| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Grotesque |
Posted - 07/19/2007 : 11:15:27
I'm probably totaly out of date but is there a topic about that book by John Mendelssohn about the pixies? It looks very good but it's absoluttely awfull, it seems the author is a psychopath who laught at his own jokes and try to write like the great rock crazy writers.
He seems to hate everything and everybody, exept some very old arena rock bands he sometimes quote. |
| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Srisaket |
Posted - 09/22/2007 : 05:59:01
quote:
Originally posted by OLDMANOTY
Don't ask me why but I've been dipping into it again recently and it's even more scathing than I remember from reading it the first time. What really gets me is the number of times the authour matter-of-factly states that a particular song is 'tuneless' or has 'no musical phrases'. DITS seems to get the biggest bashing in this regard, despite being one of the more obviously 'tuneful' FB albums. Completely nonsensical!
I'm not a big reader of rock biographies but I don't know of any other where almost everything produced by the subject is trashed and ridiculed like this. Can anyone come up with another example?
I've not read the Gigantic book, but Goldman's 'Lives of John Lennon' is paticularly nasty and personal both to Lennon and Yoko. |
| floop |
Posted - 09/22/2007 : 00:48:58
what a shame. i've never read this book, and i never plan to (i trust the unanimous opinion of loyal FB fans here). but like fbc said, it's such a shame that there's even a book like this out there. what a fucking waste of time - for the readers and the author. what's the point? Frank deserves more than that |
| OLDMANOTY |
Posted - 09/22/2007 : 00:08:38
Don't ask me why but I've been dipping into it again recently and it's even more scathing than I remember from reading it the first time. What really gets me is the number of times the authour matter-of-factly states that a particular song is 'tuneless' or has 'no musical phrases'. DITS seems to get the biggest bashing in this regard, despite being one of the more obviously 'tuneful' FB albums. Completely nonsensical!
I'm not a big reader of rock biographies but I don't know of any other where almost everything produced by the subject is trashed and ridiculed like this. Can anyone come up with another example? |
| billgoodman |
Posted - 08/28/2007 : 01:15:59
yes, and it's called Fool The World
---------------------------
BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
| Albireo |
Posted - 08/27/2007 : 11:44:40
Does it exist a really good book about the Pixies?
In English, Español, Français, I don't care! |
| madtempest |
Posted - 08/06/2007 : 05:25:40
the mendolsohn book wasnt so hot. they author and publisher reached out to me, wanting my help in pushing the book to the pixies masses. they sent me a few copies, and I read it, and I just could not do much for them. i can't push something i didnt enjoy reading.
The 33 1/3 is really good, and i really enjoyed reading the josh frank/caryn ganz book. |
| debaserrr |
Posted - 08/04/2007 : 18:26:08
i first read "gigantic" and thought it was really interesting at first, but i kept reading and there was some wierd attitude throughout the book and just couldnt understand "is this writer a fan? what is his problem?" it was just dumb, the guy who wrote it didnt even make an effort to give the reader any insight... it was just UGH- Fool the World was great
"The arc of triumph!" |
| mixedbizz |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 12:20:41
The 33 1/3 Doolittle book is excellent. |
| Ziggy |
Posted - 08/02/2007 : 08:38:24
Yes, a fabulous read. |
| billgoodman |
Posted - 08/01/2007 : 17:06:38
that's a great book, I've said it before and will say it again
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BF: Mag ik Engels spreken? |
| fooltheworld |
Posted - 08/01/2007 : 15:49:59
You can read my book instead! "Fool the World"- The Oral History of the Pixies! |
| OLDMANOTY |
Posted - 07/20/2007 : 16:29:04
One of the most pointless and bewildering books I've ever read. Mendelssohn admits near the start to having little prior knowledge of Frank Black when he was commissioned to write the wretched thing. Why, then, once he realised how much he despised 98% of the music, did he go ahead? Oh yeah, money.
