Why in the name of all that is holy do people like Guided by Voices?

1. Robert Pollard is a drunken bafoon. 2. He releases tons of albums each year, many of which are of poor quality and very inconsistent. 3. The songs he writes can oftentimes be short, nonsensical, having shoddy production. 4. The band is a rotating cast of characters so pretty much it's all about Bob, all the time.

Yes, I quite like all these things. The live shows are entertaining, if you like that sort of thing. The songs are fun and you can sing along, it's like jock jams or a lofi Queen for indie kids.

I think they're great cos I love Pollard's songs. pretty simple, I guess. if you don't, then you don't.

As far as "rotating cast of characters," the lineup went through a complete overhaul in '97 or so, but has been remarkably consistent save for the drummers. bob writes all the songs though, so I guess it is all about him. Get "Bee Thousand" or "Under The Bushes.." and you'll hear what I think makes them amazing.

Q. Why in the name of all that is holy do people like Guided by Voices?
A. No-hassle tune excellence.

Similarly, Bob Pollard's output could be edited down as such:

1. Alien Lanes
2. Bee Thousand

(nb: i own several gbv albums.)

I enjoy the live show too. Mostly for the fact that they play lots of upbeat numbers, one right after another, and focus on being entertaining (instead of just "doing their thing and if anyone likes it that's a bonus.") But the last time I saw them I started to feel sorry for Pollard. He just looked like such a pathetic drunk up there, an overgrown child. He never missed a note or a lyric, so the music didn't suffer, but I just hated to see him making an idiot of himself. It's one thing to be 22-year old Paul Westerburg drunk in a wading pool, but Pollard has kids in college. He should have moved on a long time ago.

(xpost haha Ned and a good 30 of them will be "That's because they picked the wrong songs, maaaaan...")

My goodness, the meme is at least that old! Ack!

x-post, do you any other similar indie rock Matos? Maybe it's just not your thing.

Hey, this stuff was selected by the man himself so you KNOW it's dubious!

...flaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

The GbV website has a list of his Fading Captain releases here. There are also two pre-Fading Captain Pollard solo albums (Not In My Airforce and Waved Out) and a Phantom Tollbooth collab.

unfortunately, the version on the 'best of' is the inferior single version. it's higher-fi, but the performance is lacking. the album version is not only more excited-sounding but it's one of "lo-fi" gbv's better production jobs (all in my opinion, of course).

a similarly regrettable decision was made in the case of "game of pricks".

* Freedom Cruise (only two songs, i think. one w/ the Deal sisters)

* Nightwalker (two or three singles and one album. Nightwalker seems to be nothing more than Bob dredging up his sludgier basement tapes and slapping the Nightwalker name on them. One Nightwalker track is a 12 minute drone.)

* Lexo and the Leapers (one EP over four years ago. it's a different band, but the record is almost indistinguishable from some gbv records)

* Airport 5 (Tobin Sprout records complete instrumental tracks and Pollard writes songs over them. two albums)

* Circus Devils (the weirdest - and probably best - side project. GbV's producer Todd Tobias and former bassist Tim Tobias record (bizarre) instrumental tracks and Pollard writes songs over them. most gbv fans (online, at least) don't seem to like this one. three albums, with a new one out just last week.)

* Go Back Snowball (Mac McCaughan records complete instrumentals. Pollard write songs over them. one album.)

* The Lifeguards (Doug Gillard records complete instrumentals and Pollard grafts new songs onto them. one album).

* Phantom Tollbooth (Pollard joins the long-defunct arty punk band by getting them to erase the vocals on their recordings so he can write new songs on top of the instrumental tracks. One album).

Pollard's next project is a collaboration with Tommy Keene, which, it seems, will work just like the collaborations above.

And then there are the solo albums...

file under: indie guilt, ILM case #504285-02485-234

Some overlap, but not enough. Primary differences between my mix-tape and Pollard's best-of: P disasterously foreshortens the pre-Bee Thousand era, avoids a lot of the stuff on the EPs, completely ignores King Shit and the Golden Boys, and picks dubious versions of some of their anthems. Plus, mine's 8 years old so I didn't have to bother with the shit recent stuff. (Is it really eight years old, though? Crap.)

I've been dying to remember exactly what the track-listing on that cassette was, Colin. Please embarrass me by posting it. (And you didn't tell me anything about the class reunion!)

"getting better" = "posting less"

(wouldn't we all like to be "getting better")

Old Battery
Shocker in Gloomtown
My Impression Now
Motor Away
Indian Fables
Bee Thousand
Smothered in Hugs/Yours to Keep/Echoes Myron
An Earful o' Wax
Marchers in Orange
Sot
Expecting Brainchild
Tractor Rape Chain
The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory
The Great Blake Street Canoe Race
Game of Pricks
Exit Flagger
Jar of Cardinals
A Good Flying Bird/Cigarette Tricks/Pimple Zoo
I am a Scientist
Scissors
Non-Absorbing
On the Tundra
You're Not an Airplane
Captain's Dead

You don't have to like it, but if you want to give it a proper chance, you really need to be more passive with it. You're being obnoxious about it, you clearly don't want to like it and so you won't. And it's your loss.

Jason Molina writes a ton, too, and nobody gives him shit. Is it because Songs: Ohia doesn't write quite as much material, or is it that he hasn't been around as long, or is it that he doesn't instill the same level of passion that Pollard does?

But seriously, just play it here and there without thinking about it much, and see what happens. You may be surprised a few months from now.

Also bear in mind that that Best Of has a weird tracklisting - try to stick to the songs at the back end of the running order, because Pollard put a lot of his best pop tunes way in the back for some weird, self-defeating reason.

Ha ha! That was too snarky.

No, Rob, it was not snarky enough. There seem to be an influx of people like Rich these days...

double xp

I think the thing that bugs me the most is when people who openly admit that they haven't heard much of Pollard's catalog feel that they can make these sweeping judgements of the man's body of work without really knowing what they are talking about. It's one thing to not like it - that's fair enough - but to throw around these uninformed opinions about a rather large body of work is ridiculous and unfair.

If you want to get the most out of Pollard's work, you really ought to immerse yourself in it. I seriously don't think you're going to get the GBV otherwise, except for invidual songs/albums here and there. GBV just isn't built for casual listening, so it's no shock that they turn off dilettantes in droves. Pollard rewards devotion and obsession, and I think that's because he seems to find that part of music fandom to be the most enjoyable.

Most of ILM to thread over the past few years! (It seems.)

GBV just isn't built for casual listening

Then WHY BOTHER LISTENING?

Sorry, I just think this is a bit silly. It has to grab your attention on some level immediately -- everything does -- otherwise why would you want to pursue it further?

