T O P I C R E V I E W |
The New Bolero |
Posted - 01/02/2006 : 19:57:36 From the SXSW website...
loudQUIETloud: A Film About Pixies, directed by Steve Cantor and Matthew Galkin (World Premiere). An engrossing, uncompromising document of the difficult – yet successful – Pixies reunion tour.
For nine days in March, the SXSW Film Festival screens the best in new independent film from around the world. SXSW has gained accolades for the quality of our programming, which focuses on both emerging talent and cinematic greats. With over 180 films, including innovative narrative and documentary features; narrative, documentary, animated, and experimental shorts; music videos; and midnight films, there’s plenty to satisfy every film lover. consideration. |
35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
Srisaket |
Posted - 04/04/2007 : 07:57:30 Mark Prindle's review of LQL (sorry if this has been posted already):
loudQUIETloud: A Film About The Pixies - MVDvisual 2006
Not much happens in this movie, which is actually about The Pixies' reunion tour, not their days as an active creative unit. But I guess if you've spent several months filming a band on tour, you've got to release something, even if there's not much there. And the songs are still great, so that's always a plus. Strangely however, the film's complete lack of interesting content does ultimately succeed in creating a poignant portrait of four middle-aged musicians who have absolutely nothing in common except a bunch of songs they recorded fifteen to twenty years ago. Frank Black has grown into an obese, bald and gentle singer-songwriter with a loving new family but sad awareness of the steadily declining public interest in his solo work. Kim Deal is a chain-smoking, overweight and fragile woman struggling through a new drug-free life with the emotional support of her sister. Joey Santiago is now a bald soundtrack artist with a wife, two young children, and more apparent bitterness than he probably intended to show in the film. And most troubling of all, David Lovering is shown in the film spiralling from a damaged but lucid stage magician into a pill-popping, hyperactive drunk who won't take off his iPod headphones for anything. He blames his father's struggle with (and death from) cancer for his Valium abuse, but then he blames the monitors for his obviously drug-fuelled on-stage fuck-ups, so who knows. Only one thing's for certain: the man knows his metal detectors.
I realize I may have made the film sound awfully dramatic with that last paragraph. But it's really not. The whole thing is so understated -- I mean the band members hardly speak to each other at all. But there's a lot of personal baggage to be interpreted here, through the looks in their faces at certain moments (ex. Joey's sudden excited interest at Frank's mention of recording a new Pixies album, followed by immediate disappointment when it's revealed as a 'pie-in-the-sky' motion picture concept; the regret in Kim's face after a reunion visit with her former husband John Murphy -- two key segments unconscionably relegated to the 'special features' section!), and through minor lines of dialogue that slip out here and there (like Frank Black's aside to his producer John Tiven that no large or even mid-sized record label will be interested in his new solo CD, and that 'this will all end in tears'). So there is some drama and emotion to be found here -- it just may not be the action-packed blow-out you're hoping for.
But crikey, those songs! You'll get to watch the band perform segments of 14 great hits, and boy oh boy are they still great hits. That's really probably the most disorienting thing of all -- watching backstage footage of (a) Frank Black listening to his boring new folk-country album, (b) Kim Deal hoarsely performing out-of-tune vocals for a new Breeders track, (c) Joey Santiago struggling terribly with a new documentary soundtrack, and (d) David Lovering beating everything in sight with his ever-present (and ever-annoying) drumsticks.... and then watching the four of them go onstage and suddenly burst into perfect renditions of some of the greatest pop songs ever written.
I'm now going to write something extremely mean that I hope the subjects never read: Kim and Kelley Deal, both in their mid-40's, have acquired bodies the shape of two refrigerators. They're rectangular and blocky now. That's what growing old and drinking too much does, I guess. I'm sorry I was so mean.
And yes, Frank Black seems a bit bothered that the world is more interested in his first band than anything he's recorded in the past decade and a half, but I hope he's at least proud of all those beloved, generation-spanning Pixies songs. I mean, he's only one guy! How many timeless records can he really expect himself to write?
The same with Rod Stewart! I mean, sure he was kickin' some ass up through Stardust: The Great American Songbook, Vol. 3, but since then there's been a noticable decline in q
And don't get me started on Guns 'N Roses! Sure, they were kicking the balls out of your pants with classic albums like The Spaghetti Incident, but when push came to sh
What's that you said about Duran Duran? Oh hell yeah, they were pulling their pants up and shitting out diamonds as recently as Thank You, but something must have snapped because th
Did somebody say "Paul Rodgers"? Awww, don't even get me STARTED on the genius Stone Free: A Tribute To Ji
Neil Young? Never heard of him. Is he a cover band or something?
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Carl |
Posted - 11/07/2006 : 13:10:23 http://www.eightbehind.com/2006/11/the_pixies_loudquietloud.php
The Pixies - loudQUIETloud
In the history of modern American music there are few bands like the Pixies. Theirs was an unparalleled musical path, influencing countless others despite modest financial success. In 1992, their chief songwriter and vocalist Black Francis announced his intention to quit via a blunt facsimile. That it seemed, was that.
Then to the amazement of everyone, the Pixies reunited in 2004. loudQUIETloud is the story of this unforeseen plot twist - a deeply compelling portrait of four band members and their difficult, tense and ultimately triumphant return. From the first rehearsal after their reunion to the final bow nearly one year later, the press shy Pixies granted unprecedented access to directors Steven Cantor & Matthew Galkin for the duration of their ‘04/’05 tours. The result is an insider’s perspective of the Pixies, some of the fastest selling shows of all time and a fascinating document of the modern touring band. The Pixies’ relationships with each other, their relationships with their family and their fans are brought sharply into focus alongside striking concert footage. From the loud emotional highs of performing to renewed tensions between personnel, the band’s combustible stage dynamic is laid bare.
http://www.subculturemagazine.com/newsdetails.php?id=1599
Pixies Screen Film At Various Locations Throughout The US
Posted by: Admin on: Tue, Nov 07, 2006
MVD Entertainment Group, Stick Figure Productions and various retail and publication sponsors will be coordinating screenings of the documentary on the legendary PIXIES in promotion of the DVD release on November 7th. loudQUIETloud is an intimate portrait of the band members and their difficult, tense and ultimately triumphant return as one of rock music's greatest bands. When college rock darlings the Pixies broke up in 1992 on the cusp of mainstream success, their fans were shocked and dismayed. When the Pixies reunited in 2004, those same fans and legions of new listeners were ecstatic and filled with high hopes. loudQUIETloud follows the rehearsals and the warm up shows for the full-fledged, sold out reunion tour. It also catalogs the less glamorous side of the touring band lifestyle, getting as close to this enigmatic act as anyone is ever likely to get. Old wounds have not completely healed and the extreme pressure of the tour takes its toll on the band, but nevertheless, they deliver the goods onstage. loudQUIETloud captures the Pixies, their families and their fans in what seems to be a once in a lifetime chance at rock n' roll redemption. Soundtrack by Daniel Lanois.
loudQUIETloud screenings:
SEATTLE, WA – In conjunction with Easy Street Records Jewelbox Theater Monday, November 6th - Show @ 7 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 21+
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - In conjunction with Electric Fetus & City Pages Fine Line Music Café Monday, November 6th – Doors @ 7 & Show @ 8 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 18+
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - In conjunction with Big E’s & SLUG Magazine Brewvies Cinema Pub Monday, November 6th – Show @ 9 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 21+
TEMPE, AZ - In conjunction with Zia Records Harkins Centerpoint Monday, November 6th - Show @ 10pm
PHILADELPHIA, PA – In conjunction with Repo Records, Y-Rock on XPN & Philadelphia Weekly Trocadero Theatre Tuesday, November 7th – Doors @ 7 & Show @ 8 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 21+
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - In conjunction with Amoeba & SF Bay Guardian 12 Galaxies Tuesday, November 7th – Show @ 9 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 21+
NEW ORLEANS, LA – In conjunction with Louisiana Music Factory & Antigravity One Eyed Jacks Tuesday, November 7th – Show @ 9 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 18+
CHARLOTTESVILLE , VA - In conjunction with Plan 9 Satellite Ballroom Tuesday, November 7th - Show @ 8pm FREE TO THE PUBLIC
NEW YORK, NY - In conjunction with CMJ The Glass Lands Gallery Thursday, November 9th - Show @ 9pm$2 @ Door - 18+, 21 + w/ ID to drink
HOLLYWOOD, CA - MVD Presents... A FREE Double Feature Screening of The Pixies' loudQUIETloud & Mission of Burma's Not A Photograph Knitting Factory Hollywood Tuesday, November 21st - 9:30 to 11pm (Pixies DVD), 11:30 to 12:45 (Mission of Burma DVD) FREE TO THE PUBLIC - ALL AGES
http://www.spinner.com/2006/11/07/pixies-loudquietloud-screenings-announced/
Pixies' 'loudQUIETloud' Screenings Announced
Posted Nov 7th 2006 10:04AM by Mike Spinella Filed under: News, Film
The new DVD 'loudQUIETloud' focuses on the hugely hyped 2004 return of alt- rock forefathers (and mother) the Pixies. The film promises to take a intimate look into the less-glamorous side of the sold-out tour, the reopening of old wounds and the drive to deliver the goods onstage. Keep reading for screening information in a town near you, the trailer and more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GElc16pzRwc&eurl=
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - In conjunction with Electric Fetus & City Pages Fine Line Music Café - 318 First Avenue N - Minneapolis, MN 55401 Monday, November 6th – Doors @ 7 & Show @ 8 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 18+
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - In conjunction with Big E's & SLUG Magazine Brewvies Cinema Pub - 677 S 200 W # D - Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Monday, November 6th – Show @ 9 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 21+
TEMPE, AZ - In conjunction with Zia Records Harkins Centerpoint 11- 730 South Mill Avenue - Tempe, AZ 85281) Monday, November 6th - Show @ 10pm
PHILADELPHIA, PA – In conjunction with Repo Records, Y-Rock on XPN & Philadelphia Weekly Trocadero Theatre - 1003 Arch Street - Philadelphia, PA 19107 Tuesday, November 7th – Doors @ 7 & Show @ 8 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 21+
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - In conjunction with Amoeba & SF Bay Guardian 12 Galaxies - 2565 Mission Street @ 22nd - San Francisco, CA 94110 Tuesday, November 7th – Show @ 9 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 21+
NEW ORLEANS, LA – In conjunction with Louisiana Music Factory & Antigravity One Eyed Jacks - 615 Toulouse St - New Orleans, LA 70130 Tuesday, November 7th – Show @ 9 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 18+
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - In conjunction with Plan 9 Satellite Ballroom - 1435 University Ave. - Charlottesville, Virginia 22903 Tuesday, November 7th - Show @ 8pm FREE TO THE PUBLIC
NEW YORK, NY - In conjunction with CMJ The Glass Lands Gallery - 289 Kent Avenue (between S. 1st and S. 2nd Streets) - Brooklyn, NY (Williamsburg, accessible from L train and BQE) Thursday, November 9th - Show @ 9pm $2 @ Door - 18+, 21 + w/ ID to drink
HOLLYWOOD, CA - MVD Presents... A FREE Double Feature Screening of The Pixies' "LOUDQUIETLOUD" & Mission of Burma's "Not A Photograph" Knitting Factory Hollywood - 7021 Hollywood Blvd. – Hollywood, CA Tuesday, November 21st - 9:30 to 11pm (Pixies DVD), 11:30 to 12:45 (Mission of Burma DVD) FREE TO THE PUBLIC - ALL AGES
http://www.avclub.com/content/node/55002
According to NME, the Pixies have plans to record their first album since 1991's Trompe Le Monde, but if loudQuietloud: A Film About The Pixies (Music Video Dist.) is any indication, fans probably shouldn't hold their breath. This solid behind-the-scenes look at the band's successful reunion tour finds the members polite but hardly unified, each more interested in solo projects and family matters than in coming together as a creative unit.
http://www.3hive.com/junkdrawer/2006/11/pixies_loudquietloud_dvd_relea_1.php
PIXIES LOUDQUIETLOUD DVD RELEASE AND FREE SCREENINGS...IN YOUR TOWN?
Hi, Shan here. I'm stepping down tonight from my ivory tower to speak to you from the heart, because I heart the Pixies. Before seeing loudQUIETloud, my love was mainly one of reverent worship, perhaps like your own love of your personal God. You might say the Pixies were my personal Gods. In fact, I swore never to see them on their reunion tour in 2004 because I just couldn't look my Gods in the eyes after so many years had passed. It would have been too painful.
Luckily, Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin followed them around on that tour, and after seeing their chronicle I not only worship the Pixies but, perhaps more importantly, I respect them. loudQUIETloud is unlike any music documentary you have ever seen. The volatile rise and fall of the Pixies is of such grand proportions that it reads like the Old Testament of college rock. Yet, this New Testament is so profound not because it builds on the Pixies' legend but becauseit dismantles it piece by painstaking piece and then puts it back together in ways you'd never expect. If Ang Lee made a rockumentary, loudQUIETloud is what it would look like.
And all of these are reasons why you should take the opportunity to see a free (or really cheap) screening of it, courtesy of MVD Entertainment Group and Stick Figure Productions. And if it isn't in your town, go out and buy the DVD (out today on MVD) or add it to your NetFlix queue. Heck, even if you see the movie for free you're going to want to buy the DVD anyway. Check the dates below and for more information visit the MVD and loudQUIETloud websites. (And scroll to the bottom of the entry for the movie's track listing!)
SEATTLE, WA – In conjunction with Easy Street Records Jewelbox Theater - 2322 2nd Ave. - (Belltown) Seattle, WA Monday, November 6th – Show @ 7 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 21+
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - In conjunction with Electric Fetus & City Pages Fine Line Music Café - 318 First Avenue N - Minneapolis, MN 55401 Monday, November 6th – Doors @ 7 & Show @ 8 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 18+
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - In conjunction with Big E’s & SLUG Magazine Brewvies Cinema Pub - 677 S 200 W # D - Salt Lake City, UT 84101 Monday, November 6th – Show @ 9 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 21+
TEMPE, AZ - In conjunction with Zia Records Harkins Centerpoint 11- 730 South Mill Avenue - Tempe, AZ 85281) Monday, November 6th - Show @ 10pm
PHILADELPHIA, PA – In conjunction with Repo Records, Y-Rock on XPN & Philadelphia Weekly Trocadero Theatre - 1003 Arch Street - Philadelphia, PA 19107 Tuesday, November 7th – Doors @ 7 & Show @ 8 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 21+
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - In conjunction with Amoeba & SF Bay Guardian 12 Galaxies - 2565 Mission Street @ 22nd - San Francisco, CA 94110 Tuesday, November 7th – Show @ 9 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 21+
NEW ORLEANS, LA – In conjunction with Louisiana Music Factory & Antigravity One Eyed Jacks - 615 Toulouse St - New Orleans, LA 70130 Tuesday, November 7th – Show @ 9 FREE TO THE PUBLIC 18+
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - In conjunction with Plan 9 Satellite Ballroom - 1435 University Ave. - Charlottesville, Virginia 22903 Tuesday, November 7th - Show @ 8pm FREE TO THE PUBLIC
NEW YORK, NY - In conjunction with CMJ The Glass Lands Gallery - 289 Kent Avenue (between S. 1st and S. 2nd Streets) - Brooklyn, NY (Williamsburg, accessible from L train and BQE) Thursday, November 9th - Show @ 9pm $2 @ Door - 18+, 21 + w/ ID to drink
HOLLYWOOD, CA - MVD Presents... A FREE Double Feature Screening of The Pixies’ “LOUDQUIETLOUD” & Mission of Burma’s “Not A Photograph” Knitting Factory Hollywood - 7021 Hollywood Blvd. – Hollywood, CA Saturday, November 25th - 9:30 to 11pm (Pixies DVD), 11:30 to 12:45 (Mission of Burma DVD) FREE TO THE PUBLIC - ALL AGES
TRACK LISTING: Where Is My Mind?, Hey, Here Comes Your Man, Umass, Caribou, Gouge Away, Nimrod's Son, In Heaven, Wave Of Mutilation, Something Against You, Bone Machine, Cactus, Vamos, Monkey Gone To Heaven, and Iris.
http://www.mvdvisual.com/loudquietloud/
http://www.loudquietloud.com/
Posted by shan on 11.07.06
http://wavedrumor.blogspot.com/2006/11/pixies-loudquietloud-thursday-night.html
11/08/2006 Pixies loudQUIETloud Thursday night screening
Williamsburg's Glass Lands Gallery hosts a $2 showing of the Pixies doc loudQuietloud Thursday night. Details below.
The Glass Lands Gallery - 289 Kent Avenue (between S. 1st and S. 2nd Streets) - Brooklyn , NY ( Williamsburg , accessible from L train and BQE) Thursday, November 9th - Show @ 9pm $2 @ Door - 18+, 21 + w/ ID to drink
Fresh to you from Dfactor at 12:00 PM
http://www.gothamist.com/archives/2006/11/08/loudquietloud.php
NOVEMBER 8, 2006 loudQUIETloud
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GElc16pzRwc&eurl=
It's just after CMJ and we're still not ready to get back in to a venue yet. However, some music would be nice. So a film about music is a perfect compromise. Lucky for us, loudQUIETloud will be screening in New York tomorrow. The documentary is an intimate portrait of The Pixies and their "difficult, tense and ultimately triumphant return as one of rock music's greatest bands".
The band originally broke up in 1992 when they were just on the cusp of mainstream success, they reunited in 2004 (it didn't seem like they were gone for over a decade). The film includes footage of rehearsals and warm up shows - gearing up for the reunion tour. It also documents the other side of music, the life and lifestyle of a touring band - and we're guessing the demons being battled on The Road (ie: Kim Deal staying sober).
A little big of Dig!, a little bit of Behind the Music, loudQUIETloud captures the Pixies, their families and their fans in what seems to be "a once in a lifetime chance at rock n roll redemption". We caught a show here in 2004, and if we remember correctly, they rocked.
Tracklist: Where Is My Mind?, Hey, Here Comes Your Man, Umass, Caribou, Gouge Away, Nimrod's Son, In Heaven, Wave Of Mutilation, Something Against You, Bone Machine, Cactus, Vamos, Monkey Gone To Heaven, and Iris
Thursday November 9th // The Glass Lands Gallery [289 Kent Avenue, Brooklyn] // $2
Posted by Jen Carlson in Event , Film | Link | Comments (3) | Recommend this! (3) | [+]
This is just a retread of a Boston Globe review posted above:
http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149191586518&path=%21flair&s=1045855936229
http://www.nypress.com/19/45/dvds/dvd.cfm
DIG FOR FIRE New doc reveals Pixies are people, too
By Eric Kohn
In the breathless universe of rock ’n’ roll mythology, bands tend to either gain momentum with time or vanish from public awareness. The Pixies managed to achieve a little bit of both. The Boston-based quartet achieved mild success from the late-1980s through the early ’90s, blending punk-inflected anger with soothing melodies. Kurt Cobain famously credited the group as his inspiration, which was enough to boost record sales for years; when the band reunited for a world tour in 2004, diehard rockers felt a spiritual renewal.
Filmmakers Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin gained intimate access to the group during this time, and the resulting documentary, loudQUIETloud, shows it. Following each individual member, Cantor and Galkin manage to demystify the holiness associated with the music by humanizing its creators. The tone is resoundingly passive but necessarily so: It seems as though the members of the Pixies unloaded the bulk of their anger a decade earlier, and the music is hardly more than a flashback.
All four bandmates have moved on but not to great acclaim. Lead singer and guitarist Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black) has slipped in solo projects while simultaneously building a family. Joey Santiago, lead guitarist, is also balancing dad duties alongside freelance film composition. Bassist Kim Deal spends her time reveling in newfound sobriety, recording tracks for her band The Breeders and nuzzling with her supportive partner. The saddest face is drummer David Lovering, who turned to magic shows for his post-Pixies employment and appears to suffer from an addiction to Valium.
The band is relatively complacent about their own estranged relationship. The general sense is that even if dark times have passed, the future holds lame prospects. When the film isn’t busy filling in random narrative details with distracting title cards, the story unfolds in pure verité. It’s the right method to illuminate how disinterested the band members seem to be with each other. Fortunately, their musicianship hasn’t dwindled, and footage from the tour is mercifully preserved. The filmmakers showcase a number of performances, with classic tunes like “Wave of Mutilation” and “Hey!” receiving their well-earned attention. If the pacing slows down occasionally, the gorgeous set pieces restore energy. There’s no need for coherent conflict in loudQUIETloud, since inspired music tells the story best.
Release party Nov. 9. The Glass Lands Gallery, 289 Kent Ave. (betw. S. 1st & S. 2nd Sts.), Williamsburg.
http://onfilm.chicagoreader.com/movies/briefs/30604_LOUD_QUIET_LOUD_A_FILM_ABOUT_PIXIES.html
Listings for Friday, November 3, through Thursday, November 9, 2006
Loudquietloud: A Film About Pixies Capsule by J.R. Jones From the Chicago Reader
Back in the 80s, when the Pixies were in their prime, the indie-rock press scorned any 60s band that reunited to play its back catalog on the concert circuit. By the time the Pixies patched up their differences and hit the road for sold-out reunion tours of Europe, Japan, Canada, and the U.S. in 2004, such quaint notions of artistic integrity had long since evaporated. This documentary by Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin keeps threatening to turn into a real story as bassist Kim Deal tries to stay sober, singer Frank Black tries to tolerate Deal, and drummer David Lovering becomes addicted to Valium. But the famously passive-aggressive musicians manage to keep any real drama offscreen; the overriding impression is of four people enduring each other long enough to get their retirement portfolios in order. 85 min.
This movie is currently playing at: Music Box
http://blog.podbop.org/archives/2006/11/09/pixies_documentary_screening_tonight_nyc/
PIXIES DOCUMENTARY SCREENING TONIGHT (NYC)
What: loudQUIETloud: The Pixies 2004 Reunion Tour (Official Flyer) When: Thursday November 9th @ 9pm Where: The Glass Lands Gallery (289 Kent Ave, Brooklyn) How Much: Only $2
The behind the scenes documentary of The Pixies 2004 reunion tour. Apparently it has gotten some bad reviews from the Pixies themselves because it portrays them in a negative light, but maybe that means it'll be brutally honest?
Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GElc16pzRwc&eurl=
Maybe I'll see you there!
Posted on Nov 9 by Taylor McKnight. Tags: the pixies , loudQUIETloud , documentary
http://www.filter-mag.com/news/interior.3630.html
LA & NY Screenings For New Pixies Doc by Staff | 11.09.2006
LoudQUIETloud, the new feature- length documentary on The Pixies reunion was released on DVD this week and to celebrate there will be a couple of free screenings. Fans in New York will get a chance to check out the film November 9th at the The Glass Lands Gallery in Brooklyn. While over on the west coast there will be a screening November 25th as a double feature with Mission Of Burma's Not A Photograph at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood.
The film documents the band's successful 2004 reunion all the way from their first rehersals to the completion of their sold-out world tour. Singer/guitarist Frank Black recently stated that the band has begun working on their first new album since 1991's Trompe le Monde.
http://www.cw.ua.edu/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/11/10/455446a259763
Don't miss out on Pixies film, new pop punk group
Underground Entertainment By Phil Owen Assistant Entertainment Editor November 10, 2006
Movie: "loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies"
Let me just get this out right away: I am a big fan of The Pixies. I love them, and I don't understand why anyone wouldn't. Sure, their sound can be a little strange to new listeners, but the music is so fantastic that it should transcend any notion of "taste."
That said, this film's opening, which shows the band playing "Where is My Mind?" to open the first show of their reunion tour in 2004, had me completely covered in goosebumps. As the camera panned the crowd at that show, and put on display the screaming, crying and obviously very emotional fans, I couldn't help but get even more emotional myself, and I came close to the point of tears.
The beginning was undeniably powerful for me, though at this point it's hard to say if it will have such a strong effect on non-fans.
The strength of the film, though, beyond its emotional beginning, is its interesting story. The film is a chronicle of that reunion tour from the first rehearsal, and while it may appear to some to simply be a new "Behind the Music" special, it's so much more than that.
It's a completely engrossing documentary that for the first time really sheds light on their relationships not only as musicians but also as people. "loudQUIETloud" is a must-see for Pixies and music fans and would make for an interesting diversion for everyone else.
The film was released this week on DVD.
http://aquariumdrunk.blogspot.com/2006/11/loudquietloud-film-about-pixies.html
11.11.2006
Loudquietloud :: A Film About the Pixies
In my mind The Pixies canon is hallowed ground, so much so that I opted out of seeing them live when they re-formed in 2004 for fear the experience might taint the music and memories for me. After watching this DVD I see that my fears were unwarranted as the band comes off as tight as they were when I saw them live at 16 in 1991. I'm impressed.
The documentary follows the reunited foursome from their first rehearsals together in twelve years through to the end of their exceptionally successful tour. Expertly scored by Daniel Lanois, Loudquietloud succeeds in pulling back the curtain just enough to witness the inner workings of the group without sacrificing too much of the magic. Speaking of magic, in a few bizarre scenes you get to witness drummer David Lovering perform magic, as he now works as a professional magician at L.A.'s famed Magic Castle.
Here's a track off The Pixies 1988 album, Surfer Rosa, which I hope everyone already owns, or has at least heard in it's entirety.
http://jbreitling.blogspot.com/2006/11/review-pixies-loudquietloud-dvd.html
11.12.2006
Review: The Pixies | loudQUIETloud [DVD]
You will see the following quote in every review of the Pixies documentary "loudQUIETloud." Not far into the film Charles Thompson, he also known as Black Francis and Frank Black, admits that "[The Pixies] don't talk to each other that much. And it's not that we don't like each other, it's just that that's the kind of people that we are." This characterizes in a tidy manner the non-raderie of the band on its 2004 reunion tour. It's the kind of discomfort that inaudibly screams throughout a scene in which guitarist Joey Santiago, Mr. Thompson and drummer David Lovering sit together silently at folding tables, fiddling with their cell phones. Before the first show of the tour someone in the band proposes a toast (with non-alcoholic champagne, as bassist Kim Deal began rehabilitation for alcohol in 2002), and there is a moment of silence as no one knows what to toast to. Ms. Deal's twin sister and foil Kelley, who accompanied the Pixies tour at her sister's insistence and has had her own struggles with addiction, plays an interesting role as an quasi-omniscient narrator, offering pointed analysis in real-time of the curious aphasia and tensions among the band. It takes Thompson two days to tell the band that his wife is having a child.
But, although the film makers insist the film (which must have seen ominously static to them as they were capturing the footage) is about a band whose members can only communicate whilst performing, and although superficial blog posts will focus more broadly on Dinosaur-sized intraband dysfunction if anything at all, the over-arching theme of "loudQUIETloud" is uncertainty. Uncertainty that is even greater than "Will the Pixies record a new album?" Can Deal stay sober? Will the new Breeders material she writes -- while riding in an RV separate from the band with Kelley -- drive a wedge between her and the rest of The Pixies? Can Mr. Lovering, whose bi-annual royalty checks have dwindled and who prior to the tour considered "magician" and "metal detector" his primary avocations, dispel the demons that he fights off with red wine and Valium in the wake of his father's death? Will Mr. Santiago speak up? Will Thompson, who at the end of the film characterizes his current solo records as a form of passive-aggressive pressure on his bandmates to write new Pixies material, ever just ask them? Will he get what he now seems to want?
While the film relays many, many more questions than it answers, it is far from impotent. Although the film makers never show a complete song being performed, a decision that emphasizes the sense of uncertainty that imbues the film, the live footage presented is electric and arresting. The band sounds as otherworldly and exciting as ever, despite the missing hair and gained pounds. Sure, you bought the eponymous Pixies DVD 4AD released in 2004, but this is a different beast altogether. If you didn't get a chance to see it in the theater, you can already order the DVD from distributor MVD at the link below.
posted by jbreitling @ 11/12/2006 04:30:00 PM
http://itcamefromculturecity.blogspot.com/2006/11/2007-plug-awards-media-nominees-and-now.html
Best Music DVD of the Year
16 Horsepower - Live Bad Brains - Live At CBGB OMFUG 1982 Daniel Johnston - The Devil And Daniel Johnston Del The Funky Homosapien - 11th Hour Eagles Of Death Metal - DVD By Sexy Liars - Drum's Not Dead Minutemen - We Jam Econo The Pixies - loudQUIETloud: A Film About The Pixies Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players - Off & On Broadway Various Artists - Chrome Children Various Artists - Burn To Shine 03: Portland Various Artists - Coachella
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/11/15/223419.php
The Pixies Reunion on Film
Written by Modern Pea Pod Published November 15, 2006
In an era when mystery was virtually as important to the development of a great alternative rock act as guitar or drums, the Pixies were quite possibly the most mysterious of them all. Armed with inscrutable lyrics about Surrealist cinema and Nimrod's sons, an arty visual aesthetic which precluded group photos on the album covers, and a stage presence that boiled down to standing stock still and playing as viscerally as possible, they were a truly enigmatic force, more like a coven of obscure European avant-gardists than a mere American rock band.
Even today, elements of their all-too- brief epoch remain shrouded in mystery - things like the precise motivations behind their breakup in 1992, or the much whispered about sexual tension between Kim Deal and Charles Thompson. There's still a sense that we'll never really get to know the Pixies, and if anything, that makes them all the more enticing.
It also goes a long way toward explaining why their reunion in 2004 came as such a surprise; engimas don't get back together for sold-out world tours, they don't conduct extensive interviews, and they certainly don't release upwards of half a dozen CDs and videos within a two-year period to document their return to the concert stage. But the Pixies did. And so you'll have to excuse my kneejerk reaction to the first couple minutes of their new DVD Live at the Paradise in Boston, which is something along the lines of, "This is the most surreal thing I've ever fucking seen." There they are, the mythical Pixies, in all their glory, playing what might be their last intimate club date as a band together. And what do they do? Stroll onstage, shuffle around a little bit, and then tear into... "La La Love You?"
