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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
 Posted - 07/18/2005 : 07:43:15
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I know there are some Bob Mould fans on the forum (kathryn?), and though I'm not one myself, I discovered this interview while searching for Honeycomb reviews, and thought I'd post it for youse!
http://www.ireland.com/theticket/articles/2005/0715/432374897TK1507MOULD.html
Breaking the mould
Bob Mould's in spiky form. He's never come close to writing the perfect three-minute pop song - nobody has. He dislikes touring - yet he's back on the road and he'll even be throwing a couple of classic Husker Du and Sugar Tracks into his set. Tony Clayton-Leatalks to the reluctant minstrel.
'IT'S what all of us aspire to do - to write a stupid or smart three-minute life affirming pop song. None of us ever leave having written a perfect song, however. Really! None of us has. Brian Wilson or Lennon and McCartney? No, but they're probably the closest. Jimi Hendrix? Very close, but you know, it just doesn't happen."
Bob Mould is clearly in a pesky, some might say argumentative mood. For a man whose previous bands have included the highly influential Hüsker Dü and Sugar (not forgetting his mercurial but often melody-soaked solo work) to state that he has never come close to writing a perfect pop song is either denial of the highest order or scorching self-criticism. Still, he's the songwriter, so he should know, right? "That's a daily struggle," says Mould from his Washington DC home. "Two days ago I started to come up with ideas that are different to anything I've ever done before. Whether I'll like them in a month is open to debate."
Mould is opening up old war wounds with his latest album, Body of Song. Reverting to a guitar-driven format - his first foray back into loud melodies in almost 10 years - Mould takes the record out on the road this autumn, stopping at Laois's Electric Picnic boutique music festival along the way. What is different about this particular jaunt is that Mould is performing material from all points of his career for the first time in a full band format.
Surely the sense of expectation is immense? "Yes. My own personal experience relates back to Hüsker Dü, which was a very unconscious act until everybody started hyping us up - like, say, the New York critics - and then all of a sudden the world was looking at the band. And you get self-conscious; I was just going about my work, just the crazy ride I was on, and I didn't know anybody was watching. I knew people liked the records - but the Next Big Thing? Now I understand what it's about - I just do my work, I shrug off both the good and the bad, and appreciate the fact that people care."
Those halcyon Hüsker Dü days seem a lifetime ago, according to Mould. Recently, however, a little bit of history came back when a close associate of that band died. "With such a tragic event like that you take inventory, and nothing amounts to that type of loss. It's like a hard reset - you look back and sort through what you've done. And thinking about Hüsker Dü brings back mostly pleasant thoughts and a few regrets. Ultimately, what we do is stupid, silly, simple stuff - we try to write a song that rhymes within the space of three minutes.
"People regularly ask why I don't play the Hüsker Dü songs, and it's a good question. I think this tour those songs will be fine. I've sort of reconciled all that, putting my work into different drawers. In a sense I saw the uselessness of that. Now I look at my whole body of work, the different things I'm trying to do, and I come to the conclusion that it's all about me, and it's about what I do."
It's something of a truism, offers Mould, that as artists get older they come to the realisation that indeed it is all about them, rather than peripheral bits and pieces. It is also, he says, about protecting the integrity of the work in its original context. "The beauty of pop music is that it's a sacred art form, but it's not so sacred that one has to ignore one's legacy. I wrote those songs and there's no way I could pretend that if I play Hüsker Dü songs in September, in Ireland, that they're going to have any semblance of the impact they created 20 years ago. It just can't be. So I gave up the idea of that, and decided just to play the songs."
Whatever way it sounds is as good as it's going to get, for Mould - unlike, say, Brian Wilson - has no wish to recreate his music note for note. "It's impossible. It just can't be done. Some people do, but what's the point? Well, the point is only if you want to slavishly appease the audience, but I would have thought that people would be happy if the show was good, coherent, and that the band is enjoying playing. Surely that's the best you can hope for out of a live experience. I've never been one for trying to recreate on stage note-perfect renditions of album songs. Isn't the beauty of a live performance that it should be spontaneous, reactive, interactive?"