What I mean by 'casual listening' is that they just aren't the kind of band that you can just buy one of their records and slap it on and 'get' the band. If you want to 'get' them, you need to put some time and effort in. But most of the best GBV records can work simply as good rock/pop albums - Isolation Drills, Universal Truths & Cycles, Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes, Mag Earwhig, Under The Bushes, Speak Kindly..., Waved Out all can work on that level, pretty much. It's not as though it's Merzbow or something.

Eurgh. I thought you were supposed to like music and then pursue your interests, not get a validation for having heard most everything.

"Just sacked my band! I love the WHO." *NOW A HIGH KICK*

"GEE BEE VEE" X Way too many goddamn times

Insert "How many hipsters does it take to screw in a light bulb joke" here.

I don't think anyone really needs to hear ALL of Pollard's work to 'get' him, I just think they need to get an impression of a) his best pop songs and b) the differences between his many records. Actually, I think that if Michaelangelo isn't going to be impressed by that Best Of (which isn't perfect but does give a good sampling of great songs from several eras of GBV), he probably never will be.

p.s. please quietly disregard all of the above comments if you are a fan of yes, queen, king crimson, emerson-lake-palmer, and/or rush. it is obvious why you don't understand.

"long live rock",

the OX

http://www.johnentwistle.com/

I've heard enough from all over his career to get a sense of his progress and breadth of what he's done, but I still feel uncomfortable talking about his career in a broad sense because I feel like I'm missing too much to have a fully informed opinion. When I read what some people have to say about Pollard's work, it really grates on me when it is clear that he's being dismissed or misunderstood because the writer hasn't had a lot of exposure to the work. It's maybe unrealistic for me to expect every writer to be an expert in what they are writing about, but I surely prefer it if the person at least knows what they are talking about.

This is just one of my hang-ups, I suppose.

next day...

C: "Hey, A, what's up"
A: "alright, talked to your friend B. I thought he was a real asshole, which made me sad because you told me such great things about him"
C: "Oh, you just have to get used to him, but seriously, trust me.. he really is a GREAT GUY! You just have to give him a chance"

And Ned, are you trying to say that you've never come around to liking a record that didn't move you right away?

The irony here being that Pollard is a HUGE and VOCAL prog fan. (Though maybe not fan of all of those particular bands...)

Yes, they are. *sigh*

the newest pollard is prog-ascendant, but the old pollard is mired firmly in the beatles and, my own band, the who. it is the fact the music is so derivative that makes it hard to understand why it presents a barrier to people.

"long live rock"

the OX

He keeps threatening to make full on GBV prog records made up of really long songs, but so far he hasn't gotten around to it. I'm not exactly thrilled with the idea, but we'll see. He always says that "The Enemy" is a prog song, and I like that one a lot.

*cries*

That is the whole purpose of this thread anyway. The sport of getting GBV loyalists in a tizzy by making sweeping claims of Bob's suckitude. It doesn't matter what you really think about the music, what's important here is that you're in on the joke. I like GBV regardless, and I think Earthquake Glue is their best album since Under the Bushes. I probably won't get the best of or box set, but I'm definately looking forward to the Watch Me Jumpstart DVD. The documentary is the best way to convert naysayers to the band in my opinion. Unfortunately, it's totally outdated. But it definately shows the band's appeal if you don't understand it.

x-post - gygax! OTM again.

Yeah, I get that. It's the same as how I'd really prefer to never hear Bright Eyes again rather than buy all of Oberst's records and try to figure him out.

Yes, interests be damned, i am a friend of Michaelangelo, but it's not as if anyone else doing this would make me so incredibly defensive and start making cracks at Matos's credibility of his career as a music critic or anything. THAT's what fucking pissed me off. So, gyg, if you're going to claim what I say as "the worst ILM gets" you better be fucking specific if i'm going to take your comment as anything but yet another of your stream of cryptic clever smarmy one-liners (something i'm certainly guilty of, no doubt)

that derivativeness is exactly the barrier for me! When I first heard about 'em in my early teenage years, a guy I knew who loved them was like "they're just like the Beatles, except low-fi!" and I was all like "who needs another Beatles?" I've come around to liking a couple of their songs here and there, but otherwise I'm not interested.

sounds like a prog attitude to me. i bet youd like the most recent gbv stuff since it has all the presumptions and elitism of prog-classicism, and prog-modernism, where the dual mythos of complexity and innovation carry the day.

"long live rock"

the OX

Jung's dead, man.

Shame about the coke, btw.

Jung's dead, man. "

as is prog.

the beatles and the who (of course) were great bands. i salute bob for his (early) taste and his ability to craft great and catchy tunes that are admittedly derivative, but also very tasty. people like him because they like how he sounds not because they like how he DOESNT sound. the worst is when a band is 'innovating' but has decided that the only way to do that is to reject anything that has come before. naturally it sounds like shit. people like to hear familiar stuff. why is that so wrong?

"long live rock"

the OX

haha - because familiarity breeds contempt. So sayeth someone more famouser than me...

the OX

Ahhh that wouldn't fly either, I don't think that's a fair argument. Then you end up with bands being accused of ripping off obscure artists and getting unfairly praised/compensated for it (cf. Wire vs. Elastica).

the OX

they were to all those schmucks who bought Elastica records! (Also see: The Fall vs. Pavement circa "Slanted and Enchanted")

keith, pass the pills and booze. pollard wants them.

the OX

(For my part, I have often described Mr. Matos as the most aggressive friendly person I know, and I mean that as pure praise. Said it before he was the editor at his job, will say it again now.)

will: HAHA.

i still like my "gather round" post the best upthread... sudden sympathy of a promo sellback is really heartwarming on a day like this. critics need love (and $$$) too.

You guys knew about and were listening to the Fall and Wire before Slanted and Enchanted and whatever Elastica album came out? When you were like, what...around 17 years old?

Wow.

Though I got into the Fall much later, probably around the time Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain came out.

Huh? Who heard what first doesn't have anything to do with it, I was just pointing out the phenomenon that happens when younger bands steal from older, more obscure bands: they get accused of unfairly profitting from ideas that aren't theirs. To say nothing of whether or not this is fair, it definitely happens.

As for the required biographical material, yes I heard Wire and the Fall when I was about 16, long before Pavement or Elastica put out a record. This was courtesy of an older brother - tho I should point out that the Wire/Fall stuff I heard was what they were then putting out ("I Am Kurious Oranj", "Kidney Bingos", etc.), and thus didn't get what people were talking about years later when the whole "who ripped off who controversy erupted. That being said, I love Pavement and did from the get-go. Elastica always sucked shit and it was painfully obvious to me, whether or not I was cognizant of them shamelessly aping Wire on "Connection".