Doolittle deep cut before Thompson brings it screeching to the halt. He then essays a pretty decent Springsteen impersonation, and, all smiles, leads the others into a second attempt at the song. And that, more or less, is how the show proceeds. They take requests, they crack jokes, they talk to each other. Not a single guitar gets kicked across the stage. And it's great, but for people like me who came of age with little to know of the Pixies but their stand-offish reputation, it's also weird as hell.
In all honesty, though, the Pixies have probably never sounded better than they have in the years 2004-2006. They're tighter than a band who spent most of the last 15 years in acrimonious distance has any right to be; Joey Santiago's guitar playing, though still stylistically unique, is technically better than it ever was during the "peak" era (his solo during "Vamos" kills); and contrary to what his solo work might have you believe, the artist formerly known as Black Francis can still manage a surprisingly blood-curdling howl (see: "Something Against You").
But watching this music come out of the players onstage, with their receding hairlines, baggy jeans and (in the case of Kim Deal) soccer mom haircuts, can be an awfully disconcerting experience, especially in today's world where a fashionable MySpace haircut and a waifish waistline is de rigeur for any up-and-coming indie rocker. Maybe it's a commentary on the inevitability of middle age, maybe it's just my own youthful shallowness, but the visual side of the Pixies reunion reminds me of nothing more than watching my friends' parents clamber onstage at a wedding reception, plug in - and then, through some bizarre and miraculous fluke, sound about a thousand times cooler than they look.
But then, the Pixies never really were "cool," at least not in the traditional sense of the word. That all-pervading image described above, that air of mystery, was if anything a convenient veil for a group of people who never quite fit in with their hip surroundings, either in the Boston indie scene (a song like "Subbacultcha" could only really be written from the perspective of an outsider looking in) or amidst the Anglo goth milieu of 4AD Records.
David Lovering, if you'll recall, was a Rush fanatic before he joined the band; Deal used to show up to gigs wearing the same outfit she wore as a secretary temp; Thompson was/is a UFO enthusiast. And let's not forget that the infamous break-up wasn't some kind of coke-fuelled blow-out - it took place over a fax machine, the perfect end to half a decade of sustained awkwardness. In that sense, then - and with another film, Steven Cantor's and Matthew Galkin's documentary loudQUIETloud, in mind - the reunited Pixies we see in Live at the Paradise aren't surprising for their brazen, lovable dorkiness. It's more of a surprise that they're talking at all.
loudQUIETloud is a portrait of four individuals, as sublimely mismatched as the day they met, who have reconvened after 15 years of separation to face some of the biggest audiences of their careers. All that would be an awkward enough experience to begin with, for any group of people; but when the subjects happen to the Pixies, perhaps rock's most notoriously asocial band, you can only imagine. Indeed, more than any other document to come before it, loudQUIETloud paints a striking picture of what the Pixies reunion really is, more vivid and consequently more brutally frank than any interview snippets or concert-night speculation could ever be.
In beautifully-shot performance sequences (which, incidentally, take place in much larger venues than Live at the Paradise, thus driving home just how "big" this comeback has become), we see the band make some of the most impressive music together that they've ever made, ascending to the career heights they were never allowed in their initial run. Then we follow them backstage, and see neither "one big family" amiability nor icy tension in the tradition of Wilco's almost unwatchably pissy doc I Am Trying to Break Your Heart. Instead, we mostly just see the quiet, friendly, somewhat formal interactions of a group of professionals in the middle of a very important, very lucrative job.
This isn't to say that the Pixies reunion has been exposed by this film as the kind of "comeback for cash" we've all seen too much of; I'm pretty sure it isn't that at all, and if it is, well, the band does such a good job of hiding it onstage that I couldn't really be bothered to care.
It's also worth noting that Thompson was reportedly none too pleased about the filmmakers' portrayal of Lovering's brief descent into substance abuse, claiming that Cantor and Galkin based their entire narrative arc around what really only affected a fraction of the tour. If he's right, and there is some kind of substantial story-tweaking going on, then for all we know the Pixies could be hugs all 'round backstage and the middle-aged ennui seen in loudQUIETloud is just an invention of the editing machine.
Something tells me, however, that this is not the case. The mood captured by loudQUIETloud is just too real to be an exaggeration, and when the directors say in the commentary that they frequently found themselves despairing because so little was happening on camera, it checks out with everything we've heard about the Pixies before. For a band whose lyrics were vivid and grotesque, their music unrelentingly powerful, Thompson, Santiago, Lovering and Deal just aren't terribly expressive people.
Which, again, shouldn't be taken to mean that they're not compelling. It's actually fascinating and poignant to see the Pixies all grown up, starting families and kicking addictions just like other forty-something rock stars. The inside look at the rehearsals leading up to their warm-up tour helps to humanize a musical event which has often been described in near-supernatural terms, capturing the anxieties and self-doubt of an aging band so out of touch with their younger selves that they have to consult an iPod just to remember how one of the old songs goes.
And of course, there are plenty of Spinal Tap-esque moments to entertain us as well, like the strange and arguably staged scene where we eavesdrop on a post-therapy Thompson reciting self-affirmations to himself. The fact is, loudQUIETloud happens to be a very good movie; but as much as I appreciate it, something in me prefers the chatty, joking, peacefully unhip Pixies of Live at the Paradise to the flawed human beings seen here, the same way you'd rather see distant relatives put on a good face at Christmas time than delve into their marital problems. And maybe, after all, that's the point.
Because in the end, none of us will ever truly fathom the Pixies reunion, at least not on the personal level which the Pixies themselves do. We'll never really know whether they got back together for love or for cash or, as one fan puts it in loudQUIETloud, "because they were too good" not to. So why not just buy our tickets, watch our movies, and settle into the ideal of our choice?
There's Charles and Kim during the Paradise performance, joking back and forth about the former's decision to "bring it down" in the middle of "Gigantic." "I've never brought it down before," she giggles. "How does it feel?" he asks. "Really weird," goes the reply. It's a perfect little moment, the kind you imagine would never have happened while the Pixies were together the first time around, certainly not after the Doolittle tour. But is it genuine?
Who cares? After all, we've got to leave at least a little bit of mystery.
by Zach Hoskins
http://www.seland.org/new/79/16th-oslo-international-film-festival/
Loudquietloud: A Film About The Pixies. The band The Pixies started out in 1986. Six years later they disbanded. In 2004 The Pixies reformed. The film follows the band before and after their very successful reunion tour, and shows the different members and the friction between them that clue us into the reasons for their complicated break-up.
http://www.oslofilmfestival.com/2006/movie.asp?movieID=96
LOUDQUIETLOUD: A FILM ABOUT THE PIXIES
LOUDQUIETLOUD: A FILM ABOUT THE PIXIES
Fantastisk dokumentar med utgangspunkt i gjenforeningsturneen til kultbandet The Pixies. Bandet ble startet i 1986. Seks år senere ble de oppløst. I 2004 kom The Pixies sammen igjen. Filmen følger bandet før og etter deres svært populære gjenforeningsturné og viser de ulike bandmedlemmene og gnisningene mellom dem, noe som gir en pekepinn på hva som var grunnen til det kompliserte bruddet. The Pixies har vært mediesky, men filmskaperne gis full adgang til bandet før deres første turné på over ti år og følger dem til øvingslokaler i Los Angeles, gjennom deres forberedelser og videre ut på veien. «We don't talk to each other that much,» sier Frank Black. «Not because we don't like each other, it's just the kind of people we are.» Teknisk vellaget, med bra foto og meget bra konsertlyd, loudQUIETloud gir et menneskelig ansikt til et svært spennende band.
REGISSOR Steven Cantor ble Oscar-nominert for kortfilmen Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann (1993), en Emmy-nominasjon for Devil's Playground (2002) og en Emmy for filmen Willie Nelson: Still is Still Moving (2002). Han har også regi på dokumentaren What Remains om/med fotografen Sally Mann. Filmen vises flere ganger under OIFF i år. Matthew Galkin har tidligere jobbet med tv-serien Family Bonds.
USA 2006, 85 min.
Regi: Steven Cantor, Matthew Galkin
Med: Frank Black, Kim Deal, David Lovering, Joey Santiago
Offisiell site: www.loudquietloud.com
VISNINGER: Fredag, 17. nov 19:15 [Filmens Hus Lillebil] Mandag, 20. nov 21:30 [Filmens Hus Tancred] Onsdag, 22. nov 21:30 [Filmens Hus Lillebil]
http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/7492/pixies-loudquietloud-a-film-about-the-pixies-dvd/
Pixies Loudquietloud: A Film About the Pixies [DVD] US release date: 7 November 2006 by Jake Meaney
Been Tryin' to Meet You
Author’s note: The following in no way is meant to disparage the Pixies, or their strange, beautiful music, in any manner whatsoever. My disappointment with loudQUIETloud (hereafter LQL) has nothing to do with the band, and everything to do with the filmmakers’ chosen aesthetic for the film they made covering the overwhelmingly successful reunion of one of the seminal American bands of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. As I’m sure is common with many of my age cohort (late 20s/early 30s), the Pixies effected a seismic shift in my musical education. If they aren’t my single favorite band of all time, they definitely share the top of the roost. So, then, this criticism, born of love, devotion, and disappointment.
Question: What is the film loudQUIETloud about?
Well, from its subtitle, this is a film about the Pixies. This is both true and untrue. Ostensibly, the film follows the band’s improbable 2004 reunion tour (which, really, was such a fantastical event, right up there with the Red Sox winning the World Series the same year, that I still have a hard time believing it really happened)—from the early rehearsals and warm-up gigs through to their five night stand in NYC to close out the year. In actuality, the film is much more about the four disparate individuals who’ve grown too far apart to ever reignite the spark that brought them together initially. It’s about the unbridgeable quiet between friends now drifted apart, and the noise that cannot reunite them. I think the emphatic “QUIET” is capitalized and sandwiched between “loud” in the title not as some analog to the musical dynamic of a Pixies song, but more as an indicator that the overwhelming silence between the band mates has taken precedence, drowning out the beautiful sound.
This is not to say that the tour and its concerts weren’t exciting, triumphant, and (especially for those of us who never saw them the first time around) transcendent. While on stage, the Pixies still manage to obliterate any doubt that they aren’t still relevant and capable of running rings around most current bands. But in LQL, the songs are few and far between, and mostly cut short. This is not a concert film, but a barebones, verite travelogue, the journey between the concerts and of diverging lives. What we see behind the scenes is often in direct contrast to what fans saw on stage: general listlessness, awkwardness, and lingering resentments.
Question: Why did the Pixies decide to reunite? This is never answered directly by the band. In a phone interview with an NME reporter, head Pixie Charles Thompson (aka Black Francis, aka Frank Black) matter of factly relates that he spoke to guitarist Joey Santiago about the possibility, who mentioned it to drummer Dave Lovering. Not too sure who told Kim Deal. There was obviously some trepidation and initial nervousness, but from scenes of early practices and shows, it seemed like everyone thought it was a good idea going in. As the tour rolls along, and they become more comfortable together musically, the personal comfort and investment seems to wane.
But investment is key. Interviewing a queue of British fans, Kelly Deal (Kim’s twin sister and confidant) asks first “Why did the Pixies break up?” The coy, but idealistic answer by most: they were just too good (maybe, but the more mundane reason was that old standby “creative differences”, between Thompson and Deal). But when asked why the Pixies got back together, the consensus is overwhelming: money.
Now, if that’s not entirely the truth, I am not going to begrudge them this mercenary motive. If any band deserves to finally reap the spoils of its catalog and reputation (which has grown exponentially over the last decade and a half), it’s the Pixies, who went out a cult act forever on the cusp of big time success. As with many such eccentric American bands that have come up from the underground, they were bigger in England than they ever were in the States. That their reunion turned out to be a runaway success warms the heart, in a way (most shows sold out in minutes, and tickets were going on Ebay for hundredsof dollars), because sometimes the good guys do get what they deserve in the end. And at least it’s honest, and not spurred on by some grand dream of reclaiming the top of the perch with a rushed and misguided reunion album.
Question: Speaking of which, are the Pixies going to record any new material? In a Rolling Stone interview late in the film, Thompson plays his cards close to his vest. He doesn’t dismiss the idea, nor does he seem overly enthusiastic about it. He merely hints that his creative impulse is unceasing, and it could easily be channeled into a new project with his three bandmates.
Kim Deal, though she never speaks on the matter, seems to dismiss it out of hand, by continuing to write and record songs for a new Breeders album. However, a week or two back of this writing, word leaked out that the Pixies are staying together and now do have plans to record a new album.
One Thing I Learned About Each Pixie from Watching LQL: Since the dissolution of the band, drummer Dave Lovering has found a new (albeit struggling) career as a magician, which just seems totally appropriate and awesome.
Kim Deal really used to be married to a John Murphy. Silly me never bothered to research this, but always assumed it was some cryptic joke that she listed herself as Mrs. John Murphy on the Pixies albums. I thought it was cute, and kind of wish I didn’t know this, now. But their backstage reunion at a Boston gig is one of the few highlights of the film—too bad it was relegated to the deleted scenes on the DVD.
Lead guitarist Joey Santiago is the proud father of two ridiculously cute little kids. I mean just over the top, unbearably cute.
Charles Thompson, if it wasn’t evident before, is very, very large.
Question: Who is this film for? This is the one I’ve been wrestling with. New comers to the Pixies will be utterly confounded as to what all the fuss was ever about. The film offers no real background of the band, and very little context for the tour. The best introduction, of course, is still their three masterpieces—Come on Pilgrim, Surfer Rosa, and Doolittle—but, as LQL shows, their history is still to be written.
Initiates and fans will be similarly frustrated, if for different reasons. One of the main draws of the Pixies was this inchoate mystery and aura of sinister danger lurking in their songs. Thompson’s lyrics are cryptic, opaque and terrifying; the music a cacophony of disparate influences that somehow clang together in an often inexplicable perfection. They were a band that emerged sui generis and seemed to simply evaporate back into whatever void they rose from. So, perhaps some fans (like myself) want a little peak behind the curtain, a few answers that tantalizingly raise new questions, just a hint of what it all might mean.
The film and its directors never give us this, and this was in fact a very conscious and deliberate decision. In their commentary track, they make it very clear that they decided from the get go NOT to delve into the past, NOT to make a sort of glowing hagiography of a band lost to time. They wanted to concentrate solely on the present, and on the regenesis of the band on the reunion tour. Going for a sort of cinema verite, fly on the wall honesty, the directors conduct no direct interviews with the band, and totally eschew the whole “talking head” (i.e., interviews with rock critics, fans, fellow musicians, etc.) approach of other music documentaries. They aver that they wanted to maintain the air of mystery surrounding the Pixies and their music.
Now, while I don’t take explicit exception to this approach, it’s only chance of working is if there is enough drama, conflict, or just something to hold the viewer’s interest—some overarching theme or thesis that emerges while the cameras roll. But, unless you count Dave Lovering’s increasing reliance on Valium and alcohol following the midtour death of his father, there is very little of note that happens when the stage lights go down. The bandmates generally go their own way and talk very little, they seem genuinely uncomfortable around one another, and manifest this discomfort with large patches of silence or inconsequential stuttering banter. There’s a lot of dead air.
The result is a listless and dull film about a very exciting band composed of rather ordinary, middle aged individuals who never seem to really cohere back into what made them great in the first place. If any feeling emerges out of these long shots of mostly nothing going on, it’s a general melancholy and wistfulness, or never being able to truly go back, find home again, reclaim your youth. And this is not how I want to feel about a band who, 18-plus years later, sounds as vital and exciting and dangerous on record (and live) as they were when they emerged seemingly out of nowhere in the late ‘80s. This is not the film the Pixies or its fans deserve, and it’s just a colossal disappointment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GElc16pzRwc&eurl= loudQuietloud: A Film About the Pixies trailer
RATING:
— 16 November 2006
http://clearthecache.blogspot.com/2006/11/dvd-review-loudquietloud-film-about.html
Sunday, November 19, 2006
DVD Review - LoudQuietLoud: a film about the Pixies
***Note***
No Spoilers! Hooray!
***EndNote***
Being a fan of the band and having attended the tour that this film documents might have biased me to this film but it did not focus on the music, it was about the band’s chemistry on stage and their apparent lack of chemistry off stage.
When this film was screened at the South by SouthWest (SXSW) film festival, they sold out immediately. Even though the band had abruptly dissolved in 1992, the fans were still clamoring for more and this film delivers a great snapshot of the people, the places and the relationships in the band.
The directors of the film, Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin, have created a film that is not only appealing to the Pixies uber-fan but also for a general audience. The pacing is quick, the cuts are clean and there isn’t much fat on this film (It clocks in at 85 minutes or 90 minutes if you watch the video that plays along the credits). During the audio commentary, the directors say they wanted the film to be cinema verité, which means candid camera with shaky angles, and they succeed in giving us some quality moments with the band. They also had Kim’s twin sister, Kelley, as a backup camera operator so she did some of the behind the scenes camera work.
The documentary follows the band as they go on their “Pixies Sellout” tour in 2004 (it was named this way because they sold out at practically every date but we all know what it really means). Before the film dives into the tour, the directors catch the viewers up with the lives of the band members: Charles “Black Francis” Thompson has been writing albums ever since the Pixies broke up, Kim Deal formed the Breeders with her sister, got addicted to drugs and spent some time in rehab, Joey Santiago went on to composing scores for films and television shows and David Lovering became a magician.
Being years removed from playing their old songs, when they first meet up to rehearse Kim had forgotten how to play her parts and Charles had forgotten some lyrics. The viewer sees how human the band members actually are. They note that being in the band was their job, they were regular people just doing their job, and they were giddy to see all the fans being so receptive to their music.
The film-makers stress that the film is formatted like one of the Pixies’ songs: The anticipation and the anxiety of the first shows is loud, the re-visiting of past tensions is quiet and the fabulous success of the tour is loud. Through triumph and tragedy, the Pixies roll through their tour and the viewer gets a rare backstage pass.
The only complaint about the film is at the end of the director’s commentary when they went on to say that this would probably become the definitive Pixies documentary because the band would probably never tour again. I thought that was a little presumptuous seeing as how the film didn’t deal with the music.
If you’re looking for an interview heavy documentary about the pixies check out “Pixies” (released 2004) but if you want a portrait of the people behind the music that would go on to influence bands like Nirvana and Radiohead get a hold of a copy of LoudQuietLoud.
posted by Danny Smooth at 11/19/2006
http://retrolowfi.com/2006/11/21/loudquietloud-a-film-about-the-pixies-steven-cantormatthew-galkin-2006/
November 21, 2006
loudQUIETloud: A Film About The Pixies (Steven Cantor/Matthew Galkin 2006)
In 2004, Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin were given unprecedented access to the Pixies universally acclaimed reunion tour. The result of what must have been hours of footage is offered to us in the form of loudQUIETloud, and it’s exactly what a good portion of Pixies fans have hoped for since, well, 1988 or so. The band - one of the most influential and important musical groups of the last thrity years - did nothing more than drop records that made your head explode for five years, played live shows that seemed like they’d rather be somewhere else, and built up a mystique so thick that it’s hard to imagine seeing portly frontman Charles Thompson lying on his hotel bed doing phone interviews clad in nothing but black boxer briefs, or enduring indie darling Kim Deal sitting on her mothers porch working on some needlepoint. But that is exactly what you get with this film: a warts-and-all account of the Pixies onstage putting forth seemingly minimal effort to make extraordinary music, as well as seeing them offstage doing… well, nothing much at all. And that even includes talking to each other.
In most of the backstage footage, the tension between band members is thicker than Marlon Brando’s elbow skin as they strive to find something/anything to say to each other. In one scene, Charles tries to do a card trick for the magic-obsessed Pixies drummer David Lovering. He fails, they laugh quickly and follow it up with possibly the most uncomfortable silence in a documentary film this year. So yeah, there’s a lot of that. The filmmakers skim the bands backstory and only give the faintest nod to why the band might have broken up in the first place. Instead, they paint a portrait of a group really happy to be back together and even more afraid of performing together. Oh, and of course, that they are all pretty happy about the paychecks they’ll be bringing home.
There’s also a much-talked about segment in which the band tries its best to have an intervention with Lovering over his valium habit, which is of course placed right after a shambolic live reading of “Something Against You” that finds Lovering continuing to play the same bap-bap-bap beat long after the song has actually ended. The sequence is edited to seem as if the band had simply gotten fed up with his loopy antics and officially decided to confront him, although it may be a bit more dramatic than what actually occured between the four members. (side note: Charles Thompson has echoed these same statements, saying that too much emphasis was placed on an ordeal that really wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Ah, the magic of editing).
loudQUIETloud allows offers you a glimpse at the freshly squeaky-clean and sober Kim Deal as she gets increasingly mortified at the level of fan worship thrown her way on a daily basis. The films most touching scenes are the loving exchanges between Kim and her identical twin sister Kelley, showing off the most warmth you’ll see between two people for the entirety of the eighty-five minute running time. Otherwise, it’s just four people looking uncomfortable in their own skin… and some live performances that would be simply phenomenal had the directors not seen fit to drench the clips in looped crowd noise. Guys, I have bootlegs of these shows… people *did not* scream all the way through the songs. It wasn’t a Beatles concert, but they sure made it sound as if clubs that held less than 2000 people were stadiums full of teenage girls that had all simultaneously noticed spiders crawling on their legs. C’mon, show the viewer some respect here, right?
All in all, loudQUIETloud keeps the Pixies mystery intact while offering you the most cursory - yet probably the most candid - glances into the inner workings of the band. Could’ve been better, but then again, there’s always the chance that there just isn’t much of a behind-the- scenes story to be told after all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY3wmIPxkwU&eurl=
Buy loudQUIETloud at www.loudquietloud.com.
- Marc
@ 8:00 am | Category: Film
www.excal.on.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2596&Itemid=2" target="_blank">www.excal.on.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2596&Itemid=2" target="_blank">http://www.excal.on.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2596&Itemid=2
PIXIES' NEW DECIBEL RANGE
Written by Kevin Harper, Contributor Wednesday, 22 November 2006
For all my love of rock history, I surprise myself when I realize that I have never really investigated the Pixies beyond the major hits ("Cactus" and "Wave of Mutilation"). So, when the opportunity to review their first-ever DVD LoudQUIETloud: A film about the Pixies, I decided that this would be my proper entry point. From this perspective, the film works. It is a documentary about the grunge originators' reunion tour in 2004, with live footage from the various dates interspersed throughout. It is not a retrospective history of the band since only a little bit of information is provided about the band. Rather, directors Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin paint a picture of a highly influential band with middle-aged members who are still plagued by demons. There are some moments reminiscent to Spinal Tap, such as drummer David Lovering's career as a magician prior to the reunion, but more tender focus is given to bassist Kim Deal's struggle to remain sober while on tour after years of alcohol abuse. I did wish that the directors were less stingy with the concert footage, as spellbinding performances of songs like "Where Is My Mind?" and "Here Comes Your Man" are cut short to make way for more interviews. As a relative newcomer, this left me with the desire to run out and buy their albums, but I can imagine longtime fans getting irritated with the tactic. That said, the footage of the band on tour is more interesting and revealing, with surprisingly candid insight into the group's continually troubled dynamic with each other and within themselves (accentuated by an original score by Daniel Lanois that attempts to elevate the film above the standard "concert film").
Deal's struggle with sobriety is a major focal point as she brings her sister (and Breeders bandmate) Kelley on the tour to keep her from drinking. By contrast, Lovering develops an addiction to tranquilizers while on tour and faces scrutiny from frontman Black Francis and lead guitarist Joey Santiago, both of whom became family men after the Pixies broke up. The film leaves the viewer with a warm impression of the band that appears to consist of the most down-to-earth musicians to ever spawn a subgenre of such rebelliousness. A quote from Kurt Cobain precedes the film who notes that he was trying to rip off the Pixies when he was writing the seminal "Smells Like Teen Spirit." There isn't a lot at stake in the film since the group reunited mostly for financial reasons and showed little sign of wanting to record new material. "We don't talk very much. Not because we don't like each other, but because it's just the kind of people we are," said Francis as he summed up the band. The film leaves the viewer with an honest depiction of a band and its implosive nature that still results in explosive music.
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=12616066&blogID=196777811
Thursday, November 23, 2006
LoudQuietLoud: A Film About the Pixies - Review
I don't know much about the Pixies. I've never owned any of their albums and really only know a couple of songs. "Monkey Goes to Heaven", "Digging For a Fire", and that song at the end of "Fight Club" are the only ones I know. I'm sure I've heard some other songs but I'm not sure. So why decide to add this to my NetFlix queue? Well I read it was a really good documentary about a really good rock band. Clicks "Move To The Top Of My Queue" button. I love to watch band documentaries. The internal working of a band and their personal life intrigues me. It's my way of being able to transpose myself into a band and experience and feel what they are going through. Some documentaries are better than others. Sometimes you don't feel like you are getting a real personal look at a band and rather something that is staged and acted out like U2's "Rattle and Hum". Other times you don't really get any glimpse into the band like Depeche Mode's "101". "LoudQuietLoud" is different because there's a lot of personal footage of the band and it's obvious they're not putting on any act. I think many bands don't allow the director insight into the band because they don't trust the director. This is to be expected since their image seems to get so contorted by the media they probably don't trust a lot of people. In this case it looks like Kelly Deal, sister of The Pixies bassist Kim Deal, is doing a lot of the interviewing and I'm sure she's been around the band a lot so they feel at easy. The other reason is that most of the time the band isn't doing anything special. Nothing that you and I would think out of the ordinary except for those 2 hours standing in front of a couple thousand people playing music. I was thinking they should call the film "QuietQuietQuiet", because that's what it's like to tour and be with the band. You would think that this would make for a pretty boring documentary. It doesn't. Sometimes the silence and the monotony is a big part of being in a band and touring. I don't know this first hand but every musical artist says that touring is terrible except for the couple of hours on stage. I also think that this band isn't the party all night type of band, at least not any more. They're more of the knit and talk to family at home stage of their lives…Ok I took a break from this review. It's been about a week since I started this review and I really feel that I should finish it so I can get on with my life. Anyways I feel like after a couple of days a review isn't good anymore because you've lost the feeling and emotion of what you witnessed. Maybe that's a good thing also but I like to write from instinct and heart. It's more personal. I want to wrap this up by saying that if you like the Pixies you'll love this movie. If you like to see the behind the scenes footage of a dysfunctional band on the road then you'll also love this movie. If you're just looking for concert footage you'll like half of it. The rest will be wondering why they filmed this band just lumbering around not saying anything. For me that's the point because of what they don't say is more that what they do say. I could go into each member and describe them but I'll leave it up to you to watch. The part that I do want to talk about is the part when they talk to the bassist Kim Deal and how she feels when she goes on stage in front of thousands of people. She says how it is so strange because she's such an ordinary person, at least in what she does off stage, that she can't believe that people are out there. She also says that's why she sometimes has a smirk on her face while playing, because of how surreal everything seems. When you watch the movie you realize that about people that are famous, they are just ordinary people in extraordinary situations. No different from you and I really. That's what is so interesting about stardom to me. It could've been me or you in that situation. Think of some little garage band that you knew and what if they made it big and toured the world. You'd remember them as just friends and ordinary people not as some strange being or god like figure. Prince went to high school, Madonna probably worked at some fast food place. No different than most then Bang! They became stars. But deep down they were still just the same as you and I. Maybe with some more talent and drive than we posses but not that different. Image if that happened to you? Are you any different? Are you special? Would you be the same person? If you are interested in these questions then watch this movie. I am and I loved the movie.
www.smh.com.au/news/music/this-time-away-with-the-pixies-is-a-peaceful-trip/2006/11/23/1163871547369.html" target="_blank">www.smh.com.au/news/music/this-time-away-with-the-pixies-is-a-peaceful-trip/2006/11/23/1163871547369.html" target="_blank">http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/this-time-away-with-the-pixies-is-a-peaceful-trip/2006/11/23/1163871547369.html
This time, away with the Pixies is a peaceful trip
Different shades … guitarist Joey Santiago. Photo: Jonathan Furmanski
Bernard Zuel November 24, 2006
You will know the work of the Pixies even if you've never heard them. That may be their legacy and their curse.
One of the enduring cliches of rock is that while Lou Reed's '60s iconoclasts the Velvet Underground sold relatively few copies of their albums, everyone who heard them went on to form a band. And those bands subsequently sold many more copies than Reed and friends could ever have dreamt of.
A more recent equivalent would be Boston's Pixies who, while lauded in the British music press, never had a hit in their homeland. They broke up in 1993 amid internal rancour and mainstream indifference, despite a series of impressive albums which mixed surf, rock and crunchy pop music with science fiction, biblical and oft-disturbing medical references.
Fans in this country can now get a look at their financially and critically successful reunion tour of 2004, captured in the film LoudQUIETloud, out on DVD.
The Pixies could have ended up as a music history footnote but of the dozens of bands who had been paying attention, one, Nirvana, became one of the most important and imitated acts of the '90s. Nirvana's front man, Kurt Cobain, happily admitted that the band's first hit, Smells Like Teen Spirit, was him "basically trying to rip off the Pixies".
"We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard," Cobain said.
The reunion tour was considered extremely unlikely, right up until the first note was played on stage.
But, as seen throughout the film, even the two most fractious members, singer-songwriter Charles Thompson and bass player Kim Deal, were getting along. Not exactly bosom buddies bonding over a post-gig beer (Deal was fresh off drugs and drink for a start, while drummer Dave Lovering seemed on a private over-the-counter medication trip of his own), but not threatening to kill each other, either.
However, Joey Santiago, the guitarist who was as important to the band's sound as Thompson's songs were, seems surprised we ever doubted.
"We got along, of course we did," he says after his customary long pause and "aah" preamble. "We would not have put that much time and effort into touring if we didn't get along. After each show we still do our own separate thing. That's good, too. Occasionally, we'll run into each other at a coffee shop, have a drink at the bar, whatever."
No one says a bad word to or about the others on film. It must be love. "Yeah, well," Santiago chuckles. "I think if they [had] documented us when we were together [the first time] they would have captured the same thing."