Who did the publishers think this book was aimed at once they'd okayed it? Was there a untapped niche market of people who don't much like Frank Black but still wanted a book about him anyway? Not long after publication I spotted it in bargain bins all over the place. Who'd have thought??!! |
| fbc |
Posted - 07/20/2007 : 11:44:09
my mum bought it for me as a surprise. she seemed well chuffed to have found it, "isn't this the band you like, son?"
i asked for the receipt. |
| Grotesque |
Posted - 07/20/2007 : 09:47:42
Reading this book I felt a bit of pity for this little angry guy, but it should be more "Poor book company ! Poor buyers!". Again, it LOOKS very nice from the outside, my girlfriend gave it to me and I was like "GREAT, YOU COULDNT HAVE CHOOSEN BETTER EXCEPT MAYBE THE BIG MONTY PYTHON BOOK!". Then came a huge disapointment, and the translation is the worst I ever seen, it must be translated by internet !
I thought that kind of guy only existed in Paris, but he's american, isnt he? He hates the pixies, he hates verybody!
The biggest attack is against Frank's songwriting. For him, Frank's lyrics are the worst in rock history because sometimes they're hard to understand. But didnt he hear about the unconscious , the charm and the mystery of un-obvious things?
I cant resist to give you an example of his analysis: Here Comes Your Man is a shit because frank used the word "boxcar" that suggested something like Kerouac or Steinbeck, then Frank doesnt use that imaginary in the rest of the song and that's a shame, a betrayal to the listener !!! But that's the fun of it man! Here comes your man is everything you want at the moment you're listening to it. It's a magic song because it's allways about what you're living when you hear it.
The most ridiculous theory is that a few Pixies songs are good and the rest is shit.
But almost everybody agrees that the Pixies have a body of work very homogenic in terms of quality! (wow what a sentence). There is no choice to make in the pixies songs, maybe one or two could be weak (for me it would be tony's theme and dig for fire) but the rest is like the rock'n'roll version of Kubrick's work: take it or leave it, it's a pure art and you're just a wannabe Hunter Thompson. |
| fbc |
Posted - 07/20/2007 : 08:59:50
Yeah, it's the Gigantic one.
Grotesque, I don't even think he was a fan. Just someone commissioned to write the book. It's a shame, considering who the book is about. Even without cooperation from the band, there's so much info out there, it could have been something special. The first book about Frank Black and the opportunity was wasted. |
| pixiestu |
Posted - 07/20/2007 : 05:50:11
Is this the 'Gigantic' one? I remember reading it before I'd heard any Frank Black solo material and since it seemed to be quite complimentary to the Pixies I just though "well, maybe his solo stuff is awful, it can't be as good as the Pixies, can it?". Of course, I was wrong.
The thing I don't get: why write a book that only fans of this artist would buy, then rip everything he's done to shreds in it?
Fair enough if that's the authors true opinion, but it's not is it? It's just full of snide comments and feels like he has a personal grudge.
"The arc of triumph" |
| Grotesque |
Posted - 07/20/2007 : 04:10:02
Ok, I understand now. The most incredible fact is that the back of the book sums it up as a regular book about the pixies.
It should have said "I wrote this book of hate because I'm a rejected fan". |
| fbc |
Posted - 07/19/2007 : 12:18:01
frnck blck
Posted - 10/20/2004
Hi.
From time to time The Pixies or myself are approached by writers, wannabe writers, film makers, wannabe film makers, and others, to do something on the band. For lots of different reasons, we or our manager frequently decline these offers. Usually because we find the proposals to be a bit predictable, mundane and generally a waste of time for us. Nothing personal. It's a free country. People can write about whatever they want. This guy John wanted access to the band and we did not care to participate. You may draw your own conclusions. Sometimes people who want to do something on the band assume that just because it has been proposed that we would, of course, be delighted to accomodate. And when we do not accomodate them they sometimes get pissy and grouchy. I don't know what this person's attitude is as we have never spoken and I have never read anything that he has written.
http://forum.frankblack.net/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10086
bring back the G! |
