C or D : Guided By Voices.

My point was just that it was weird he would say “no girls in the treehouse” to Kim, of all “girls.”

Yeah that's pretty unfortunate to learn as Kim boosted GBV's audience quite a bit by releasing the Breeders' cover of "Shocker In Gloomtown" on an EP around the time Scat released Bee Thousand, which was probably the first time outside of a pretty narrow audience had heard a GBV song.

But I'm far less invested in GBV as most people on this thread, they had a really amazing streak that caught my ear for a few years.

LL OTM. I've always felt Bob showcased the bloke-ish sports-guy chauvanism as a machismo cover for his awkwardness over being creative, but you are what you present to the world, and it's always been a turn-off.

I've always interpreted Giggling Faggots as a bandname, like "Coming in to town with the Giggling Faggots", but I have nothing to support my theory that that's what Bob meant, that's just where my brain went the first time I heard it. It's a pretty jarring line, which was probably its purpose, but it hits a bum note on an otherwise sublime album.

Tbh, as a fag, I don't mind it, but understand how it turns people off.

I love GBV and a lot of Pollard's other work, even, but it's no coincidence that I know exactly zero women outside of ILX who give a shit about either.

I saw GBV in the early 2000s in Chicago & late in the extremely long set he went on a rant about how Jim DeRogatis didn't like the band, and started riffing on what (he thought) DeRogatis liked, saying "Hip hop? I'm hip, hop on this", shoving his dick out, "Rap? Wrap your lips around this", shoving his dick out, and "Disco? Dis go in your mouth", again shoving his dick out. I thought it was shitty, probably more misogynist than homophobic, but both.

That the shows are full of the indie equivalent of frat bros is also evidence, yes.

When I saw them in 2002, Sonic Youth were playing the same night across town, and he went on this long drunken rampage about how GBV were better because their name had more letters. It was truly embarrassing.

I saw GBV and Sleater Kinney at NYC Summerstage - a weekly concert in Central Park that pairs artists in double bills. Toward the end of GBV's set, Pollard growled, "Who's here next week... Shudder to Think and ABBA?"

I took it as a joke, more or less, about Summerstage's "eclecticism" (not that the sets were really eclectic); but my STT-loving friend took it as a dis, and was angry.

GBV and Sleater Kinney at NYC Summerstage

my only memory of that show, which occurred toward the end (it may have contributed to the end) of my maniacal gbv obsession, is that sleater-kinney blew them off the stage.

I picked up the GBV "final show" DVD from a thrift store a few months back. Great setlist but hardly the world's most inspiring live band, if that's anything to go by.

Which GBV final "final show" was it?

The Doug Gillard era bands were very professional but dull - like Doug Gillard in fact.

Which GBV final "final show" was it?

https://www.discogs.com/Guided-By-Voices-The-Electrifying-Conclusion/release/2417151

/GBV and Sleater Kinney at NYC Summerstage/

my only memory of that show, which occurred toward the end (it may have contributed to the end) of my maniacal gbv obsession, is that sleater-kinney blew them off the stage.

The Doug Gillard era bands were very professional but dull - like Doug Gillard in fact.

I don't think records like Speak Kindly are dull in the slightest

Great setlist but hardly the world's most inspiring live band, if that's anything to go by.

I dunno, I've seen the band a handful of times, starting around "Bee Thousand," continuing through its bigger venue alt success, and most recently on New Year's Eve a couple of years ago, and each show was an absolute blast despite the band being nowhere near one of my favorites.

From the same interview above...

One time I saw you guys play with Sleater-Kinney in Central Park…

Oh wow…

And it was this thing where, you’re waaaay over there, and between me and the stage there’s this football field of freaks, and all I can see is the freaks… so I had no idea what was going on on stage.

Do you remember when I started throwing beers? I got in trouble a little bit for it, too. I’m glad I got away with that one, I could have killed someone. But people were asking for beers, so I’d hand them off. Then there were people farther back, so I started flipping them. Then I’d toss them, and after awhile I was throwing them all the way back, as high as I could, and they were coming down… bottles of beer… I could have killed someone.

That’s so Nikki Sixx.

I thought it was a punk rock thing, but then I realized it was pretty fucking stupid. Someone from my label came out and tried to grab me, to stop me. That was a weird show, because it was really hot, and it was scary actually. There were a lot of people there. We were told by riot grrls in Portland that “Sleater-Kinney is going to burn the stage up on you guys.” Come on!