Which is probably true because as Kim Deal's sister, Kelley, says in the film, these are the four worst communicators she's seen. Brooding silences were usually the order of the day. Was she right?
"Aaah, no, we talk about it," Santiago says, before a pause. "Just not on film."
www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/47935" target="_blank">www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/47935" target="_blank">http://www.411mania.com/music/album_reviews/47935
And what impact, Michael Azzerad, author of pretty much the definitive history on US 80’s indie Our Band Could Be Your Life argues that Mission Of Burma could well be one of the most influential bands of the last 30 years. It may be The Pixies that are credited with first bringing the quiet/loud/quiet dynamic to rock music (indeed their own reunion film is entitle loudQUIETloud) but it was Burma, with their stuttering rhythms, odd time changes and aggressive vocals who really pioneered the idea. And in doing so they changed the face of music, maybe. Mission Of Burma begat Husker Du, Husker Du begat The Pixies, The Pixies begat Nirvana; and Nirvana brought the alternative to the mainstream.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/11/29/212839.php
Music DVD Review: loudQUIETloud - The Pixies Reunion Tour
Written by Connie Phillips Published November 29, 2006 Part of Featured Artist
The members of the Pixies were all young – in their 20s – when they burst on the scene and quickly exploded in popularity. Six years and four albums later, under the stress of the success and the desires of both Charles Thompson (Black Francis/Frank Black) and Kim Deal to pursue solo projects, the band disintegrated. Fans of the band have been clamoring for just one more album or one more concert from the distinctive alt rock band ever since.
In 2004 that dream came true as Black Francis, Kim Deal, Dave Lovering, and Joey Santiago decided to come together for one more tour. In the foreword of the booklet included with the DVD, directors Steven Cantor and Mathew Galkin tell the tale of how they had the epiphany (while waiting to buy tickets for the first show) that they should make a film about the reunion tour and decided, "To hell with buying tickets, we'll get backstage passes." Luckily for fans it worked out, because what's included in the 85-minute documentary and 33 minutes of deleted scenes and commentary is a telling look at what makes the Pixies so great as a band – and why it is nearly impossible to envision them continuing to function as a group for any length or time.
The film opens with what is going on in each individual's life prior to coming together for rehearsals for the tour. Charles Thompson is working on his solo career and building a life with his girlfriend and her two kids while expecting one of their own. Kim Deal is making music in Breeder, a band she started with her sister, and working hard at her one year sobriety from alcohol and drugs. Joe Santiago is working on the soundtrack of a documentary and anticipating the birth of his second child. Dave Lovering has been performing as a magician and is grieving over the recent death of his father.
Just before the band comes together to begin rehearsals, we see Charles in a phone interview addressing the upcoming tour. He is asked what it's like to be in the same room with the rest of the band after so long. His answer is, "It's like we never took a break." What is then shown appears to be a very tense situation. On the stage of an empty theater bits and pieces of songs are played, and there is discussion about keys and chord progressions, but there is also a tension, so heavy and thick you can feel it through your television screen.
As the first concert date nears, it seems things are getting better. Before the first show, which Charles refers to as a practice show, he calms Kim's nerves, telling her to just go out and have fun. Joe confides to the camera they are all being supportive of Kim's struggle with sobriety and they are all insisting there is to be no alcohol backstage. In the very next clip Dave admits to the other three he took a Valium with a glass of wine because he couldn't play unless he came down – a situation that would first be ignored before it become a real problem and finally dealt with mid-tour after the band was forced to leave the stage because Dave was too messed up to play.
Following that first show, it is Charles who is concerned when Kim is soaking her hands in the ice water the drinks are chilling in, and it is he who offers her concern and support when he sees her blistered fingers. For a brief time I was left wondering if the animosity between these two was nothing more than hype or maybe the wounds were healed by time and distance. As time and the tour progresses the closeness shown in the first shows fades away. Kim and her sister travel between shows in an RV which follows the tour bus transporting the other three. They are not seen socializing or communicating with each other except for shortly before and shortly after they appear on stage.
I don't know if it's animosity so much as it is just four people who have very little in common besides the music. Kim sums it up best at one point when she comments they are "the four worst communicators ever." That may be true offstage, but onstage is a different story altogether.
Cut between the interview clips and the observation of the band members on the road are pieces of many of the concerts of the tour. They are well lit and well shot and the sound is impeccable (Dolby 5.1 surround). Between the enthusiasm of the performing band and the reaction of the audiences — all of them sold out crowds — you truly see the magic that was this band and the music they made. From the pre-show show to the tour closer there is such energy and love moving back and forth between band members and their fans, I was sad to see it end. I was even sadder to see the white notation as the screen faded to black: "As of Spring 2006, the Pixies have no plans to record together."
If you need some hope to hang on to, in a recent interview with Blogcritics Magazine, Frank Black's response to the question of an upcoming Pixies album was, "You never know." In the meantime if you missed seeing the Pixies on their reunion tour, and especially if you did see them, you will want to pick up loudQUIETloud, as a keepsake and a piece of music history.
www.vcreporter.com/article.php?id=4050&IssueNum=100" target="_blank">www.vcreporter.com/article.php?id=4050&IssueNum=100" target="_blank">http://www.vcreporter.com/article.php?id=4050&IssueNum=100
Enjoy the silence ~ By MATTHEW SINGER ~
oudQUIETloud, the title of Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin’s documentary of the Pixies’ highly profitable 2004 reunion tour, is a reference to the towering alt-rock icons’ songwriting formula, ripped off most famously by Kurt Cobain (whose quote admitting exactly that begins the film). But “QUIET” is capitalized here because between their belly-searing live shows, that is what fills the space among the band members: big, steaming piles of quiet. It’s what broke them up the first time around — no longer able to communicate with each other, singer Charles Thompson (a.k.a. Black Francis, a.k.a. Frank Black) dissolved the group in 1993 during a radio interview, without telling the rest of the band — and it’s mainly what Cantor and Galkin catch on camera 11 years later. The silence is meant to be profound, but what it adds up to in actuality is one surprisingly dull road movie —Gimme Shelter this is not.
The problem is, the filmmakers have misidentified the silence. It’s not the weighty kind that can (and did) shatter the relationship of four hopeful, idealistic twenty-somethings, but that of middle-aged careerists who can unite to get a job done but can’t think of anything to say once they’re outside the office. The decision to resurrect the band was, after all, a business proposition. Everyone’s professional life had reached an impasse: bassist Kim Deal had just gotten out of rehab; drummer David Lovering was learning that being a starving magician is a hell of a lot harder than being a starving musician; guitarist Joey Santiago was playing in-stores with his wife for five people. Thompson had the greatest — or at least the most consistent — success, but as he says, “Everything that I do as a solo artist is overshadowed by this other band called the Pixies.” Getting back together just made financial sense.
And yet, they still barely talk to one another, not necessarily because they don’t get along, but because they all seem to realize they don’t need to be best friends for this to work. They have enough chemistry onstage that speaking off it is wasted energy. So we see them spending their downtime whiling away time on their individual endeavors — Santiago scoring a friend’s documentary; Deal, on a separate bus, writing songs for an upcoming Breeders record; Thompson recording country-folk albums — while responding indecisively to questions about releasing new material as a group. The directors try to build a dramatic arc out of Lovering’s increasing alcoholism following the death of his father, but after a near-breakdown in the middle of a set — the only moment of palpable tension in the entire film — a caption informs us that “David has vowed to curtail his substance abuse,” and that’s the end of it. After that, the closest the movie gets to harrowing is showing Thompson walking around topless.
The funnest stuff, actually, is in the deleted scenes included on the DVD: Deal and Thompson visiting Sigur Ros’s recording studio in Iceland for whatever reason and looking as bored as someone listening to Sigur Ros; Santiago at home with his kids; Lovering showing off his metal detectors; Thompson driving around in a minivan and revealing an idea to do their reunion album as a soundtrack to a fictional Pixies movie. These clips reveal, more than anything in the actual film, why these guys are bad subjects for a rock-doc: They’re too normal to be interesting.
Got a tip? e-mail Mole4life@aol.com
11-30-2006
www.indiewire.com/ipop/2006/12/spurlock_and_ca.html" target="_blank">www.indiewire.com/ipop/2006/12/spurlock_and_ca.html" target="_blank">http://www.indiewire.com/ipop/2006/12/spurlock_and_ca.html
Photo by Brian Brooks (December 2, 2006)
Post-Gothams, iW's friends at Kodak and our partner GMD Studios threw indieWIRE a party for our 10th anniversary (we were only 14 when it all began) Wednesday night (yay us!) at Tribeca Cinemas in, well, TriBeCa... Our good friend Morgan Spurlock ("30 Days," "Super Size Me") came by as well as "loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies" director, Steven Cantor. Like most things fun, it went by really fast, but oh... it sure lingered the next day!
( posted on Dec 2, 2006 at 10:21PM | filed under New York City Parties )
www.aversion.com/bands/reviews.cfm?f_id=2889" target="_blank">www.aversion.com/bands/reviews.cfm?f_id=2889" target="_blank">http://www.aversion.com/bands/reviews.cfm?f_id=2889
loudQUIETlout DVD Pixies Music Video Distributors
(out of 5)
"I've never seen four people not be able to talk to each other," Kelley Deal says to twin sister and Pixies bassist, Kim, half-jokingly. "You guys are the worst four communicators ever." Once you get around the siblings' downright bizarre relationship (not to mention the sneaking suspicion that our seeing them in the same room together is really just the result of some Patty Duke-era camera trickery), it's clear that Kelley -- the elder of the two, by a full 11 minutes -- is hardly joking at all, and the answers to those years of ambiguously talked-around questions as to the demise of her sister's first band are painfully clear: The Pixies didn't really like each other all that much.
loudQuietloud isn't the story of the Pixies in any kind of traditional rockumentary sense. We get faint whiffs of their humble beginnings, and the break-up stories that we generally pay the price of admission to watch unfold, but the members merely hint at both over the course of the film, save for one or two overly sentimental forays into the former. The film opens with the band rehearsing, for the first time in 11 years -- since their breakup. Kim can't remember the exact number of times she sings "change" in "Hey." It's a rocky start, to be sure, but by the time it gives way to the story's rocky middle and ending, it appears to have been downright smooth sailing.
Everyone's a little bit larger and balder (some a lot more so than others) now. The younger Deal is struggling with sobriety, demanding the band have a dry backstage, as she sucks down cases on non-alcoholic Molson Exels, and Starbucks iced mochas by the truckload. Singer/guitarist Frank Black has since immersed himself in self-help cassettes and his solo career he seems as eager to leap back into as he did during the waning days of The Pixies' first stand. Communicating with his wife and young children and producing a film on his Powerbook occupies guitarist Joey Santiago for the bulk of the trip (though, to his credit, the moments he has each member contribute an instrument to his soundtrack are a big chunk of the few truly collaborative moments between members over the course of the film). Drummer David Lovering, who, during The Pixies' decade-plus absence has divided his time between perfecting his magician act and metal-detecting on Los Angeles beaches, watches his father succumb to cancer, and battles what may or may not be a valium addiction.
It's a recipe for tension, confrontations and meltdowns. Fortunately, the band members had the foresight to rent separate buses.
The beauty of loudQuietloud is that the filmmakers don't see the necessity in rooting around for such inner-band turmoil. They simply let video roll, and a scoop up a few choices pieces amongst the deluge of neurosis. It's a satisfying feeling after having spent years being spoon-fed drama from hundreds of hours of Behind the Music marathons. No one ODs or loses an arm in a fiery car wreck; it's just the story of four people bound together who share little in common beyond the hour and a half a night they spend together, creating magic. Those moments, quite possible the only ones during the film in which the audience doesn't feel a desire to strangle at least one of the members, are stern reminder of what this was all about in the first place.
- Brian Heater
www.ocweekly.com/film/on-dvd/the-last-word-on-the-pixies-for-now/26351/" target="_blank">www.ocweekly.com/film/on-dvd/the-last-word-on-the-pixies-for-now/26351/" target="_blank">http://www.ocweekly.com/film/on-dvd/the-last-word-on-the-pixies-for-now/26351/
THE LAST WORD ON THE PIXIES (FOR NOW)
OnDVD: loudQUIETloud By TOM CHILD Thursday, December 7, 2006 - 3:00 pm
Given the incredible amount of press expended on the Pixies these past few years, you can be forgiven for finding your interest waning in what is frequently considered one of the most influential bands of the ’80s. Let this be the last word on the Pixies for a while then—at least until the inevitable reunion album is leaked on the Internet; MVD Visual’s release of loudQUIETloud, a documentary about the Pixies reunion tour, is a semi-illuminating portrait of rock awkwardness and charming geekery. As anyone halfway familiar with rock mythology knows by now, the Pixies acrimoniously disbanded in 1992. Since that time, each has embarked upon their own solo work to varying degrees of success. Two years ago, the band reunited, prompting equal parts slobbering fan excitement and cynical fan criticism as the inevitable cry of “sellout!” was bandied about. And certainly this was a project motivated in part by filthy lucre and ego stoking, though few fans could deny in the end that the band certainly brought the rock, regardless of their motives.
As loudQUIETloud displays, however, the band also brought some of its inner turmoil. Though hardly as upfront and open about the band’s arguments as the recent Metallica documentary, preferring instead to keep the tension consistently and effectively understated, loudQUIETloud does contain a few juicy moments of friction. During the tour, Pixies drummer David Lovering begins indulging in pills and alcohol upon being told that his father is dying. During an early show in the tour, he flubs one of the songs, continuing the drum beat for a ridiculously long time after the rest of the band stops playing, prompting them to give him a stern talking-to backstage. Given the obviously complex and deeply personal relationships these band mates share coupled with their reticence to discuss their issues with strangers, it’s impressive the filmmakers were allowed as much access as they were, but one comes away from the documentary with the sense that a lot of secrets remain untold.
The film itself is well-shot, with some particularly beautiful concert footage and a nice sound mix. Included with the documentary is a commentary with directors Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin and editor Trevor Ristow that provides some amusing backstage anecdotes. Ultimately, however, due to the lack of substantially penetrating insight, the film will be of little interest to non-Pixies fans—whoever they may be.
http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/12/11/083650.php
Music DVD Review: LoudQUIETLoud: A Film About The Pixies
Written by Nik Dirga Published December 11, 2006
"The Pixies Sell Out," the tour was called. Alternative rock legends The Pixies, who roared through the late '80s and early '90s with a handful of highly influential albums and a clattering loud- soft dynamic that influenced countless bands, decided to reunite for a brief worldwide tour in 2004.
It was probably mainly about the money for the band, but also maybe a chance to try and heal lingering wounds over the breakup. For fans, it was an unbelievable chance to see the band behind "Monkey Gone To Heaven," "Gouge Away," "Debaser" and many more grinding classic pop rock songs.
In their bittersweet documentary LoudQUIETLoud: A film about the Pixies, directors Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin got remarkable access to the Pixies during the course of their reunion tour – catching in their intimate portrait not just the clash and bang of their concerts, but the nervous moments in between gigs, the never-ending slide show of roadside scenery, a sense of the personalities behind the Pixies.
Many rock documentaries focus on the out-of-control antics, the ego-mania. What's surprising about this is that it's a quiet, bittersweet movie about a very loud rock band who have settled into the strange uncertainty of aging. They're all in their late thirties or early forties, a bit battered – the three men are all bald, all of them are a bit heavier than the old days.
Bassist Kim Deal is a tentative recovering alcoholic who insists her twin sister Kelley chaperone her on tour, guitarist Joey Santiago misses his family, frontman Charles "Frank Black" Thompson is still uncertain how he relates the Pixies to the rest of his life and drummer David Lovering is a bit of an overall wreck whose grip on sobriety seems very faint. All four are shown to be kind of stunned at the Pixies' growing fame since their breakup, unsure if this band is how their lives will be defined in the end. But they're willing to give it another go.
Yet when they get on stage, the old magic still erupts. I caught the Pixies reunion tour at an April 2004 show in Thompson's hometown of Eugene, Oregon, and they were on fire – blasting out feedback and rage and melody like there'd been no hiatus. The only thing that seemed a bit off about the gig was how serious and professional they all were – there were a few smiles, some gentle stage patter, but no real sense that there was a bond of love between bandmates. Raw and fiery as the music was, the band themselves seemed strangely staid. In their excellent concert footage, Cantor and Galkin show the contrast between the ferocious band onstage and the repressed, restrained four individuals off stage.
LoudQUIETLoud makes it pretty clear that despite the force they were together, the four Pixies have little in common these days. They don't hate each other – but there are an awful lot of moments of uncomfortable silence shown here, the awkward attempts to connect with someone you knew when you were young and wilder.
"We don't talk to each other that much," says Thompson. "It's not because we don't like each other, it's just the kind of people we are." At one point, Kelley Deal tells her sister Kim that she's never seen four less communicative people in her life. It's still uncertain if the band tour will actually result in a lasting reunion, or any new albums.
The curious thing is how four such very ordinary people — the once hard-partying Deal sisters now do crafts, Thompson is expecting a child, Santiago works providing music for documentaries — could make such revolutionary music. That might be the one spark LoudQUIETLoud lacks – there's no real insight into what made the band tick, or why their legacy struck such a chord for so many. (It's notable that many of the concert fans seen here seem to be way too young to have gotten into the Pixies during their first go-round.)
A favorite moment here shows a pre-teen young girl who plays in a Pixies tribute band finally meeting her idol, Kim Deal. You can see Kim uncertain of how to deal with the idolatry fame brings, yet graceful about it.
But then again, that kind of introspection isn't really how the Pixies seem to work – if anything, LoudQUIETLoud is a portrait of a band with an impossible legacy trying to figure out what it all means. The DVD includes an extra half-hour of deleted scenes and director commentary, along with an essay and photo-packed booklet.
For any fan of the Pixies or strong music documentaries, this inside look is a must.
www.associatedcontent.com/article/101521/review_of_the_pixies_loud_quiet_loud.html" target="_blank">www.associatedcontent.com/article/101521/review_of_the_pixies_loud_quiet_loud.html" target="_blank">http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/101521/review_of_the_pixies_loud_quiet_loud.html
Review of the Pixies "loud Quiet Loud" on DVD
By N. Katers
December 11, 2006
One of the most important bands of the late 1980s and early 1990s was the Pixies. Influencing future bands like Nirvana and Weezer, the Pixies have been forgotten by many young music fans because of their lack of commercial success. It is not mystifying why the Pixies were unable to grab the commercial brass ring that so many other bands were able to grasp in the 1990s. Aside from the four band members’ lack of contact with the press, the Pixies did not create the commercial claptrap that drivers and teenagers here on Top 40 stations around the country. The Pixies sound was more nuanced and required fans to listen to entire live shows or albums to grasp the full picture of their musical genius. While many concert DVDs give short shrift to the context in which music is created, the recently released film loud Quietloud deals not only with the Pixies’ 2004 reunion tour but the context in which the band came back together.
Lead singer Frank Blank ended the band in 1992 with an abrupt message to his band mates that shocked outsiders. By watching loud Quiet loud, however, people should be able to gain critical distance from the apparently acrimonious relationship between the band members that made headlines in music magazines at the time. Directors Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin do an impeccable job of combining personal interviews, behind the scenes shots, and concert footage in a detached view of a unique reunion tour. While Cantor, Galkin, and others seem to judge the Pixies as independent satellites who come together for tour dates, I see their interactions as more than just the small talk they lament in the DVD’s liner notes. Frank Black and others confront drummer Dave Lovering about his drug use while on their way to a gig, with Dave eventually seeking professional assistance. While others may see their conversations as brief and impersonal, I saw them as the short hand used by people who know each other too well to use full sentences and long discourse.
While the perspective of critics and the directors toward the Pixies may not agree with me, the film’s approach to the reunion concert is exquisite. Cantor and Galkin put the reunion tour in context by catching up with all four band members. Kim Deal has gone on to some success with The Breeders, Frank Black went onto mixed solo success, Dave Lovering found it difficult to find work after the Pixies, and Joey Santiago mixed work with family. While many reunion films leave the intermittent period between breakup and reunion to the further research of the viewer, loud Quiet loud makes it an integral part of the film. The extensive concert footage will please viewers who are fans of live music generally and of the Pixies specifically, with a wide range of songs to wet the musical palette. One of the best scenes in the movie is when Kim Deal meets a Pixies fan outside of a Chicago venue who became a fan after reading a novel whose main character is a big Pixies fan. The devotion of this Pixies fan alone shows the strength of the Pixies’ appeal twelve years after their breakup.
For DVD fans, there is about a half hour of extra scenes that did not make the final cut. While these extras are interesting and illuminating, the scattered topics and material covered would have been too disorganized for such a well-constructed film. However, several bits in the deleted scenes are interesting for those who want to learn more about the members of the band. An interview with Kim Deal where she talks about home life and living in Ohio shows an interesting side to the typically reclusive musician. The entire DVD, the final cut and deleted scenes, does the service of showing the mixture of business and art in the music business today. The Pixies, a cult favorite that has reached many music fans without them knowing it, are shown in loud Quiet loud dealing with these tensions in their own way.
www.musicaustraliaguide.com/reviews/1475#1475" target="_blank">www.musicaustraliaguide.com/reviews/1475#1475" target="_blank">http://www.musicaustraliaguide.com/reviews/1475#1475
The Pixies LoudQUIETloud A film about the Pixies Wednesday 13, December 2006
When the Pixies decided to reform in 2004, drummer Dave Lovering literally hit the roof, with excitement. In New York, filmmakers and long-time fans of the band, Steve Cantor and Matthew Galkin, were about to buy tickets. Suddenly, an idea crystallised. They just had to document the comeback tour. The Pixies reuniting was a decision that made indie rock fans shake with pleasure. Or, at least, tell anyone within earshot at the time, ‘hey the Pixies are reforming.’
The resulting film following the tour, loudQUIETloud is one of the more revealing, insightful rock documentaries of the era. The performances are first class, the songs remain as brilliant as ever, but it’s behind the scenes where the real stories lie. The communication problems that hampered the progress of the first incarnation of the band remain. Charles Thompson, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and Dave Lovering have different personalities. Thompson is the leader, Deal, the troubled, reforming drug addict, Santiago, the family man with the shortish fuse, and Lovering, the slightly on-the- edge, but lovable and still partying loner. They come together to play, and make music, and get from one gig to the next. For the rest of the time, they remain, in general, apart, gaining satisfaction as individuals but not necessarily celebrating their reclaimed fame as a band. It’s the story of a band weighed down by their past, pushing through for their future. It’s compelling. If you like music documentaries, it’s a must see.
Peter Ryan
www.muzzleofbees.com/2006/12/12/loudquietloud-wmy-thoughts-and-regrets-on-not-seeing-the-pixies/" target="_blank">www.muzzleofbees.com/2006/12/12/loudquietloud-wmy-thoughts-and-regrets-on-not-seeing-the-pixies/" target="_blank">http://www.muzzleofbees.com/2006/12/12/loudquietloud-wmy-thoughts-and-regrets-on-not-seeing-the-pixies/
Tuesday, 12 Dec 2006
loudQUIETloud and my regrets on not seeing the Pixies live
All the things I forgot about the Pixies, both good and bad are captured on their recent DVD, loudQUIETloud: a film about THE PIXIES. I never saw the band perform live; the closest I got was a Frank Black solo show at the beginning of last month, and a handful of Frank Black and the Catholic shows opening for Pearl Jam back in the late 90’s. I was just a bit too young to grasp the Pixies sound growing up mostly because Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden all had a joint monopoly on my ears growing up. What did always stick out during those years was the now famous quote from Kurt Cobain explaining “Smells Like Teen Spirit” to MTV when he stated, “I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies.” That quote is used in the opening scene of loudQIETloud DVD, and certainly got my attention, spurring that reminder I always had in my head as a teenager that the Pixies were a band I would eventually have to fully absorb someday and fall in love with their records.
It would be the middle of my sophomore year in college that I’d be exposed to a bunch of Pixies records courtesy of a couple of upstairs neighbors who kicked off nearly every Saturday morning by blasting Surfer Rosa. Those same guys would talk for hours about why the Pixies broke up and how they, much like the Beatles, were so far ahead of what was considered popular music at the time that the world and the collective musical fandom just needed a few years of catching up.
The DVD provides the good and bad of the Pixies reunion, that I still to this day am ashamed to say I didn’t bother to attend. Most of the blame lies with the fact that they were playing Summerfest on a co-headlining tour with a band that at the time I simply couldn’t stand, Weezer. As the saying goes with hindsight, obviously I’d love to make a different decision looking back at the situation. So, what I’m left with is a very powerful look via DVD into a band whose music and following is still as vital, perhaps more so than it ever has been, but still can’t seem to lasso the inevitable problems that come from the collective make up of the band members and their individual problems.
You’re probably reading this thinking, “no shit, everyone knows the band didn’t get along,” but the DVD, at least for me, put it in more concrete and understandable parameters. If you’re a fan of Pixies, caught their reunion tour, you probably don’t need me telling you to check this out - you probably already have. On the other hand, if my story above sounds a little familiar, I recommend you check out the DVD.
www.rocknworld.com/features/06/PixiesloudQUIETloud.shtml" target="_blank">www.rocknworld.com/features/06/PixiesloudQUIETloud.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.rocknworld.com/features/06/PixiesloudQUIETloud.shtml
The Pixies - loudQUIETloud DVD Review
by Patrick Muldowney
Generally band documentaries stem from fans with no direction/production skills, or film students who figure bands are easy fodder for skill-building. When you reach the status of icon, such as The Pixies did during their 12-year hiatus, you have the luxury of keeping company with professional filmmakers. Under the direction of Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin ("Family Bonds"), fans are treated to loudQUIETloud, a documentary from fellow Pixies followers that brings the clarity and sensibility usually reserved for more affluent, and turbulent, bands, like Metallica, to a once marginalized demographic.
Cantor and Galkin openly admit the great difficulty they faced creating this documentary, which has garnered numerous selections from film festivals, most notably Tribeca and South by Southwest. The problem with The Pixies is they lack the extroverts expected from rock 'n roll, so there was no great reunion scene, and barely any points of great tension; all traditional elements of such a story. Understandably, they wanted to make a cohesive, behind-the-scenes look at the 2004 reunion tour, but The Pixies did not naturally lend themselves to such an eye. Regardless, Cantor and Galkin adjusted, and found that the true story was in what all Pixies' fans missed: the band performing together. One of the great beauties of this documentary is the live footage of performances like Brixton, England, and Chicago.
Initially caught up in the hype of the reunion, like many of us, Cantor and Galkin may have felt that they did not delve into the band enough personally, but for those who are a little more perceptive, there is a great deal going on psychologically, and the conclusions that can be drawn can be largely credited to how the scenes are arranged and edited. It is initially great to witness that The Pixies meant as much, if not more, to each member, as it did to the many listeners who struggled with their absence. David Lovering, the drummer, who was living from couch to couch as a struggling magician when Joe (Santiago) called him to share the reunion news said he "must have jumped ten feet in the air." Joey Santiago, now a family man, saw this as a chance for security since he had been existing by picking up freelance jobs (he's scoring another documentary during this one). Kim Deal's mother is excited that her daughter, who was living back at their house after overcoming alcohol addiction, will do more than stay in bed all day. Frank Black seems the most unaffected by the reunion, but as the documentary wears on there are many clues to suggest that these moments may mean the most to him.
Whether the cameras are following: Frank Black's inner struggles with self-doubt, sometimes masked by arrogance; Kim Deal's difficulty understanding and accepting her popularity; David Lovering's childlike charm, which turns destructive when he loses his father during the tour; Joey Santiago's quiet stability; loudQUIETloud allows you to care, and sometimes worry, about the individuals who form The Pixies. It is upsetting to watch Lovering keep playing long after the bands stops playing "Something Against You", because the pills and wine he uses while mourning his father finally catch up with him onstage, and to later see a flood of tears that won't fall when the band stages an informal intervention. You'll want to reach into the screen as Kim repeatedly downs bottles of NA beer, just to make sure it's still NA in her hand. You'll want to invite Joe over for dinner, and ask him to be your best friend. You'll want to ask Frank Black why he can't step up and lead this band, with whom he intermittently shows tenderness, which so desperately needs his presence. Great documentaries are generally filled with moments of joy, sadness, and frustration, and loudQUIETloud is no exception.
One possible criticism of Cantor and Galkin stems from the bonus footage. Many of the scenes provided are so valuable to Pixies' fans; it is perplexing that they did not make the documentary. The scene with Mr. John Murphy, Kim's first husband, or when Frank sees Melissa, his first serious girlfriend, who we know as "Missy Agitation" from "Gouge Away", provides a better idea of the extended family the band has left behind, and would work better as a side story than the awkward teenager who worships Kim Deal, and has a garage band who plays Pixies' tunes. The moment where she's in the front row and gets a pick at the end seems really staged and trite compared to the sincerity of the documentary as a whole. Sometimes a gift can be a bit of a curse, in that the experience that allows this to be professional, couldn't help but add a little godlike hand to shape the story. Isn't that the allure of reality TV? Regardless, the curse is small, and the gift of loudQUIETloud is substantial.
The Pixies - loudQUIETloud DVD
Label:MVD Rating:
www.thephoenix.com/article_ektid29424.aspx" target="_blank">www.thephoenix.com/article_ektid29424.aspx" target="_blank">http://www.thephoenix.com/article_ektid29424.aspx
DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE
Three DVDs capture the Pixies’ reunion
By TED DROZDOWSKI December 12, 2006 1:25:43 PM
SLOW LEARNERS: The Pixies needed four or five years to become exceptional.
The Pixies have always been an electric band. Nothing balances well-rounded frontman Black Francis/Frank Black/Charlie Thompson’s yowling about the numerology of God and the Devil and waves of mutilation like grinding guitars and the heavy snap of an amplified drum kit.
