Pixies Once More

This is huge music news. I remember very vividly interviewing the Pixies, especially Kim Deal, in the locker room of the Oberlin Field House in the winter of ’91 or ’92 – Daivd Bowie was hanging out with us also as his son Joey went to Oberlin at the time and he had a Tin Machine performance the next night in Cleveland.

Though hopeful speculation has been whirling about since the day they broke up in 1993 – and came up in our interview with Frank Black in September ’02 – as of this moment it’s official: THE PIXIES ARE GETTING BACK TOGETHER.

Band to Play Series of Warm Up Dates, Co-Headline Coachella Festival, Head to Europe
DVD, CD to be Released

They’re talking, they’re rehearsing, and they’re going to perform together for the first time in more than a decade. The Pixies , acclaimed as the most influential pioneer of the late ’80s alt/rock movement, and who effectively blazed the path for groups like Nirvana, Radiohead and Pearl Jam to rise to superstardom, have officially confirmed their much-anticipated reunion. The original line-up – Frank Black/vocals, guitar; Joey Santiago/guitar; Kim Deal/bass; and David Lovering/drums – are already holed up in a Southern California rehearsal space working together for the first time since they disbanded in 1993.

In April, The Pixies will kick off an 11-city “warm up” tour of North America, marking the first time they’ve toured together since 1992’s massive “ZOO TV” in support of U2. This string of dates will culminate on May 1 when the band co-headlines (with Radiohead and Kraftwerk) the first night of this year’s Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival to be held at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, CA. The band will then embark on a European tour starting May 28 and ending July 10.

But wait, there’s more. Later this year, 4AD/Beggars Banquet will release PIXIES, a DVD that features four elements: eight Pixies’ videos (“Debaser,” “Here Comes Your Man,” “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” “Velouria,” “Dig For Fire/Allison,” “Alec Eiffel,” and “Head On;” a live concert filmed in 1988 at the Town and Country Club in London; the definitive Pixies documentary entitled “Gouge,” which features interviews with Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, David Bowie, Bono, among others, as well as “behind the scenes” footage. And if this isn’t enough, a “best of” album with the working title “Wave Of Mutilation – Best of Pixies” will be in-stores later this year and will offer twenty-three tracks including a remixed “Debaser,” “Here Comes Your Man,” “Gigantic,” “Allison,” “Nimrod’s Son,” “Dig For Fire,” and “Monkey Gone to Heaven.”

The Pixies formed in Boston in 1986 when Charles Thompson dropped out of college and convinced his friend and roommate, Joey Santiago, to do the same. The two recruited bassist Kim Deal who suggested drummer David Lovering join the group, and the lineup was made official. Thompson adopted the stage name Black Francis and the group named themselves The Pixies after flipping through a dictionary. The Pixies quickly gained a cult following as well as critical acclaim for their signature blend of screaming punk noise, indie guitar rock, classic pop, and surf rock riffs mixed with impossible-to-ignore melodic hooks and Francis’ bizarre lyrics about religion, UFOs and metaphysics – their own unique sound.

During their six years together, The Pixies released five albums on the 4AD label – “Come on Pilgrim” (1987); “Surfer Rosa” (1988); “Doolittle” (1989); “Bossanova” (1990) and “Trompe Le Monde” (1991). Experiencing particular success in the U.K. and Europe, The Pixies played sold-out festivals and received a multitude of fan, peer and critical acclaim – the U.K.’s NME named “Doolittle” the “Second Best Album Ever.” The band’s influence was far-reaching; U2’s Bono referred to The Pixies as “one of America’s greatest bands ever;” David Bowie called their work “just about the most compelling music of the entire ’80s,” and Kurt Cobain, who identified “Surfer Rosa” as his favorite album of that entire decade, confessed, when writing “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” that, “Basically, I was ripping off The Pixies.”

Tour dates for The Pixies’ reunion tour will be announced shortly.

This may be perhaps even more significant than the recent appearance of a certain right breast. I wonder if Kim is going to feel compelled to flash hers.