oh sorry i am sure you are right - yep - just making the point that he hasn't been entirely apolitical this whole time
― clouds (peanutbuttereverysingleday), Wednesday, 23 May 2018 02:15 (five years ago) link
(apologies for the unnecessarily pedantic post that really was just an excuse to post a hashtag that I thought was funny)
― cwkiii, Wednesday, 23 May 2018 02:31 (five years ago) link
He referenced Bob Packwood's sexual harassment scandals about 15 years ago in "Vanessa From Queens".
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Wednesday, 23 May 2018 03:24 (five years ago) link
Oh I know, I was just saying that it still sounds like Stephen Malkmus, and in no way did it even occur to me that someone would hear it and think "oh man, I am not prepared to process this stage of this man's career."
― cwkiii, Tuesday, May 22, 2018 9:41 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
wasn't thinking "oh man, I am not prepared to process this stage of this man's career," was thinking "this artist who has built a career on sarcasm and above-it-all ironic detachment is now obliquely referencing social justice in a way that seems conspicuous and a tad insincere given that he has been basically shrugging at such things for decades"
― Paul Ponzi, Wednesday, 23 May 2018 12:18 (five years ago) link
I guess if part of what someone enjoys the most about him is his sarcasm and above-it-all ironic detachment then if they pay attention to the lyrics of this one song they might be slightly let down? But it's a really good song! Especially if you dig him as a guitarist.
I get how that could bug you but it was kind of a bummer to think that it would dissuade you from checking out the record because, like I said before, it still sounds like a Malkmus song and it doesn't scan as like, preachy or whatever.
― cwkiii, Wednesday, 23 May 2018 13:25 (five years ago) link
it's like processing that joe strummer grew up relatively privileged
― reggie (qualmsley), Wednesday, 23 May 2018 13:25 (five years ago) link
fwiw, he did write that Pavement song “Grounded”
― i’m still stanning (morrisp), Wednesday, 23 May 2018 14:15 (five years ago) link
conspicuous? yes.a tad insincere? i don't hear/believe that.a little disjointed / not fully formed as a concept / political statement? yes, i think that's a fair criticism.
― alpine static, Wednesday, 23 May 2018 15:43 (five years ago) link
Writing a (good) politically / socially conscious song must be particularly challenging for even a good songwriter
― i’m still stanning (morrisp), Wednesday, 23 May 2018 15:51 (five years ago) link
Maybe "insincere" is harsh, I take that back. I mean, I'm quite sure the guy's heart is in the right place. I just don't listen to Malkmus wanting or expecting social commentary. Does anyone?
FWIW I repped hard for Jagbags (see upthread) and am definitely a fan, in case that wasn't clear.
― Paul Ponzi, Wednesday, 23 May 2018 15:52 (five years ago) link
I care quite a bit more about Malkmus' songwriting than your opinion of it, if that's what you're asking.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Wednesday, 23 May 2018 16:15 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKpi9cAmnfo
malk doing "solid silk" on the 12-string <3
― k3vin k., Friday, 25 May 2018 04:03 (five years ago) link
I had missed this interview, it's great: https://www.spin.com/featured/stephen-malkmus-and-tim-heidecker-in-conversation-fleetwood-mac-internet-trolls-and-hating-frank-zappa/
Heidecker: What’s your take on Frank Zappa?Malkmus: I’m not a fan, to be honest.Heidecker: I have never met a fan! I’ve never met a fan!Malkmus: Yeah, I don’t think it’s good music. I know a lot of people compare me to him, especially in Brazil. For some reason, the Frank Zappa underground there thinks of me as Zappa-esque. It’s parody in the end, but you can’t put all your chips on parody unless it’s full parody. Weird Al is one thing, he’s awesome. But that’s a different thing.
Malkmus: I’m not a fan, to be honest.
Heidecker: I have never met a fan! I’ve never met a fan!
Malkmus: Yeah, I don’t think it’s good music. I know a lot of people compare me to him, especially in Brazil. For some reason, the Frank Zappa underground there thinks of me as Zappa-esque. It’s parody in the end, but you can’t put all your chips on parody unless it’s full parody. Weird Al is one thing, he’s awesome. But that’s a different thing.
― stan in the place where you work (morrisp), Monday, 17 September 2018 19:40 (five years ago) link
Wow, that's a better (off-the-cuff) take on Zappa than I think I've ever been able to put together the many times I've tried to explain my distaste. Zappa fans have much in common with the neckbeard ime
― rip van wanko, Monday, 17 September 2018 20:34 (five years ago) link
yeah, reducing Zappa's entire body of work to "parody," what a hot take. so original
Malkmus schmalkmus
― Paul Ponzi, Monday, 17 September 2018 20:58 (five years ago) link
Could just reduce it to “garbage”
― Οὖτις, Monday, 17 September 2018 21:00 (five years ago) link
Yes, if only there were more music like "Jenny & The Ess Dog"
― Paul Ponzi, Monday, 17 September 2018 21:09 (five years ago) link
I hate that song fwiw, that was when i stopped listening to malk
― Οὖτις, Monday, 17 September 2018 21:10 (five years ago) link
gimme Jenny & the Ess Dog over every note Zappa ever played
― alpine static, Monday, 17 September 2018 21:10 (five years ago) link
I don't particularly love "Jenny" but I love that it's a clear statement that he's not invested in making "important" "challenging" music or pandering to snobs
― rip van wanko, Monday, 17 September 2018 21:20 (five years ago) link
Another great passage:
Heidecker: You gotta be happy for Mike Campbell a little bit, I guess. He wasn’t expecting Tom Petty to die. Malkmus: He wants to play.Heidecker: He was like, “Get me out there! I can earn!”Malkmus: I met him just the other day. I played at this benefit for Jerry Garcia’s charity in Los Angeles. They had Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell. Campbell was backstage. He came in the room, and he was dressed like a rock star: scarves, that Rolling Stones scarve-y look.Heidecker: Floppy hat.Malkmus: A bit of West Coast grizzle. He walked by, and he looked a little like that one Grateful Dead album with the skull wearing the top hat and shiny glasses.Heidecker: He’s struttin’.Malkmus: He strutted by and he went, “Yeah, Pavement, man.” That’s all he said. Kind of in a lizard voice, “Pavement, man. Yeah.” Then he was out.