Hell, when the group started in 1986, they barely played well enough to hammer out their songs on stage. That was shortly after Thompson, an anthropology major, dropped out of college to form a rock band, apparently after digging up the demon Pazuzu and becoming possessed. Early on, Thompson, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago, and David Lovering were passionate little devils when they took the stage at Boston area clubs like the Rat and T.T. the Bear’s. But they lacked the blend of technique and panache that makes a rock band — even a primitive punk-rock band — good, not to mention the precision that acoustic arrangements demand. The truth about the Pixies is that though it took them just two albums and an EP to become influential, they needed four or five years of playing to audiences to become true performers. And then, after their 1992 tour, they broke up.
So it’s odd that a pair of DVDs capturing the reunited band in semi-acoustic and acoustic performances would be released within the past month. Pixies Acoustic Live at Newport (Eagle Rock Entertainment) is fascinating, even when the framework for their songs turns weak. Pixies — Live at the Paradise in Boston (also on Eagle Rock) is hideous and uncomfortable until Thompson puts down his acoustic guitar and hefts a Fender Telecaster to join his mates in plugged-in-ville. Then it’s exceptional — an electric Pixies concert that captures the group’s balance of musical passion and mad lyric prophecy. And for those curious as to why the Pixies are playing together again at all, there’s loudQUIETloud; A Film About the Pixies (MVD Visual), a behind-the-scenes documentary about their reunion that’s the finest of these releases.
What’s best about the Newport show is that its 22 tunes set Thompson’s lyrics in sharp relief. Biblical imagery bumps bellies with dark absurdism and contemplations on fate with absolute sonic clarity during their performance on stage at the famed Rhode Island folk festival on a sunny August 2005 day. The summery setting adds some innocence to a set list that’s a fan’s dream. Alterna-hits like Deal’s vocal feature “Gigantic,” “Monkey Gone to Heaven,” “Where Is My Mind?”, and “Wave of Mutilation” are balanced by thornier numbers like “Gouge Away,” “Subbacultcha,” and “River Euphrates.” The well-directed multi-camera shoot puts you right in the midst of the Pixies, and that makes it easy to see Santiago and Thompson exchange half-bemused/half-resigned glances whenever the usually bellowing guitar lines don’t make the transition to tinnier acoustic tones. When an audience member shouts for the group to jam, Thompson replies, “We’ve never jammed.” But a few songs later, on “River Euphrates,” he shoots Santiago a sly look and they do just that. Deal appears as nonplussed as ever behind her blimp-sized mariachi bass. Lovering has it easiest; his instrument’s always acoustic, and as usual he provides the Pixies’ pounding heartbeat with methodical grace.
Pazuzu’s curse is in effect during the early portion of Live at the Paradise. The band are off- balance: Thompson’s acoustic-guitar playing is lackluster, and Santiago seems reticent to blast over the frontman’s strumming. So the rocket fuel the audience is craving the moment the band take the stage is missing. The Pixies’ reunion was still very much a novelty at this point, and expectations for this semi-secret home-town show were high. Slow tempos and muffed song starts deflate the occasion, even if they seem a bit calculated on Thompson’s part. Maybe it was the cameras, since the group also have that deer-in-the-headlights look until Thompson straps on his Telecaster.
As any nervous club musician can tell you, there are two brands of courage: liquid and sonic. When Thompson begins to rumble through his amplifier on “Gouge Away,” he and Santiago provide a potent flaming double shot of the latter. And the Pixies find their wings, delivering the kind of rock-and-roll orgy they grew into before calling it quits.
Good as the Paradise concert becomes, fans may get a bigger turn-on from the disc’s bonus show: a 1986 set from T.T. the Bear’s. It’s bootleg quality, so the sound and the look aren’t as impressive as Thompson’s hair, and his thinness, and the pleasure of witnessing the Pixies when they were truly tiny.
LoudQUIETloud is an impressive little beast. Besides giving fans a chance to see Thompson in his skivvies, Steve Cantor and Matthew Galkin capture the band on stage at their best, thriving in the just-reignited spotlight during their first returning tours of Europe, Canada, and the States. Although the filmmakers’ contention that the Pixies are among the most influential bands of all time is dubious, they get into their subjects’ craniums with unforced effectiveness. Deal comes off as the most soulful and complex. (“She needs something to do besides making poetry, snowflakes, and sleeping all day,” her mom says of the reunion.) And who knew that after the band broke up, Lovering became a struggling, couch-surfing magician?
Incidental music by Daniel Lanois fills in the quiet spaces. Since the Pixies aren’t Chatty Cathys, there are lots of these. Then again, on the early comeback tours, the band had much to brood about. Deal was one year sober; Lovering’s dad was dying of cancer; Santiago and his wife had another baby on the way; Thompson was struggling with an impasse in his solo career. LoudQUIETloud is also a wake-up call to all the dipshits who slag bands like the Who for reuniting to harvest a cash crop on tours. Terrific as they are, it’s obvious early on that the Pixies are back in it only for the money. Frank Zappa would be proud!
www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=4627" target="_blank">www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=4627" target="_blank">http://www.dailyvault.com/toc.php5?review=4627
loudQUIETloud (DVD) Pixies MVD Visual, 2006
REVIEW BY: Shane M. Liebler ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 12/12/2006
Television is a strange place. We watch it so often and have become so desensitized to its content, it really takes an odd statement to catch you off guard. That said, I heard something on the Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report the other day that nearly knocked me off the couch.
“Tonight, an indie rock band rips off my style,” the cocky, faux-pro-Bush host said in his opening. “Why can’t they be like every other indie rock band and rip off the Pixies?”
For the first time in the show’s storied yearlong history, it was the truth. Every band I’ve championed 2000 through 2006 has some type of Pixies aesthetic. I realized I fucking love the Pixies, which I confirmed to myself at that moment.
Too bad I was just starting to wrap my head around long division when they broke up in 1992. Nirvana, their most famous followers, made a killing with the Pixies’ rock in an era when rock was dead. In 2004, the Pixies defied all odds and reunited. They’ve been touring ever since. I haven’t seen them (yet), but loudQUIETloud is as close as a guy living in Norfolk, N.Y. -- or anywhere else, for that matter -- can get.
Most music docs get caught up in the fan boy and basking-in-former-glory-crowd proclaiming the featured the band the greatest thing since the Beatles and/or Mozart and/or sliced bread. These interviews are accompanied by the pace-slowing, excessive footage from a single night at a club in the ’80s where half the band was on some performance-diluting substance and not really on that night, as the interviewees explain.
This simultaneously heartwarming and rocking recap of the 2004 reunion is as candid and honest as Dig, the band-doc-reviving retrospective of the Brian Jonestown Massacre from a couple years back.
Frank Black (aka Charles Thompson), the genius Achilles heel of the band, is back as the overly confident, kind-of-a-dick frontman. Kim Deal, the smoky-voiced recovering alcoholic, still can’t believe she inspired a generation of girl bands and rock journalists. Joey Santiago is a family man with indie rock riff wielding possessed by no other. Dave Lovering pounds away his troubles with drums and drugs even after exodus from an extended gig as magician and treasure hunter.
Wow. The Pixies. The godfathers of all things rock in the 21st century. Dads, alcoholics, drummers and magicians. LoudQUIETloud is a must- see for fans of documentaries and the alternative era-defining groups. The music performances are timed just right and pulled from all the right places. The Beatles-second-coming fan interviews are absent.
Also, the stories are some of the most compelling in the business. Whether its Kim Deal trying to find the right beat by listening to the Surfer Rosa LP (like the rest of us) or struggling with the heaviness of an obsessed fan who’s highlighted every Pixies reference in a fiction novel. Whether its Frank Black explaining to Rolling Stone why the band split up or driving a minivan to the aquarium with his girlfriend’s kid. Whether Joey is recreating a classic riff or breaking down in tears after an e-conversation with his daughter. LoudQUIETloud is as varied and touching as Lovering’s struggle with addiction to Valium and his iPod dance.
This is the band that launched a thousand others, 12 years after the fact. They still can’t stand each other. They can still play on stage and inspire off the set. It’s a Behind the Music masterpiece without all the glitz (or commercials). Highly recommended.
Rating: A
http://timedoor.textdriven.com/index.php?id=120
Backstage w/ Mr. John Murphy · Dec 14, 08:30 PM by Enik
I recently bought and watched the Pixies documentary, loud QUIET loud, and I have to say I was underwhelmed. It is so thin. I wanted more meat, more substance. It is a tour documentary with plenty of backstage footage but few revelations. There are some gripping moments, most of which revolve around David Lovering’s drug use after the death of his father. However, the film never sufficiently follows through with Lovering’s induldgences. He’s still in the band, so something positive must have happened regarding the problem. But loud QUIET loud fails to show you; Lovering’s problem is left unresolved at film’s end. Some of the best moments are in the DVD’s deleted scenes, many of which should have been edited into the larger film. In particular, I’m thinking of the clips titled “Mid-Tour Break” and “Backstage w/ Mr. John Murphy.”
This is the same as the Blogcritics DVD review posted above:
www.modernpeapod.com/v2-4/pixies.html" target="_blank">www.modernpeapod.com/v2-4/pixies.html" target="_blank">http://www.modernpeapod.com/v2-4/pixies.html
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Loud Quiet Loud: A Film About the Pixies
(MVD Visual)
B+
A funny thing happened while the Pixies were broken up: They turned into one of the most-loved bands in rock. Filmed on their triumphant 2004 reunion tour, Loud Quiet Loud captures four musicians who are older but not necessarily wiser: Bassist Kim Deal, fresh out of rehab, seems as if she's about to fall off the wagon, while drummer David Lovering looks as if he needs to climb on it. The band's Buddha-like ringmaster is Frank Black, a howling madman onstage and a soft- spoken mensch off. As powerful as the music is, the offstage footage is what really makes the documentary sing.
www.pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=2884" target="_blank">www.pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=2884" target="_blank">http://www.pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=2884
The Pixies “loudQUIETloud: A Film About The Pixies†2006 Stick Figure Productions
They may not always have been bosom buddies onstage (hell, seems they still aren’t—the title of this video record of their 2004 reunion tour doesn’t just refer to their sound, but how LOUD the quiet was between the respective band members when they weren’t onstage), but in the end, who really cares? The Pixies are simply one of the best bands ever, and this gracious peek inside of their private lives is a rare and priceless piece of their history, whether you just discovered them or were at one of their first, unpaid Boston gigs
Back in 1986, when Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering formed The Pixies, their musical middle finger reached far past the college-radio fans they usually played for. Little by little, the world sat up and took notice, not really realizing what they’d had with this outfit until their break-up before the middle of the next decade.
Despite the sometimes unbearably uncomfortable interaction between the members on this latest tour (lots of finger-tapping on tables, smoking furtively in hallways, and downcast glances), the liner notes get it right on the money when they claim the band communicates perfectly onstage, with their music and their songs and their inner-most eccentricities uniquely combined. If you made the reunion tour, you probably remember feeling just as electrified by “Caribou†as you were the very first time you heard it, and seeing/hearing it from this perspective is, honestly, an experience every serious music fan should have.
“I don’t even feel like we broke up!†cracks Black Francis, and sure enough, the deeply-ingrained, mind-boggling combination of deep-seated professionalism, fuck-it-all ’tude, and down-to-earth wit and humor that’s made this quartet such an enigmatic yet universal outfit still slays even the most jaded critic in the audience at their various gigs.
While it’s true that some of the members (OK, maybe all of them) suffered through their own personal and professional tribulations between their breakup and this reunion, at least Lovering had the sense of humor to call the tour “The Pixies Sell Out,†not because they wrote a hit for Britney Spears or backed Radiohead on an ill-conceived single, but because their reunion shows literally did sell out within minutes of their announcements.
This live tour documentary (replete with hilarious scenes of Black’s phone interviews with clueless journalists hungry for dirt) captures a group of individuals who absolutely, positively shine together musically, and the fact that they don’t have diddly-squat to say to each other in the “Green Room†matters not a whit when it comes down to what the fans came for—that spine-tingling, goose-flesh-inducing blast of Truth that hits a music lover when they hear what they know in their hearts is The Real Thing.
“loudQuietloud†stands as a worthy testament to a band who have touched countless lives, changed the face of rock ’n’ roll forever, and continue to harbor a strange yet touching loyalty to a worldwide group of fans who are unswerving in their belief in this outfit’s lasting impact on rock ‘n’ roll as an art form and universal means of communication on a generation raised on distancing itself from others, whether by societal pressure, social disorientation or electronic gadgetry.
With new fans discovering (and falling in love with) the band daily, there’s no better time than now to hip the music-lover in your life to this informative, inspiring rock doc/reunion tour. And throw in the albums Bossa Nova, Doolittle, Come On Pilgrim, and Surfer Rosa just for aural backup. Highly recommended. Zip over to musicvideodistributors.com and see for yourselves!
www.laweekly.com/music/music/rock-docs-are-go-rockumentary-recommendations/15272/" target="_blank">www.laweekly.com/music/music/rock-docs-are-go-rockumentary-recommendations/15272/" target="_blank">http://www.laweekly.com/music/music/rock-docs-are-go-rockumentary-recommendations/15272/
Likewise, size doesn’t necessarily matter when it comes to the popularity of concert films. Says Michael DeMonte, Music Video Distributors’ sales VP, “We’ve done concert DVDs and the like for Public Enemy and for Converge/AFI, Agnostic Front, acts that have sizable fan bases, and they just don’t sell.” DeMonte says that the cult acts that have remained just outside the mainstream have done the best so far: The Pixies’ terrific loudQUIETloud has already sold 25,000 copies. “Their touring really reawakened people to them,” he says.
WORTH YOUR TIME & MONEY: Not a Photograph: The Mission of Burma Story; loudQUIETloud: A Film About The Pixies. First-rate concert footage, both with the heroic “better late than never” resurrection angle. Too offhand in some ways, though, and the Pixies and Burma carry a bizarre stigma: They seem too well adjusted to be interesting!
www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=9482" target="_blank">www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=9482" target="_blank">http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=9482
LOUDQUIETLOUD: A FILM ABOUT THE PIXIES (DVD) by Phil Hall (2006-12-23) 2006, Un-rated, 85 minutes, MVD Visual
Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin’s entertaining documentary follows the 2004 reunion tour of The Pixies across North America and Europe. The tour is built on an icy foundation: the group disbanded in 1992 following six heady years and had not been in contact following their break-up.
But the dozen years apart were hardly fruitful: Kim Deal enjoyed a brief post-Pixie success with The Breeders before seeing her life derailed with stints in rehab, David Lovering abandoned music altogether to work as a magician while Joey Santiago and Charles Thompson relied heavily on Pixies royalties while trying (and failing) to scratch out solo careers.
The tour itself is not the most pleasant experience at first – a particularly memorable moment comes early in the odyssey as the band waits backstage in a room before a show without acknowledging each other (Santiago and Thompson play with their cell phones, Deal chain smokes and Lovering recaptures his drumming skills by using a chair as a practice instrument).
On stage, however, The Pixies recapture the vocal appeal that made them alt-rock deities in the late 1980s. It’s a shame the film doesn’t spend more time with the band on stage, as their performances (particularly the brilliantly eerie “Caribou”) are electrifying. Wisely, Cantor and Galkin do not offer comparisons between footage and recordings of the band in their prime and their output today – the film’s talk of old magic gets a magnetic payoff when the music starts anew.
If the film skirts around the roots of the 1992 rupture, it deserves kudos for its bluntness and honesty. Cantor and Galkin offer unguarded and often harsh views of what life has in store for aging rockers: receding hairlines and bank accounts, dealing with the after-effects of youthful self-abuse, and hoping to reconnect with the kinetic energy that made the rock experience so intoxicating in the first place. Even those unfamiliar with The Pixies will be enchanted with the raw power and memorable music presented here.
Directed and produced by Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin, co-produced by Janet Billig Rich, cinematography by Jonathan Furmanski and Paul Dokuchitz.
DVD review on this page is the same as the Blogcritics one above:
www.pennlive.com/newslogs/musicreviews/index.ssf/mtlogs/cleve_musicreviews/archives/2006_11.html" target="_blank">www.pennlive.com/newslogs/musicreviews/index.ssf/mtlogs/cleve_musicreviews/archives/2006_11.html" target="_blank">http://www.pennlive.com/newslogs/musicreviews/index.ssf/mtlogs/cleve_musicreviews/archives/2006_11.html
http://alternativestovalium.blogspot.com/2006/12/loudquietloud-undersea-world-of-pixies.html
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2006
Echoes and Earbleeds in a Diving Bell: the Undersea World of the Pixies
Pixies memory #1. Fifteen years ago, the Pixies played the SECC in Glasgow. The SECC is a big tin can with all the atmosphere of a diving bell, but that night the Pixies did something strange. They came, they played for maybe eight minutes, and they left. Something had collapsed – the safety barriers; the stage; the cracked carapace of grunge – and someone decided that it was too dangerous to continue. But they achieved a lot in those eight minutes. The details of the songs they played escape me – maybe Debaser was in there – but I can remember the sound. It was fierce and loud and sharp, an earbleeding noise, like heartbeats thumping against the cochlea; brutal and melodic, but somewhere near pain. It was too much, really. They couldn’t have gone on like that. It was too dangerous to continue. And so the Pixies split. They didn’t do it that night, but maybe they should have. Walking off a collapsing stage would have been a better way to go than what actually happened. In January 1993, Charles Thompson IV, then known as Frank Black, and previously as Black Francis, told Mark Radcliffe on Radio 5’s Hit The North that the Pixies were finished. Which, apparently, was news to the Pixies. He later explained this decision to the NME, saying he had grown sick of the Pixies, and bored of singing Monkey Gone to Heaven. He needed new challenges. “It’s like a film-maker who’s started out making cowboy movies - after a while, if he were to be forced to only make cowboy movies, that doesn’t seem like a very good proposition. It seems it’s like it’s holding you down. And that’s the way I feel about it. I don’t wanna just make cowboy movies, I wanna try and see if I can make another kind of film.” Pixies memory # 2. My friend, Gina Arnold – who wrote Route 666: On the Road to Nirvana – was talking recently to a class at Stanford University in San Francisco, and mentioned that she had once been on the road with a band in Europe. She didn’t name the group, assuming that the young students would not have heard of them. When she finally revealed that it was the Pixies, the class reacted as if she had witnessed a miracle, a feeling which intensified when Gina explained that the Pixies’ 1990 show in Vienna was the best live performance she ever saw, not excluding the Sex Pistols at the Winterland, Bruce at the Garden, or Nirvana at the Croc. Gina didn’t bother with the Pixies reunion shows in 2004, as she didn’t want to sully the memory. In which case, she won’t need to seek out loudQUIETloud, the documentary of that tour, either. Here is what the Pixies were like when they toured in 1990. “Back then, the Pixies all loathed each other and sat on opposite sides of the bus. Kim [Deal, Pixies’ bassist] is a totally strange person. I loaned her my lipstick in Vienna and it was the first time she’d ever worn any. She covered grey in her hair with shoe black, and hated the Replacements cos she thought they were corny. She was fucking awesome!” Plenty has happened to the Pixies in the years since they split, but the main thing was that, somehow, they became legendary. This was a neat trick, as none of the band died, but it could just be that the world has caught up with their music. This film starts with the quote Kurt Cobain gave to Rolling Stone, trying to explain the magic of Smells Like Teen Spirit: “I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies.” Well, Smells Like Teen Spirit does have the loudQuietloud thing you get in a lot of the Pixies’ songs, but it really is a different animal. With Nirvana, the meaning was never obscure: it was all about pain and rage and self-disgust. Kurt’s was a loser’s refrain. Even now, it’s hard to say what the Pixies songs are about. The music is a kind of alien rock’n’roll. The ad placed by Thompson and guitarist Joey Santiago seeking band members asked for a “bassist into Husker Du and Peter, Paul and Mary” and they got Kim Deal, who as Arnold once noted, was like a cross between Keith Richards and Doris Day. The Pixies sound is all of those things mulched in a blender, with stray chunks of surf music and hardcore bursting breathlessly to the surface. The lyrics, meanwhile, are like fragments of B-movie screenplay, cut up by William Burroughs, then re-assembled by Herschell Gordon Lewis in the back of a comic shop. Take the first lines of the song that Thompson grew so tired of singing: “There was a guy. An underwater guy who controlled the sea. Got killed by ten million pounds of sludge from New York and New Jersey. This monkey’s gone to heaven.” Compared to that, Smells Like Teen Spirit is Summer Holiday. So what happened to the Pixies? LoudQUIETloud starts with a Spinal Tap-style inventory. Thompson, as Frank Black, has maintained a solo career which has never quite matched the success of his previous identity. He has separated from his first wife, and teamed up with Violet, who has two kids. We see him taken delivery of a people carrier, and looking forward to a new baby. Joey Santiago also has a family, does a bit of soundtrack work, and plays to small audiences with his wife in The Martinis. Deal has had success with her sister Kelley in the Breeders, but is characterised by the film as a woman on the verge of a relapse into drug and alcohol abuse. Her mother is pleased that the Pixies have reformed, suggesting that otherwise, Kim would be “making snowflakes and doing all that crappy stuff, and sleeping all day.” It falls to drummer David Lovering to provide the light relief. His introductory caption reads: “After the Pixies split, David gave up the drums to pursue hobbies including magic and metal detecting.” No doubt the chapeau shop would have followed if the Pixies had not regrouped. What happens? The band gets together, and the film follows their progress from the first faltering rehearsals of Hey, to their triumphant final show. Along the way, Kim drinks at least one bottle of beer, consoling herself with the knowledge that it is only 5% proof, this being the alcohol content of most beer. (Thompson has stated that this aspect of the film was toned down, as Deal objected to her portrayal). Lovering provides the main drama, as the stress of his father’s death prompts him to numb his feelings with Valium, causing considerable disturbance among the band. At a show in Iceland, he keeps drumming long after the song has finished, to the evident consternation of everyone. “I thought I was watching someone having a breakdown,” says Santiago, the George Harrison of the group. Thompson, meanwhile, allows the cameras to observe him in various states of undress, which is brave for a big man, but not necessarily wise. In one peculiar scene, which is never explained, he clambers into his tour-bus bunk, wearing nothing but big pants, and plugs himself into a personal stereo. Soon, he is repeating a mantra, as if from a motivational tape: “I am a good person. I have a positive intellect. I can do it. People like me. I’m cute.” He then makes some throaty noises, whilst rubbing his bare chest; an odd moment of insecurity. Thompson has criticised the film, saying that the filmmakers were naïve, and seemed to believe that being in a band would be similar to being in the Monkees: “Always up to mischief. But we’re boring, you know. And touring is boring. You just sit around not talking to each other.” This may be true, but the film’s tension comes from observing the various ways in which the group members fail to communicate. In a phone interview with the NME, Thompson offers a glimpse into his understanding of the group dynamic. “We don’t talk to each other that much. And it’s not because we don’t like each other. It’s just the kind of people we are.” The inability to penetrate those silences may be the film’s failure. On the other hand, the Pixies seem to exist in a state of nervous tension, with Thompson reluctant to admit that he needs his bandmates, and his bandmates unwilling to submit to his will. He clearly wants to write new songs as the Pixies, but he never quite manages to relay this information to his colleagues. Deal, at least, makes positive noises about recording together, but only to her sister, Kelley. On the disc of extras, Thompson suggests that, instead of making a record, they make a feature film. “Neat,” says Deal, while Santiago stares blankly through the windows of the bus. And the music? Holy Jesus! It’s unfailingly, weirdly, great. There never was anything wrong with cowboy movies. Originally published in Product magazine
Labels: Pixies music punk
POSTED BY ALASTAIR MCKAY AT 2:29 PM
www.thestar.com/artsentertainment/article/165282" target="_blank">www.thestar.com/artsentertainment/article/165282" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/artsentertainment/article/165282
Pixies dust field in music DVDs
1. The Pixies: loudQUIETloud from MVD. The amazing concert performances are sadly condensed, but the behind-the-scenes dramas give us an intimate and sympathetic portrait of these idiosyncratic musicians who create ground-breaking music in spite of their unresolved conflicts. A rock-doc classic.
Sacramento showing:
www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/12/28/18341727.php" target="_blank">www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/12/28/18341727.php" target="_blank">http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/12/28/18341727.php
(The blurb for this is taken from the item below):
www.shiny-object.com/screenings/" target="_blank">www.shiny-object.com/screenings/" target="_blank">http://www.shiny-object.com/screenings/
01/12/2007 loudQUIETloud: a film about the Pixies
The band that inspired some of the most innovative rock acts of the new millennium reunites to conquer the globe 12 years after calling it quits, and filmmaker Steven Cantor is there to capture all the low-lights and highlights of their tentative reunion in a probing documentary exploring the re- birth of the Pixies. Plagued by personal problems from the beginning but driven to create such classic albums as Surfer Rosa and Doolittle, Frank Black, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago, and David Lovering smashed convention to deliver a wailing wall of chaotic but catchy riffs that, when combined with Black's disjointed lyrics and volatile vocals, gave birth to an entirely new sound. Initially self-destructing in 1993 and fragmenting into a variety of compelling offshoots, the Pixies weathered out the remainder of the decade and the first years of the new millennial crossover on their own before a series of jam sessions between the former bandmates led to a wildly successful 2004 North American tour.
Looks splendid, the sound is first-rate and numerous cameras provide a prowling appraisal of the band. Includes a great deal of inspired music and a solid perspective on art and tension. - Variety
The Canadian Documentary Channel are showing it this month:
www.documentarychannel.ca/details.asp?showID=949&typeID=3" target="_blank">www.documentarychannel.ca/details.asp?showID=949&typeID=3" target="_blank">http://www.documentarychannel.ca/details.asp?showID=949&typeID=3
loudQUIETloud
The Pixies, perhaps the most influential and least documented band in history, cut an unparalleled path through modern music, leaving in their wake four and a half albums, a few tours, some breathtaking music and endless speculation about the relationship between the four founding members.
The film begins before the start of their first tour in over ten years and follows the four band members to their LA rehearsal space, through their preparations, and then on the road. As the band gears up for the tour, we explore more deeply the relationships between each member and the music they helped create; what the members have been doing since the Pixies broke up; and what led to the decision to regroup after all this time.
loudQUIETloud gives a more human face to a decidedly cryptic band.
Blog thing about LQL on Canadian Doc Channel:
http://pleasedocomecloser.blogspot.com/2007/01/la-la-love-you.html
Little blog thing about LQL:
http://talkingpish.blogspot.com/2007/01/loudquietloud.html
www.cinefilevideo.com/2007/01/09/new-releases-for-tuesday-010907/" target="_blank">www.cinefilevideo.com/2007/01/09/new-releases-for-tuesday-010907/" target="_blank">http://www.cinefilevideo.com/2007/01/09/new-releases-for-tuesday-010907/
loudQUIETloud: A Film About The Pixies: A solid documentary about the recent reunion of the four most important people in late 80’s-early 90’s alternative music who did not shoot themselves in the head.
www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=132847" target="_blank">www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=132847" target="_blank">http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=132847
loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies (MVDvisual)
If you're still on the couch, consider employing loudQUIETloud. Documenting the Pixies on their 2004 reunion tour, loudQUIETloud, proves that even if you're balding and/or overweight and/or a rehab graduate and/or quit your instrument of choice 12 years ago to "pursue hobbies including magic and metal detecting" (that'd be the Pixies' drummer David Lovering), you still can achieve a fair amount of esteem well past the age of 30. Thankfully, the film also shows that— despite what some assumptive critics may have thought at the time— the tour was not at all depressing because the Pixies still kill it onstage. Don't get your hopes too high, though; they were always pretty fucking good.
loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies
Blog review of LQL:
http://guyincognito.jedimoose.org/?p=289
And another:
http://despitethetimes.blogspot.com/2007/01/pixies-loudquietloud.html
It's showing at the Baus Theater in Japan:
www.baustheater.com/pixies.htm" target="_blank">www.baustheater.com/pixies.htm" target="_blank">http://www.baustheater.com/pixies.htm
T-shirt:
www.graniph.com/product/detail.php?designID=001002293" target="_blank">www.graniph.com/product/detail.php?designID=001002293" target="_blank">http://www.graniph.com/product/detail.php?designID=001002293
DVD details at King Records, Japan:
www.kingrecords.co.jp/pixies/" target="_blank">www.kingrecords.co.jp/pixies/" target="_blank">http://www.kingrecords.co.jp/pixies/
http://scottvond.blogspot.com/2007/01/top-10-of-2006-all-right-nobody-cares.html
4. LoudQuietLoud This documentary on the Pixies reunion tour is a bit like the alt-rock version of the Metallica documentary Some Kind of Monster; rather than talking endlessly about their problems and hiring high-priced psychologists, the dysfunctional band members mostly seethe, self-medicate and ignore each other. Yet they still tear it up onstage.
Yet another blog review (the fact that it's 'just' a blog is an excuse not to type it out, but is anyone still reading these anyway?!):
www.thedocumentaryblog.com/index.php/2007/01/28/loudquietloud-a-film-about-the-pixies" target="_blank">www.thedocumentaryblog.com/index.php/2007/01/28/loudquietloud-a-film-about-the-pixies" target="_blank">http://www.thedocumentaryblog.com/index.php/2007/01/28/loudquietloud-a-film-about-the-pixies
www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-remains31jan31,0,7701881.story?coll=cl-tvent-util" target="_blank">www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-remains31jan31,0,7701881.story?coll=cl-tvent-util" target="_blank">http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-remains31jan31,0,7701881.story?coll=cl-tvent-util
"What Remains: The Life and Work of Sally Mann," premiering tonight on Cinemax, pays an extended visit to the controversial photographer, best known for her 1992 collection "Immediate Family," with its arresting images of her often naked children. Directed by Steve Cantor ("loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies"), it delivers what its subtitle promises, showing how the life gives context to the work and how the work, the urge to make the work, and the process of making the work order the life.
