimes he checks out local bands or hangs with other Portland-based musicians, including the members of Sleater-Kinney.

"I know [Sleater-Kinney's] drummer... Janet Weiss, and she's just really social and friendly," Malkmus said. "She's like at this trivia night thing that's every Tuesday night and I see her. Actually the whole band goes. It's kind of geeky. They go to trivia and then they eat gelato in the break. That's like a Sleater-Kinney night out together."

As for local bands, he's got his favorites. "There's like a million [young] bands here... I saw this band with our guitar tech, Gail, called Wet Confetti, and I thought they were kind of good. They're young. Their name's kinda bad," he said laughing.

"There are these guys from Chicago called the Planet The that I like too. They lived here for like eight years, but they're from Chicago originally. I like them, and there's, you know, this band called Glass Candy and the Shattered Theater... They're a little bigger. Maybe they're going to be a phenomenon. They're kind of No Wavey, dress-up, and the girl's pretty in the band. They're kind of theatrical. But I like them."

Malkmus and the Jicks will hit the road again this summer with Radiohead, a band he really respects. Thom Yorke and crew will mount what is probably the summer's most anticipated tour; Malkmus and his band will open on the first leg, which begins August 13 in Boston and runs through a Seattle show on August 31 (a second leg with opening act Supergrass will commence in San Francisco on Sept. 23).

"We're psyched because I really like [Radiohead]," he said. "There's very few new records that I actually like to play in my house. There's a lot of bands I like, but I don't really even like to play them more than once. I like to play some of [Radiohead's] records like 20 times and stuff [laughs], which is pretty awesome, so I'm excited.

"They've got a lot of hype," he said. "It's amazing for how weird their music is and how, like, un-photogenic they are, God bless them. People love them. It's so cool. They really want something that means something. It all comes down to his voice in the end. People just completely melt and empathize with his singing. And it is great singing. Yeah, I think I'm excited because I really think they're a good band, too."

After thinking for a second, Malkmus laughed, deciding "Maybe that's why people go see them — because they're good." — Brian Orloff [Wednesday, June 18, 2003]


Alejandro Escovedo's Joyous Rebirth

John Vanderslice Kicks Genre

Paul Duncan's Elusive Pop

Stephen Yerkey's Wandering Songs

French Kicks Complete 'Two Thousand'

Spazzy Romanticism: Love Story In Blood Red

Brain Surgeons NYC Rock The Big Questions

Jarboe's 'Men' Charts Turbulent Emotions

Delta 5's Edgy Post-Punk Resurrected

Blitzen Trapper Spiff Things Up

Minus Five: Booze, Betrayal, Bibles and Guns

New Compilation Spotlights Forgotten Folk Guitar Heroes

Chris Brokaw's Experiment In Pop

Old And New With Death Vessel

Silver Jews: Salvation And Redemption

Jana Hunter's Beautiful Doom

Vashti Bunyan Finds Her Voice Again

Nick Castro's Turkish Folk Delight

Katrina Hits New Orleans Musicians Hard

Paula Frazer's Eerie Beauty

The National Find Emotional Balance

Death Cab For Cutie's New Album, Tour

Heavy Trash's Rockabilly Rampage

Help The Wrens Get Their Albums Released!

Devendra Banhart, Andy Cabic Launch Label

Lydia Lunch's Noir Seductions

Bosque Brown's The Real Deal

PDX Pop Now! Fest Announces Lineup

Sarah Dougher Starts Women-Focused Label

Jennifer Gentle's Joyful Psyche

Mountain Goat Darnielle Gets Autobiographical With 'Sunset Tree'

Mia Doi Todd's Beautiful Collaboration

Return of the Gang of Four

Martha Wainwright Finds Her Voice

Brian Jonestown Massacre's Acid Joyride

Solo Disc Due From Pixies' Frank Black

Heartless Bastards' Big-Hearted Rock

Mike Watt's Midlife Journey

The Black Swans Balance Old And New

Nicolai Dunger's Swedish Blues

The Insomniacs' Hard-Edged Pop

Yo La Tengo Collection Due

Juana Molina's 'Homemade' Sound

Beans Evolves

Earlimart's Songs Of Loss

Devendra Banhart's 'Mosquito Drawings'

Negativland Rerelease 'Helter Stupid'

Alina Simone Transforms The Ordinary

Sounds From Nature: Laura Veirs

Octet's Fractured Electric Pop

Sleater-Kinney Working With Lips Producer

The Cult Of Silkworm

The Evolution Of The Concretes

Devendra Banhart's Exuberant New Songs

Catching Up With The Incredible String Band

Gram Rabbit's Desert Visions

Three Indie-Rock Stars Unite As Maritime

Remembering Johnny Ramone

Jarboe's Many Voices

Phil Elvrum's Long Hard Winter

First U.S. Release For Vashti Bunyan Album

Incredible String Band To Tour U.S.

New Music From Lydia Lunch

Le Tigre Protest The Bush War Presidency

Joel RL Phelps: Bleak Songs Rock Hard

Time Tripping With Galaxie 500

Patti Smith Wants Bush Out!

Sharron Kraus: A New Kind Of Folk Music

The Fiery Furnaces' Psychedelic Theater

Harder, Heavier Burning Brides

Sonic Youth's Ongoing Experiment

The Dt's Do It Their Way

Poster Children Cover Political Rock

Rare Thelonious Monk Recordings Due

Uneasy Pop From dios

Beck, Lips, Waits Cover Daniel Johnston

Understanding Franz Ferdinand

The Truly Amazing Joanna Newsom

Mylab's Boundary-Crossing Experiments In Sound

Have You Heard Jolie Holland Whistle?

The 'Magical Realism' Of Vetiver

The Restless, Rootsy Songs Of Eszter Balint

The Sun Sets On The Blasters

Devendra Banhart To Tour U.S.

