You Lost You Cotton-Pickin' Mind (EDIT)

That's what the boy told me this mornin'.

After that it goes squirrely. I spend a lot of nights in hotel rooms. Sometimes I sleep like a comatic...other times not at all. So, I always travel with some sleepytime. Sometimes I take it and don't lay down right away...sometimes I take it and try to post on the blog.

Corrections, edits and further elaborations in bold.


"Cant I for...forklift me"


Since the mid 90's certain desperate people...me...have been waiting for somebody to fill the small but noisy space that was created in Drag City, then abandoned, by Pavement.

That's one sentence...one terrible sentence. You should have heard how mangled sounded in my head.




"We're here for terrets...uh Tibet Tibet."
We've talked about these clowns before.


Apolitical, Un-In-Volved - "Music and Fame/A Career/Career/Career/Korea/Korea." "Obviously" they explained "it's a song about nuclear proliferation in Korea." I reckon they never got their spot on 90210. HA!


"In the court house's double breast/I'd like to check out your public protest/Why're you complainin'/Talk"

This is worth dwelling on at some point. They weren't just apolitical...they were unconcerned. It seems like every crop of kids either wants to tear the world down or make it a better place. At the very least they've got somethign to say. It's all very earnest...and predictable and boring. Pavement didn't seem to have anything to say...emotionally (we'll delve further into this on the N.W.A. post that's coming) and "politically" detached. Aloof like Nancy Sinatra in the video for these boots are made for walking. Awesome.

In a profound sense Pavement were an expression of anglophilia...punk/post punk imports, burning airlines catalouges, THe Young ones...we were all over it...except for the fashion.

Alright stop...just stop. These are notes not complete thoughts. The thing to do here would have been to start with the American influences...and then point out the profundity of British influence on their music. It gave them a different vocabulary than the "grunge" acts that came up at the same time...Cobain's love for the Vaselines not withstanding...that stuff was "classic rock" with Sonic Youth guitars.

It also suggested a certain kind of musical upbringing that progressed from new wave back to punk and on to post punk that a lot of people coming through the 80s went through...a lot of record collectors anyway. A vocal minority in a group that was small to start with.

Anyway...they maintained British references throughout. You can hear Malkmus at the end of Hit the Plane Down (another song that owes a great debt to The Fall)...repeating the line from The Happy Monday's song Step On..."you're twistin my melon man." One of the last singles they ever released was backed with covers of The Killingn Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen (y'all don't know what a freak I am for then do you?)and THe Classical!!!

Ayway I hashed it.

"Steve Malkmus never had an original thought in his life" Mark E Smith


It sounds for all the world to hear like the Pixies putting there juju on New Face in Hell. They ripped off Swell Maps too...like it was on clearance. Sonic Youth and Big Black...these were some dead serious record collectors. They weren't rebels and didn't a cause...just because was good enough. No anger...just curing knowing boredom with mischievous.

Every joke comes to a punch line...an end...and it was obvious almost from the start that, ultimately, four tracks couldn't contain 'em.

"mixin' cocktails with a plastic tip cigar"

This is Summer Babe..a single befor the first proper album was released. The songs brilliant but it's clear that our friends here..high on hard drugs and Chrome...are becoming post-punk's Beach Boys...not a bad thing at all as it turns out.



Video's a little goofy...but, it's fun enough I reckon...and the smile at the end is a perfect ending.

Not that it wasn't a beautiful thing to hear blossom. I'll put money and my left pinky on Crooked Rain/Crooked Rain...as the most effortless piece of noise/pop written in the last 500 years. It's Jan and Dean cuttin their own version of Pet Sounds in the garage....Elevate Me Later, Stop Breathin, Fillmore Jive, Heaven is a Truck....get out!

But....it's not...

"Now the blood's blister/the blister's black"


There may be hope though...Thursday night I was recruited to be a music man. The Boy handed me a drum. Then, because we needed to be cool, he found us some "shades"...strapped the blue battered push button yamaha electric over his shoulder and checked the schedule (a dollar store ethesketch).

This needs some clarification...The Boy pulled out this cheapy ethcasketch and started runnin' his finger along it like an ipad to check our tour schedule. He was all business...HA!

"We have a show in you and mommy's room."

He walked in and immediately took possession of half the room...threw the neck of the guitar up around his ear and started bangin' the buttons...

EHRRHA,,,WRAAA....EEHHHRRRRRRR..WAAAAAAAA
You cut yo finger
You cut yo finger
You cut yo finger
the cops came
You lost you mind
You lost you mind
You cut yo finger
RREEEEEEEE....wWAAAAA...RRRRRRRRRRRR...Wawassssss

It was jaw dropping...that's all.

His momma had to hear this...so, I grabbed the "schedule" and announced that our next show was in the kitchen.

"Ok but you sing."

"No you're the singer man."

"No I don't wanna sing."

"But I don't know the words dude."

"Yes you do."

"No...I don't."

"You do know the words...the song is Jesus Loves Me."

That's how it goes round...around here.

Whatch out y'all he's got just enough ramshackle in him to pull it off...and he's got the hair for it.



The real tragedy here is I couldn't embed a video for Heckler Spray.