If you love music (or are paid to listen to and review it), you should at least try/attempt a level of critical comprehension other than exhibited above.

Yes, interests be damned, i am a friend of Michaelangelo,

Painfully obvious, if a newby or nu-ILMer wrote "[sorta popular critical fave] SUX U R ALL GAY", we'd certainly see less regulars rising to the defense of such a statement.

but it's not as if anyone else doing this would make me so incredibly defensive

bullshit, see above.

and start making cracks at Matos's credibility of his career as a music critic or anything. THAT's what fucking pissed me off. So, gyg, if you're going to claim what I say as "the worst ILM gets" you better be fucking specific if i'm going to take your comment as anything but yet another of your stream of cryptic clever smarmy one-liners (something i'm certainly guilty of, no doubt)

don't get angry DB, this is nothing worthy of any red-blooded emotion. criticism of criticism should be tolerated here and if not i'm pulling a triple-Blount. however, Matos' post was taken at face value and given equally stupid responses (i'm speaking of mine here, none others).

I have nothing against Matos... well, there was that time when he boasted proudly of slamming (yet another Matador superstar) Malkmus' Pig Lib in another one of his "I DON'T GET THIS WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME" posts but noticably he was questioning himself not others. At the time, I thought Matos during a subsequent interview with Malkmus maybe should have shared his criticism in a productive or strategic manner. I was disappointed that as a critic, he didn't exactly follow through (cf, ryan schreiber's reviews of jim o'rourke's drag city records at pitchfork). How great would a mature, intelligent interview with an artist be if the interviewer stated (in the beginning): I don't like your music because of A, B, and C and the artist could expand on those points? Probably not so great on second thought.

Why should you try to like something esp. if you question how much influence do you invest in the opinions of crack-smokers? Is it more satisfying than just saying "okay, I know I don't like that!" and moving on? I haven't bought a GBV record in like 8 years or whenever Under The Bushes came out. I will be buying (read as: paying $$$) for the box set though. I remember a lot of those EPs fondly and thought Pollard (and Sprout) were up to some clever songwriting at the time.

as far as my revival being ILM at its worst, it probably is! I have no doubt about that. and yes, it was childish et al. but with no offense meant to either DB or Ned, their "sycophantic glow" isn't quite enough of a reason for anyone to ignore a band. (really, I realize you were exaggerating, Will, but as shots go that one wouldn't have gotten past the Ott radar.) I get dozens of CDs every week and have for the past several years. I ignore most of them simply because there aren't enough hours to devote to trying them all out. with GBV I've usually tried a couple songs, decided I wasn't in the mood and gave the discs to friends who were serious fans, because at least that way they would be put to some use. then I would think, "maybe at some point I will ask someone I trust to make me a CD," move on to other topics, and forget until the next one arrived, or I saw a review, or a thread, or whatever. when I heard about the Matador best-of I was interested because as noted before I wanted to hear what all the fuss was about. and as the person who edited Daddino's piece on the matter, who in fact *commissioned* it to begin with, I figured there had to be something there, and was reacting (blitheringly, with malice aforethought, probably too forcefully) to what I heard to be there, i.e. nothing at all. so attack my position all you want, God knows I attacked the GBV-fan hivemind several posts above (and therefore insulted some very intelligent people I know and in some cases count as friends, who are probably pissed off at me and undoubtedly should be). but let's at least have this much straight, please.

This is a message board, not a publication. People can be as crude or terse or stoopid as they want, regardless of whether it counters the manner in which their career dictates. It's not as if Chuck Eddy's writings look like ILM postings. (not to say Chuck's posts are "stoopid")

Painfully obvious, if a newby or nu-ILMer wrote "[sorta popular critical fave] SUX U R ALL GAY", we'd certainly see less regulars rising to the defense of such a statement.

"but it's not as if anyone else doing this would make me so incredibly defensive"

bullshit, see above.

Bad antecedents on my part. I was referring to the Matos detractors being defensive, not myself. Of course I was defensive once someone questioned Matos's credibility as a critic for not hearing GBV until now. Before, my comments were just my own opinions of GBV and how they've changed over time. Look back up and check for yourself. No sycophantic basking or bullshit like that.

"and start making cracks at Matos's credibility of his career as a music critic or anything. THAT's what fucking pissed me off. So, gyg, if you're going to claim what I say as "the worst ILM gets" you better be fucking specific if i'm going to take your comment as anything but yet another of your stream of cryptic clever smarmy one-liners (something i'm certainly guilty of, no doubt) "

don't get angry DB, this is nothing worthy of any red-blooded emotion. criticism of criticism should be tolerated here and if not i'm pulling a triple-Blount. however, Matos' post was taken at face value and given equally stupid responses (i'm speaking of mine here, none others).

I just wanted an explanation as to what I was doing that was "ILM at its worst". If it was, then I would like to stop doing that. If not, i want to explain why not. But you just said it with no explanation. You don't just throw shit out like that. (I'm very good friends with Jess, but this is style I really dislike about Jess's posts when he makes them)

I have nothing against Matos... well, there was that time when he boasted proudly of slamming (yet another Matador superstar) Malkmus' Pig Lib in another one of his "I DON'T GET THIS WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME" posts but noticably he was questioning himself not others. At the time, I thought Matos during a subsequent interview with Malkmus maybe should have shared his criticism in a productive or strategic manner. I was disappointed that as a critic, he didn't exactly follow through (cf, ryan schreiber's reviews of jim o'rourke's drag city records at pitchfork). How great would a mature, intelligent interview with an artist be if the interviewer stated (in the beginning): I don't like your music because of A, B, and C and the artist could expand on those points? Probably not so great on second thought.

Didn't know anything about this (or whether it's exactly relevant?)

Why should you try to like something esp. if you question how much influence do you invest in the opinions of crack-smokers? Is it more satisfying than just saying "okay, I know I don't like that!" and moving on? I haven't bought a GBV record in like 8 years or whenever Under The Bushes came out. I will be buying (read as: paying $$$) for the box set though. I remember a lot of those EPs fondly and thought Pollard (and Sprout) were up to some clever songwriting at the time.

Overall, I'm laughing at all of this. I think Matos was just being funny in this original post, just sharing how he didn't like something. I doubt he seriously questioned GBV fans, but just wanted to let people know he just didn't "get" them, and wanted to verbally exhibit his dropped jaw. I have no problems with "[BAND] SUX U R ALL GAY" type posts at all, ESPECIALLY in a thread called "Why in the name of all that is holy do people like [BAND]".
No one can accuse Matos of skunking a fan thread with bad vibes at least.

as far as definitive argument settlers go, rt clontle said that gbv rox. the defense rests.

