“You’ve been humming and I think it’s forever, praying for Pavement to get back together”
It does feel like that huh? That is a line from the song ‘So Far Round the Bend‘ by The National from the Dark Was The Night complication released in 2009, it would ironically be the year that Pavement actually announced they were getting back together. If you don’t know who Pavement are and their importance in 90′s music than the rest of this post won’t mean anything to you, feel free to keep reading though. So why use that lyric? Well I was one of those kids that always prayed for Pavement to get back together and I think that with all the indie kids doing it, it finally happened.
In a few weeks Pavement will be playing their first show back, at this stage it seems that New Zealand will be the first show, but rumours are spreading the band will play a small gig somewhere in the US to dust off those cobwebs first. The countdown is on for myself and Pants as we’ll be not only catching the guys in Perth, but also making the trip over to Melbourne to catch a few shows too. Pavement are ‘one of those’ bands for us, one of those bands that have a song for every mood you’re in, one of those bands that make you dance and smile but also give you a hug when you’re feeling blue, one of those bands that will always hold a special connection since we met. If you know me and I say “This is practically as big as when the Smashing Pumpkins toured Australia in 2008 for us” then you know this tour is extremely important.
So while talking about those Pumpkins, it makes a perfect segue to explain how I got into Pavement. So I knew of Pavement in the mid 90′s, I’m sure I’d seen a clip or two on rage and I’m sure I would have liked them but there was one thing I just couldn’t ignore. They dissed my band, they dissed The Smashing Pumpkins. In Pavement’s song ‘Range Life‘ from their ‘Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain‘ album the Malkmus sings the line ” … Out on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins / Nature kids / I, they don’t have no function I don’t understand what they mean and I could really give a fuck … ” and to me these were fighting words. That was it, I would never count myself as a Pavement fan. Fast forward to 2002 to when I met, and started dating, Pants (both an equally big Smashing Pumpkins and Pavement fan) and she explained the meaning behind the lyrics and pointed me towards this interview with NY ROCK and Stephen Malkmus from 1999.
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NY ROCK: There are a lot of speculations about the relationship between Pavement and the Smashing Pumkins…
STEPHEN: A lot of people claim we dissed them. We never did. I only laughed about the band name, because it does sound kinda silly… Smashing Pumpkins…. And well, their status, that they were the indie darlings, the heroes of the indie scene. I never really dissed their music. I like their songs – well, most of their songs anyway. Especially “1979,” that’s a cool song. As I said, I never dissed their music. I just dissed their status. I never really cared for the rock’n'roll lifestyle or being.
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Ohhhhhh, so it seems that I was kind of wrong and it seems my naive view of the band caused me to miss out on years of enjoying their work. I mean other bands I love always cited them as huge influences, I should like them too. So with Pants now in my life she made me a Pavement mixtape (cd) for my 21st birthday [pictured below]
So the mixtape obviously worked, I became hooked hearing Cut Your Hair, Spit on a Stranger and their cover of The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen. From then on Pavement went from being just Pants’ band to being ‘our’ band. The car trips out and about would be filled with sing-a-longs and taking turns in singing their duo parts of “… A Carrot Rope”. So as the weeks become less until we see this band, catch up with equally excited friends in both Perth and Melbourne the excitement level in Chateau Brunky is just going to get higher and higher. To help with this and to help other Pavement fans out there I’m going to open up my live recording vault again and start sharing some live recordings again. YAY! So let me introduce to you …
Pavement: Live at the BBC Session 24th of May 1999
Tracklisting:
1. The Hexx
2. You Are The Light
3. Here
4. Cream of Gold
5. Ann Don’t Cry
6. Stereo
7. Father to a Sister of Thought
8. …And Carrot Rope
9. Cut Your Hair
10. Trigger Cut/Wounded-Kite at :17
11. Shady Lane
Sure it may look short and sweet, but the audio quality is perfect, a nice selection of songs from mainly Terror Twilight and the band are hilarious … just listen to the crazy lyrics added to Stereo and the backing vocals on Carrot Rope. Enjoy and I hope to see you at a few Pavement shows.
Download – Pavement: Live at the BBC Sessions 24th of May 1999