So Bob is not a fan of Brian Wilson's facsimiles of Pet Sounds and the much hyped/lauded Smile shows? A diplomatic pause takes place. "They're incredible exercises in and of themselves, but at the end of the day if he got up from the piano because he didn't want to play, or because he wasn't into singing a particular song on a particular night, then people would gasp at the magic of it. But the fact people know they're going to watch a faithful reproduction of a masterwork - eeerrrr, then they're just going to look for the flaws, aren't they? Really, wouldn't it be more interesting to see him forget the words of a song and then just have to change direction completely? It's not that we like to see people fall on their faces, but it's about the humanity of the thing, isn't it?"
It is inevitable that the man whose weblog is subtitled 'a quiet and uninteresting life' ("It's a good thing I have the weblog, because otherwise I'd forget what I did last month; I'm old and I forget") isn't looking forward to touring. "Yes, it's true, I'm not looking forward to the travel or getting sick on the road. The drudgery of it; the inevitable wiping my eye after I've shaken hand number 147, and ending up with a cold for a week. The not so good diet." But the performance is always worth it? "It is, because if that's not worth it then you might as well go home. I can find other ways to make money. Hey, it's about 26 shows this year and I want to make all of them count. We're not the kind of people who are planning to go back out in three months' time and open for - who knows? - a band like Pearl Jam. So, yes, the shows had all better be good!"
Bob Mould performs at the Electric Picnic, Stradbally Hall, Co Laois, on September 4th.
www.bobmould.com www.electricpicnic.ie
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Edited by - Carl on 07/18/2005 07:46:06 |
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Llamadance
> Teenager of the Year <
United Kingdom
2543 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2005 : 09:12:18
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thanks a lot Carl. Bob Mould is fantastic, just a shame he's not playing Scotland:(
Today has been a fabulous day:
Firstly - Honeycomb delivered this morning
Secondly - Deluxe version of Body Of Song delivered this afternoon.
Can't get any better really. Cheers again Carl.
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No power in the 'verse can stop me
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2005 : 09:48:39
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quote:
Originally posted by Carl
I know there are some Bob Mould fans on the forum (kathryn?),
I have no idea why you'd think that, Carl! 
Thankyouthankyouthankyou and what a nice photo, too!
Sometimes, no matter how shitty things get, you have to just do a little dance. - Frank
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Edited by - kathryn on 07/18/2005 09:49:21 |
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danjersey
> Teenager of the Year <
USA
2792 Posts |
Posted - 07/18/2005 : 21:15:38
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thanks Carl, that was a nice read.
"now you understand the oriental passion for tea" |
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bazza
* Dog in the Sand *
Ireland
1439 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 05:46:40
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nice one Carl. big fan of his new single 'paralysed.' seems to be getting a good bit of airplay on alison curtis and jenny huston.
I think animal testing is a terrible idea; they get all nervous and give the wrong answers.
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Kirk
= Cult of Ray =
USA
633 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 10:15:20
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I have many of Bob the Mould's albums,
but I think if the man is going to experiment, at least find better sources of inspiration. |
Edited by - Kirk on 07/19/2005 10:16:12 |
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Llamadance
> Teenager of the Year <
United Kingdom
2543 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 12:31:25
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Kirk, do you mean rather than electronica? Granted, Modulate was fairly pedestrian, but the new album is mostly guitar driven, very 'up' and flippin' great. There's some flavours of dance, but it really enhances the album IMO.
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No power in the 'verse can stop me
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Kirk
= Cult of Ray =
USA
633 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 14:02:03
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| hmmmm... |
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Llamadance
> Teenager of the Year <
United Kingdom
2543 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 14:04:10
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errrrrrr...
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No power in the 'verse can stop me
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 12/02/2005 : 23:23:51
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Another Mould interview, the article has the same title! And there's a mention of Pixies.
http://www.nyunews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/12/02/438fe61343cb8
Breaking the Mould
by Paul Haney
December 02, 2005
While most post-punk legends would be content to drift into obscurity following the dissolutions of their flagship bands, Bob Mould, by comparion, has kept himself industrious since the late-80's disintegration of the enormously influential rockers known as Husker Du. Not only did he form another compelling power-trio, the oft-overlooked Sugar, but he’s been releasing challenging solo work throughout the past decade. After his 2002 foray into the realm of electronic-based music, Modulate, elicited confused and hostile responses from his core audience (those expecting power chords were no doubt thrown off by the synth-driven beats and soundscapes), Mould’s latest, Body of Song, returns to more familiar territory — or so he’d like you to think.
