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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
 Posted - 07/30/2006 : 10:08:34
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http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1154172248496&call_pageid=970599119419
Surf rock for
stalkers
THE PIXIES | A lotta
noise but not much
drama or even
revelation
Jul. 30, 2006. 01:00 AM
NATHAN WHITLOCK
Fool the World:
The Oral History
of a Band Called Pixies
by Josh Frank
and Caryn Ganz
St Martin's, 320 pages,
$19.95
For a long time, people trying to explain the importance of the Pixies —
the seminal, early-'90s rock band that married British New Wave's square-
shouldered iciness to the more emotionally shambolic sound of American
postpunk — would point to the admission by Nirvana's Kurt Cobain that
the song "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was him "basically trying to rip off the
Pixies."
In reality, linking the two bands only highlights their differences. Nirvana's
studied, masculine bohemianism and intentionally off-handed attack was
miles away from the terse-yet-dreamy, hermaphroditic sound of the Pixies.
Unlike Nirvana, which was always fairly easy to suss out, the Pixies were,
and still are, genuinely strange and unknowable. Even reuniting two years
ago for a series of hugely successful tours has not really dispelled the
sense that here was a band whose music came from no discernable
source.
How two shy, nerdy, University of Massachusetts roommates could hook
up with a married secretary and a former Radio Shack employee to come
up with something that sounded like surf-rock for stalkers is still a
mystery. Like the Talking Heads, the Pixies were a band you could obsess
over for years and still come away thinking, "yeah, but why did they
sound like that, exactly?"
Fool the World, the first attempt to have the band and those around them
lay it out in their own words, does nothing to change this. Though it fills
in more of the picture with facts, biographical and otherwise, that picture
ends up being no less puzzling.
First, the facts. The band was formed by two college friends — Charles
Thompson, the son of a bar owner, and Joey Santiago, a Manila-born
guitarist — who had a shared love for Iggy Pop, the Velvet Underground
and odder things such as Captain Beefheart and the Cars. They placed a
want ad for a bass player, famously asking for someone into both melodic
post-punkers Husker Du and the folk trio Peter, Paul & Mary. Kim Deal,
who had been singing and writing songs for years with her twin sister
Kelly, was the only person who answered the ad. She recommended a
former workmate of her husband's, an electronic engineer named David
Lovering, on drums.
The Pixies moved fast. They met with success early — though never with
the kind of world-busting, retirement-funding success later enjoyed by
Nirvana — and recorded five albums in just less than five years. Their final
tour was a notoriously unhappy one, opening for U2. In 1992, Thompson,
more and more unhappy with the contraints of the Pixies, and no longer
on speaking terms with Deal, broke up the band by sending a fax.
Unlike the group it attempts to investigate, Fool the Worldgoes wrong
right from the start. (The book is named after the Pixies' final studio
album, Trompe le Monde — my own favourite.) In his hysterically
pretentious introduction, Josh Frank, a playwright, claims that "for the
purposes of this book," he and Ganz, a Spin magazine associate editor,
"are not rock journalists, but rock dramatists." What is a rock dramatist?
Why, he "takes those simple moments that whispered change, shapes
them into a journey, and brings out the inherent drama that was there all
along." Oh, like, a writer?
There are a lot of interesting tidbits — sorry, "simple moments that
whisper change" — for a Pixies fan:
Thompson developed his famous scream from playing The Beatles' "Oh!
Darling" for a friend, who told him to "scream it like you hate the bitch!"
Kim Deal used to bill herself, until her divorce, as "Mrs. John Murphy"
because that was the kind of thing the secretaries she worked with did.
Thompson called himself "Black Francis" because his dad thought it would
make a good stage name.
The 2004 reunion came about after Thompson made a sarcastic comment
to a radio interviewer about the Pixies "getting together all the time." This
non-news hit the CNN news ticker in Times Square the next day, and
Thompson decided "well, yeah, what the hell."
The problem is that Frank and Ganz don't know what to do with all this
material. They let some voices dominate and fail to organize them into the
kind of clashing, conflicting, heat-generating pattern that most oral
histories require. Dull and barely relevant topics get pursued at length,
while matters of more importance — perhaps, say, the music — get
minimized or trivialized. For rock dramatists, they seem to have no talent
for creating actual drama. With a group subject as odd, awkward and
tightly wound as this, you need to do a little more than simply transcribe
a bunch of interviews.
As Thompson said back in 1990: "It's no good talking to the source. Don't
ask me! I don't know! I'm just writing the songs!"