― stan in the place where you work (morrisp), Monday, 17 September 2018 21:41 (five years ago) link
― rip van wanko, Monday, September 17, 2018 5:20 PM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
The addition of the quotation marks around those words is the most "Malkmus fan" thing ever
― Paul Ponzi, Tuesday, 18 September 2018 01:02 (five years ago) link
Anyway, long live important and challenging music, death to condescending half-assed 90s dweebdom
― Paul Ponzi, Tuesday, 18 September 2018 01:03 (five years ago) link
dweezil?
― rip van wanko, Tuesday, 18 September 2018 01:05 (five years ago) link
lol
― stan in the place where you work (morrisp), Tuesday, 18 September 2018 01:23 (five years ago) link
important and challenging, two things Zappa is not
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 18 September 2018 01:55 (five years ago) link
omg we got an important and challenging music guy in 2018!
― call all destroyer, Tuesday, 18 September 2018 01:59 (five years ago) link
Jenny & The Ess-Dog is great, the first song on the s/t ("Black Book") is the one that nobody likes.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 18 September 2018 02:49 (five years ago) link
frank zappa is okay
he's the type of guy the typical ilxor would strive to be though so you get a feeling he's really important when he really is not
stevie seems more chill and has a more dgaf attitude which is a very 90s thing, so idk, my heart gravitates to that vibe
― F# A# (∞), Tuesday, 18 September 2018 04:45 (five years ago) link
and has a more dgaf attitude
ACTUALLY it's dadgaf...
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 18 September 2018 04:54 (five years ago) link
trü
― F# A# (∞), Tuesday, 18 September 2018 04:59 (five years ago) link
Stephen Malkmus (@dronecoma)'s shelved electronic album 'Groove Denied' out in March https://t.co/96bhdYgjXR pic.twitter.com/sROG7PRfMt— Stereogum (@stereogum) January 18, 2019
― flappy bird, Friday, 18 January 2019 18:08 (five years ago) link
he’s been working on it for 12 or 13 years
!
color me curious
― flappy bird, Friday, 18 January 2019 18:09 (five years ago) link
cautiously looking forward to this
― tylerw, Friday, 18 January 2019 18:10 (five years ago) link
It’s gotta be better than his “rock” musik at this point...
― i stan corrected (morrisp), Friday, 18 January 2019 18:43 (five years ago) link
i dunno, i like his rock stuff still — last one was very strong. I think he's just made good solo albums as opposed to great ones.
― tylerw, Friday, 18 January 2019 18:58 (five years ago) link
As the world's biggest Modulate fan I'm pretty excited.
― geoffreyess, Friday, 18 January 2019 22:16 (five years ago) link
Some of it sounds fairly rock-y: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bsvd5WtBth9/
― i stan corrected (morrisp), Monday, 21 January 2019 03:39 (five years ago) link
Feel like the vibes are older than 13 years...
Malkmus & ex-GF Heather larimer - "Robyn Turns 26" (2000) comp trackhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsuhYhExk_M
Malkmus - "Sin Taxi" (2001) b-sidehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiyApoXUt_8
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Monday, 21 January 2019 10:04 (five years ago) link
Yeah, I also thought of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3n6Y6OGS78
― Vaguely Threatening CAPTCHAs, Monday, 21 January 2019 14:28 (five years ago) link
Awesome cover
https://media.pitchfork.com/photos/5c472ed66250af5b8085ccf6/master/pass/Malkmus.jpg
― flappy bird, Tuesday, 22 January 2019 17:52 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlC8uz47qGo
― i stan corrected (morrisp), Tuesday, 22 January 2019 18:43 (five years ago) link
Ugh.
― afriendlypioneer, Tuesday, 22 January 2019 19:42 (five years ago) link
Jesus, that is bad
― Uptown VONC (Le Bateau Ivre), Tuesday, 22 January 2019 19:46 (five years ago) link
yeah, not good
― resident hack (Simon H.), Tuesday, 22 January 2019 19:47 (five years ago) link
groove should have been denied
― ( ͡☉ ͜ʖ ͡☉) (jim in vancouver), Tuesday, 22 January 2019 19:47 (five years ago) link
if sparks weren't good at all.
― andrew m., Tuesday, 22 January 2019 19:49 (five years ago) link
hmm that's not great
― k3vin k., Tuesday, 22 January 2019 19:49 (five years ago) link
It sounds a lot like something off New Traditionalists (I think?) but I can't place it.
― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, 22 January 2019 19:50 (five years ago) link