Yet another blog thingy:
www.2pt3.com/music/loudquietloud" target="_blank">www.2pt3.com/music/loudquietloud" target="_blank">http://www.2pt3.com/music/loudquietloud
Bit late for this, but I'll stick it here anyway:
http://film.blogdig.net/archives/articles/February2007/08/Pixies_at_the_ICA_tomorrow_1_11.html
2007 Plug Award winner:
http://itcamefromculturecity.blogspot.com/2007/02/breaking-culture-news-and-plig-awards_11.html
The Best Music DVD of the Year Pixies - loudQUIETloud: A Film About The Pixies
http://littleradio.typepad.com/little_radio/2007/02/plug_awards_win.html
Best Music DVD of the Year The Pixies - loudQUIETloud: A Film About The Pixies
www.beatlawrence.com/2007/02/weekend-of-grammys-and-plug-awards.html" target="_blank">www.beatlawrence.com/2007/02/weekend-of-grammys-and-plug-awards.html" target="_blank">http://www.beatlawrence.com/2007/02/weekend-of-grammys-and-plug-awards.html
Best Music DVD of the Year: The Pixies - loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies
www.associatedcontent.com/article/154210/loud_quiet_loud_a_film_about_the_pixies.html" target="_blank">www.associatedcontent.com/article/154210/loud_quiet_loud_a_film_about_the_pixies.html" target="_blank">http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/154210/loud_quiet_loud_a_film_about_the_pixies.html
Loud Quiet Loud, a Film About the Pixies A DVD Review
By Yvonne Glasgow
February 23, 2007
In 1992 the Pixies disbanded. They were only moderately successful touring colleges and just started to get mainstream success, but over the years they gained a huge following and became one of the most influential bands of the 90's and beyond. In 2004 the Pixies reunited. Loud Quiet Loud takes you on the road, so to speak, with them as they reunite and tour.
Get a look at all of the behind the scenes of being in a band, working on new music, getting ready to tour, all of it's ups and downs... you can experience all of this with Loud Quiet Loud. It tells where the bands members went after the band split up in 1992, what they did or didn't do with their lives.
Loud Quiet Loud includes a 16-page booklet with directors' notes and an essay by Ben Sisario and commentary featuring directors Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin with Editor Trevor Wistow. The track listings on Loud Quiet Loud include: Where is My Mind?, Hey, Here Comes Your Man, Umass, Caribou, Gouge Away, Nimrod's Son, In Heaven, Wave of Mutilation, Something Against You, Bone Machine, Cactus, Vamos, Monkey Gone To Heaven and Iris. A little bit of everything from the Pixies past.
All of the Pixies original members were included in this reunion documented on Loud Quiet Loud and their lives have been hacked into for this documentary, including bassist Kim Deal's struggle with sobriety, drummer David Lovering's floundering career ambitions while band-less, guitarist Joey Santiago's outside projects and front man Frank Black's (aka Black Francis) attempt to nurture his family life while still putting focus on the band.
Just what every Pixies' fan has been waiting for, this documentary gives you everything you could possibly want. It includes live performances by the Pixies, tons of background footage, making of the band style filming. You have to remember they were split up for 12 years! See what it is like to travel from state to state and take the stage in front of thousands of people while playing your heart out. The band's initial shock after playing their first show, their amazement at how excited the fans were to see them, is very interesting to watch. Just the fact that they almost seem clueless to their true popularity is intriguing. What must it be like? Watch Loud Quiet Loud and you will find out. Learn what it is like for the Pixies to start all over again and what the fans have to say about it. It's all in Loud Quiet Loud.
The Pixies: Loud Quiet Loud
The Pixies: Loud Quiet Loud
Credit: MVD
Copyright: MVD
Impleader:
http://impleader.com/2007/03/200-hundred-word-reviews-loudquietloud-a-film-about-the-pixies/
Theme Park Experience:
http://themeparkexperience.blogspot.com/2007/03/with-your-feet-in-air-and-your-head-on.html
http://music.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1283955.php/This_Day_in_Music_for_March_28_2007
2006 - 'loudQuietloud: A Film About the Pixies' premieres during the South by Southwest film festival in Austin, Texas. Directed by Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin for New York-based Stick Figure Productions, the documentary chronicles the Pixies` year-long reunion tour which began in 2004, starting with the first rehearsals and ending with the band`s quiet dissipation.
www.financevisor.com/market/news_detail.aspx?rid=55828" target="_blank">www.financevisor.com/market/news_detail.aspx?rid=55828" target="_blank">http://www.financevisor.com/market/news_detail.aspx?rid=55828
Some of the celebrities slated for interview include Morgan Spurlock (What would Jesus Do?, Fast Food Nation), Alan Cumming (Suffering Man's Charity, X-Men 2) musician James Blunt (James Blunt: Return to Kosovo) and that film's director, Oscar Nominee Steven Cantor (loudQuietLoud: A Film About the Pixies). |
pudmeister |
Posted - 11/06/2006 : 15:14:42 I like when the guy in the guitar shop asked kim if she listened to the breeders!!!
"A plutonic friend to a woman is like a dick in a glass case 'in case of emergency, break open glass'!" - Chris Rock |
Carl |
Posted - 11/06/2006 : 08:48:24 http://www.betweenplanets.co.uk/2006/11/05/loudquietloud-the-pixies-dvd
loudQUIETloud - The Pixies DVD
In the history of modern American music there are few bands like the Pixies. Theirs was an unparalleled musical path, influencing countless others despite modest financial success. In 1992, their chief songwriter and vocalist Black Francis announced his intention to quit via a blunt facsimile. That it seemed, was that.
Then to the amazement of everyone, the Pixies reunited in 2004. loudQUIETloud is the story of this unforeseen plot twist - a deeply compelling portrait of four band members and their difficult, tense and ultimately triumphant return.
Beginning with the very first rehearsal to the final show nearly one year later, the press shy Pixies granted unprecedented access to NY directors Steven Cantor & Matthew Galkin for the duration of their 04 tour. From the loud emotional highs of performing to renewed tensions between personnel, the band’s combustible stage dynamic is laid bare.
Featuring the seminal ‘Where Is My Mind’, ‘Gouge Away’, ‘Hey’, ‘Caribou’ and many more Pixies songs.
loudQUIETloud is released by Plexi.
Press Quotes
“Fascinating documentary about the Pixies’ 2004 reunion tour, contrasting footage of their electric performances and excitable fanbase with stilted backstage scenes” TIME OUT
“A study of an older and wiser band tentatively treading the reunion trail” TOTAL FILM
“A must-have for any Pixies fan…the film charts the progress of the tour from the band’s perspective, encompassing meetings with obsessed fans, family visits and the various simmering tensions within the group ” HOTDOG
“A subtle, sensitive record of a group of people struggling to figure out what they once achieved” UNCUT - DVD OF THE MONTH
“It’s been the daddy of all rock reformations, Pixies airing all their classics with ferocity and somehow sustaining their enigma and this straight ahead on-the-road documentary capturing it all is totally riveting. ” MOJO
“A rock doc gem that goes beyond the boundaries.” CLASH
“It’s part Some Kind of Monster and part Spinal Tap, but mostly it’s a descendant of, and as good as, the really great fly-on-the-wall music docs like Pennebaker’s Don’t Look Back.” STOOL PIGEON
[ 4AD, DVD, Frank Black, Kim Deal, Plexi, Press Release, Reform, Split, The Pixies]
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Published: 11.5.06 / 9pm
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Surfer Rosa |
Posted - 11/05/2006 : 09:36:45 I watched it the other night and am totally ambivilent over it. It hardly excited me in the slightest. Thought it was disjointed and the most interesting person in it for me was in fact Kelly Deal. |
Daisy Girl |
Posted - 11/05/2006 : 08:45:17 My DVD just came in the mail the other day! I can't wait to watch it again. |
Carl |
Posted - 09/26/2006 : 17:47:11 http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=1745&l=1
ROXIE 3117 and 3125 16th St, SF; (415) 863-1087, www.roxie.com. $4-8. Fratricide (Arslan, 2006), Wed-Thurs, 7, 9 (also Wed, 2, 4:30). An evening with Richard Heinberg, author of The Oil Depletion Protocol, Thurs, 7. loudQUIETloud: A Film about the Pixies (Cantor and Galkin), Sept 29-Oct 5, 6:15, 8, 9:40 (also Sat-Sun, 2:30, 4:30).
http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?entry_id=1706&catid=110&volume_id=147&issue_id=253&volume_num=40&issue_num=52
PIXIES STICK
BY MICHELLE DEVEREAUX
A smiling Kim Deal holds up a T-shirt with "Pixies Sellout" emblazoned across the back. "Where did you get the inspiration?" she asks guitarist Joey Santiago, who named the band's comeback tour. “’Cause we sold out in minutes!" he offers sans irony. Santiago might not be in on the joke (somewhat inexplicably), but for the rest of us the subtext is clear. Sure, the Pixies are now well into middle age and showing it, but to claim these indie rock demigods are simply trying to cash in on past success is a little unfair.
Since they were never really able to enjoy major-league (outside of the United Kingdom) success (which happened after the breakup) in the first place, they're just now getting used to this whole rock-glory thing.
LoudQUIETloud, shot during the band's 2004 world tour, frames their collective "holy shit, they love us!" state of shock perfectly while still managing to focus on the individual members' personal struggles with art, family, and commerce. Before the tour's start, lead singer-songwriter Charles Thompson (a.k.a. Black Francis) is plugging away at solo gigs and Nashville records; a newly sober Deal (the only Pixie left with any hair) hasn't recorded with the Breeders in years and is holed up in Ohio; Santiago is scoring films and raising kids; and drummer David Lovering is pursuing "hobbies of magic and metal detecting" (seriously).
Still, amid all the drug tiffs, card tricks, and mostly energetic renditions of classic tunes like "Caribou" and "Hey," we get precious little insight into the Pixies’ much-ballyhooed musical influence. Even the film's title — a reference to the band's signature seesawing song structure — is never explained. Actually, the title is a good characterization of the movie itself: despite the notorious rancor between members that ultimately led to the band's demise, for the most part they come off as quiet, funny eccentrics in between the thunderous live footage. They're so unrelentingly low-key, in fact, it's hard not to wish one of them would explode, like a Pixies chorus, into something a little less tame. (Michelle Devereaux)
http://www.villagevoice.com/film/0639,farrar,74586,20.html
Tracking Shots 'loudQUIETloud' by Justin F. Farrar September 26th, 2006 3:15 PM
Directors Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin titled their documentary about the Pixies' 2004 reunion tour loudQUIETloud because the band's well- rehearsed performances are indeed loud—age hasn't stolen a single decibel from the group's genre-defining fusion of angular post-punk and catchy powerpop. But behind the scenes, all is quiet: Charles Thompson (a/k/a Black Francis), Kim Deal, Joey Santiago, and David Lovering have little to talk about. They've grown into very different individuals who have just one thing in common: cashing in on a sound that has spawned a worldwide cult of rabid fans, even more so since the Boston quartet broke up in 1992. It's the personal lives behind the myth that Cantor and Galkin examine, though there's not much to work with. All four are fairly average and pretty likable, dealing with problems we all deal with: substance abuse, divorce, death, parenthood, etc. Beyond Lovering popping Valium and bumming out his bandmates, the entire affair looks and feels like a reality television show minus the cheap drama.
loudQUIETloud Directed by Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin
http://seattleweekly.com/film/0639/loud.php
September 27, 2006
loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies Runs at Grand Illusion, Fri., Sept. 29– Thurs., Oct. 5. Not rated. 82 minutes.
By Rachel Shimp
A dozen years after the band broke up, the Pixies' 2004 reunion was met with unanimous cheers, even though their motivations (ka-ching) couldn't have been more transparent. Still, fans flocked to their reunion tour, which this short and satisfying backstage documentary follows. Should it be surprising what normal people they seem to be? Before the reunion, drummer David Lovering is occupied with magic and metal detecting. Joey Santiago is raising kids and playing to empty rooms with the Martinis. Bassist Kim Deal's mother says the reunion will give her daughter "something to do besides sewing and making snowflakes, crafty stuff." Group leader Black Francis (aka Charles Thompson) is interviewed in his underwear. More than once. Awkward. We also see how past tensions plague the reunion tour; they still barely speak between performances. For attendees of the reunion shows, the concert footage will be nothing special. The highlight is watching the Pixies come to realize their impact on popular music, particularly after the first show. "That was so exciting," says a wide- eyed Deal. "Those first few moments— I was fucking freaking out." She's not the only one. RACHEL SHIMP
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Listings?oid=81101
loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies
Few indie-rock reunions caused as much fervor as the return of the Pixies in 2004. This straightforward documentary doesn't spend much time digging up the reasons why the influential band shattered back in 1994, but this choice may have less to do with passive direction than with the band's obvious, enduring apprehension toward both outsiders and one another. Backstory aside, the pre-tour rehearsal footage, extensive interviews with band leader Black Francis, and the backstage tension that precedes their first reunion show are must-see moments for Pixies fans. (HANNAH LEVIN) Grand Illusion, Weekdays 7, 9 pm, Sat-Sun 3, 5, 7, 9 pm.
It's showing tommorrow night at the Irish Film Institute, I might go. The DVD will include deleted scenes and outtakes. Here's the cover:
http://www.indiewire.com/people/2006/09/indiewire_inter_28.html
Pixies band member Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black) on stage in Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin's "loudQUIETlound: A Film about the Pixies." Image courtesy of the filmmakers.
indieWIRE INTERVIEW: Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin, co- directors of "loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies"
by Brian Brooks (September 28, 2006)
Co-directors Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin's doc "loudQUIETloud: A Film about the Pixies," which premiered in March at the SXSW Film Festival, caputres the 2004 reunion tour of American band the Pixies from their rehearsals through to their final show one year later. The film depicts interaction between the normally press shy band members as well as their day to day lives with their families and personal dramas. The film provides an "insider's perspective" of a touring band's life, from the loud, emotional highs of performing to sell out crowds, to renewed friction that arose between band members in addition to the striking concert footage highlighting some of the band's most compelling music. Steven Cantor has directed for television as well as film, including "Bounce: Behind the Velvet Rope" in 2000, which won an audience award at the Los Angeles Film Festival. He also received an Oscar nomination in 1994 for "Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann" (shared with Peter Spirer). This is the first directorial effort for Matthew Galkin, who has produced for television including other projects with Galkin. The film opens Friday, September 29 in New York's Cinema Village and in San Francisco at The Roxie Cinema.
What initially attracted you to filmmaking, and how has that interest evolved during your career.
SC: I grew up in New York City and always loved movies, but it never really occurred to me that it was a potential career. My first job out of college was at MTV and while there I made a short documentary about the photographer Sally Mann, which not only helped me get into USC film school, but also went on to screen at Sundance and earn an Oscar nomination. After that, directing work became a little easier to get and I have just kind of run with it ever since.
MG: I grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland as a relatively happy and sheltered child, but I was quite shy. Putting a camera in my hands was like the golden key -- I could talk to anyone, I could go anywhere. I studied film at NYU and was extremely myopic in my desire to direct narrative films for a living. It wasn't until I got out of school that I began to realize that documentaries were thrilling to make. Here I was spending a lot of time and money trying to create an artifice that one would buy as truth, when there were truthful things happening all around -- things which were much more interesting and accessible than anything I was creating out of thin air.
Are there other aspects of filmmaking that you would still like to explore?
SC: Unlike Matthew, I am intrigued by the creative avenues that open up in fiction, so I am trying to make a move to a narrative feature right now. I have two scripts that I have developed and love.I might come running back to docs after a few negative experiences, but there's only one way to find out. I have also just signed with a commercial producer called Independent Media, which specializes in bringing long-form directors into commercials.
Please talk about how the initial idea for "loudQUIETloud" came about.
MG: Steven and I were in production on the HBO documentary series "Family Bonds" when the line-up for the 2004 Coachella Music Festival was announced. We were shocked that the Pixies were one of the headliners. They had broken up twelve years earlier and the idea of a reunion had seemed impossible -- they had split acrimoniously.
SC: Our first reaction was to order tickets. While we were waiting for Ticketmaster to process our request, we exchanged this weird knowing look that said "Wait a minute, we're filmmakers. Let's make a Pixies movie. To hell with tickets. We can get backstage passes."
Please elaborate a bit on your approach to making the film, including your influences (if any), as well as your overall goals for the project?
MG: Steven and I were very clear to the band and to each other that we were not going to make a "behind the music," archival-driven rock film. There was something potentially dramatic about these four people getting together after essentially not speaking for twelve years.
SC: We wanted to capture the reunion as unobtrusively as possible. So the verite masters -- Pennebaker, Maysles -- and their groundbreaking rock films ("Gimme Shelter" [and] "Don't Look Back") were certainly influences on us.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in either developing the project or making and securing distribution?
MG: Just getting and keeping the access to the band was a challenge. They are managed by a notoriously prickly and protective guy and they themselves are not particularly outgoing so it was touch and go for a while. Apparently, we beat out about fifteen other filmmakers who had also approached the manager about making the film.
SC: Once filming began, we had the challenge of finding a story between four people who really do not communicate with one another and rarely leave their individual hotel rooms when they are on the road. I had a little voice in my head saying, "If we just get one good minute a day, we'll be okay in the long- run." Then some days we would shoot some very intimate or particularly relevant scenes and those good days would carry us through the slow ones, which were the majority.
How did the financing for the film come together?
SC: I have a company called Stick Figure Productions that is ten years-old and has in recent years moved into the TV series world ("Family Bonds," "Amish in the City," "#1 Single" etc.) And we financed it ourselves, secure in the knowledge that the Pixies were woefully under-documented in their prime and that there was a built-in fan base.
Who and/or what are some of the creative influences that have had the biggest impact on you?
SC: For me the greatest influences have been the successful artists I have managed to spend time with. In making films about Sally Mann and Willie Nelson and developing a friendship with Peter Gabriel and some others. I have spent hours upon hours talking to them about their work and inspiration and the creative process in general. I have always felt like an apprentice learning at their feet, even if I was directing a film about them. Sally, in particular, is remarkable at psychologically dissecting and then explaining her process. She and I have an HBO/BBC film coming out, "What Remains," which delves into that territory.
MG: The documentary that really spun my head around was "Brother's Keeper." It was one of the most involving, exciting, and disturbing films I had ever seen. Up until that point, documentaries to me were boring things my father watched on Sunday afternoons. "Brother's Keeper" changed my entire view of what a nonfiction film could be. And then the verite filmmakers of the Sixties and Seventies certainly had an impact on me creatively. Beyond that, I have complete admiration for designers like Charles and Ray Eames -- who not only designed furniture, but also made films, textiles, toys, installations, etc. They lived to create and all of their designs were startling in their fusion of form and function.
What other genres or stories would like to explore as a filmmaker? What is your next project?
MG: I am currently directing, and Steven is producing, an HBO documentary about PETA and its founder Ingrid Newkirk.
SC: I'm turning my attention to scripted material, hoping to make a fiction feature next year.
What are some of your all-time favorite films, and why? What are some of your recent favorite films?
SC: I tend to veer more towards narrative features as my favorites, whereas Matthew is more of a doc lover. I love (and crave) the ability to impart a clearly thought out visual structure on a film, which is difficult with documentaries. Last night I was watching "Network," which is incredible. Every shot of Faye Dunaway is harsh and white and flatly lit and every one of William Holden is warm and deep and lit from the side. Even when they are in the same scene. Sidney Lumet is a master craftsman in my book. I couldn't pick a favorite though.
What are your interests outside of film?
SC: My outside interests have been steadily falling by the wayside since my wife and I had a baby girl, Clara Blue, three years ago. That said, I collect fine art photography, a hobby jump-started by my ongoing friendship and working relationship with Sally Mann. I try to a take as much cultural advantage as possible of living in New York City, so we go to theater and art galleries and museums as much as possible.
MG: I am interested in all kinds of design -- industrial, furniture, graphics. I also have a small obsession with baseball -- a beautifully designed game.
What general advice would you impart to emerging filmmakers?
SC: As far as documentaries go, it's shocking how many times I hear ideas that have no story; perhaps some interesting character, but nothing going on in their lives. My best advice would be pick a story you can follow -- someone setting out on an interesting journey or quest of some sort. That, and a comfortable pair of shoes because you're on your feet a lot. When the director sits, everyone sits.
MG: Yeah I would say pick your subjects carefully, because the road to bringing your story to the screen will be long and painful, at times kind of like going to battle, and you can't tire of your initial idea. Often, that is all you will have to motivate you.
Will you please share with us an achievement from your career so far that you are most proud of?
MG: I am proud of "loudQUIETloud." I think we achieved what we set out to do -- make an observant, humanistic portrait of the Pixies, a cryptic band if there ever was one I am also proud that Steven and I survived co-directing a film and are still speaking. In fact, I think the experience drew us closer.
SC: Well put, Matthew. I would go to battle with you anytime.
( posted on Sep 28, 2006 at 05:52PM | filed under Interviews )
http://www.avclub.com/content/node/53504
CINEMA
loudQuietloud Director: Steven Cantor, Matthew Galkin Documentary
Rated: Not Rated 82 minutes
Reviewed by Scott Tobias September 28th, 2006
Coming more than 10 years after an acrimonious breakup, the Pixies' reunion tour was called "Pixies Sell Out," a cheeky reference to their instantly sold-out shows and the blunt reality that they're doing it for the money. No one should begrudge them the latter: It's one thing for bands to crash on couches and blow the door proceeds on beer and greasy spoons at the beginning of their careers, but once they get into their 30s and 40s, there are bills to pay. For fans of the seminal alt-rock quartet, the Pixies' reunion was momentous, but in the solid behind-the-scenes documentary loudQuietloud, the band comes across as considerably more muted in its enthusiasm. While there are no big meltdowns, the members don't really function that well as a unit, and by all indications, they wouldn't spend another minute together if the tour weren't refilling the depleted accounts that royalties can no longer cover.
A nice balance of well-photographed live footage and backstage anti-drama, loudQuietloud is probably the only all- access (or part-access, anyway) recording of the '04 tour, and it's valuable for that alone. Following the Pixies from their first rehearsal through the last night of their tour-ending New York City stint, the film contrasts the fans' passion and energy with the band members' cool professionalism. They all have reasons for distraction: Frontman Charles Thompson (a.k.a. Frank Black) and guitarist Joey Santiago both have wives and children back home; bassist Kim Deal, accompanied by her twin sister/sole confidante Kelley, is only one year removed from drug and alcohol rehabilitation; and drummer David Lovering is dogged by a Valium addiction that nearly derails the tour. When they aren't performing together, they retreat into solo projects: Thompson looks for a new label for his Frank Black records, Deal works on songs for her band The Breeders, Santiago labors over a independent-movie score, and Lovering practices his magic act.
The documentary dashes any lingering hope that Pixies would ever record a new album, even though it makes no definitive statement to that effect. Whatever serious issues they might have had with each other in the past seem to have been tabled for now—indeed, they aren't ever hostile or even unkind in the whole film—but they don't exactly come across as a family, either. Make no mistake: Theirs is a mercenary reunion, and one they've paid plenty of dues to deserve.
A.V. Club Rating: B
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/286856_limited29.html
loudQUIETloud:
A FILM ABOUT THE PIXIES
The title refers to the style of alternating quiet verses with loud choruses, a gimmick originated by The Pixies and later appropriated by Nirvana. In 1993, after five years and six albums, the Pixies broke up. Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin's documentary of their 2004 comeback tour portrays the band members as disturbed and unlikable people who cannot communicate with each other. Singer/guitarist Black Francis battles insomnia by reciting self- affirmations such as "you are cute" and "people like you," while bassist Kim Deal clings to her sister as feverishly as she clings to sobriety. On this tour bus, where pill-popping drummer David Lovering is hooked up to his iPod as if it were an I.V., only guitarist Joey Santiago, who agreed to the reunion for economic reasons, seems normal. The concert footage, which is exceptionally well photographed and recorded, offers clips of varying lengths from a wealth of songs. The rest of the film glimpses the stress disorders that can develop when average people with problems become popular celebrities. (Bill White)
GRADE: C+
At the Grand Illusion through Thursday. 82 minutes. Unrated.
http://www.indiewire.com/movies/2006/09/new_this_week_t_2.html
NEW THIS WEEK: "The Queen," "Broken Sky," "loudQUIETloud," "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints," "The Last King of Scotland"
Also on tap this week are Julian Hernandez's "Broken Sky" as well as Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin's Pixies doc "loudQUIETloud."
"loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies" (September 29), directed by Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin. Distributor: Roxie Releasing. Official website
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/movies/2003279868_loud29.html
Friday, September 29, 2006 - Page updated at 12:00 AM
Movie Review "loudQUIETloud": Pixies fans new and old — here comes your band
By Ted Fry Special to The Seattle Times
When the Pixies were making super-cool rock 'n' roll from 1986 to 1993, they represented what was probably the definitive example of college radio. That's not to say that only college kids liked them or they were heard only on the airwaves of college-run stations. It's just a good explanation of their appeal as progressive post-punk rock gods whose influence became universal to a huge but specific audience.
And it wasn't just a generational thing. The Pixies have held sway for original fans, as well as for those turned on to them secondarily.
By way of summary, the excellent, exceptionally well-informed documentary "loudQUIETloud" starts with a quote from Kurt Cobain, who told Rolling Stone magazine that in writing "Smells Like Teen Spirit" for Nirvana, "I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies."
What Cobain was talking about and what the title captures so cleverly is the signature device that made the Pixies' brand so distinct: the structure of quiet verse/loud chorus/quiet verse that pretty much defined their songwriting technique.
In the many enthralling performances from the Pixies' 2004 reunion tour the movie follows, that sound still resonates and has the same impact on devotees new and old.
The Pixies reveal that rare ability to create musical timelessness. As it is when reacquainting with close friends with whom we've lost contact, the intervening years disappear and we pick up exactly where we left off.
The filmmakers and band members are elusive about the Pixies' acrimonious split, though it's widely acknowledged that bad feelings between leader Charles Thompson (aka Black Francis, aka Frank Black) and bassist Kim Deal led to Thompson's surprise announcement during a radio interview that the band would be no more.
The movie is equally ambiguous about why they decided to try it again a decade later, but clearly they've made peace and fall back into a groove that sells out even the largest venues within hours. Collectively they are still the band that remains immortal in pop-music history, though a lot has changed for them individually.
Thompson maintains an erratic recording career (lately as Frank Black and the Catholics). Deal, recently out of rehab, is working on resurrecting her post- Pixies band the Breeders with twin sister Kelly. Guitarist Joey Santiago does film scoring and plays music with his wife. Drummer Dave Lovering stages a goofy nightclub magic act when he's not collecting royalty checks and bumming around the beach.
They're all friendly, but not necessarily friends. Thompson and Santiago are serene family men with kids. Deal is confidently dealing with difficult life issues while Lovering is still suffering with his own, some of which also involve substance abuse (leading to the only bout of onscreen confrontation). All of this separate and collective intimacy is observed with great affection and modesty. What's unabashedly brash is the music, magnificently captured in crystalline high-definition picture and sound.
"We don't talk to each other that much," says Thompson. "Not because we don't like each other, it's just the kind of people we are." "LoudQUIETloud" proves that kind of thing doesn't change between people, but it also proves that the Pixies' music will forever remain the same.
Ted Fry: tedfry@hotmail.com
Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company
Movie review
"loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies," a documentary directed by Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin. 85 minutes. Not rated; suitable for mature audiences. Grand Illusion.
http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/06/09/29/100ae_ae13loud001.cfm
Published: Friday, September 29, 2006
Film catches up with influential rockers, Pixies
By Robert Horton Herald Movie Critic
The Pixies never sold enough albums to qualify as a household name, but the group had a devoted following and huge credibility. And breaking up after just a handful of albums only added to the status as alt-rock heroes.
A new documentary, "loudQUIETloud: A Film about the Pixies," catches up with the band's four members as they embark on a reunion tour, 11 years after their acrimonious 1992 breakup. Things are still a little tense, but age and financial need make the four come back together.
Singer-songwriter Black Francis (real name Charles Thompson) has had a relatively steady solo career, and his roly-poly presence is still the group's focal point. Guitarist Joey Santiago has been working on a film score, and drummer David Lovering has worked up a somewhat peculiar magic act.
Bassist Kim Deal had initial post-Pixies success with The Breeders, although at the beginning of the film she has just gotten out of rehab for a serious drug addiction. Accompanied on the tour by sister Kelley, she appears so fragile in spirit that she might crumble with a strong breeze.
Somehow it all works, although the film shows some amusing backstage footage of the band members sitting in uncommunicative silence around each other.
And, although "loudQUIETloud" is shy of "Spinal Tap" levels of drama, a subplot develops about Lovering's use of valium. There is one bizarre episode where he loses his place in a concert and goes off on an impromptu drum solo, much to the bewilderment of his bandmates.
Backstage material is limited, although there's a nice late payoff to a story about a teenage girl who worships Kim Deal's example. The spectacle of watching Black Francis deal with rock journalists gives a good picture of how awkward such encounters are.
The film includes Kurt Cobain's oft-quoted remark that his landmark song "Smells like Teen Spirit" was a Pixies imitation. And the music is the point here. We don't get much history about how the band began, or the development of its sound. But we do get the music.
The concert sequences are excellent, potently shot and recorded. The coiled power of The Pixies' songs comes through well in these sequences, and the now-aging rockers appear still committed to the music - even if they did get back together for the money.
"loudQUIETloud: A Film about the Pixies"HHH Documentary: About the reunion tour of the Pixies, an influential (if never big-selling) alt-rock band of the late 1980s-early '90s. The concert stuff is strong enough to justify the outing, although the film isn't interested in providing a history of the band. Rated: Not rated; probably R for language Now showing: Grand Illusion, 1403 NE 50th St., Seattle; 206-523-3935
http://www.spin.com/features/news/2006/09/060929_pixies/
Pixies Ready Pair of DVDs
September 29, 2006
A live DVD will hit shelves Tuesday, while the buzzed-about documentary, loudQuietloud, will arrive a month later.