The 'Best of' tracklist is lacking to me. I don't have a detailed blueprint for how I'd improve it cuz I don't care to spend time thinking about it, but the hooks at the beginning of the CD could be a little sharper and that's all I have to say.

GbV rips off tons more bands than the Beatles and the Who. Peter Gabriel (70s era) is a name that comes up a lot, but I also hear some Beefheart in there (mostly in Pollard's approach to lyrics). I wouldn't place most of my favorite GbV material as echoing straight from the Beatles' 60s. I hear it more as coming out of the art-rock early 70s, minus the instrumental showcases and sidelong suites.

Bye.

I KNIFE THE FUCKERS WITH PAIN.

Or not.

And I'll second that it's surprising to hear a Dean Wareham fan claim Rob Pollard can't sing.

Actually, it's funny how prescient Ned was.

Anyway, I really liked GBV at one time. I think what was initially so attractive was that lo-fi faux-prog sensibility present on tracks like "Marchers in Orange" and "Weed King". They totally hit like a random minute or two excised off a 10 minute early Genesis track. It sounded like a very self-aware, but irony-free tribute to most of the music I grew up with. I wasn't as much a fan of the pure rockers; I liked songs like "Exit Flagger" and "Motor Away", but that wasn't the aspect of them that attracted me the most.

I still maintain the best thing they ever did was the 6 or 7 EPs that came out in between Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes (at least, I think I've got that chronology correct; it's been a while). Pollard even used to joke in interviews that the band actually considered them mini-albums (so like, Alien Lanes was actually their 13th album or whatever). Is that some of the stuff that's going to be on this upcoming box set? If so, that's great, everyone needs to hear that. It's that total Faust Tapes cut-up, basement psychedelia aesthetic at its best.

I lost track of them after Under the Bushes. That album was really sort of boring, and it came right on the heels of the solo albums, etc. It was all getting to be too much. And it looked like they were more or less leaving behind the basement/drug/lo-fi sound. When he broke 'em up and hired the Cobra Verde guys, I knew that was the end.

Eh, not there yet. Close, though.

Well, it's really 'The Fall via Flying Nun Records vs. Pavement', if you want to get all technical and shit.

Danielle, a GBV-lover

I could make that argument, and I love them! I mean...well...you know.

then bob fired all of his buddies, got hired guns (cobra verde), improved the production values, and started aspiring to prog rather than pop-rawk. this bullshit is why the last-wave gbv is lame and bloated. oh, that and all the booze.

lets face it: the two most important instruments in the first-wave gbv were the echoplex and the four track.

like another bloated and pretentious arena rock band-- spinal tap-- gbv has trouble keeping drummers around. are they spontaneously combusting? i wonder if bill bruford is available. what am i thinking? of COURSE he is, since prog thankfully died years ago. since bob is all too happy to purge his band at the drop of a hat, maybe he should just hire the remaining members of yes.

the OX

p.s. i am available to play bass, bob, if you are lurking on this thread.

the other most important instrument was the memory man analog delay pedal and the most important non-pollard person was tobin sprout, the owner and operator of both the memory man and the aforementioned four-track (as well as the eight-track that eventually replaced the four-track).

tobin served a couple other purposes. he was the only worthy foil pollard ever had -- and pollard needs a foil really really bad -- and he was the only member of gbv, ever, who could sing on key at least some of the time. that really helped the live shows, believe you me.

gbv made mostly mediocre records before tobin joined the band, and they have continued to make mediocre records ever since he left. i say that's no coincidence.

mister matos, if you have any desire at all to get into gbv (a desire that i'd say is optional, not mandatory, at this point in world history), go ahead and sell that best-of and replace it with "bee thousand" and "alien lanes." if you don't like those two albums, you will not like gbv or anything pollard has ever done, it's as simple as that. if you do like them, move on to the "clown prince of the menthol trailer" and "fast japanese spin cycle" EPs, which are both from the same era, and move on from there. that part is, of course, optional.

right on brutha!

the OX

So the Scat EPs and Siltbreeze EP and the other things aren't on this box?! I mean that acid campfire 4 track stuff like "Johnny Appleseed" and "Scalding Creek" and "Chicken Blows" and "Melted Pat" and "Shocker in Gloomtown" is where they really surprised you, a real sense of not knowing what to expect next. the later records just seemed like fairly rote rock moves; more beer, less pot. WHat is on it then? How can they release three box sets now and not put that stuff out again?

I think people like GBV because they have seen them live at a bar and had a very good time. Unlike many indie rock shows where it turns into a giant dour staring contest between audience and band, seeing Guided by Voices is more of a party and the band indulges along side the people in the audience.

They are a pretty sloppy group, very much more a good bar band than a slick professional group, but I had a great time the four times I checked them out (last time around 97).

I'm really not that big of a fan of Sprout, and I'm glad that he's not in the band anymore. I think his songs mostly were just in the way.

Mr. Diamond - the eps and b-sides collected on the new box set are the ones released on Matador. It's as simple as that.

"Shocker In Gloomtown" is on the box set, in the hits album.

as for doug gillard, he's done some of his absolute worst work since hooking up with Drinky Pollard. my interest follows the tobin sprout trajectory also, with the addition of the Cobra Verde backed album (which is crap in comparison to Cobra Verde or GbV with Sprout).

on a sidenote -- gbv fans are the deadheads of indieland -- and as annoying.

I guess Matador considers Sunfish Holy Breakfast a mini-album. I guess they want to keep that record in print - the songs on the collected ep/b-sides disc are all from releases which were either compilations or have since been deleted.

about "if we wait" - i'm not sure what the ownership situation is with that one, but it wasn't originally released on matador. long before "sunfish holy breakfast" it was released on an anyway records 7-inch. so that may be why it's not on the box. or maybe it's because pollard, as i've long suspected, considers it one of his "pussy" songs, kind of like "hold on hope."

and about pollard's drinking - oy! the man is not a pretty sight when drunk, on or off stage. it's cute for the first few beers, but then it just gets ugly.

Gygax, how is the cd of unreleased material? You know, the one with "Back To Saturn X" on it.

Also agreed about the drinking. I've walked out in the middle of two Bee Thousand/Alien Lanes-era GBV concerts because the beers just made Pollard frenetically non-involved with the audience; he just danced and high-kicked around, seemingly oblivious to the fact that, you know, there were other people in the room watching him. It was downright creepy and weird. (Maybe in spite of all appearances, he's got terrible stage-fright, and he uses the alcohol to anesthetize the fear?)

Plus, the motherfucker threw several FULL beer bottles far into a crowd full of not just rockarolla teens but families with strollers and old people when I saw them play for free at Central Park Summerstage circa Mag Earwig!

i didn't bring it with me, i just brought the best of/EP-comp 2xCD pack to work today... but my CD player is jacked so it's gonna have to wait until tonight/tomorrow.