“A lot of the foundations for the newer material on Body of Song are a lot of electronic loops and things I was working with at home,” he explained in a phone interview. “For some reason, I picked up the guitar again and started applying it to that...I think when I started working with the electronic stuff three or four years ago it was more of a jarring experience just because [people] weren’t expecting it. I think now that they maybe got used to it or they hear the guitars up further in the mix, it seems more familiar to them. To me it’s an extension of what I was doing.”
After vowing never to tour with a full-band again following 1998's The Last Dog & Pony Show and seemingly immersing himself into the world of electronica, Body of Song is something of a surprise to those who expected to never again hear the Mould who penned such blustering anthems as “Celebrated Summer” and “Helpless.” But rather than consciously trudge back to his old aesthetic simply to please those trying to catch up with Modulate, the reality is perhaps more uncontrived.
“[My guitar] was just sitting there, and I actually hadn’t been playing it for quite a while,” he said regarding the recording process behind Body of Song. “I turned around, and it just sort-of looked appealing one day. I wish it was more complicated than that, but sometimes it’s that simple.”
And for all the fuss over a rock musician dabbling in electronic, a genre he is unlikely to leave behind with an upcoming D.C. DJ’ing residency at the 9:30 Club and a forthcoming record with his Blowoff project (featuring producer/musician Richard Morel), Mould sees an amusing parallel between his scrutinized foray into electronic music and what has transpired between rock and electronic music since then.
“I just got a request from somebody who’s making a documentary about early 90's bands, of which I guess Sugar was considered a part — that whole thing with My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver and all that — [and] the premise of this documentary is how much of an influence all of that stuff had on the new electronic music, whether it’s Ulrich Schnauss or M83 and people like that,” he said. “I sense that there were similarities years ago, but now I think the boundaries are a lot less defined. I guess my frustration is that I think I have an older audience that’s used to organic music, and sometimes it’s hard to get to come across to the other side.”
For now, Mould seems content to explore both of his musical personas, as the electronic composer and power-pop songssmith, even going so far as revisiting in concert the songs he wrote for Husker Du and Sugar, a prospect that drew much attention during his recent full-band tour.
“It just seemed like it’d be a fun thing with Body of Song being more of a guitar record and knowing that I was going to go back out of the road with a full band, which is something I wasn’t planning on doing again,” he said, noting that “people really got off on hearing those older songs.” In the recent reunion-heavy climate, with everyone from the Pixies to Slint to Gang of Four rejoining on the stage, the idea of a Husker Du reunion has graced more than a few tongues. His revisiting of old material seemed to fuel those flames. And still, despite embracing his past successes, Mould is content to laugh off such an endeavor.
“I’ve heard more than a few people say, ‘why would you want to see a Husker Du reunion? You can just go see Bob play his songs, because at least you’re getting half of that band’s stuff,’” Mould said. “So, no [to a Husker Du reunion]. That wouldn’t be any fun for me at all on a personal level.”
“I think in the wake of [the Pixies] reunion, most of the [reunion concerts] that have come since have not been very successful. With Gang of Four, for instance, I was sad they did not take the time to write new songs...but I don’t think the market is going to sustain too many of those [reunions].”
In the constantly fluctuating music climate, Mould may be poised for the most attention of his career, what with the recent mainstream embrace of indie culture. Case in point: Mould’s song “Circles” made an appearance on “The O.C.”
Despite the often dark days of his 80's tenure in Husker Du, he appears comfortable with the recent rediscovery of the period he helped usher in. “I’ve got fond memories for music of that era,” he said. “I think that was a period when music was vital and important and had cultural significance. Now, I’m not so sure music has the same value in people’s lives that it used to 25 years ago. Sadly, I see music now more as a lifestyle accessory and not so much as a way of life. So I guess if newer bands are drawing on an era when, at least in my opinion, music was a little more vital and important, that’s a better place to start.” |
Edited by - Carl on 12/02/2005 23:25:08 |
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Llamadance
> Teenager of the Year <
United Kingdom
2543 Posts |
Posted - 12/03/2005 : 00:48:34
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Cheers Carl
I've got tickets to see him in January. I believe he's playing Dublin early Feb.