Pixies fans, this is your season, as Oct. 3 will see the release of a live DVD, and an acclaimed documentary on the band will arrive Nov. 3. Pixies Live at the Paradise in Boston includes one of the band's 2004 reunion shows at Beantown's Paradise Club, featuring songs like "Debaser," "Wave of Mutiliation," "Bone Machine," and "Monkey Gone to Heaven," as well as 25 others. The set also includes never-before-seen footage of one of the Pixies' first performances, shot in Oct. 1986 at TT The Bear's in Boston. One month later, loudQuietloud, which premiered at this year's SXSW, will arrive in stores. The documentary follows the preparation for and execution of the Pixies' 2004 reunion tour.
Talk: How do you get your Pixies fix? COMMENT
On the Web: pixiesmusic.com
Pixies' Kim Deal
http://www.gigwise.com/news.asp?contentid=23214
Also accompanying the impressive live line-up are documentaries about Leonard Cohen and the Pixies, plus ‘Awesome I Fuckin Shot That’ – a film about the Beastie Boys from their fans' perspective.
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=134627
LoudQuietLoud (E)
Plot Documentary behind-the scenes of the 80s band touring and surviving.
Empire Review No Pixies = No Grunge = No Nirvana. Although the influential ’80s indie rock band were around for only six years and four albums, their reunion in 2004 met with universal acclaim. This film isn’t a concert performance — you can get that elsewhere — but something much more intimate than the typical tour documentary. Tension between the four band members is so evident, with bassist Kim Deal getting over rehab and drummer David Lovering heading for a breakdown, that their fragile professional relationship seems poised to fall apart at any moment. It’s a total-access backstage pass for fans, but perhaps doesn’t cast its net wide enough for newcomers.
Verdict Perhaps a little lacking in exposition for anyone other than hardcore fans.
Reviewer: Alan Morrison
Film Details
Certificate E Cast Frank Black Kim Deal David Lovering Joey Santiago. Directors Steven Cantor Matthew Galkin. Screenwriters Running Time 85 minutes
http://theedge.bostonherald.com/movieReviews/view.bg?articleid=163109&srvc=edge
Pixies end tour with whimper in ‘loudQUIETloud’ By Brett Milano Friday, October 20, 2006
loudQUIETloud
| Critic: B+
The Pixies remain one of the most beloved bands in Boston history. But after watching the documentary “loudQUIETloud,” you might wish you could smack some sense into them.
Filmmakers Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin followed the first year of the Pixies’ blockbuster reunion tour, catching a band that would still be great if its members could only keep it together. But from the looks of things, the Pixies aren’t just dysfunctional, they’re impossible. Unlike fellow Boston legend Mission of Burma, a band that has done some of its best work since reuniting, the Pixies have managed exactly one new song and an endless stream of live albums and DVDs (including this film, due for release next month) in the three years since regrouping.
When we first meet the Pixies, they’re conflicted about getting back together. Frontman Frank Black has moved on with his career; bassist Kim Deal is working hard to keep sober (though she chain- smokes through the film); guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer David Lovering have mixed feelings but need the money. Somehow it all works at first: The early rehearsals are a joy to watch as the band regains its chemistry and culminates with a vibrant club gig. There is obvious camaraderie and high- fives all around.
But the chemistry evaporates fast, and before long the band members are sitting backstage looking bored and not speaking to one another. The shows likewise get less dynamic (there’s no Boston footage, other than a quick drive past their old rehearsal space). We don’t see exactly what went wrong, but it’s obvious how little they have in common beyond the music. The sweet, eccentric Deal comes off as the most likable as she makes a point of meeting fans.
The film makes a scapegoat out of Lovering, who comes slightly unglued as his father dies during the tour. His drugging, drinking and excessive iPod use don’t go over well with his bandmates, and the film’s dramatic center is an apparent meltdown he has onstage (as with most of the live footage, the city isn’t identified). Yet it doesn’t look like much really happens: Lovering keeps playing after a song finishes; Black gets exasperated and walks off - but they return, and the show goes on.
The Pixies reunion now appears to have ended, so ‘‘loudQUIETloud” will at least remind fans how unlikely it was to have happened at all.
(‘‘LoudQUIETloud” contains profanity.)
At Coolidge Corner Theatre.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/10/20/pixies_film_tones_down_the_insights/
MOVIE REVIEW Pixies film tones down the insights
By Ty Burr, Globe Staff | October 20, 2006
As rock 'n' roll survival stories go, the Pixies are particularly cheering. Beloved by a hardy cult and ignored by the mainstream during their 1986 to 1993 heyday, the noisy foursome from Boston laid down the floor plan for alterna-rock that Nirvana and other bands would sell to the masses like processed cheese. Even Kurt Cobain admitted that with ``Smells Like Teen Spirit," ``I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies."
So by the time the inevitable reunion rolled around in 2004, the pump had been well and truly primed. To the band's shock, the shows sold out instantly, and audiences were reverent, loud, and surprisingly young -- kids who heard Pixie dust in the DNA of everything they listened to.
It's the rare happy rock 'n' roll ending, but ``loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies" does next to nothing with it. Directed by Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin, the 85-minute documentary takes a torpid , fly-on-the-wall approach , providing little context, few insights, and not enough music.
For instance: The Pixies' break-up back in 1993 arose from long- simmering tensions between songwriter/lead singer Black Francis (a.k.a. Frank Black) and bassist Kim Deal, but the subject is barely broached by the film, and when it is, guitarist Joey Santiago -- filling the George Harrison peacemaker slot -- simply says, ``You put four people in a room for five years, there's going to be tension."
Similarly, Kim Deal's experience with her twin , Kelley , in the post- Pixies band The Breeders left a scarred trail of drug abuse and powerful recordings, but even though Kelley comes along on the tour to keep her sister flying straight, the filmmakers seem too awe struck to press the matter.
There's irony in the fact that these former firebrands are now (mostly) sober family folk, with cute kids they talk to from the road via iCamera. It's certainly a jolt to see the Buddha-sized Black recite daily affirmations before going to bed -- this after unleashing his psychic demons on stage in venerable numbers like ``Gouge Away" and ``Where Is My Mind."
Other ironies seem to pass by unnoticed. The directors talk to a sweet, geeky teenage girl who idolizes the group (we later see her playing with her own garage band) and is thrilled to meet them after a show . That she's separated from the Pixies by a locked chain-link fence (before they climb into their waiting limo) says all sorts of accidentally profound things about alt-rock then and now.
``loudQUIETloud" -- a good description of the band's sound, incidentally -- is too much the fan document to spoil the fun with larger surmises. Even a fan, however, might prefer the excellent, recently released concert DVD ``Pixies: Live at the Paradise in Boston" to this tepid behind-the-scenes experience.
Ty Burr can be reached at tburr@globe.com.
© Copyright 2006 Globe Newspaper Company.
http://www.originalalamo.com/downtown/frames.asp?b=/online_tix/show_details.asp?show_id=4096
THE PIXIES: loudQUIETloud Theater: Alamo Downtown
Director: Steve cantor & Mathew Galkin Rating: NR Runtime: 82min.
Age Policy: 18 and up; Children 6 and up will be allowed only with a parent or guardian. No children under the age of 6 will be allowed.
OCT. 23- 9:45PM: THE PIXIES: LOUDQuietLOUD OPENS OCT. 27 AT ALAMO SOUTH LAMAR! DIRECTOR: STEVE CANTOR & MATTHEW GALKIN 2006 82MIN.
Introduced by Pixies biographer Josh Frank, who will introduce and have copies of his book 'Fool the World' available in the lobby!
Beautifully shot and wrenchingly intimate, this doc gives us unprecedented access to one of rock's greatest (and usually press-shy) bands, the Pixies. From first rehearsal to final bow of the band�s massively successful 2004 reunion tour , we are treated to an insider's view of the group. From the emotional highs of a sold-out show to the quiet times between performances; from feelings of renewed tensions between the band members to the missed life experiences (birth of a child, death of a parent) while on tour, loudQUIETloud is a great reminder that while their split in 1992 was acrimonious - Black Francis, as the story goes, broke up the band via fax - there is an undeniable 'combustible dynamic' when the four come together on stage. OPENS OCT. 27 FOR A FULL RUN! ABOUT 'FOOL THE WORLD: AN ORAL HISTORY OF A BAND CALLED PIXIES': It's the 1980s, and the rock landscape is littered with massive hair, synthesizers, and monster riffs, but there is an alternative being born in the sleep East of America - we just don't know it yet.
Before the Internet, MTV, and iPods, provided far-off music fans with information and communities - and before Nirvana-kids across the world grew up in relative isolation, dependent on mix tapes and self- created art to slowly spread scenes and trends. It was under these conditions that four young musicians found one another in Boston, Massachusetts, and started a band called Pixies.
During their initial seven-year career, Pixies would play some of Europe's most gigantic festivals, keep the press guessing, and cultivate a fervid international fan base hungry for more and more of their unique surf punk. The band worked fast, cranking out four albums at a breakneck pace, but ultimately the pressures of the road and personality clashes took their toll: Pixies broke up just as bands like Nirvana were singing their praises as the rock'n'roll innovators.
For twelve years a Pixies reunion seemed impossible, but a sudden announcement in 2004 proclaimed the unthinkable - Pixies were getting back together. Their extremely successful reunion tour finally gave the group something they'd always lacked in their homeland: proof that their bone-rattling music had left an indelible impact.
Fool the World tells Pixies' story in the words of those who lived it, from the band members to studio owners, from A&R executives, producers, and visual artists who worked with them to admirers of their music, such as Bono, PJ Harvey, Beck, and Perry Farrell. With new cartoons by Trompe Le Monde illustrator Steve Appleby and prints by Simon Larbalestier (photographer of all Pixies covers) Fool the World is a complete journey through the life, death, and rebirth of one of the most influential bands of all time.
BOOK WEBSITE
View Other Music Monday Screenings
Showings (click on a show time to buy tickets): Monday, October 23 9:45 pm
Austin 360 get their info from the above page:
http://www.austin360.com/event/events2/etc/userEventDisplay.jspd?eventStatus=Approved&eventid=102880
The Press Enterprise repeat the Boston Globe review:
http://www.pe.com/entertainment/movies/stories/PE_Fea_Daily_D_movie.pixies.24cc454.html
http://prod1.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=26047258
In other Pixies legacy-exploiting news, there will be another best-of collection released in time for the holidays. Black, however, had no kind words for the recent documentary film LoudQUIETLoud, which covers their reunion tour. Black told NME.com he believes portrays drummer-cum-magician David Lovering in a negative light. You can see for yourself when CMJ sponsors a screening of the film at the Glass Lands Gallery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Nov. 9 at 9 p.m.
http://www.oregonlive.com/movies/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1161818741162160.xml&coll=7
Charting Pixies' reunion
Friday, October 27, 2006
Charting Pixies' reunion
When the Pixies broke apart after six years in 1992, the divide was so rancorous that some members of the band didn't speak to one another for a decade. But during that time, the Pixies were hailed as key architects of the pop-punk sound that blossomed in Seattle with Nirvana (big Pixies fans). Like the Velvet Underground, the Pixies proved more influential after they split up than during their existence. So in 2004, their personal wounds healed, the original band reunited for a few rehearsals and then a tour of Europe and the States, almost as if they wanted to see whether the rumors of their large, rabid cult of fans were really true.
"LoudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies" is a chronicle of that period of getting to know one another again, going out into the world as the Pixies again, connecting with those fans, and dealing with things about each other that have changed and things that haven't.
It's a lively, charming film, and if it gave us a little more of the band's history, it would be perfect. As it is, it's a perfect introduction to some great songs and fascinating characters.
85 minutes; unrated, probably R; Northwest Film Center, Sat. and Sun. only; Grade: B+
-- Shawn Levy
http://www.gapersblock.com/slowdown/archives/2006/11/03/#015827
Pixies documentary @ Film Center The Music Box Theatre presents loudQUIETloud: A Film About The Pixies, which documents the reunion tour that the band went on in 2004. If you're a Pixies fan, you know you want to see it. The film runs through November 9; see the Music Box for full details. Music Box: 3733 N. Southport. (773) 871-6604.
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=52266049&blogID=186678952
Monday, October 30, 2006
QUIETLoudQUIET: Pixies Documentry screening and afterparty... This Friday! Category: Parties and Nightlife
Friday 3rd November will mark the ultimate night that Pixies fans have been waiting form. To celebrate the UK release of the hugely anticipated and critically acclaimed Pixies documentary - LoudQUIETloud, Bright Young Things Club presents the LoudQUIETloud Pixies Night at the Proud Gallery in the Stables Market, Camden.
As well as an exclusive screening of the film, fans will have the chance to get their bone machines on the dance floor with a wave of mutilating, gigantic rock music with guest DJs from 4AD Records and NME spinning Pixies favourites as well as a whole planet of sound from the Breeders to Zeppelin.
The screening starts at 8pm (doors open at 7pm), to reserve in advance email quietloudquiet@yahoo.co.uk for reduced entry of £4 on the guest list and request your favourite Pixies song to be played on the night.
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http://www.cleveland.com/music/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/friday/1161950297145140.xml&coll=2&thispage=2
A new documentary, "loudQUIETloud," follows the Pixies on their 2004 reunion tour. (The film screens Friday, Nov. 3, at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque and arrives in stores Tuesday, Nov. 7, on DVD.)
http://thelondonfilter.blogspot.com/2006/10/pixies-at-ica-tomorrow-111.html
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2006
PIXIES AT THE ICA TOMORROW 1/11
The documentary loudQUIETloud , which charts the musical path created by cult band Pixies, is being launched tomorrow at London's ICA. The influential band, which was broken up in 1992 when their chief songwriter and vocalist Black Francis announced his intention to quit the band via a blunt facsimile, reunited in 2004 and announced a series of shows that would become some of the fastest selling in music history.
The film will be screened in the ICA theatre to allow the full impact of the film's live performances to be felt. Director Steven Cantor will be present to answer questions from the audience.
http://www.ica.org.uk/files/video/loudQUIETloud.mov
http://www.ica.org.uk/
POSTED BY ANTONIO PASOLINI AT 8:O4 PM
http://www.perfectporridge.com/2006/11/loudquietloud_a_film_about_the.html
loudQUIETloud : A Film About the Pixies
loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies Screening: November 6th, 2006 Fine Line Music Cafe, Minneapolis, MN
"I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies" — Kurt Cobain on "Smells Like Teen Spirit" -- opening credit of the film.
Whether you believe they were the first indie rock band or not, there's no question of the Pixies' musical influence on rock music today.
Odds are you already know the story of the group, their 1992 break-up and influential permeation of rock culture. The film catches up with Charles, Joey and the Deal sisters as they kick-off their sold-out 2004 reunion tour at Minneapolis' own Fine Line (maybe you can see your silhouette if you were there).
What follows is the sad, poignant behind the scenes saga of the Pixies - now middle aged, balding, portly and unable to hold their liquor.
In fact, the Pixies are just everyday people, and as we watch Charles take his fam to the aquarium, Kim struggle to keep it together and Joey write documentary soundtracks in a hotel while chatting with his baby via Webcam, it's obvious the ecstasy and hope we see on stage doesn't always transcend on the road. It's a must watch for any indie rock aficionado.
Our single complaint about loudQUIETloud is the underuse of location and date identifiers, which are a downright necessity for a fan film.
Check out a special, one time, FREE screening of loudQUIETloud at the Fine Line on Monday, November 6, 2006. The North American DVD release is slated for Tuesday, November 7th (MVD Entertainment Group).
Posted by Perfect Porridge on November 1, 2006 7:06 AM | Permalink
http://www.timeout.com/film/news/1505.html
Pixies event at the ICA
The TOMB attends a special screening of the excellent new rock documentary 'loudQUIETloud'. Chris Tilly | Nov 2 2006
I caught a special screening of the new Pixies documentary 'loudQUIETloud' last night, and am pleased to report it's a fascinating insight into one of the world's most enigmatic bands.
Directors Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin were granted unprecedented access to the band at the time of their long awaited reunion in 2004, and the resulting footage is electric.
A compelling portrait of four people who just don't get along, the film features highly charged and emotional live performances juxtaposed with awkward scenes of the band failing to communicate with each other on any level.
By turns funny, sad, exasperating and illuminating, it's as fine a rock doc as I've seen this year, and plays at the ICA tonight before hitting DVD on Monday, so check it out if you can.
After the screening director Cantor participated in a Q&A in which he discussed the difficulties involved in maintaining access to the band, admitting that their friendship with Kim Deal's twin sister (and their willingness to let her shoot the odd interview) was invaluable.
He said he was surprised at how self-conscious the band were off-stage and admitted that all four were shocked when they first saw the finished article, but had grown to admire its raw honesty (some more so than others).
The audience then retired to the bar to enjoy a selection of Pixies hits, where I took the director to task for not asking the difficult questions about the band's acrimonious split in the film. He explained that he didn't set out to tell The Pixies story, but rather to observe them in action. 'I wanted to make a film that cracks the egg, but doesn't break it so much that you lose the mystery of the band'. In that respect, he's most certainly succeeded, and the enigma of The Pixies remains.
http://www.sfist.com/archives/2006/11/02/when_the_lights_go_down_in_the_city.php
Pixies fans are in for a treat because Amoeba's hosting a free DVD screening of loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies at 12 Galaxies.
http://www.moviehabit.com/reviews/lou_kc06.shtml
loudQUIETloud: A Film about the Pixies review by Risë Keller
loudQUIETloud: a film about the Pixies opens with a quote from Kurt Cobain about his band Nirvana’s album, Smells Like Teen Spirit, now considered a classic: “I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies.” This hints at the kind of influence the Pixies enjoyed in their ten years and six albums.
Spanning the Pixies’ 2004 reunion tour, the rockumentary tries to get behind the scenes; but after an hour and a half with the group, it’s not so hard to see why they could not get along.
After starting to play together in Boston in 1986 and enjoying a few years of moderate success, the Pixies split up. A few years later, the money was running out. Drummer David Lovering was living in hotels and sleeping on friends’ couches while he pursued his hobbies, magic and metal detecting. Lead guitarist Joey Santiago had been “eking it out,” scoring a documentary for a friend. Bassist Kim Deal had completed drug rehab, moved back home with her mother, and had enjoyed some success with her band The Breeders, which she fronted with her sister Kelley. Charles Thompson (aka Black Francis, aka Frank Black) had, like Santiago, started a family and had recorded and toured on his own.
When the opportunity to play on a reunion tour came up, despite their past acrimony, all agreed that the reunion tour “could not have come at a better time.” One of the band members titled the tour shirts “Pixies Sellout” because when tickets for the tour went on sale, all of the tickets for the tour sold out within a few minutes. Saying that the band reunited for the money might not be so far off the mark, whatever their fans may want to believe.
Before their first show on the reunion tour, a nervous Kim Deal frets about whether she’ll be able to remember how to play the songs and imagines people’s reactions before she goes onstage: “There’s a lot of people, it’s sold out, you’d think the bitch would have learned the song.”
The tensions that broke them up in 1992, reflects Santiago, “revolved around Kim and Charles…. Kim all of a sudden turned into this darling. Big darling. It mighta crimped his ego.”
“We don’t talk to each other that much. It’s not that we don’t like each other,” Thompson clarifies, “It’s just the kind of people that we are.”
In the next scene, Kelley Deal says to her sister, “You know, I’ve never seen four people not be able to talk to each other. You guys are the worst four communicators ever. Ever!”
The filmmakers don’t draw big conclusions about the band, perhaps because there isn’t much material to draw from. The members of the Pixies don’t talk with each other much. Mostly we see the band’s day-to-day lives backstage, in their hotel rooms, and in the bus or van (one of the funniest moments is Charles in his bunk on the bus listening to a tape and repeating, “I have a positive mental attitude. I can do it. I am cute!”).
The tensions surge over drug use after Lowering spins out of control on the drums at a performance one night. Santiago condemns Lowering’s Valium use since the death of his father during the tour. Charles recommends “therapy and a … psychiatrist who can prescribe. Not so much because of what he or she is going to prescribe to you, but because he or she can assess what you have been prescribing yourself.” “Hear hear,” Kim agrees. Lowering is quick to assent, agreeing to curtail his drug use.
The film’s title comes from the quiet verse/loud chorus structure of the Pixies’ songs, but it might be hard to understand their tremendous appeal unless you are already a big fan of the band’s music.
Yet everyone wants to know what the future will bring for this band.
Kelley Deal asks her sister, “I’ve heard you talk about how you wouldn’t mind going to do some festivals next year.”
Kim responds noncommittally, “It seems that if there’s the demand and people are really excited to see us, and they can have shows booked, it always seems like fun. But if it’s like it’s peaked and nobody wants to see us, and we’re going to have to struggle to show up someplace, then it wouldn’t be fun.”
By the end of the film, the question of the hour is whether the band’s next step is record a new album. But as with most other topics, they never take this one up as a group.
“We should really just start over, with a different name. That’s the only way we could keep it honest,” Charles says in an interview with a Rolling Stone reporter. “Just go start playing clubs. Start all over, from scratch.”
“Are we doing another album? I don’t know. I don’t think so. This tour hasn’t really been about that at all,” says Kim to her sister.
And so the financially successful tour comes to its end, with each of its members steeped in their own ideas and the group having achieved some comfort with one another but no intimacy. All of which add up to a somewhat entertaining but less-than-satisfying filmic package for anyone but the die-hard Pixies fan.
The Pixies take center stage
http://ivorytowerz.blogspot.com/2006/11/after-unlikely-pixies-reunion.html
11.03.2006
After the Unlikely Pixies' Reunion
by Stephen Tringali
In 2004, something entirely unlikely happened— the Pixies reunited.
If this news had come only ten years earlier, the U.S. might have responded with a collective shrug. Who are the Pixies again? Sure, the rock critics would celebrate, and the Pixies’ countless alt-rock admirers—David Bowie, Radiohead, U2, Blur, Bob Mould of Husker Du, Weezer, TV On The Radio—would all gush over the importantance of the band.
But the Pixies didn’t. The announcement came 12 years after the band’s discordant split, more than enough time for the Pixies’ material to have filtered into the stereos and laptops of a new and younger generation.
Still, some worried about the reunion. Many demanded new material. Instead, the band provided a rehashing of the old: a new compilation disk; a previously unreleased concert; another concert featuring footage from the reunion tour; and an acoustic concert in Newport, RI.
And now loudQUIETloud, the documentary chronicling the Pixies’ reunion tour, will be released next Tuesday. While the trailer promises a picturesque look at the Pixies’ reunion gigs, band members, particularly frontman Frank Black, have voiced concerns over the documentary’s content.
Drummer David Lovering had a difficult time coping with his father’s death, but the filmmakers, Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin, edited the film such that his grief appeared to carry on throughout the entire tour, Black told NME (New Musical Express) according to Pitchfork.
“[Lovering] was OK [for most of the time], but as it got toward the end of the tour, he started drinking heavily,” Black said. “But [Cantor and Galkin] re-edited this [film] to look like it happened in the middle of our tour, and it looked like this whole tour careered [sic] into this drunken stupor with David. It really wasn’t like that at all—he was solid for, like, 90 percent of it.”
Despite these releases, demand for new studio material still remained. Black responded by first saying that a new album was certainly possible. Then, he called off all bets. The Pixies would never record another album, he said. However, Black announced in late October that a new album will be recorded.
“We’re rehearsing in January, if we can persuade [bassist] Kim [Deal] to come out of her house,” Black said. “We offered to go to her, but we figured if we book the rehearsals, she’ll show up.”
The Pixies have, presumably, understood the implications that go along with an endless touring schedule that doesn’t promote new material: they become a static classic rock act like Crosby, Stills, and Nash or (until recently) The Who.
Or have they?
Black later clarified his comments in an interview with The Winnipeg Sun, which ran Nov. 2. There are no definite plans for a new album, he said. “It’s just NME running with some scrap that is much less than that, of course.”
Black described his interview with the weekly British music magazine: “‘What’s the plan, Frank? When’s the new album coming? What's the plan?’…‘Well, we’re getting together to do a little jamming, maybe in January—that’s it, no plans.’…‘Ohhh, they're going to make a new record!’”
So, we’re back to square one. The Pixies are, once again, straddled safely on the fence of uncertainty. There might be a new album, and then again, there might not be. Who really knows? Many fans, including this one, are probably screaming inside their skulls—please just make a decision.
(Promotional photo of the Pixies, courtesy of the loudQUIETloud website. To see a trailer for the Pixies' new film see below.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY3wmIPxkwU&eurl=
http://barstory.blogspot.com/2006/11/pixies.html
saturday, november 04, 2006
The Pixies
The name says it all-- the PIXIES. In folklore of course, a Pixie is a mischievous creature who according to legend was not good enough for Heaven or bad enough for Hell. And now at a Blockbuster near you, LOUDQUIETLOUD, a film about the Pixies 2004 reunion tour and as a tie-in to the November 6th movie release, the documentary will appear on the big screen in select theaters in the U.S. The big screen venues include Denver, LA, Madison, Chicago, and Austin. Joey Santiago and Charles Thompson (a.k.a. Black Francis) were UMass students when they formed the band in 1986. The Pixies had a short run, recording only a few albums before falling apart between 1992 and 1993. The exact moment of the band's break up is hard to pinpoint as are the synergies of the falling out. Wagging fingers point to Kim Deal's drug and alcohol problems, Black's need to go solo, but the truth is most likely that strange fiction of creative differences, in other words, the Pixies fell victim to the bad behaviors and tensions that plague many creative ventures. I guess we all must get this movie! The Pixies were a bit more popular in the UK than the US, and many Alternative Music fans have not given the Pixies their due, but bands like Nirvana have acknowledged the sonic influence. The Pixies last album was released fifteen years ago, but their music is omnipresent in movieland----the exit music in Fight Club, background music in Unbreakable, two songs in The United States of Leland, a tune in The Weather Man, and my favorite Pixies tune, "Monkey Gone to Heaven" is everywhere, in TV shows like The Gilmore Girls (Lordy!) and films. News is that the Pixies are going to record, according to Frank Black they will start rehearsing in January. Studio time may be essential, the tour was a couple of years ago, and the last Pixie album, Trompe Le Monde was released in 1991.
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VaughnBittner |
Posted - 09/25/2006 : 17:55:24 -- |
Carl |
Posted - 09/21/2006 : 11:04:25 Must be this:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0791268/
LQL is also showing at the Ghent Film Festival....free 11 Oct opening-day showing?:
http://www.filmfestival.be/?&lang=en
This page is not available in English!:
http://www.filmfestival.be/about.cgi?go=detail&id=199&lang=nl
Nieuws
17/09/2006 The Pixies, Beastie Boys, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young én Slayer op festival!
source: Filmfestival
Nee, niet de groepen zelf maar wel ongemeen boeiende muziekdocumentaires over de artiesten zijn te zien op het komende Filmfestival Gent. Van keiharde rockumentaries tot meer klassieke portretten van muzikanten: je ziet ze voor het eerst, en in sommige gevallen zelfs uitsluitend, op het festival!
LoudQuietLoud: A Film About the Pixies is de gratis publieksopening van het filmfestival in Vooruit op 11 oktober. In de late jaren ‘80 en de vroege jaren ‘90 baanden The Pixies zich een unieke weg door de moderne muziek. Na iets meer dan vier albums, een paar tournees en eindeloze speculaties over de relatie tussen de vier oorspronkelijke leden, kwam er in 1993 een abrupt, bitter einde aan de groep. Maar in 2004, tot grote verwondering van hun talloze fans, kwamen The Pixies weer samen. loudQUIETloud is meer dan alleen maar een concertfilm; het is een intimistisch portret van de groepsleden en hun moeilijke, zenuwslopende en uiteindelijk triomfantelijke comeback als een van de grootste rockbands.
Na de film zullen A Brand, Coca Cola with God (Tim Vanhamel & Eric Thielemans), The Diary Sucks (David Bovée, Tom Wouters & Tom Theunis), The Germans en Pornorama in de huid kruipen van Frank Black, Kim Deal en co om hun eigen versies van The Pixies klassiekers te brengen.
http://www.filmfestival.be/about.cgi?go=detail&id=199&lang=fr
Nouvelles
17/09/2006 The Pixies, Beastie Boys, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young et Slayer au Festival!
source: Filmfestival
Non, les artistes ne seront pas présents physiquement bien sûr mais ce sont bien des documentaires musicaux sur ces artistes qui seront montrés au Festival du Film de Gand. Des documentaires rock aux plus classiques portraits de musiciens, voici un aperçu de la programmation.
LoudQuietLoud: A Film About the Pixies est l’ouverture publique officielle et gratuite du Festival au Vooruit le mercredi 11 octobre. A la fin des années ’80 et au début des années ’90, The Pixies ont trouvé un chemin unique à travers la musique moderne. Après 4 albums, deux tournées et des spéculations sans fin à propos des relations entre les quatre membres originaux, le groupe se sépare brutalement en 1993. Mais en 2004, grande surprise pour leurs innombrables fans, The Pixies se reforment. loudQUIETloud est davantage qu’un film de concert live; c’est un portrait intimiste des membres du groupe et leur difficile, exaspérant mais finalement triomphant comeback qui les impose comme l’un des plus importants groupes de rock.
http://www.watershed.co.uk/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Watershed.woa/wa/exhibit?daysToDisplay=3&typesToDisplay=0&object=754
Resfest: loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies
Cert: 15
Dir: Steven Cantor/Matthew Galkin 2006 USA 87 mins
screening on: Fri 27 Oct
As the feature film culmination of a day which sees screenings of Radiohead, the Visionaries and the ever popular (and LOUD!) Videos That Rock music videos programmes, RESFEST is proud to present – in association with Plexi - the English premiere of this fabulous concert movie.
In the history of modern American music there were few bands like the Pixies. Theirs was an unparalleled musical path, influencing countless others despite modest financial success. In 1992, their chief songwriter and vocalist Black Francis announced his intention to quit via a blunt facsimile. That it seemed, was that.
Then to the amazement of everyone, the Pixies reunited in 2004. loudQUIETloud is the story of this unforeseen plot twist - a deeply compelling portrait of four band members and their difficult, tense and ultimately triumphant return. The Pixies, as it turns out, are one of rock music’s great bands.