Either way, Sunfish is easily available on CD. The EPs disc is largely devoted to the previously vinyl-only or Euro/Japanese-only.

man, there are so many gbv EPs from 1993-1994 that should have been on this boxset that i thought i was getting. i guess i have to wait for another box set.

at their current pace, another box set is due in, oh, december.

K. I just bought the Watch Me Jumpstart DVD. It made me do the twist, like HARDCORE (UFOs). Yes, I got teary-eyed, I laughed, I farted, the kit. Even the mosquito now stuck on my screen was fluttering with delight, in ecstasy before an early demise. It was righteous, it was glorious. Yes, I am a disgustingly earnest GBV fan. Yes, we need more "lo-fi Bizzeatles", unfulfilling orgies, doublespeak, or whatever the shit gets you going raw like a mutherfock. GUIDED BY VOICES buys you all lunch AND dinner, fokkerz!!!

G-B-V! G-B-V! G-B-V! G-B-V! G-B-V! G-B-V!
ad infinitum and such

PS- I've only watched the music vids so far.

"You can't lie to yourself that it's the chance of a lifetime
You can be anyone they told you to
You can belittle every little voice that told you so"

it's another busy day for the cut out witch MOST OF US ARE QUITE PLEASED WITH THE SAME OLD SONG didididididid KICKER OF ELVES! I've got BULLLLLDOOOOGG SKIIIIIN I am Tree yeaahhh *guitar riff* alright look out! *more guitar riff* which I search and choose to abuse so just UNLOCK MY MIND yeah just UNLOCK MY MIND Little whirl nahanahnnahhhnahnah SOMETIMES I GET THE FEELING THAT YOU DON'T WANT ME AROUUUUNNND it's like SOUUUULLLL MMAAANNN could this be a braaaand new loowww OH YEAH I'M GOING TO DRIVE MY CAR OH YEAH I'M GOING TO GO REAL FAR stand on the edge of the ledge! jump off cuz nobody cares! glaaaad girls! always wanna get you higgghh SOMEONE TELL ME WHY SOMEONE TELL ME WHY with surgical focus (yeah yeah) with surgical focus THE MAN CALLED AEEEERRROODYNAMICS! promise to leave you promise to lead you PROMISE TO LEAVE YOU ...with a simple hello...I will be eternally hateful HOT FREAKS! HOOOOOTTT FREEAKS! Jane of the waking universe! Until you injure me again WITH MYYYY VALUABLE HUNTING KNIFE! Pass the word the chicks are back the chick ARE back yeah the chicks are back! THE CHANDELIER IS SPIIIINNNING SHAKING! Blimps go 90 you can't find me....crying my life away CHASING HEATHER CRAZY!!!!

Whew. that was fun. If anybody needs a singer for a GBV cover band let me know.

There's the aforementioned EP on Siltbreeze which was just reissued last summer (with some live bonus tracks). 'Fast Japanese Spin Cycle' was reissued earlier this year.

'Static Airplane Jive' and 'Clown Prince of the Menthol Trailer' were put on CD about 4 years ago on the Recordhead label (run by Luna Records, a big GbV-boosting record store owned by a longtime friend of the band).

Their cover of "The Opposing Engineer (Sleeps Alone)" is actually better than the original by New Radiant Storm King...and come to think of it, Small Factory's NRSK cover ("Happy for the First Time in Weeks") is loads better than the original, too. WTF?

Saw the boys in Asheville last night (11/7)...
* I think I was the only sober person in the audience.
* A lot of sports enthusiasts in the audience, it seems.
* Forgot about the "beer flinging" aspect of a GBV show.
* Wanted to punch about half a dozen audience members.
* Had to avoid walking through two puddles of vomit on the way to my car.

A bunch of the albums I have are spotty (except Bee Thousand, Alien Lanes)...BUT...the band seems to know which of their songs are the very best ones, since those are the ones they play live. Why not be that discriminating for their albums, then? For example, the last three songs they played were "Tractor Rape Chain," "Echos Myron," and "I Am a Scientist"...which were tremendous. I may be being unfair...actually, the new songs they played sounded pretty good (haven't heard the new album).

sounds like an ILX vacation to me.

Isn't that enough? I also like that their songs are gesturing towards pop music, but in a really sickened, frustrated, lazy kind of way - which is exactly how I feel about pop music. Like it's not my place to be into classical music, and there's nothing for me but pop - but so much about pop sickens me that I can only regurgitate it with pain.

I was at that show too, and just for the record, they were beer cans, not bottles.

Well at the very least, at their SUV's.

sleater-kinney, who opened for them that day, blew them away.

All that said, for some reason I was intrigued by Earthquake Glue and damn if it wasn't one of my favorites from last year. It seemed like Pollard finally got a band behind him that didn't just indulge his whims, but nudge them further and form them. (I say that not knowing shit about whether he's been recording with these same guys for years or not.) It was a pleasant surprise.

the alien lanes-era stuff was all homemade, recorded by pollard himself with an entirely different and somewhat vague cast of co-conspirators, and as far as i know pollard has never made clear who actually did what. it's generally assumed that pollard played a lot of the stuff himself, with big help from his guitar homies tobin sprout and mitch mitchell and drummer kevin fennel. but the "band" on any given song may have involved any given dude who happened to be in the room the day pollard wrote it.

gbv didn't start playing live until 1993, and it's quite possible that a good deal of the stuff for both bee thousand (1994) and alien lanes (1995) had already been recorded by that point. again, they've never been too clear about this.

But then again, so do I!

(Well, not really...)

And I'm an old old man who otherwise can't stand indie-rock.

is your name robert pollard by any chance?

I remember enjoying My Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart back when I still cared about that sort of thing!

[FYI: "Myonga Von Bontee" = song title]

I freaking love "Uncle Dave" from the Grifters split 7", which as far as I know has never been reissued...
-- Douglas (Douglas), Saturday, November 8, 2003 6:10 AM (3 years ago) Bookmark Link

I love this song also. It has grown on me tremendously. Is it just me or are the lyrics really cool? Maybe it's how the singer sings them.

81323
I believe i can't behave
I behave like uncle dave
I've got one foot in the grave
Thanks a lot to uncle dave
=============================
Chorus: uncle dave
Raise your hand
Repeat these words
=============================
Uncle dave
The words you've seen and heard
=============================
Be ?? to hamster love
What the hell is hamster love <---favorite part
Chorus
You are a pretty strange bird
And fun is for the ??

just been loving propeller lately.

matos is really on some fucking bullshit on early on in this thread.