Nathan Whitlock is review editor of Quill & Quire. |
Edited by - Carl on 07/30/2006 10:17:32 |
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fooltheworld
- FB Fan -
22 Posts |
Posted - 08/02/2006 : 10:05:02
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Since the other 99 percent of the book reviews so far have been pretty much shining and complimentary, I hope we can all look past Torontos feelings about it. So as long as you can look past this guys opinion I Just wanted to pass on to you that I will be readin' and signin' the Pixies Book "Fool The World" over the next two weeks at the places
listed below! If you are not in DC, NY, or L.A. Please pass it on! I promise not to be hysterically pretentious.
Thanks so much, Josh
East Coast/West Coast Pixie Book Readings for August!!!
EASTCOAST!
Aug 5 2006- 1:00PM
Politics and Prose- DC reading
@ 5015 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC
Aug 7 2006-7:00P
Book Reading-The Strand-NYC!
@ 828 Broadway, NYC!
WESTCOAST!
Aug 9 2006-7:00P
book reading-book soup-LA
@ 8818 Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood
Aug 11 2006-7:00P
vromans book readings- Pasedina CA
@ 695 E. Colorado Blvd. Pasadena, CA
Josh will br present at all the readings!
Caryn will be present at the NYC -Strand reading!
Spread the word and come say hi!!!
"Fool The World" The Oral History of a band called Pixies
is the book critics are calling...
"one hell of a good read..."(Amplifier), " 4 stars!" (Word N' Bass), "necessary reading...a 300-odd page odyssey." (New York Press) "fascinating and informative" (Los Angeles Alternative Press) "as comprehensive an account as one could hope for.” (Pitchfork media's top 10) "THIS BOOK ROCKS!" (Pixiesmusic.com) “definitive. 4 out of 5 stars.” (Q Magazine)
www.fooltheworldbook.com
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billgoodman
>> Denizen of the Citizens Band <<
Netherlands
6213 Posts |
Posted - 08/11/2006 : 01:31:52
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the book is great
I just wanted to say that
it's a great book
so
there
I said it
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God save the Noisies |
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pixiestu
> Teenager of the Year <
United Kingdom
2564 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2006 : 07:30:12
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I finally bought this today!! After reading through this thread I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy it and without reading a single page of the book yet I'm already certain it'll be better than 'Gigantic'.
"The arc of triumph" |
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pixie punk
> Teenager of the Year <
2923 Posts |
Posted - 09/06/2006 : 07:38:19
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I ordered it thru my local Borders and got it last week.The book answered all the questions I had about the band and definetly the authors did an excellent,magnificent job(with the wonderful help from the insiders of course)and all the cast of characters who lived the Pixiehistory.Not since John(Johnny Rotten)Lydon's biography have I enjoyed a music related book so much.The photos and illustrations were the icing on the cake.I was very glad to see my friends from the French Alec Eiffel web page,Jean-Michel and Christophe listed in the credits(they of course gave me the chance to colaborate on their page Spanish and lyric translation sections in the late 90's).Thumbs up to Josh and Caryn's book!!!!LIFE TO THE PIXIES!!!!!!!!
PUERTO RICO PIXIE |
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 10/23/2006 : 07:07:40
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http://www.originalalamo.com/downtown/frames.asp?b=/online_tix/show_details.asp?show_id=4096
Introduced by Pixies biographer Josh Frank, who will
introduce and have copies of his book 'Fool the
World' available in the lobby!
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. |
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pixiestu
> Teenager of the Year <
United Kingdom
2564 Posts |
Posted - 10/23/2006 : 08:07:42
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Oh, I forgot about this. I got half way through it and got bored and just stopped reading it. Some of the stuff in the book doesn't even have much to do with the Pixies, just a few other Boston bands who I have no interest in.
At least the pictures are nice.
"The arc of triumph" |
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Daisy Girl
~ Abstract Brain ~
Belize
5305 Posts |
Posted - 10/23/2006 : 10:14:06
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| Honestly, I like the info about the other bands. I don't think it's too much. It just does a nice job of painting a picture of what kind of scene the Pixies grew up in. |
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mrgrieves1971
= Cult of Ray =
USA
544 Posts |
Posted - 10/23/2006 : 11:20:54
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| I'm reading it now and think it's great. I'm from Boston so I know a lot of the bands and personalities that they are talking about. |
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mcil
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
148 Posts |
Posted - 10/23/2006 : 13:03:05
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A couple of weeks ago I read this and the 33 1/3 Doolittle book, they are actually the onyl two books I have ever read cover to cover, probably due to the fact they're the only books I have ever been interested in.