From the first rehearsal after their reunion to the final bow nearly one year later, the press shy Pixies granted unprecedented access to NY directors Steven Cantor & Matthew Galkin. The result is an insider’s perspective of the Pixies and a fascinating document of the modern touring band. Relationships with each other, relationships with family and relationships with fans are brought sharply into focus alongside striking concert footage. From the loud emotional highs of performing to renewed tensions between band members, the Pixies combustible stage dynamic is laid bare.
Please note: The advertised times are the actual starting times of each programme for all RESFEST screenings.
Fri 27 Oct 2100
Resfest
Wed 25 - Sun 29 Oct
Resfest: loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies is part of Resfest
Watershed welcomes back RESFEST, the global, travelling festival of innovative film, music, art, design, fashion, culture and technology.
Now listed on MovieWeb:
http://www.movieweb.com/movies/film/14/4514/summary.php |
darwin |
Posted - 09/21/2006 : 10:33:46 Off topic: Does anyone know what the Roky Erickson movie (mentioned in the above review) is called?? |
Carl |
Posted - 09/15/2006 : 07:26:06 http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/local/states/california/15516128.htm
THE PIXIES gave it all up for rock music. That's their one and only cause as far as I can tell, though feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. They etched the blueprint for that howling/haunting, start/stop, loud/quiet/loud style that, done less expertly, passes for today's alternative rock. The Pixies 2004 reunion tour, though incredibly well-received critically and commercially, was not all what it seemed to be ... a triumph of will and strength and rock 'n' roll. Rather, it had a hard-rock underbelly: Black Francis, aka Charles Thompson, aka Frank Black, was mid-divorce, Kim Deal was fresh out of rehab and David Lovering was dealing with his dad's diagnosis of inoperable cancer. And yet, these troupers returned to the stage and gave the people what they wanted. Oh, the price these rockers pay to play. The Pixies movie "loudQUIETloud" opens Sept. 29 at the Roxie Theatre in San Francisco. Showtimes are 6:15, 8 and 9:40 p.m. Weekend matinees are 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. Call 415-431-3611 for information.
Showing at the 25th Vancouver International Film Festival, at the Empire Granville 7, Thursday Oct 5 and Monday Oct 9:
http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2006/filmguide/eventnote.php?notepg=1&EventNumber=0880
FILM GUIDE
loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies
USA, 2006, 82 min, Color, Sony HD Cam Canadian Premiere
Directed By: Steven Cantor, Matthew Galkin PROD: Steven Cantor CAM: Jonathan Furmanski, Paul Dokuchitz ED: Trevor Ristow MUS: Daniel Lanois
CITR Radio
In 2004, alt-rock's most influential band, the Pixies, reunited to tour for the first time in 12 years. It quickly sold out. Your monkey will feel like it's gone to heaven after witnessing Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin's vivid capturing of the ins and outs of the tour, including the terrific performances, the troubled band dynamic, and the ultimate triumphant return of four living legends--bigger, louder, and even more dysfunctional than ever. Black Francis and Kim Deal (who went on to front the Breeders with her twin sister Kelly) were the two titans who clashed most ferociously in the band's heyday. Although the pair appears to have mellowed somewhat (if a scene depicting Kim's trading in alcohol for near-beer is any indication), the tension between band members floats at the edge of every scene. As the 2004 reunion tour (dubbed "The Pixies Sell Out" naturally enough) ballooned to two years on the road, the question became: Would they record or write any new material? Or would they break up all over again? The business of being rock legends, and it is very much a business, may seem to detract from the entire point of the Pixies, but it's their ability to spawn new prog sprogs (kids jumping around in basements screaming "Where is my mind") that is perhaps the band's ultimate legacy--witness Kurt Cobain's famous quote about Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit being his attempt to rip-off a Pixies' song. (As an aside, Pixie Joey Santiago wrote the music for Radiant City, also in this year's VIFF.)
sponsored by:
Screening Schedule
Date Time Venue Tickets
Thu, Oct 5 9:45 pm Empire Granville 7 Theatre 2 $9.50
Mon, Oct 9 3:30 pm Empire Granville 7 Theatre 2 $7.50
http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2006/filmguide/psource.php?notepg=1&EventNumber=0880
Resources for loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies
Print Source Karla Kirby Stick Figure Productions New York, NY USA Phone: (212) 277.3600 Email: karla@stickfigureproductions.com Web Site: www.stickfigureproductions.com
http://thetyee.ca/Entertainment/2006/09/21/VIFF/
There are plenty of films that may rock your world, but the one to get tickets to early is loudQUIETloud: A film about the Pixies. YAYYAYYAYAYYAYYAY. If you're a Pixies fan don't waste any time, hasten to the theatre, because this will be as close as you're likely to get to see the band play, before they break up once again. Although there has been a veritable onslaught of music documentaries lately (everyone from Townes Van Zandt to Roky Erickson), loudQUIETloud is a scream, and easily one of the better films about the business of rocking out. Black Francis and Kim Deal, who fronted the band, went on to solo careers, but the Pixies overshadowed almost all their subsequent output. Although the Pixies imploded after only six years, they resemble the first Velvet Underground record. It only sold 100 copies, but it seemed like everyone who bought the album went out and formed their own band.
www.viff.org/tixSYS/2006/filmguide/eventnote.php?notepg=1&EventNumber=1644" target="_blank">www.viff.org/tixSYS/2006/filmguide/eventnote.php?notepg=1&EventNumber=1644" target="_blank">http://www.viff.org/tixSYS/2006/filmguide/eventnote.php?notepg=1&EventNumber=1644
Featuring songs by Joey Santiago of The Pixies (stars of loudQUIETloud, also playing in this year's VIFF). |
Homers_pet_monkey |
Posted - 09/12/2006 : 04:56:05 http://www.nme.com/news/pixies/24295
Pixies documentary hits the UK Controversial film part of festival Pixies controversial documentary 'loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies' is to get another airing in the UK.
The film, which got its' UK premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival last month, is one of the main attractions of Resfest, the touring cinematic festival.
The Pixies film will be shown as part of the festival's Bristol residency at the Watershed between October 25-29.
As previously reported by NME.COM, the controversial film was criticised by Pixies leader Frank Black. He referred to the finished version as "exaggerated" and the filmmakers "naïve".
Also showing at the festival is a retrospective of Radiohead videos, 'Radiohead, the Visionaries: A Decade of Breaking New Talent' and 'Rock The Bells', a documentary about the Wu Tang Clan.
Resfest will call at:
Bristol Watershed and Arnolfini (October 25-29) London National Film Theatre (November 14-19) Dublin Irish Film Institute (December 7-10)
For full details go to Resfest.co.uk.
I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
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Daisy Girl |
Posted - 09/02/2006 : 09:41:11 yes, I agree about a positive light, and I think people stil would have liked her. In stead of portraying her as a weak person, they could have treated her as a strong person given all she's done to turn her life around. That's hard and that could have been portrayed as she's a really strong person. I don't think Dave was portrayed very well any way.g |
Carl |
Posted - 08/31/2006 : 04:38:21 Myabe somebody should have switched a positive light on. But then maybe she'd become unlikeable.
What am I saying?!
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Daisy Girl |
Posted - 08/30/2006 : 12:36:08 well i was thinking about this over the weekend for some reason and I really did think that although kim came across as very likeable but in a negative light. i don't know if that makes sense. |
fumanbru |
Posted - 08/25/2006 : 21:30:27 quote: Originally posted by Daisy Girl
i really like the scene where they showed kim's bedroom b/c that's how my bedroom looks sometimes. lol.
cause there's coke and heroin everywhere.....HAHA..HA!
..i'm hoping to see the movie pretty soon.
"I joined the Cult of Frank/ cause I'm a real go-getter!" |
Daisy Girl |
Posted - 08/25/2006 : 16:06:48 i was hoping for more live stuff, hopefully they will release more of that footage b/c i am sure that it's good.
i do agree with frank that not only kim but david and even fb weren't portrayed in the best light. i did think the film was interesting and well shot but it is also good hearing fb's thoughts b/c we will never know what was edited out.
i really like the scene where they showed kim's bedroom b/c that's how my bedroom looks sometimes. lol. |
Carl |
Posted - 08/22/2006 : 16:00:21 http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/68417.html
loudQUIETloud: a film about the Pixies MILES FIELDER August 22 2006
This rock-doc was filmed during the 2004 reunion tour of one of the most influential post-punk bands of all time. The films follows the now middle-aged quartet of musicians (who originally emerged from Boston in the late 1980s) as they play to unwaveringly adoring crowds in Europe and America. In between gigs, singer Frank Black, bassist Kim Deal, guitarist Joey Santiago and drummer Dave Lovering are filmed rehearsing together and interviewed separately. It's been reported that the Pixies split because they got sick and tired of spending so much time in each other's company, particularly Black and Deal, who experienced creative rivalry and a clash of egos. And if you read your music press, you'll know that the Pixies reformed largely because they were broke. loudQUIETloud doesn't really add anything to that, but we do get to hear this somewhat dispiriting story from the band members themselves. What's left is concert footage. The songs stand the test of time and the band play well, but it makes you wish you were at one of the gigs in 2004, or lucky enough to be at one the first time around. This is neither a great rockumentary nor a good concert movie. One for Pixies fans only. Cameo, today, 10pm; Friday, 9.30pm.
http://living.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1231112006
LoudQUIET - loud: a film about Pixies ****
ALISTAIR HARKNESS
DIRECTED BY: Steven Cantor, Matthew Galkin
MUCH more worthwhile candidates for your time and money are the music documentaries loudQUIETloud: A Film About The Pixies and Air Guitar Nation. The former is exactly what it says on the tin: a film about the hugely influential US indie rock band The Pixies, who revolutionised the alternative music scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s (Kurt Cobain confessed to "ripping off" their "loud quiet loud" sonic dynamic for Nirvana's seminal track Smells Like Teen Spirit). Though the band split up in 1993 - singer Charles Thompson (then called Black Francis and now recording as Frank Black) announced the split during a live British radio interview before informing the rest of the band - their music never went away and, when they decided to get back together in 2004, they found themselves playing sold-out gigs that were rapturously received by critics and fans.
It's this reunion tour that directors Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin document with their film, in the process providing a fascinating insight into the workings of one of the most credible and celebrated bands in the history of rock. Though there was an undeniable commercial imperative behind the reunion (particularly for drummer Dave Lovering, who became a magician to supplement his dwindling royalty cheques), what comes across most clearly is a band trying to get to grips with what made them so special. Their first rehearsal for the tour is a hair-prickling moment as they realise that despite their differences, everything clicks. They're also genuinely humbled by the reverential response they receive from their first warm-up shows.
As the tour progresses, however, we get an insight into what caused the original split. Kim Deal insists on bringing along her sister Kelly (they were also in the band The Breeders together) to keep her off drugs and alcohol. Lovering, whose father is dying of cancer, starts using sedatives and alcohol to help him cope, which leads to onstage bust-ups. Guitarist Joey Santiago increasingly feels the pull of home life, while Thompson tries to decide if he wants to be sucked back into the maelstrom of being in a creative band (he repeatedly dodges questions about recording new material as The Pixies).
They're brutally honest about the fact that they're not really friends. Unlike Metallica they don't see any need to involve a therapist either, because they've essentially realised that when they're on stage everything falls into place, which seems to be enough.
That makes them tough to warm to as people (although the sight of Kim Deal knitting on the tour bus is quite sweet), but just hearing a few bars of Debaser, Where is My Mind? or Wave of Mutilation - originally recorded in this very city - is enough to remind any music fan why The Pixies will always matter.
• LoudQUIETloud: A Film about The Pixies, tonight 10pm, 25 August 9pm, Cameo; 27 August 12.20pm, Filmhouse;
Last updated: 21-Aug-06 00:53 BST
http://www.pr-inside.com/pixies-fury-at-manipulative-documentary-r15940.htm
PIXIES FURY AT 'MANIPULATIVE' DOCUMENTARY Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com) 2006-08-22 14:03:13 -
The PIXIES are furious with the results of a new documentary that follows the band on the road, and have slammed film-makers for "manipulating" them. loudQUIETloud, which debuts today (22AUG06) at the Edinburgh Film Festival in Scotland, trails the US rockers on their 2004 reunion tour. But the DEBASER stars are unhappy with how their personal issues have been portrayed in the movie, directed by STEVEN CANTOR and MATTHEW GALKIN. Singer FRANK BLACK says, "I've got nothing against the film or the film-makers, but they manipulated the whole thing. "They wanted a story, and that story became this tension within the band, how awful we got along, and DAVE's (LOVERING, drummer) downward spiral. Whereas Dave was actually the one who was holding us together. "KIM (DEAL, bassist) wasn't happy with the film at all. It made her look like she was hardly there, clutching her beer and chain-smoking cigarettes. It made it look as if we had just scooped her out of the gutter."
http://www.newtimesbpb.com/Issues/2006-08-17/music/outtakes.html
Pixie Progress
How to view the regrouping of the Pixies, one of the most mercurial bands of the late '80s, a group many claim opened the door for Nirvana and the grunge generation of the early '90s? Those early efforts still sound shocking — menacing, malevolent melodies pierced by torrents of jagged guitar and stuttering rhythms, all underscored by leader Black Francis' nihilistic pontificating. Internal dissension caused the band to split a scant five years after its first recording — the superb Surfer Rosa — and a mere three years after its major-label breakthrough, the dazzling Doolittle.
Following the breakup, Black Francis opted to reverse his moniker and venture out on a prolific if uneven solo career as Frank Black. His two most recent opuses, Fast Man Raider Man and Honeycomb, showed him newly entrenched in Americana territory and soaking up a sizable infusion of Blood on the Tracks. Bassist Kim Deal went on to moderate success with the Breeders and struggled with sobriety. Drummer David Lovering and guitarist Joey Santiago formed the Martinis before Lovering left to tour with Cracker, study engineering, and reinvent himself as a performance artist, or, as he terms it, a "scientific phenomenalist." Santiago's lately settled into a more urbane occupation as a soundtrack composer.
What a surprise, then, that a tentative Pixies reconciliation resulted in a 2004 tour that found the band as potent as ever. Two new DVD releases — LoudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies and Acoustic: Live in Newport — show opposing views of this perpetually conflicted outfit and its retooled presence in the new millennium. The former is perhaps the most revealing, an intimate portrait of the personalities involved who, between various concert clips from their recent reunion gigs, lay bare their inner souls, a tack that makes them decidedly less intimidating to their fans and, one supposes, to one another. The acoustic offering shows them in the most unlikely of circumstances — at the venerable Newport Folk Festival, the venue where Dylan went electric and was bombarded by catcalls in return. "We're a rock band," Deal announces before they launch themselves unplugged on an opposite route, managing to make angst-ridden anthems like "Monkey Gone to Heaven," "Bone Machine," and even "Wave of Mutilation" less a series of sanitized sing-alongs than actual hints of the essential if irascible melodies that lie at their core.
So how do the Pixies fare? Remarkably well considering their infamous in-fighting and the passage of time. By allowing themselves to reveal their own humanity and accessibility, each offering demonstrates in its own way that while one might mellow, it doesn't have to be at the expense of passion or purpose. At the very least, it's a case worth considering. — Lee Zimmerman
http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1855522,00.html
'I used to have a band, and now I don't'
When the Pixies reformed, they invited a film crew to join them for the ride. Frank Black talks to Xan Brooks about the train-wreck of a tour that followed
Tuesday August 22, 2006 The Guardian
The great should-have-beens of American music ... The Pixies. Photograph: Chapman Baehler
The artist formerly known as Black Francis answers the phone and explains that he can't talk; he is in crisis. He's in Pennsylvania but can't say where, exactly, because he has switched hotels twice in the past few hours. He has four children and they are very hungry. He has lost his charger and reckons there is maybe 40 seconds of life left in the mobile. "You could say that I'm facing a lot of challenges in my life right now," he bellows. Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black, aka Black Francis) is currently tripping eastwards on a solo tour of the US. It sounds nearly as fraught as on his last outing with the Pixies.
I have been chasing Thompson for several days now, eager to gauge his reaction to loudQUIETloud, a rambunctious little documentary about the Pixies's 2004 reunion tour, which debuts today at the Edinburgh film festival. Directed by Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin, the film is a bit like a Pixies song itself. It is film where simmering tensions erupt into primal storms, where high tragedy goes cheek-by-jowl with low comedy, and where the drummer goes mad and won't finish his solo. "We knew the band had an acrimonious break-up so we knew it wouldn't be plain sailing," Cantor tells me. "That said, there were still some surprises along the way."
The Pixies were the great should-have-beens of American music, an impish, ill-starred quartet who indirectly kick-started the grunge movement and then imploded too soon to reap the rewards. They recorded songs that flared red hot and ice cold in the space of a heartbeat, that played the Old Testament as sexed-up soap opera ("You crazy babe, Bathsheba"), and led Kurt Cobain to write Smells Like Teen Spirit in a vain attempt to, in his words, "basically try to rip off the Pixies".
Once upon a time this band meant something. But by the time of their reunion they have been defunct for 12 years and the royalties have dried to a trickle. Thompson (rechristened Frank Black) is struggling to sustain a solo career. Guitarist Joey Santiago is "eking out" a living writing TV soundtracks, and drummer Dave Lovering has lost his home and needs the cash to support his new job as a conjurer. As for Kim Deal, the Pixies' iconic bassist, she is fresh out of rehab and living at home with her folks. The tour was wonderful news for Kim, her mother explains "She needs something to do besides writing poetry and, er, sleeping all day."
If the aim was to boost the band's bank balance, the Pixies comeback was a huge success (tickets sold out within minutes). But, behind the scenes, matters were more torrid. Initially conceived as a celebration, loudQUIETloud quickly veers into train-wreck territory. Lovering is the first to crash. Devastated by his father's death, he hits the bottle, guzzles valium and suffers a public breakdown on stage in Chicago. His behaviour appears to impact on Deal. Having initially stipulated that the tour should be alcohol free, she is shown surreptitiously nursing a bottle of beer during a stopover in Reykjavik. "Hey, it's only 5% proof," she insists. "Pretty much all beer is 5% proof," retorts her sister, Kelley.
Actually there was plenty more in this vein, Cantor says. It's just that the band ordered him to take it out. "Kim, in particular, felt there were too many scenes that showed her trying to stay sober," he explains. "She felt that there was more to her than just being, like, rehab woman. So yes, we had to tone it down." At times the band's intervention was more forceful. In one scene, during a protracted drugs debate between Deal and Lovering, Thompson seizes the camera and pushes it to the floor.
Was the band happy with the final version? "Oh yes," the director assures me. "They think it's really truthful. They recognise themselves in the movie." Yet he sounds slightly doubtful.
Rumour has it that the Pixies remain unimpressed with loudQUIETloud. Perhaps this is why Thompson is proving so elusive. Exasperated, the film's distributors suggest that I try a new tactic. I should approach his management company, tell them I want to discuss Frank Black's solo tour, and don't mention the film at all. I should pretend, in fact, to be unaware that there even is a film.
The day after our aborted conversation in Pennsylvania, I trackThompson to a hotel in Washington DC. It's eight in the morning and I get him out of bed. "Hold the line for a moment," he croaks. "I must pass my urine or I won't be able to think." He is gone so long I start to wonder if he's slipped away again.
On stage, Thompson is an electrifying presence: big, bald and bawling; a furious baby grown to the size of a barn. But he emerges from the documentary as an oddly distant figure. For some reason, the film features numerous shots of him lolling, semi-naked in bed, lovingly patting his belly, or stroking at his scalp. He looks like a cross between Leigh Bowery and Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now.
Thompson flushes the loo and returns to the phone. I ask him what he thinks of the documentary and he hums and haws.
"Look," he says, "I've got nothing against the film or the film- makers, but they manipulated the whole thing. They wanted a story, and that story became this tension within the band, how awful we got along, and Dave's downward spiral. Whereas Dave was actually the one who was holding us together. His breakdown only came at the end of the tour when he was upset about his dad's death. Then he became this kind of Jekyll and Hyde figure, dulling the pain with red wine and pills."
Deal's portrayal proved the other sticking point. "Kim wasn't happy with the film at all," he admits. "It made her look like she was hardly there, clutching her beer and chain-smoking cigarettes. It made it look as if we had just scooped her out of the gutter." So they asked for some scenes to be removed? "Well, yeah. We told them we didn't care for the original cut. We ended up putting a lot of stuff back in."
The problem, Thompson suspects, is that the film-makers never really understood their subject matter. "They were naive, like a lot of people who don't understand how rock bands are when they go on tour. They'd roll into the hotel every morning and say, 'So what are you guys going to do today? Ooh, are you going to go buy some ice cream?' I guess they expected us to be like the Monkees, always up to mischief. But we're boring, you know. And touring is boring. You just sit around not talking to each other."
This, at least, is something that the film was able to pinpoint. "The movie as it stands is basically truthful, even though it's exaggerated," Thompson says. "But it does suggest something that is correct: the awful lack of communication within the band. That silly dysfunctional quality. Sometimes we don't speak enough."
Thompson famously broke up the Pixies by fax back in 1992. At the time he thought this was the classy way to call it quits. He says now that he regrets the decision, and that the band still hate him for it. Recently he has been angling for a longer-term collaboration: he wants to corral the Pixies into a studio and test-run some new material. "But there is some reluctance, let's put it that way. They don't trust me." He sighs. "They used to trust me."
I had been hoping to wring a quick quote or two out of Thompson. But we have now been on the phone for more than 40 minutes. He keeps beating back into the past; unpicking old grievances and festering rivalries; discussing who's still mad at who, and why; spotlighting all the waste and loss that lurks in the wings of loudQUIETloud.
"I used to have a band," he laments. "And now I don't have a band anymore. That's why I'm off doing my little solo tour. That's why I'm sitting in a hotel room telling you all about it".
Rockumentaries that went wrong
Cocksucker Blues (1972)
The genre's seedy antecedent trails the Rolling Stones on their 1972 American tour. But the group was so incensed by the portrayal of them as narcissistic, drug-guzzling hedonists that they sued to prevent its release. It remains under a court order to this day.
Ramones: End of the Century (2003)
Johnny steals Joey's girlfriend, Dee Dee is a junkie and Tommy struggles to keep time and make peace. The Ramones might not have been real brothers, but the fraternal tension is palpable.
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster (2004)
There is a decided whiff of Spinal Tap about this portrait of a band bedevilled by death, drugs and galloping self-absorption - particularly when their management hires a costly therapist to sort them out.
Dig! (2004)
The Dandy Warhols and the Brian Jonestown Massacre start out as allies with a mission to get "a full-scale revolution going on". One band ends up on a Vodafone advert; the other goes down in a hail of rotten fruit.
New York Doll (2005)
In which bassist Arthur Kane quits the Dolls and becomes a Mormon, but finally rejoins the band at the Meltdown festival. Meanwhile, three other band-mates have long since died and gone.
· LoudQUIETloud is at the Edinburgh International Film festival on August 22, 25 and 27. Details: 0131-228 4051. The film is released on DVD in November.
These sites also have the 'Pixies fury at manipulative documentary' story:
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=193112180&p=y93yyz886
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/story.asp?j=222926950&p=zzz9z7765&n=222927836
http://www.eveningecho.ie/news/bstory.asp?j=143603250&p=y436x3775&n=143603852
http://www.examiner.ie/breaking/story.asp?j=238518160&p=z385y9x3z&n=238519038&x=
http://www.breakingnews.ie/2006/08/23/story273530.html
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/pixies%20toned%20down%20documentary_1006104
PIXIES 'TONED DOWN' DOCUMENTARY
Rockers THE PIXIES forced the directors of their new documentary LOUDQUIETLOUD to "tone down" the film, because bassist KIM DEAL was devastated by how debauched she appeared. The DEBASER stars teamed up with film- makers STEVEN CANTOR and MATTHEW GALKIN to create a personal account of their 2004 reunion tour, which debuts today (22AUG06) at the Edinburgh film festival in Scotland. But the bass player was concerned she was being portrayed as "rehab woman". Cantor says, "Kim, in particular, felt there were too many scenes that showed her trying to stay sober. "She felt that there was more to her than just being, like, rehab woman. So yes, we had to tone it down." 23/08/2006 07:36
Above news also at PR Inside:
http://www.pr-inside.com/pixies-toned-down-documentary-r16033.htm
http://www.undercover.com.au/news/2006/aug06/20060823_pixies.html
Pixies Unhappy With Tour Documentary by Daniel Zugna
August 23 2006
Pixies frontman Frank Black has called film- makers Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin "naïve", explaining that the band are unhappy with the way they are portrayed in Cantor and Galkin's tour documentary.
The film, loudQUIETloud, documents the band's 2004 reunion tour. It premiered on Tuesday at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Speaking to The Guardian, Black said the film-makers "were naive, like a lot of people who don't understand how rock bands are when they go on tour." He went on to claim, "they'd roll into the hotel every morning and say, 'So what are you guys going to do today? Ooh, are you going to go buy some ice cream?' I guess they expected us to be like the Monkees, always up to mischief. But we're boring, you know."
Whilst Black said he had nothing against the film-makers themselves, he confirmed that bassist Kim Deal asked for, and succeeded in, getting several scenes cut. "It made her look like she was hardly there, clutching her beer and chain-smoking cigarettes" the singer said. "It made it look as if we had just scooped her out of the gutter.
Pixies
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds36221.html
Frank Black unhappy with Pixies film Wednesday, August 23 2006, 21:53 BST - by David Cribb
Frank Black has revealed he was unhappy with the way the Pixies' recent documentary was made.
The reformed band were filmed on their 2004 tour, and the resulting production was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival on Tuesday. Black branded the filmmakers "naïve", claiming they did not know their subject.
"(They) were naïve, like a lot of people who don't understand how rock bands are when they go on tour," he told The Guardian. "They'd roll into the hotel every morning and say, 'So what are you guys going to do today? Ooh, are you going to go buy some ice cream?' I guess they expected us to be like the Monkees, always up to mischief. But we're boring, you know."
He also criticised the lack of footage of bassist Kim Deal, who asked to be cut from many scenes: "It made her look like she was hardly there, clutching her beer and chain-smoking cigarettes. It made it look as if we had just scooped her out of the gutter."
http://www.nme.com/news/pixies/24060
Frank Black criticises new Pixies documentary
'They manipulated the whole thing' claims frontman
Pixies frontman Frank Black has criticised a new documentary on the band's 2004 tour, calling it "exaggerated" and the filmmakers "naïve".
The film, 'loudQUIETloud', was premiered at the Edinburgh Film Festival yesterday (August 22).
Speaking to The Guardian, Black said: "I've got nothing against the film or the film-makers, but they manipulated the whole thing. They wanted a story, and that story became this tension within the band, how awful we got along."
He also criticised the directors, Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin, saying: "They were naïve, like a lot of people who don't understand how rock bands are when they go on tour.
"I guess they expected us to be like The Monkees, always up to mischief. But we're boring, you know. And touring is boring. You just sit around not talking to each other."
However, Black, known as Black Francis in Pixies' heyday, has also admitted that the conflict captured in the video is a reality for the band. He said: "The movie as it stands is basically truthful, even though it's exaggerated."
Pixies Frank Black 1 24.Aug.06 12:00pm
I'm not gonna bother pasting this up. It's offensive and stupid:
http://www.drownedinsound.com/content/view/1097747 |
prozacrat |
Posted - 08/21/2006 : 03:00:24 I managed to go to this twice. It was hard to be objective, but I'm pretty sure it was a damn fine documentary. I think I even saw myself during the Fine Line part!
http://www.prozacrat.com www.myspace.com/prozacrat |
Carl |
Posted - 08/18/2006 : 12:31:29 http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/entertainment/15296491.htm
Sound Unseen: Festival of movies about music. This week: "LoudQuietLoud" (a film about the Pixies), 11:30 p.m. today; "My Name Is Albert Ayler" (the story of the jazz musician who was shunned by the mainstream music industry while being admired by fellow musicians), 1 p.m. Saturday; "Old Joy" (two friends reunite for a weekend camping trip), 9:40 p.m. Wednesday; Riverview Theater, 3800 42nd Ave. S., Mpls.
"Dowtown Locals" (six New York City subway performers struggle to earn a living and defend their right to perform in the city's increasingly regulated underground), 7:30 p.m. today, 5 p.m. Sunday; "Wasted Orient" (documentary on Chinese punk band Joyside), 10:10 p.m. today; "LoudQuietLoud" (a film about the Pixies), 7:45 p.m. Saturday; "High Tech Soul" (documentary on techno music), 10 p.m. Saturday, 9:30 p.m. Wednesday; "Let's Be Active: Keep the Fuzz Off My Buzz" (eight days on the road with an ensemble that includes folk singers, women in wolf masks and an irreverent comic), 7:30 p.m. Sunday; "Danielson: A Family Movie (or, Make a Joyful Noise Here)" (musician/visual artist Daniel Smith's path to indie music stardom), 9:30 p.m. Sunday; "Cold Hearts" (Icelandic shorts and music videos), 7:30 p.m. Monday; "Beyond Beats and Rhymes" (documentary on the rap industry), 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; "All Kindsa Girls" (traces the evolution of garage/punk rock), 9:45 p.m. Tuesday; "Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback" (five American GIs in Cold War Germany form a band and bill themselves as the anti-Beatles), 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, 7 p.m. Thursday; "The Treasures of Long Gone John" (the story of the man who helped launch the careers of several musicians), 7:20 p.m. Wednesday, 9:45 p.m. Thursday; Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake St., Mpls.; $7-$5 per film (all-access passes, $75-$65); 612-870-9300 or www.soundunseen.com.
http://www.startribune.com/1553/story/617832.html
First Avenue and Pixies are stars of Sound Unseen fest
The annual music-movie festival returns Wednesday night with a tribute to the Twin Cities' premiere club.
Last update: August 16, 2006 – 1:15 PM
With a slow week and a half of live gigs upon us (not counting the "American Idols" concert), there are still plenty of chances for music nuts to feed their addiction, thanks to the seventh annual Sound Unseen Film & Music Festival.