GBV wrote great fucking pop songs.

they are so great when they are on some inspiration, blue collar dreams type shit.

beyond a shadow of a doubt
beyond the power of your clout

like shit like this reads horribly but in context it is <3 <3 <3

sixteen cheerleader cold front is my new jam.... sad tune

not a huge fan or anything but I love that song.

i still have a really big soft spot for GBV, even though i hardly listen to music made with geetars any longer.

to me:
"Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory"
"Tractor Rape Chain"
"I Am A Tree"

also, matt, i do love that song, too. i ought to pull out my GBV cds.

Had no idea there was such a thing as an unreleased GbV song?

http://soundcloud.com/north-of-onhava/guided-by-voices-angry-pillows/s-TH6C2

Don't worry, that'll be included in "Suitcase 42" along with various samples of Robert Pollard clearing his throat.

it's a good one though

I'm surprised no one has wheeled out one of Christgau's nastier smackdowns...

Bee Thousand [Scat, 1994]
On most of these 20-tracks-in-36-minutes, the tunes emerge if you stick around, but they're undercut by multiple irritants. The lyrics are deliberately obscure, the structures deliberately foreshortened, the vocals a record collector's Anglophilia-in-the-shower; the rec-room production is so inconsistent you keep losing your bearings, as befits resident art-rock fan Robert Pollard's boast (which echoes Lou Barlow's, what a coincidence) that some recordings aren't just first takes but first plays, of songs he'd dreamed up since the last time the band came over. In short, this is pop for perverts--pomo smarty-pants too prudish and/or alienated to take their pleasure without a touch of pain to remind them that they're still alive. B-

greer has been posting a bunch of (surprisingly solid) unheard GBV tunes lately.
pop for perverts, eh? i mean, i don't disagree w/ xgau there -- one of the great things for me about classic GBV is the tension betw. the gorgeous melodies and the murky production. is that perverted?

so bad Jim seems to take them down every once in a while, I missed a few of them :(

yeah he's generally just leaving them up for a day or two. the underwater moonlight cover was interesting...

I think he's saying that GBV and their fans like their record collections too much and need to get laid more...if so, I plead guilty to both counts!

xxxgau

In short, this is pop for perverts--pomo smarty-pants too prudish and/or alienated to take their pleasure without a touch of pain to remind them that they're still alive.

i love some of xgau's stuff but this is just a garbage sentence.

i know he's like the "greatest" or whatever but a lot of times that ppl post xgau reviews he seems like a choad

What's RC's standing among the ILMers...I don't get the sense he's worshipped in these parts.

I've always been kind of curious about how Pollard worked it in the early days. I almost think that he would get together with some guys come up with some stuff on the spot throw it on the recorder and then do a couple of overdubs and then blammo it's done - more closer to improvised automatic songwriting to a 4-track than sitting around with a guitar polishing a song over and over. Some of the tunes sound more polished over than others, but I think a bunch of them were more or less jams with a couple of overdubs, probably nearly created on the spot.

Over a period of time, those raw pieces are edited into a compilation, which is why things that were way older would eventually end up coming out on later collections, as they kind of fit the feel of the tunes needed. Bee Thousand kind of works well as it kind of has that well made mix cassette feel. I think the first couple recordings are more from a working band, but I think the rest were kind of just made in weekend jams as Pollard kept a band going even though there really wasn't a band per say.

I'm not certain, but I would be pretty confident to say this is how many to most of these GBV tunes were blasted out. I think this and the compilation nature and how it came together is kind of lost, especially I don't think Pollard ever would have expected Guided by Voices to really catch on, but by some fluke it did. Pollard was a private press working joe home brew mix tape guy that somehow got popular to an extent. Xgau is right on that assessment, but the last line kind of misses the point that it was probably make music this way or not make music at all. In a way it's like busting on some Alan Lomax blues guy he recorded on their porch for not having balls to get out of the fields and go up to the big city and do something with himself.

Stewart Lee is a big fan of this band apparently. I could never get into them tbh.

I deleted this from the current poll thread because JFever doesn't need me crapping on anybody's enthusiasm while he's trying to run a poll, but

I listened to GBV this morning for about an hour and a half, thx spotify, and still just don't get it! Everything's roughly the same tempo, the same sound, samey samey samey. I'm just not hearing the hooks!

don't feel too bad, i feel the same way. even caught them live a few times to see if that made a difference and, no

i guess the other thing is i'm not a big fan of the who, either. so when fans are like "they're rocking out like the who! yeah!" it's not a plus

i love The Who and imo they never rocked out like The Who

yeah, i don't think they sound like the who that much but it's more like i don't even like who they're apparently aspiring but failing to be

maybe on their early albums they were aspiring to be REM. from 92 - 95 they weren't aspiring to be anyone and were one of the best rock bands going. christgau can eat a dick. honestly i have no idea how someone couldn't love the hell out of alien lanes. an incredible amount of variety, a million ideas crammed into tight spaces, great lyrics, great melodies. side 2 of under the bushes under the stars is one of the greatest runs of songs of the 90s

In short, this is pop for perverts--pomo smarty-pants too prudish and/or alienated to take their pleasure without a touch of pain to remind them that they're still alive.

The sentences before this one strike me as fair enough (and I love B1000), but this sentiment is straight BS from a long-time champion of "semi-popular" who cooed about how on Radio City "the harmonies sound like the lead sheets are upside down and backwards, the guitar solos sound like screwball readymade pastiches, and the lyrics sound like love is strange, though maybe that's just the context. Can an album be catchy and twisted at the same time?" Now if he wanted to say B1000 was a shitty Radio City, fine. But "pop for perverts" in and of itself ain't something he has a problem with.

still think the best way to deal with these dudes is to approach them as an experimental band doing collage shit with classic rock radio gunk but realize that idea probably falls apart when dealing with the actual three-minutes-and-change ditties they tried writing toward the end.

listening to old gbv is like listening to a radio playing a classic rock station that melted in the sun -- if that's not your thing, ok. not sure what being a perv has to do with it.

i am also a super annoying typical gbv lifer, so

great lyrics

i understand why people like magnetic poetry gobbledygook but i dunno why they feel the need to elevate it to the level of 'great lyrics'

pop for perverts--pomo smarty-pants too prudish and/or alienated to take their pleasure without a touch of pain to remind them that they're still alive

it's true that i can't listen to abba without my nipple clamps

"closer you are," "game of pricks," "motor away," etc. all are pretty awesome lyrically

listening to old gbv is like listening to a radio playing a classic rock station that melted in the sun -- if that's not your thing, ok. not sure what being a perv has to do with it.

yep. I've always felt that those best mid-90's albums were like getting bad reception from a station transmitting from another galaxy. The aching of wanting a better signal had something to do with the appeal for me. Not sure how else to put it.