Two in a week, my mother was shocked
But yes, very good read
(How hot does Kim look on the last page of photos by the way, from the Mean Fiddler)
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http://www.myspace.com/mcil13 |
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pixiestu
> Teenager of the Year <
United Kingdom
2564 Posts |
Posted - 10/23/2006 : 13:36:24
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quote:
Originally posted by mcil
(How hot does Kim look on the last page of photos by the way, from the Mean Fiddler)
The picture with the black boots?
Very hot.
"The arc of triumph" |
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mcil
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
148 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2006 : 11:03:11
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quote:
Originally posted by pixiestu
The picture with the black boots?
Very hot.
"The arc of triumph"
That's the one;)
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http://www.myspace.com/mcil13 |
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Jefrey
= Cult of Ray =
USA
918 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2006 : 02:32:09
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quote:
Originally posted by pixiestu
Oh, I forgot about this. I got half way through it and got bored and just stopped reading it. Some of the stuff in the book doesn't even have much to do with the Pixies, just a few other Boston bands who I have no interest in.
At least the pictures are nice.
"The arc of triumph"
I agree. I was pretty bored and dissappointed with the book. I finished it, but I probably wouldn't have if it wasn't about my favorite band. The 33 1/3 Doolittle book had much more info about the songwriting, and it was a quicker and more interesting read.
Props to the effort, but I thought Fool The World was poorly organized and had too much tangential stuff I didn't care about. I understand it is a lot of material and a difficult project, and I really do appreciate the effort put into it, but I don't think it's "definitive" or a particularly good read.
Maybe the UK version is better. Unless you're from Boston and remember that scene or were a part of it, that stuff was pretty boring.
It seems like most people enjoyed it. I found it tedious to finish. I felt like the book was more about Throwing Muses then the Pixies. I definitely learned way more about Throwing Muses by reading the books. |
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Erebus
* Dog in the Sand *
USA
1834 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2006 : 10:41:32
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I like the way the book consists almost entirely of quotes from those who were there. Made it more immediate for me, and more authoritative than it probably would have been as the more usual narrative. So, while I wouldn't object to another book at some point that was the more traditional treatment, I think we're fortunate to have the story in this particular form. And as I mentioned in this topic a couple pages back, those of us who spent part of our youth around or within a vibrant streetscene anywhere should be able to identify somewhat with what was coming together in Boston back then.
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2006 : 10:05:27
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http://theedge.bostonherald.com/bookNews/view.bg?articleid=167923
For those who lived in Boston during the Pixies’ meteoric rise to overseas success, “Fool the World,
the Oral History of a Band Called Pixies” (St. Martin’s Griffin, $14.95 in paperback) by Josh Frank and
Caryn Ganz will bring back plenty of memories with its exhaustive interview content from crucial
players. For fans who caught on later, the book serves as a map of the indie-rock landscape and
follows the band through its 2004 reunion. |
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pixiestu
> Teenager of the Year <
United Kingdom
2564 Posts |
Posted - 11/21/2006 : 12:43:09
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I really must remember to finish this book!
I read a few chapters towards the end of the book a few weeks ago and it wasn't as bad as I might have made it out to be earlier, I still need to finish it though.
"The arc of triumph" |
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lucmove
- FB Fan -
Brazil
116 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2007 : 16:47:57
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Hi. I am planning to buy "Fool the World", and the online bookstore recommends a few other titles, including the "Gigantic" one and "Maximum Pixies: The Unauthorized Biography of The Pixies" (Publisher: Chrome Dreams, ISBN/UPC: 823564020525).
This forum's search engine hasn't worked for me in quite some time, so I couldn't find much about these books here. I did find a couple of less than complimentary comments on the "Gigantic" book (without any clear explanation), but found nothing on the "Maximum" one. Can anyone give me a little piece of advice? Is it any good?
________________
"- Thanks!" |
Edited by - lucmove on 04/09/2007 16:50:45 |
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Daisy Girl
~ Abstract Brain ~
Belize
5305 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2007 : 18:49:54
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Fool the word if the best by far. FTW has great interviews and is a well respected look at the band. It is a great book and has great complete listings for collectors such as B sides. I really don't see what other book you'd really need if you have FTW.
Gigantic sucks. I wish I could sell you my copy, but the postage would cost more than what the book is worth. I haven't heard about Maximum Pixies but I wouldn't buy anything until you hear that it's good.
bluefinger |
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lucmove
- FB Fan -
Brazil
116 Posts |
Posted - 04/09/2007 : 20:47:34
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Yes, I have decided totally in favor of FTW. Now I just have to decide whether to buy one or two of the books. In case "Maximum" is good, I save on shipping if I buy the two in the same order.