I notice one of the the inserts for that DVD has an image of Cosey Fanni Tutti (from the gatefold of "Heathen Earth") on it:

https://img.discogs.com/RDLoLABgUL_cddQZ0rPI7ZiUxHE=/fit-in/600x901/filters:strip_icc():format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-2417151-1493698410-4710.jpeg.jpg

I don't think records like Speak Kindly are dull in the slightest

That's an exception, I generally don't like his guitar playing at all.

The stuff is still good because songs, but that's mostly in spite of Gillard.

i think gillard's problem in gbv is that his playing was sympathetic with a lead vocalist who didn't particularly reward that sympathy. tobin and mitch's strategy of drowning the singer out was a much, much better choice. (i say this as a fan, fwiw.)

i think gillard's problem in gbv is that his playing was sympathetic with a lead vocalist who didn't particularly reward that sympathy. tobin and mitch's strategy of drowning the singer out was a much, much better choice. (i say this as a fan, fwiw.)

GBV and GBS fighting out at the top of the New Answers page.

Shmoo loves Throbbing Gristle, who knew? Pollard, that's who.

That was a weird show, because it was really hot, and it was scary actually. There were a lot of people there. We were told by riot grrls in Portland that “Sleater-Kinney is going to burn the stage up on you guys.

I guess I remember it being hot, but not dangerously crowded or "scary" (but I also don't remember him throwing beers)!

Yeah, I remember the beers too. It wasn’t a football field though!

i think gillard's problem in gbv is that his playing was sympathetic with a lead vocalist who didn't particularly reward that sympathy. tobin and mitch's strategy of drowning the singer out was a much, much better choice. (i say this as a fan, fwiw.)

I can hear that. I think my problem with much of his stuff post-Mag Earwhig, say, is the laziness of his vocal melodies - often I just don't find them very compelling.

As for GBV the live band, I've loved shows they've played, I've owned bootlegs that are excruciating to listen to in their sloppiness, I have no desire to see them play for four hours or whatever, but the London shows they played last summer really relit my fire.

Oh, don't get me wrong: I'd go to see them live *any time* it happens again.

Like, I understand that I am also one of those indie frat boys in some way, but mostly because I believe Pollard is the greatest lyricist of his generation, no contest.

LL this this just came into my mailbox and I thought of you...this ship has probably sailed but I think they were just out of that other shirt^^^^ size your friend tried to order? Seems it does comes in a small (I had checked for my daughter who is a fan). There are women's and unisex shirts too

https://stores.portmerch.com/guidedbyvoices/featured-products/womens-tie-dye-groovy-t.html

omg lol -- the shirt for girls has girls on it, smh
i do appreciate the thought :)

ha true enough

there are others though!

1) is there a consensus "best robert pollard impersonation"?
2) is it, in fact, tim heidecker about 1:00 into this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfG8nEhNMhk

(cross posted from https://www.ilxor.com/ILX/ThreadSelectedControllerServlet?showall=true&bookmarkedmessageid=7667828&boardid=41&threadid=103910)

lol

That's brilliant

New album is just ok

very glad I clicked through to the youtube page - Heidecker's impersonation turned into a track
https://soundcloud.com/calmcnamara/the-universe-of-crayon-man

New album is cool, even better than the other album out earlier this year, though Bunco Men is the best track by some distance, and is obviously a vintage Pollard composition

whoa yeah Bunco Men was on the first suitcase

it's a bit sad that he's probably better off revamping old barely-heard outtakes than writing new stuff

the rest of the album is strong too. I'm guessing Bob just got a whim to bring it to a larger audience, or someone in his current band felt they should have a crack at it. Though I kind of think trying to second-guess the reasons behind Bob's creative decisions is a fool's game.

that keith cross and peter ross albums the guy recommends at the end is great

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

Seems like Bob's been allowing himself at most one reworked Suitcase track per album the last few years. Sweating the Plague had "Your Cricket Is Rather Unique," Space Gun had "That's Good," and August by Cake had "Dr. Feelgood Falls Off the Ocean" (formerly "Something For Susan In The Shadows").

Mirrored Aztec is really great! Best one* since Motivational Jumpsuit

*that I've heard, there's probably at least 10 now I haven't heard

I didn't know Bunco Men but it didn't really stick out to me as the best song or anything

Swimming river flow
Rifle, bullet, arrow & bow
Plaster, paint & tile
Lepus, canine, cat & reptile

― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Monday, August 1, 2016 7:00 PM (four years ago)

As expected, this verse randomly pops up in my brane on occasion... but what does it mean?

shopping list

don't patronize the mountain men

where do taco, buffalo, birddog and jesus fit it?

Mr. Child

https://www.gbvdb.com/images/guided_by_voices_styles_we_paid_for_large.jpg

Styles We Paid For, out 12/11