If GBV had been teenage girls singing about how their dish detergent was promoting male hegemony, Xgau would have been all over it. I'm more of a fan of him than of GBV, but occasionally he was an idiot and occasionally GBV were geniuses, and Bee Thousand is one of those times.

i even feel that way about the late 80s albums

i don't understand what's NOT to like about gbv, honestly -- if you like rock music, you are likely to find at least one gbv song that you like, it's inevitable because there are so many, and they are not actually samey if you listen to them all. you may need an interpreter to find your way through the muck, but when you stumble across it, it feels roughly equivalent to finding a piece of solid gold on the floor of a portajohn on your way out. like you may not have seen it on the way in, but you sure as hell noticed it on the way out and -- look at that-- you're surprise rich to boot.

i also think it helps to know how exceptionally grim dayton, oh is, and what it feels like to live in a town like that. knowing that someone was making awesome rock music in his garage after his day job as a 4th grade teacher (and on weekends, of course) is just, i'll admit it, super inspiring to me.

i mean, if anyone really cares why. i don't really care why i like gbv, i just do.

The aching of wanting a better signal had something to do with the appeal for me.

yes.

when i first started reading the board in 2005 i thought the still semi-regular gbv bashing was so odd, i mean who gave a shit about them by that point. like opposing them in 95 because you hated lo-fi or whatever makes sense, but why the seemingly amiable bob pollard became the poster boy for all the failures of indie is a mystery. i guess it had something to do with annoying fans, idk?

The sad thing about Pollard and GBV is that once he had the brass ring in hand, it fell apart. It's a pretty interesting rock and roll story, if nothing else and eventually a screenwriter will either tell the tale or co-op it. I saw them quite a bit, being a Midwestern dude and over a period of years it went from really fun to kind of sad live. The first few times I saw them, I thought it was some of the most concentrated rock and roll joy I have ever seen. The last time I saw them it was really bad and kind of sad. Ever since then I have wondered if Pollard might have had second thoughts on how it all played out.

Are they the second coming of some kind of 60s rock pop? Probably not. Is what they were doing in the early mid 90s kind of interesting in context, I think so. How much it has relevance it has now when you can have a 24 bit 192khz studio in your pocket, I cannot for certain say. I dig the stuff I dig then. Dude needed an editor as it went on, but it all came out I guess.

revive needs some dmr + daddino

idgi either, and i've been around since about 2006? why do people give a shit about hating on gbv? i do remember the sad phase, though, and it was enough to make me jaded enough to not go to the reunion show. i've had my ups and downs with liking them intensely.

still, however much you hate sloppy bellowing moronic drunkard bob pollard, try to imagine this song being sung by a girl in a language that is not english and then tell me it's not a good pop song! it's good!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tikguGJKxo

that is a hell of a lot of drums. were they opening for magma or something?

this band had some cool songs imo

no, wait a second. i DID go to the reunion show, i did not go to the "final" NYE show -- and it was in chicago. it was expensive!

I went to the last two Chicago shows and those will be the last ones I attend. FINAL.

revive needs some dmr + daddino

holla

not sure what to say if people are gonna get all "gbv doesn't have hooks" and "I don't really like the Who" up in here

I think the Who comparisons came more from their stage shtick at first (Pollard's high kicks and Daltrey mic swings, Mitch Mitchell doing windmills) but the later hi-fi "we're actually arena rock and not some weird alien idea of arena rock" songs have def. got some explicit Who

actually Demons Are Real off Bee Thousand kinda sounds like the Who

I saw GBV cover Baba O'Reilly as the last (second last?) encore song of a 3-hour set in Baltimore, we had all been at the Preakness drinking since noonish and the show ended at probably like 1 in the morning. We pretty much poured beer on each others heads and sang along really loud.

cool story bro

tbh only thing "demons are real" sounds like is tenacious d

"demons are real" is like ten seconds long. they are standing still

my fondest live GBV memory was when Pollard invited the entire audience onstage to sing "Hot Freaks". Half the room must have gotten up there. Security did not look pleased.

feel like lots of people who "don't get" guided by voices are just kind of uptight

"also a popular musician"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzCKMAcHhAY

I have never actually listened to them before and so went and checked out some youtubes and feel that the Who is all over these guys. They aren't a Who tribute band or anything, but from the 4 songs I listened to the influence is pretty apparent. I fucking hate the Who, but this stuff seems alright, just not something I'd listen to.

I think the Who comparisons came more from their stage shtick at first

No, it's not just that, the way Pollard writes a lot of the songs is similar to Townshend, they've both got a propensity for moving chord shapes up and down the guitar while keeping an open D ringing (technical term anyone?), Pollard does it all the time and Townshend used to

96.

Some of Sprout's songs -- "Waves" especially -- have the sullen loveliness of my favorite GBV moments, but otherwise, the new stuff hasn't quite killed me. And since nearly everything GBV did that I love actively repelled me at first, I take this as a bad sign.

http://www.the-fly.co.uk/news/article/1018159/listen-new-guided-by-voices-album/

That url is deceptive. It's only five tracks from English Little League, but they're batting 1000 with these. Starting to think the reunion was actually worth it!

yeah, these are great, all five of 'em. cribbed from the blueprint of past glories, some will say, but so what? good song is good. esp dig the "sullen loveliness" (daddino otm) of the sprout tune.

And here's some b-sides: http://thequietus.com/articles/12045-guided-by-voices-glue-on-bicycle-english-little-league

"Build A Bigger Iceberg" too good to be relegated to b-side status imo.

i'm enjoying the newie a lot - nothing is really standing out for me but there's only one howler (noble insect)

lol
55K
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Guided-By-Voices-GBV-custom-made-Eames-Drumset-used-on-Bee-Thousand-and-many-o-/121195596623

why not just contact jay carney or steven soderbergh directly

haha, seriously
i doubt carney has that kind of disposable cash though

Wow, what's the retail on that kit as is?

So... this blew up

https://www.facebook.com/gvbdrumauction/posts/450322931745459

lol. wonder what the "(you know, the J Mascis "who gives a fuck" story)" was.

Date: Fri, 18 Oct 2013 20:37:53 -0700
From: Kevin Fennell
Subject: Re: From Bobby

Bob, I thought that it would be best to respond to you voice-mail message via e-mail to avoid any argument or confrontation. I just don't feel comfortable being attacked or having to explain myself, it's bullshit. You obviously are pissed about my decision to sell my drums or maybe my asking price. If you recall I did mention that I would most likely be selling them but I wasn't sure how to go about it at the time.

After rejoining the band, I was hopeful that we would be more active regarding playing out and having the opportunity to earn money. As a result, I passed on two full-time job opportunities at OSU to make sure I was available for the band but we only played 2 shows this year, with no mention of anything in the future. That's just it, there has never really been much communication and I guess I'm tired of being "on call" at the drop of a hat.