The East/West Fusion Sounds Of Macha

Destroyer Gets Mellow For Your Blues

TV On The Radio Get Political

Sonic Youth, Modest Mouse To Play Lollapalooza 2004

New Music From The Fall

Apocalyptic Sound From The Intelligence

Fast And Rude With The Casual Dots

'Rejoicing' With Devendra Banhart

New Album, Tour From The Polyphonic Spree

Shearwater Take Wing

Sleater-Kinney To Tour East/West Coasts

Resurrecting Rocket From The Tombs

Visqueen Want To Get A Riot Goin' On

Lloyd Cole Makes A Commotion

Funkstörung's 'Cut-Up' Theory

Waiting For Mirah's C'mon Miracle

Electrelane Find Their Voice

The Television Is Still On!

Experimental Sounds From Hannah Marcus

The Ponys Play With Rayguns

Ex-Mono Men Leader Returns With The Dt's

Mountain Goats' Darnielle Adopts A More Hi-Fi Sound

Sun Kil Moon To Tour U.S., Europe

Nothin' But The Truth From The Von Bondies

Sultans Survive 'Shipwreck'

Sebadoh Reunite For Spring Tour

Xiu Xiu's 'Reality' Rock

Meet The Patients

Beth Orton, M. Ward Make Sadness Taste Sweet

Oneida's Pathway To Ecstasy

Radiohead, Pixies, Dizzee Rascal To Play Coachella

Young People Tour Behind War Prayers

Pixies Tour Dates Announced

Ani DiFranco Tells It Like It Is

Deerhoof Back For 2004 With Milkman

McLusky Set To 'Bring On The Big Guitars' Again

Pixies Reunite For U.S., European Tours

American Music Club, Decemberists To Play NoisePop 2004

Damien Rice Set To Tour U.S.

The Frames Accept Your Love

Punk Rock's A-Frames To Re-Record Third Album

Finally! Mission Of Burma Record New Album

A Solo Detour For Ladybug Transistor's Sasha Bell

Return Of The Old 97's

Spending The Night With Damien Rice

Tindersticks Reissues Due This Spring

The Evolution Of 'A Silver Mt. Zion'

Neil Young Rocks Australia With 'Greendale'

Poster Children Back In Action

'The Great Cat Power Disaster Of 2003'

Chicks On Speed's Subversive Strategies

Oranger At A Crossroad

Peaches On Tour And In Control

Jawbreaker's Complete Dear You Sessions To Be Released

Belle & Sebastian + Trevor Horn = Sunny Pop Nirvana

Von Bondies' Pawn Shoppe Heart

Descendents Are Back!

Modest Mouse Touring; Album Due in 2004

London Suede Take A (Permanent?) Break

Saul Williams Wants You To Think For Yourself

The 'Zen' Sound Of Calexico

Elliott Smith Dead AT 34

Debut Due From Mark Kozelek's Sun Kil Moon

The Hunches: Music That'll 'Fucking Live Forever'

Vic Chesnutt Speaks His Mind

90 Day Men Cancel Tour

Keith Jarrett, Cecil Taylor Highlight SF Jazz Festival

For My Morning Jacket, It's The Music That Matters

EP Due From The Polyphonic Spree

Bright Eyes, Neva Dinova Collaborate On EP

The Rise & Fall & Rise Of Ben Lee

Catching Up With Cheerfully Defiant Tricky

Hanging Around With The Polyphonic Spree

Sophomore Album Due From The Shins

Noise Rock From Iceland's Singapore Sling

Death Cab To Tour U.S.

Rufus Wainwright's Want One Is 'Family Affair'

Death Cab's Transatlanticism On The Way

Heartfelt Rock From Sweden's Last Days Of April

The Minus 5 Get Down With Wilco

Tywanna Jo Baskette's Southern-Gothic Rock

Xiu Xiu's Stewart Takes On 'Gay-bashing'

Portishead Producer Resurfaces Behind New Diva

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wire, Primal Scream On Buddyhead Comp

Yeah Yeah Yeahs To Tour West Coast

Sonic Youth, Erase Errata Kick Off 'Buddy Series'

The Locust Are One Scary Band

Damien Rice In The 'Here And Now'

Remembering Karp's Scott Jernigan

ATP-NY Postponed 'Til At Least 2004

The Soul Of Chris Lee

Gits' Frenching The Bully To See Re-Release

Stephen Malkmus Is In Control

Superchunk To Release Rarities Set; Teenage Girls To Swoon As A Result

Summer Touring For The Gossip

Babbling On About Deerhoof

Irish Song Poet Damien Rice's O Released In U.S.

Chatting With ATP's Barry Hogan

Former Digable Planets Frontman Surfaces With Cherrywine

ATP L.A. Festival Rescheduled For Fall

Freakwater's Janet Bean Takes A Solo Turn

Lee's 'Cool Rock'

Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs Highlight YES NEW YORK

Mark Romanek's 'Hurt' Revives Johnny Cash's Career

The Rapture's Post-Punk, Post-Dance Sound

R.E.M., Wilco, Modest Mouse Highlight Bumbershoot Fest

Set Fires To Flames' Sleep-Deprivation Sound

Southern Gothic Past Shadows Verbena's La Musica Negra

The Subtle Evolution Of Yo La Tengo

Spring Tour For Jolie Holland (Plus A Live Album)

Liz Phair Still Pushing The Limits

Gold Chains Wants You To Dance And Think

Young People's War Prayers On The Way



peruse archival
 



-
-snippetcontactsnippetcontributorssnippetvisionsnippethelpsnippetcopyrightsnippetlegalsnippetterms of usesnippetThis site is Copyright © 2003 Insider One LLC
-