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
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Crispy Water
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
819 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2006 : 18:12:50
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I am about to sit down, split a bottle of wine, get stoned, and walk a mere three blocks up from my apartment to enjoy a Bob Mould acoustic solo show.
Jealous, Kathryn?
Nothing is ever something. |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 03/04/2006 : 18:48:40
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YOU BASTARD!!!
Why no, Crispy, why would I be jealous? (bats eyelashes)
I got some heaven in my head
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fumanbru
* Dog in the Sand *
Canada
1462 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2006 : 01:19:31
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he just played winnipeg the other night but i couldn't make it. let me know how the show was crispy.
 "I joined the Cult of Frank/ cause I'm a real go-getter!" |
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Llamadance
> Teenager of the Year <
United Kingdom
2543 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2006 : 03:38:40
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Did I mention I saw him in Glasgow in January? Awesome.
That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable.
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Crispy Water
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
819 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2006 : 11:39:56
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Did this ever slip my mind...anyway, here:
I won't spend too much time on my summary of the show, but I was very impressed with nothing but the performer himself. He got dealt a bad hand that night - lukewarm crowd and terrible sound. The sound was the biggest problem; volume would just keep dropping at the most inconvenient times, and it was obviously pissing the man off. There were a couple of songs that he cut short, and he even walked off stage at one point before the sound guy talked him into going back and finishing - the performance probably lasted no more than 45 minutes. It was too bad, because every time he seemed to put it out of mind and really start givin' 'er the volume would just cut in half and he would get upset again.
I'm much more familiar with Hüsker Dü than anything he has done since, so there were a number of songs I could not identify, but there weren't any stinkers. More than anything I felt bad for the guy because nobody could seem to do anything about the sound. You could just see the disgust in his face, and by the time he had played half a dozen tunes it looked like he would sooner be at his own wake than on stage.
I hope the experience doesn't sour him on Edmonton, because I picked up some of his brilliance through all these complications and would just love to see a proper show. I also hope if he comes back he brings a band with him; his guitar style just doesn't seem as well suited to the unaccompanied acoustic treatment as hoped.
boo-hoo
Nothing is ever something. |
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Crispy Water
= Cult of Ray =
Canada
819 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2006 : 11:40:51
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I also believe he may have been wearing exactly the same thing as in the picture at the top of this page. The scarf and jacket came off for play time, but he showed up wearing what is shown above.
Nothing is ever something. |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2006 : 11:51:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Crispy Water
I hope the experience doesn't sour him on Edmonton, because I picked up some of his brilliance through all these complications and would just love to see a proper show.
I wouldn't worry about it, Crispy, for thus spake Bob in his blog:
"Saturday in Edmonton was good as well. Nice venue, and a fun crowd. I was a little beat up by the end of the night, and turned in early. Thanks to all the promoters, and to the people who turned out for the gigs. I hope I'm able to come back in the future."
Speaking of Bob's blog, those of us who read it feverishly (hello, offerw!) surely are amused by his girlish obsession with Vin Diesel.
I got some heaven in my head
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Edited by - kathryn on 03/18/2006 11:54:12 |
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lonely persuader
= Cult of Ray =
Ireland
488 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2006 : 11:28:35
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did i mention i seen him in galway (last month). got his autograph and had a brief word.
i never thought i'd hear stuff like "celebrated summer" live from the man. It was the 2nd best i was ever to... |
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kathryn
~ Selkie Bride ~
Belgium
15320 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2006 : 11:55:06
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What was the brief word? What did you say? What did Bobness say?
swoon......
I got some heaven in my head
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
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shineoftheever
> Teenager of the Year <
Canada
4307 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2007 : 18:40:30
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yeah i'll be picking that up. sugar were so awesome live. hope bob comes to the west coast sometime soon.
The waxworks were an immensely eloquent dissertation on the wonderful ordinariness of mankind. |
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For Bob Mould fans (a little ol' interview!)