It seems to me that we are not on the same page and maybe my expectations exceeded yours. I think it's unfortunate that you have any issue with me selling what belongs to me. I went out of my way to make sure that I did not use the band name for personal gain. I only stated the facts about my history with the band on E-Bay. You know that I have devoted a large part of my life to the band and have been loyal from the beginning. It's too bad that same loyalty was never reciprocated and I think you know what I mean.

Maybe it's best that I resign my position at this time. I don't feel that I need to ask your permission about personal decisions ie: the asking price for my drums. If that's the case, it's better that we part company now.

Date: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 8:24AM
From: Bob Pollard
Subject: Re: From Bobby

Hey Kevin,

Thanks for responding and there will be no argument or confrontation. There was no attack. There was simply a statement and observation by all, and you don't realize how many, that you have made a fool of yourself by your asking price. First of all, most people would like to know who the fuck you think you are and who you think Guided By Voices is that you can warrant that kind of asking price for your fucking drums. And yes, you did mention the band and use the band as a selling point. You said, "These were the drums that were played on Bee Thousand" and other albums. Should I ask for $50,000 for the metal trash can I banged on My Valuable Hunting Knife? Do you see the absurdity and where it can go from there? You don't have to ask for my permission to sell your shit but you do my friend, have to ask permission to use the name Guided By Voices as I own it.

You can call it resigning if you want but you were already fired. I've been wanting to do that for a long time. You're an amateur, you play too fast (which is the sign of an amateur). I've asked you to slow down and get behind the music but I can tell that you don't know what I'm even talking about. You know, I diligently sought you out for this reunion thing. I said I wouldn't do it if I couldn't find all four of the original members of the so-called fucking Classic line-up which is a laugh to begin with. I employed the assistance of others to find you. Now, I'm regretting that I ever did that. I could have gotten Jim MacPherson or Kevin March and no one would have given a shit, it would have all been the same.

I owe no sense of loyalty to you whatsoever. 100% of the gratitude should come from your end. Good luck in gouging someone for your fucking drums and don't ever fucking bother me again.

Bob

PS - Oh yeah, and calling it "being on call at the drop of a hat" for the exorbitant amount of money that you received for these calls is the epitome of biting the hand that feeds you. Do not delude yourself, Kevin, that people gave a shit who was behind that drum kit. And if you have a problem with me you can call me or meet me face to face if that's what you fucking want. Not just myself, but others, know you to be a rude, opinionated and insufferable individual. The little anecdote that you told about J Mascis in Denver (you know, the J Mascis "who gives a fuck" story) was the final straw anyway. And you know what most people can't believe about you asking $55k for your drums, minimum? Is that you're not even on drugs anymore.
Like · Reply · 9 · October 22 at 6:58am

Wow, what's the retail on that kit as is?

― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Thursday, October 17, 2013 11:56 AM (1 week ago)

lol. wonder what the "(you know, the J Mascis "who gives a fuck" story)" was.

― how's life, Thursday, October 24, 2013 1:40 PM (11 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Just any old day for J

sadly predictable correspondence there

i wonder what the jobs he passed up at OSU were

sadly predictable indeed. but also, of course, private. i can't imagine why any of those involved, even the aggrieved party, would want to make this correspondence public.

Not sure I understand Bob's argument- do you really need permission of the name owner to sell any memorabilia with the name on it?

Yeah I don't understand the motivation to make this public either...

Bob is mean.

i guess it's to show that bob is a dick?

I'm sure it's complicated, Kevin has a history.

who doesn't already know that? bob is a lovable narcissistic dick.

Now that this is public the fans get to provide all of the context that is missing!

I'm going to print out this email and try to get Bob to autograph it.

Then sell it on ebay

for $55k

Reserve not met.

^next album title

J Mascis "who gives a fuck" story

^next album title

Ugh, that correspondence, guys in bands being horrible to each other but not actually in person, what a novelty

Upcoming release:

J Mascis "who gives a fuck" story

1. Being on call at the drop of a hat
2. Too fast (which is the sign of an amateur)
3. $50,000 for the metal trash can
4. There was no attack
5. See the absurdity (and where it can go from there)
6. So-called fucking classic
7. Sense of loyalty
8. I said I wouldn't do it if I couldn't
9. A laugh to begin with
10. Asking price
11. You have made a fool

hahahaha!!

that's making me want to record one of those songs, which in the spirit would sound super shitty and be recorded in a midwestern basement on the most rudimentary of recording devices available to me (my phone)
"4. there was no attack" is my track of choice

Yeah, track 4 is the hit! "$50,000 for the metal trash can" is the rambling nonsense at :34 in length.

Jesus that was depressing. The FB link is dead now; those excerpts are from the FB page or what?

They are, yes.

You're welcome for the copy/paste.

B-)

(hilarious post btw, Evan)

Ha, thanks! Also for pasting, should have known it would get deleted.

God, lesson is as old as the internet: Don't have contentious conversations in email (or text, or writing, etc).

"a laugh to begin with" is a gorgeous acoustic ditty with bob and toby singing together about god knows what the fuck.

"you have made a fool" is, for better or worse, their new "hold on hope."

Got to LOL at Bob Pollard berating someone else for being amateurish

"being on call at the drop of a hat" is a surprisingly good electronic album opener that fools you into thinking this album is going to be their kid a, which of course it isn't.

"I was available for the band but we only played 2 shows this year,"

to be fair, each show was 400 hours long.

"So-called fucking classic" is even shorter and more ironic than "Hit" off of Alien Lanes

glad this got explained because the links I'd seen were to the fb page which was gone by the time I clicked on it. Bob sounds like a dick to to be perfectly honest, that is a ridiculous auction price and no-one gives a shit who drums for GBV.

I think they should let a fan be their drummer.

fennell was the first drummer i ever saw gbv play with and he was most definitely a part of the reason i fell in love with them. he's still my fave gbv drummer. neither he nor pollard seems like they'd be all that fun to be in a band with though.

gotta love that pollard has a 7-inch called "return of the drums" due out in november. seriously.

If I'm not mistaken, he's got a fairly large Guided By Voices tattoo taking up the length of his arm. Wondering if he's regretting that now.

lol Lech

I wonder when he got the tattoo. This isn't the first melodramatic falling out these two dudes have had.

Guys, this is just another classic rock tribute from them, a tribute to The Byrds dust up in which David Crosby the drummer "Michael, play drums right!"

Listening to Lamb lies down on broadway a few times & it seems like a strong influence on GBV?

i think pollard has copped to being a 70s peter gabriel / genesis fan