The eight-day fest's two standout movies this year are both showing on opening night, Wednesday at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis. "First Avenue: HayDay," which screens at 7 p.m., is a collection of old live footage and interviews compiled by Rick Fuller, half of the reputable video and filmmaking crew Harder/Fuller Films. Bands featured include the Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum, Babes in Toyland, etc.
The other big film is "loudQuietloud: a film about the Pixies" showing at 9:30 p.m. (see review below). A hit at the South by Southwest Film Conference, the documentary follows the band's 2004 tour from rehearsals to finale. Portions were filmed at the Fine Line in Minneapolis, where the tour kicked off.
Other Sound Unseen highlights include documentaries on the quirky Trachtenburg Family Sideshow Players, unsung jazz hero Albert Ayler, Sympathy for the Record Industry label founder Long Gone John, and Sufjan Stevens' Christian cohorts, the Danielson Family. There's also a band vs. fan bowling night to go along with a "Big Lebowski" screening Saturday. Check out www.soundunseen.com.
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
loudQuietloud: A Film About the Pixies
***½ out of four stars
One's a recovering addict. One's trying to make a living as a magician. One has his second child on the way. And then there's the one who can't get anybody to buy his solo albums. The Pixies went into their 2004 reunion tour with open wounds and excess baggage, and they encountered more problems along the way. But, as shown in this all- access documentary (co-produced by Pixies sibling Kelley Deal), the tour was for the most part an artistic and commercial triumph. The film debunks a few myths about the band. Kim Deal and Black Francis/Frank Black -- whose antagonistic relationship purportedly caused the band's breakup -- are actually pretty sweet to each other. At the same time, it also bolsters the legend. The scenes showing off the excitement around the band's very first show at the Fine Line in Minneapolis are touching enough to make you cry. Local connection or not, though, this is one priceless rock doc. (9:30 p.m. Wed., Riverview, and 7:45 p.m. Sat., Bryant Lake. 85 min.) CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
SOUND UNSEEN
When: Through Thursday.
Where: Bryant-Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake St., Mpls. Riverview Theater, 3800 42nd Av. S., Mpls.
Tickets: $7, $5 students. $75/$65 for festival pass.
Info: www.soundunseen.com |
prozacrat |
Posted - 08/17/2006 : 19:43:40 I just saw that this is showing tomorrow in Minneapolis. I have to go. Somehow.... Have to... DAMN!
http://www.prozacrat.com |
Carl |
Posted - 07/14/2006 : 10:20:36 Great, looks like we have a UK DVD release date too!
Join the Cult Of Pob! And don't forget to listen to the Pobcast!
http://www.antimusic.com/news/06/july/2507.shtml
Pixies loudQUIETloud
07/25/06
(PR) MVD and are pleased to announce the home viewing release of The Pixies - loudQUIETloud for worldwide distribution on DVD November 7, 2006.
loudQUIETloud is an intimate portrait of the band members and their difficult, tense and ultimately triumphant return as one of rock music's greatest bands. When college rock darlings the Pixies broke up in 1992 on the cusp of mainstream success, their fans were shocked and dismayed. When the Pixies reunited in 2004, those same fans and legions of new listeners were ecstatic and filled with high hopes. loudQUIETloud follows the rehearsals and the warm up shows for the full-fledged, sold out reunion tour. It also catalogs, in the cinema verite style of the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" and Bob Dylan's "Don't Look Back", the less glamorous side of the touring band lifestyle, getting as close to this enigmatic act as anyone is ever likely to get. Old wounds have not completely healed and the extreme pressure of the tour takes its toll on the band, but nevertheless, they deliver the goods onstage. loudQUIETloud captures the Pixies, their families and their fans in what seems to be a once in a lifetime chance at rock n roll redemption.
Tracklist: Where Is My Mind? * Hey * Here Comes Your Man * Umass * Caribou * Gouge Away * Nimrod's Son * In Heaven * Wave Of Mutilation * Something Against You * Bone Machine * Cactus * Vamos * Monkey Gone To Heaven * Iris
Trailer: http://files.dvdnote.com/pixiestrailer.htm
http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article?article_id=3135
News {Web Exclusive}
2006-07-25
Pixies DVD Chronicles Band’s Reunion Tour
MVD Visual has announced a worldwide Nov. 7 release of loudQUIETloud, a DVD capturing legendary college rock group the Pixies.
After an unexpected breakup in 1992, the Pixies reunited in 2004 to embark on a sold-out tour. loudQUIETloud will focus on the rehearsals and warm up shows for the band’s reunion tour while presenting an intimate look at the less glamorous side of the touring band lifestyle.
To view a trailer of loudQUIETloud, click here.
http://www.livedaily.com/news/Briefly_Rod_Stewart_Oasis_Xzibit_Pixies-10438.html?t=98
Briefly: Rod Stewart, Oasis, Xzibit, Pixies
July 25, 2006 05:08 PM by LiveDaily Staff
The DVD edition of the Pixies (music) documentary "loudQUIETloud" is set to be issued Nov. 7. The film follows the band as it rehearses and plays warm-up shows for its 2004 reunion tour.
"It also catalogs, in the cinema verite style of the Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' and Bob Dylan's 'Don't Look Back,' the less glamorous side of the touring band lifestyle, getting as close to this enigmatic act as anyone is ever likely to get," says a press release. "Old wounds have not completely healed and the extreme pressure of the tour takes its toll on the band, but nevertheless, they deliver the goods onstage."
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/37585/Another_Pixies_DVD_on_Its_Way
Another Pixies DVD on Its Way
Are you drama-lovers ready to see Frank Black and Kim Deal at odds... in your very own living room? loudQUIETloud, the Pixies reunion documentary that premiered earlier this year at South by Southwest's film festival, is now scheduled for a November 7 DVD release courtesy of MVD.
The film follows the band's reunion tour, unveiling the hardships of life on the road. Cry me an effing river.
As previously reported, another Pixies DVD, Pixies: Acoustic - Live in Newport, is also on its way. It will see release on Eagle Rock Entertainment come August 22.
Tracklist:
01 Where Is My Mind? 02 Hey 03 Here Comes Your Man 04 U-Mass 05 Caribou 06 Gouge Away 07 Nimrod's Son 08 In Heaven 09 Wave of Mutilation 10 Something Against You 11 Bone Machine 12 Cactus 13 Vamos 14 Monkey Gone to Heaven 15 Iris
Posted by Kati Llewellyn in dvd on Wed: 07-26-06: 07:00 AM CDT | Permalink
http://www.varsity.co.nz/movies/articles.asp?id=5727
loudQUIETloud: A Film about the Pixies written by fishmeal on 27 Jul 2006
loudQUIETloud: A Film about the Pixies Directors: Steven Cantor, Matthew Galkin
Opening with a quote from Kurt Cobain announcing just how much Nirvana was in debt to the Pixies, loudQUIETloud sets about its job to document the 2003 reunion tour reasonably unobtrusively. Twelve years after breaking up (Charles Thompson famously announced the band's termination on British radio, he'd neglected to actually run it by the band first) the four misfits are back together, this time as middle aged fuck ups.
So where are they now? Thompson is one of those ubiquitous fat American men releasing albums as Frank Black. We see a meeting with his producer on his new album, who is a perfect music industry version of South Park's Mr Garetty. Joey Santiago now scores docos and, in one of his many candid interviews, is struggling to scratch together two bits to keep his family afloat. Kim Deal, who briefly reached post Pixies fame with The Breeders, is a smoking, drinking shut-in looking after her sick mother, who's in turn looked after by her sister. And David Lovering is now … well, best you just watch the film to find that out.
The doco is not as probing and as explosive as Some Kind of Monster (the brilliant Metallica doco), but as the camera goes backstage you do get an unobtrusive view of the different personalities in the band. Happily they're all likeable. Here's four people who were once friends, thrown back together through financial necessity and surviving it all by not speaking to each other. There are moments of interaction, but they always tail off into silence. Luckily for the audience all the band members (even grumpy Thompson) have a sense of humour. It's evident in how they play up to the camera, even if it is a subdued kind of playing up.
Behind it all is the music and the concerts are filmed wonderfully. Happily free of too much jerking around, but framed so as to convey the importance of the tour, the music sounds great. The twelve year break might as well have been twelve minutes, there's no desirable let up in the emotion behind the sound. Thank Christ for that.
Overall the film is a joy. For fans of the Pixies who were there from the start it's particularly rewarding because, as the final titles tell us, the tour was a financial success. Something that cruelly denied them at the hight of the Pixies' powers.
http://www.nysun.com/article/37151
Rocking Out On the Big Screen Movies
By MARTIN EDLUND August 2, 2006
With the rare exception of a "Don't Look Back," "Gimme Shelter," or "Message to Love," rock documentaries are minor works. They are inevitably the work of fans — who else would think to give these subjects such serious, thoroughgoing treatment — and, as a result, appeal exclusively to fellow fans. They offer all the excitement of liner notes brought to life — which is either a good or bad thing depe nding upon how you feel about the band in question.
"Play It Loud: Rockdocs 2006," a nine- day, nine-film series of New York, American, and North American premieres beginning today at Lincoln Center, is representative of the genre. There's one magisterial film: "No Direction Home," Martin Scorsese's elegant — if uncritical — documentary of Bob Dylan's Icarus-like rise and crash between 1964 and 1968. Sunday will be its big-screen debut, offering the chance to see the larger-than-life Dylan of 1967 — all skinny hound's-tooth suits and backlit Jewfro hair — actually larger than life.
"Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out" will do just the opposite: make the Police seem smaller than they are. Spliced together from Super 8 footage shot by Police drummer Stewart Copeland during the band's rise to international fame (he bought the camera with their first paycheck), it promises to be a session of tantric home-video porn for the Sting-obsessed.
A second category of film explores the various subcultures and scenes that music spawns. "Glastonbury," by director Julien Temple, includes footage from the 30-plus year history of the massive almost-annual event in Southwestern England. "Noise" offers a similar look at a smaller-scale event: 2005's determinedly avant Art Rock Festival in Saint Brieuc, which featured performances by the likes of Jim O'Rourke, Alan Licht, Thurston Moore, and Kim Deal.
"Between the Devil and the Wide Blue Sea" takes up the subject of European electronic dance music, the popularity of which continues to baffle America. "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey" travels more familiar territory. With its thin mustaches, bitchin' Camaros, and guitar histrionics, Heavy Metal galloped onto the American stage like the fifth horseman of the Apocalypse in 1986. Director Sam Dunne, a trained anthropologist and avowed metalhead, proves to be a capable Virgil as he leads the viewer through the lower circles of the scene.
For those, like me, who know heavy metal only at a safe distance — the Quiet Riot mask was enough to scare off my 11-year-old self — the film is an education.Among the facts you'll learn: the ubiquitous devil horns hand sign was popularized by hair-metal imp Ronnie James Dio, who learned it from his Italian grandmother; the chord that puts the heavy in heavy metal is the diminished fifth, a sound so timelessly evil that it was used in the Middle Ages to summon Satan; and, depending on who you ask, the first heavy metal band was either Blue Cheer, Led Zeppelin, or Black Sabbath — although Alice Cooper graciously nominates himself. But Metal also claims more distinguished forebears: Wagner and Beethoven. The classical pedigree only sounds absurd until you see Eddie Van Halen performing a virtuoso guitar solo.
Two of the best films in the series tell essentially the same story."Not A Photograph" chronicles the charmingly embarrassed return to the stage of post-punk legends Mission of Burma in 2002. (Totally gratuitous disclosure: I served as a guitar tech on the tour and appear fleetingly in the film.) "loudQUIETloud" does the same for the Pixies' reunion two years later.
The two bands have much in common. Both had short, modest careers in the American music underground — Mission of Burma's was a little more modest — and both have seen their reputations grow exponentially since breaking up. jBoth reunion tours were immensely successful, and both bands continue to play shows. Burma, in fact, has now been reunited longer than they were united the first time around.
Beyond that, however, the bands' experiences diverge sharply. Now in their mid-40s, the Burma guys are modest to a fault. (They named the reunion tour "Inexplicable.") Bassist Clint Conley smiles awkwardly as his wife and TV-news coworkers explain they had no idea that soft-spoken Clint was actually an indierock icon. Burma drummer Peter Prescott can't quite believe it, either. He's thrilled and intimidated by the constellation of minor stars who show up to pay their respects and play with the band: Mike Watt, Moby, members of Sonic Youth, Gang of Four, and Yo La Tengo. "I spent a lot of time getting way less than I thought I deserved, now I'm getting way more," Mr. Prescott says. " I don't know which is right."
Initially, the Pixies react in much the same way. After more than a decade apart, they're all nerves and grins as they play a sold-out warm-up show. But as they move from tiny clubs to sold-out theaters, old tensions threaten to tear the band apart all over again..
"loudQUIETloud" plays like an expertly cast reality TV show. Inflatable front man Charles Thompson (better known as Black Francis or Frank Black) seems totally incapable of communicating with his bandmates. In 1992, he broke up the group in an interview with the BBC. Now he lets them know he wants to record a new album through a reporter at Rolling Stone.
When his father dies midtour, drummer David Lovering (now a professional magician and amateur metal-detecting beachcomber) retreats into an iPodand-Valium haze. After a while, he has trouble keeping time during shows. Bassist Kim Deal, fresh out of rehab herself, follows the rest of the band in an RV with sister and ex-bandmate Kelly, with whom she shares a weird telepathic codependency. Stoic guitarist Joey Santiago, meanwhile, silently judges the parade of neuroses with his eyebrows. The film masterfully captures the quiet desperation that grows up between them.
On stage, neither band has lost a step. Though their new compositions don't quite live up, Burma performs classics like "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" and "Max Ernst" with the same angular intensity that made them moderately famous. The Pixies sound even better with age: They're slightly less abrasive, allowing their lyrics and internal dynamics (which are far more functional onstage) to shine through.
It's hard to imagine anyone who isn't already a fan attending either film. But it's almost too bad — even in their dotage, both bands are good enough to win converts.
Until August 10 (Walter Reade Theater, 165 W. 65th St., between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue, 212-496-3809).
http://www.startribune.com/457/story/607625.html
First Avenue, Pixies stars of Sound Unseen
Last update: August 11, 2006 – 5:04 PM
With a slow week and a half of live gigs upon us (not counting the "American Idols" concert), there are still plenty of chances for music nuts to feed their addiction, thanks to the seventh annual Sound Unseen Film & Music Festival.
The eight-day fest's two standout movies this year are both showing on opening night, Wednesday, at the Riverview Theater in Minneapolis. "First Avenue: HayDay," which screens at 7 p.m., is a collection of old live footage and interviews compiled by Rick Fuller, half of the reputable video and filmmaking crew Harder/Fuller Films. Bands featured include the Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum, Babes in Toyland, etc.
The other big film is "loudQuietloud: a film about the Pixies," showing at 9:30 p.m. A hit at the South by Southwest Film Conference, the documentary follows the band's 2004 tour from rehearsals to finale. Portions were filmed at the Fine Line in Minneapolis, where the tour kicked off.
Other Sound Unseen highlights include documentaries on the quirky Trachtenburg Family Sideshow Players, unsung jazz hero Albert Ayler, Sympathy for the Record Industry label founder Long Gone John, and Sufjan Stevens' Christian cohorts, the Danielson Family. There's also a band vs. fan bowling night to go along with a "Big Lebowski" screening Saturday. Check out www.soundunseen.com.
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
www.pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=2650" target="_blank">www.pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=2650" target="_blank">http://www.pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=2650
Steve Yasgar, who was responsible for booking bands for this year’s festival, initially became involved because he loved “the fact that they give props to local music,” he says. “They take a documentary about a certain band and type of music, and then they give a nod to a local band that fits with that. I think that’s cool.” Fans of the Pixies can catch a screening of new indie film “loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies” alongside a set by local Pixies cover band Be Lonna, for example, while rock history scavengers will appreciate “Wasted Orient,” a documentary about Chinese punk band Joyside and an evening of music with local punk rockers The Haves Have It. |
Ziggy |
Posted - 07/14/2006 : 08:08:38 http://www.nme.com/news/pixies/23609
"Meanwhile the premiere of the band's new documentary 'LoudQUIETLoud', which is the warts-and-all tale of their 2004 reunion tour, is premiered at The Edinburgh Film Festival on August 22 and 25. It's released on DVD on November 4."
Tha link also confirms the UK release of the Newport show.
|
Carl |
Posted - 05/19/2006 : 10:23:08 Your very welcome, kfs!
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/273259_siff09.html
LoudQUIETloud: A FILM ABOUT THE PIXIES (U.S.): The title refers to the style of alternating quiet verses with loud choruses, a gimmick originated by The Pixies and later appropriated by Nirvana. After five years and six albums, the Pixies broke up. This film, documenting their 2004 comeback tour, portrays the band members as disturbed and unlikable people who cannot communicate with each other. It is a long ride on this tour bus with a drug addict, a former drug addict, an insecure egomaniac and a guitar player who is just trying to get along. The concert footage offers clips of varying lengths from a wealth of songs. The rest of it is a non-exploitive glimpse at the stress disorders that can develop when average people with problems become popular celebrities. (B.W.) Grade: C+
Plays Saturday at 9:30 p.m., Neptune; plays again Sunday at 11 a.m., Broadway Performance Hall
LoudQUIETloud: A FILM ABOUT THE PIXIES (U.S.): Grade: C+. See in Saturday's reviews. Plays Sunday at 11 a.m., Broadway Performance Hall
http://seattleweekly.com/music/0624/notable-shows.php
Face the Music Rock Party
In addition to the other awesomeness SIFF's Face the Music has given us this year, they've managed to wrangle some of our finer local pop bands to celebrate the music of Devo, the Pixies, Harry Nilsson, and more. Carrie Akre will collaborate with the Presidents' Dave Dederer; Sean Nelson and Awesome will collaborate on a nine-song medley. But the highlight of the evening will easily be the special reunion of shamelessly self-assured glam-punks, the Girls. Neumo's, 8 p.m. $6
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/273811_siff15.html
Also tonight, for those 21 and over, the festival will host a "Face the Music Rock Party," at Neumo's, with local bands covering artists profiled in SIFF '06's numerous music documentaries (the Pixies, the Police, Leonard Cohen, Harry Nilsson and more). The performers include Sean Nelson, Carrie Akre and the Girls.
http://www.seattlest.com/archives/2006/06/16/siff_rocks_neumos.php
As to the show itself, Seattlest arrived during Trespassers William's set. The press release indicated that they'd be covering Sigur Ros and Bjork, but if they played songs by those artists, we missed it. We asked a friend of ours who had been there all night, and he wasn't sure either, though he did say that the band opened with something "atmospheric." Since that term, as well as "soporific," could be used to describe anything the band plays (including last night's covers of the Pixies and Bonnie Prince Billy), that didn't clear things up any.
Go Like Hell (the best band of the evening featuring a screaming dude wearing a dress) played the Pixies' "Tony's Theme," which would have gone completely unrecognized, were it not for the spoken word at the beginning.
Despite their late set time, a lot of the crowd stuck it out for "Awesome," who did their standard multi-instrument smart-funny thing, covering The Police, Devo, The Pixies (in conversation form), and a Sean Nelson-led über-medley of Harry Nilsson songs.
According to Amazon, there's a US DVD release on October 10th!!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GTLB12/qid=1152839988/sr=11-1/ref=sr_11_1/103-8516725-6606240?n=130 |
kfs |
Posted - 05/19/2006 : 10:18:50 WOW! Hey, Carl...Thanks for posting things like this. I would never get to see them otherwise! |
Carl |
Posted - 05/19/2006 : 10:05:09 www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2006/05/19/Arts/loudquietloud.Probes.Pixies.Split-2012380.shtml?
'loudQUIETloud' probes Pixies split
Casey McConahay Issue date: 5/19/06 Section: Arts
Alternative rock suffered a critical setback with the 1993 split of pioneering quartet the Pixies. Notable for both their inventive style and far-reaching influence - Kurt Cobain used to be an enthusiastic fan - the break-up of the band seemed to herald progressive rock's impending descent from mainstream prominence.
Rather than fading into obscurity as little more than a footnote to rock history, though, the Pixies legacy was sustained with the assistance of a healthy underground buzz and fueled by the fervent sort of cult following that allowed the band's 2004 reunion tour to sell out in four minutes. That same tour is the subject of "loudQUIETloud," a new documentary by directors Steven Cantor and Matthew Galkin.
The documentary is an intimate portrayal of the seminal alternative rock band whose brief but brilliant career ultimately fragmented under the stress and strain of member in-fighting. Cantor and Galkin do not tip-toe around the break-up topic. The question of why the Pixies parted ways frames the film's introduction and is addressed frequently in the span of the film, often with the vague imprecision that seems to characterize any conflict considered in hindsight.
There is a brief "what they have been up to" montage. Vocalist and guitarist Black Francis, who formerly called himself Charles Thomas, has circled the solo circuit as Frank Black; bassist Kim Deal toured with the Breeders before checking into rehab; drummer David Lovering has developed an affinity for metal detectors and magic; and guitarist Joey Santiago started a band with his wife and is scoring, ironically, a documentary.
The real story, however, is the tour. The tour becomes the band's biography in microcosm, a lens of unabashed honesty through which one can escape the smokescreen that formerly concealed the elusive band. Through the tour, we see the artists as they really are - talented men and women, but mere mortals, nonetheless. And it is all here: Black spinning self-help cassettes, Deal's battles with alcoholism and Lovering's several moments of Spinal Tap-inspired insanity while the drummer struggles with demons of his own. Indeed, Lovering's dependence on a cocktail of red wine and Valium culminates in what is perhaps the most honest intervention ever captured on camera, and all of this augmented with a tender and poignant production that challenges the deification of rock stars without ever devaluing its subjects to comic rock star caricatures.
As the Pixies play to packed houses across the United Kingdom, United States and Canada, then, to crowds that raise signs reading "Kim Deal is God," the film adopts a tone of elegiac facetiousness that is at once both tragic and heartwarming. Relying upon simple but gripping cinematography, the picture gets more purchase from glances and gestures than most scripted movies get from pages of dialogue - a sigh from Deal as she reads a book given to her by a fan, which packs an impressive but subdued punch, as does the single instance where Black pushes aside a camera when the conflict born of Lovering's addictions has reached its breaking point.
In the end, Cantor and Galkin present the Pixies as what they are - a group of musicians who have experienced a measure of commercial success and critical acclaim, but both in the past tense. The challenge the film depicts is not only how to regain bygone glories, but also how to progress in one's individual development when handicapped by the remnants of an overbearing and prominent past. "LoudQuietloud" presents four such stories with a quiet profundity that makes the journey all the more compelling.
Media Credit: Courtesy of Stickfigure Productions |
mcil |
Posted - 05/15/2006 : 13:32:44 Just found out it's being shown at the international film festival in Edinburgh in August - day off school looks on the cards. Don't know if it's already been mentioned, I'm too lazy to read all the articles at the moment.
"Your Bone's Got a Little Machine..." |
Carl |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 17:09:15 http://www.columbusdispatch.com/weekender/weekender.php?story=dispatch/2006/05/04/20060504-W4-00.html
Documentary takes ‘affectionate’ peek at Pixies
Thursday, May 04, 2006
FRANK GABRENYA
Recent rock documentaries have shown that there is no we in band.
Some of the Ramones detested one another; Metallica thrives on internal dissension. And the Pixies, beloved punk rockers of yore, barely converse offstage.
That’s a plot thread in loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies, which will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday during the second Deep Focus Film Festival at the Arena Grand, 170 W. Nationwide Blvd.
The film by directors Steve Cantor and Matthew Galkin follows the band on its 2004 reunion tour (which included a Columbus stop, although that probably isn’t in the film), filling in gaps of history going back into the ’80s. The group disbanded in 1992, as the four members — Charles Thompson (aka Frank Black), Kim Deal, David Lovering and Joey Santiago — explored solo avenues, with only Thompson/Black finding much success.
Overall, the film is described in a Variety review as "intimate" and "affectionate."
JONATHAN FURMANSKI The Pixies, clockwise from upper left: Charles Thompson, David Lovering, Kim Deal and Joey Santiago
It's showing as part of the Seattle International Film Festival. Details here:
http://www.seattlefilm.org/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=19667&FID=13
http://www.moviecitynews.com/Notepad/2006/060514_pr.html
This year's line-up of Face the Music films cover a wide range of musical styles and approaches, highlighting celebrated artists including: The Pixies; The Police; Leonard Cohen; Harry Nilsson; JJ Cale; Bjork; and George Michael as well as incredible overlooked masters and undiscovered talents in Brazil, West Africa, Iceland and Turkey. |
Carl |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 10:53:07 It also showed at the Independant Film Festival of Boston:
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/04/16/giant_steps/
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/04/16/giant_steps/?page=2
Aside from ''Not a Photograph: The Mission of Burma Story" ( codirected by Boston native David Kleiler Jr.), another music documentary has a local angle. ''loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies" is, as the subtitle suggests, a biopic of the famous Massachusetts band.
More Tribeca:
http://www.nysun.com/article/31436
Claude Chabrol teams up with Isabelle Huppert for "Comedy of Power." But if you prefer music to mise-en-scene, the glut of rock docs continues full blast with movies about the Pixies ("loudQUIETloud"), the Wu-Tang Clan ("Rock the Bells), the Iranian music industry ("Sounds of Silence"), and the U.S. Air Guitar Championship ("Air Guitar Nation").
http://filmcritic.com/misc/emporium.nsf/0/a8c1a7793d80d1dd882571640012c8cd?OpenDocument
...Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago sneaking into the back of the theater at the documentary of the band's reunion tour, loudQUIETloud...
In 2004, a dozen years after one of indie rock’s most storied bands broke up amid a welter of bad blood and ego, the Pixies reunited for a tour received with the enthusiasm of desert wanderers being offered a splash of cold water. loudQUIETloud () is the lo- fi record of that tour – which starts out at a small Minneapolis club and ends in a raucous Manhattan ballroom – touching on a litter of animosities along the way. What the film brilliantly records is the genial tedium of touring and the importance of these lucrative gigs to the bandmates who have mostly struggled in the post-Pixies world. The foursome is fantastically hermetic, communicating best via their instruments. Best to watch is bassist Kim Deal, with her infectiously brassy laugh and ever-present cigarettes – a working-class muse if there ever was one, and the sole Pixie who truly seems to appreciate the second chance they’d all been given.
http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hc-tribeca0504.artmay04,0,5243117.story?track=mostviewedlink
NEW YORK -- The Tribeca Film Festival, happening now in Lower Manhattan, features documentaries on the Wu Tang Clan, the Pixies, the Ramones and other well-known musical acts.
http://www.bergen.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjczN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2NjcmZmdiZWw3Zjd2cWVlRUV5eTY5MzAxMDUmeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk0
A film crew followed The Pixies, another long-lost band, as it embarked on its reunion tour. While the documentary, "loudQuietloud," was apparently produced independent of the band, its director summed up a critical point about music documentaries when he told Billboard.com: "It was surprising to see how utterly human this band was, particularly in comparison to their idolized image."
Also screened at the Hopkins Film Festival:
http://www.jhunewsletter.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/05/07/445cd71708b3a
Weighty cultural statements, however, should always come with a little kick, and if possible, some rock music in the background. Viewers were treated to an intimate look at the long-estranged Pixies in Stephen Cantor and Matthew Galkin's documentary loudQUIETloud and found out what happens when Zombie horror, modern malaise, and `80s nostalgia collide in Ryan Graham's Livelihood.
http://sev.prnewswire.com/music/20060505/NYF03505052006-1.html
At a private screening of the heralded documentary loudQUIETloud, recently hosted by EliasArts in New York City as a prelude to today's announcement, Tag Gross commented, "Elias' featured artists, together with our full time staff, offer the most solid credentials and diverse levels of capabilities anywhere. There's a synergy and collaborative creative spirit at EliasArts that is hard to beat." |
beckett trance |
Posted - 05/03/2006 : 13:44:20 Tribeca review here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michelle-orange/here-comes-your-band-the_b_20304.html
_______________________________________ ** feeling deluxe for just a couple of bucks ** |
shesmyfav |
Posted - 05/02/2006 : 21:13:14 Quick update on premier at Tribeca: Joey and David were special guests!! And the latest news straight from the source is they aren't talking about a new album... |
kml67 |
Posted - 05/02/2006 : 13:57:35 loudQUIETloud looks like it is making the film festival circuit. There is a site up http://www.loudquietloud.com that has all of the scheduled screenings etc...FYI |
Carl |
Posted - 04/24/2006 : 12:58:56 It's showing at the Tribeca Film Festival:
http://comingsoon.net/news/indietopnews.php?id=14212
Two popular alternative rock bands also get the rockumentary treatment: loudQUIETloud, documenting the reformation of Pixies in 2004, and Tell Me Do You Miss Me, chronicling the last six months of the New York alt-rock band Luna, as they go their separate ways. Frank Black and Kim Deal from Pixies also appear in Follow My Voice: The Music of Hedwig, about the making of a benefit album to help the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the first gay-lesbian high school in the country.
http://www.ew.com/ew/report/0,6115,1186929_1_0_,00.html
Sundance faves like Wordplay and Madeinusa are on tap, as well as a wealth of music docs, from the Pixies' loudQUIETloud to the Wu Tang Clan's Rock the Bells.
Also at the Deep Focus Film Festival:
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/features-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/04/30/20060430-F1-00.html
One difference between the first two years is that the 2006 slate contains only two documentaries (American Blackout and loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies). |
Daisy Girl |
Posted - 04/02/2006 : 14:15:04 The good thing in addition to the reunion of course is that they were real. I couldn't see too many bands being authentic like the way it sounds like they're in the documentary. I think that would be a personally hard thing to do and I respect them for that.
Hopefully Kim has stayed on the wagon. If not hopefully she keeps getting back on it. |
Carl |
Posted - 03/29/2006 : 05:29:48 Kewl. :)
pas de dutchie! |
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