________________
"- Thanks!" |
Edited by - lucmove on 04/09/2007 20:49:22 |
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Ziggy
* Dog in the Sand *
United Kingdom
2462 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 04:16:28
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Yeah, it's marvellous book. Building the narrative through quotes is a technique that works very well. There's a real objectivity to it, and the book is a pleasure to read.
I have yet to check out the 'Doolittle' book; I must do so soon! |
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pixiestu
> Teenager of the Year <
United Kingdom
2564 Posts |
Posted - 04/10/2007 : 05:09:57
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I have yet to finish Fool The World. By now I'm starting to think I never will. It's been like 5 months before I last read any of it.
"The arc of triumph" |
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blue cadet3
- FB Fan -
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2007 : 00:45:33
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| I liked the book. I enjoyed the way it was taken from several interviews. It was interesting to me. It made me want to live in Boston at the time the pixies were starting. I would have loved to be apart of all that excitement. |
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Srisaket
= Cult of Ray =
Thailand
313 Posts |
Posted - 04/15/2007 : 04:50:10
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I haven’t bought any if the books you refer to yet. But, from what I understand the ‘Doolittle’ book doesn’t contain any contribution from Kim Deal which puts me off a bit.
Also, the ‘Fool the World’ book seems to an expanded version of the ‘SPIN’ article on the Pixies, which was also written as an oral history. What also puts me off about this book is the seemingly over reverential tone of the authors, particularly Mr. Franz who in an interview promoting the book went on about having had a pubescent crush on Kim Deal. When the author says things like this, you doubt his objectivity or the reason for writing a book in this format.
The ‘Gigantic’ book seems to be a real hate piece and not worth bothering with, which is strange as the author has written some good books and articles.
The Pixies deserve a good book, something like Philip Norman’s ‘Shout’ bio of the Beatles.
Maybe I’m wrong?
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gankuverymuch
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
31 Posts |
Posted - 04/19/2007 : 14:06:28
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1. Everyone had a crush on Kim Deal. 2. it's Frank not Franz. 3. Fool The World was being written two years before the SPIN article. 4. New fun article on the book HERE....
http://www.teenageroftheyear.com/ftw/interviewm&f.pdf
"cool is about transcending your epic and being righteous about it" |
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Srisaket
= Cult of Ray =
Thailand
313 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2007 : 04:25:36
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quote:
Originally posted by gankuverymuch
1. Everyone had a crush on Kim Deal. 2. it's Frank not Franz. 3. Fool The World was being written two years before the SPIN article. 4. New fun article on the book HERE....
http://www.teenageroftheyear.com/ftw/interviewm&f.pdf
"cool is about transcending your epic and being righteous about it"
1. No they didn't
2. You are right, I am wrong.
3. Isn't the SPIN article incorporated or referenced in the book?
4. Thanks for posting the link. |
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gankuverymuch
- FB Fan -
United Kingdom
31 Posts |
Posted - 04/20/2007 : 10:07:01
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1. I thought everyone did? Are me and the Author alone in this?
2.kudos
3.Stuff was added later during editing of the book because the Spin writer and Fool's co-writer (caryn) were friends. So he donated unused stuff having to do with reunion.
4. My pleasure.
"cool is about transcending your epic and being righteous about it" |
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blue cadet3
- FB Fan -
USA
146 Posts |
Posted - 04/21/2007 : 20:47:48
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I had a crush on Kim Deal.
I also had a crush on Black Francis songwritinig/voice, Joey's guitar playing and David's drumming. Kim Deal was a hot bass player chick rocker though.
-Always, no sometimes, I think it’s me- |
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pixiestu
> Teenager of the Year <
United Kingdom
2564 Posts |
Posted - 04/22/2007 : 06:10:34
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1. I have a crush on Kim Deal.
2.
3.
4.
That's it really.
"The arc of triumph" |
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Srisaket
= Cult of Ray =
Thailand
313 Posts |
Posted - 04/22/2007 : 08:20:10
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quote:
Originally posted by pixiestu
1. I have a crush on Kim Deal.
2.
3.
4.
That's it really.
"The arc of triumph"
"Back in the day" (1989)she never made much of an impression, going by grainy black and white photo's in Melody Maker or NME.
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Carl
- A 'Fifth' Catholic -
Ireland
11546 Posts |
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Fool The World
