Fish Hook Girl wrote:Good for you. I saw him twice with Pixies. The first time I was right up against the stage, right in front of him. And the stage is only about 6 inches higher than the rest of the floor. So I spent most of the night staring right into his face because he's not really a tall guy. And then I got a good look up his nostrils when he tilted his head back to sing. And then I turned to look at Kim Deal and she gave me this kind of hey there look. So I went back to staring at Fat Francis. I think it was the tour when they played everything in alphabetical order. This is stuff you'll never forget.
Did you buy the b-side/demo release he did a few years back? Gad, that was horrible. But I do enjoy Trompe Le Monde, especially Space (I Believe In).
I actually have preferred Frank Black's solo career over the Pixies. Probably has to do with age but his latest albums have been so much more warm and human where the Pixies were so abstract and distant (which was perfect for me in high school). Yeah I'm definitely getting old.
FB's solo shows have been without disappointment as I've seen him at small venues like The Knitting Factory and McCabe's Guitar shop where he tells stories and really interacts with the audience to more conventional shows (standouts being his Troubadour and El Rey shows). Every time it's just a short, fat, bald dude giving his all for 2-3 hours. No pyrotechnics, no image, no bullshit. How can you not love that? Unless you're two anonymous members of this forum with no taste.
Which B-sides/demos comp are you referring to? The Frank Black Francis one? Yeah it was pretty bad and he avoided putting it out cause he didn't think it was worth it to the fans to waste their money so he had those two guys (Two Pale Boys or something like that) re-do some Pixie classics to add some value. But all in all I love what FB is all about and the fact he keeps evolving (and even getting vocal training) makes me love him even more. 15 years ago I would have never thought he'd be recording albums in Nashville with session men who backed Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis.
"I see the checks when they come in the mailbox, and I thank all my patrons very much.... they should probably stop buying my records for a while so I can go on a diet."
"We don’t take the recording industry that seriously. You can’t, or you’d get all wound up and uptight. If I was gonna take it seriously, the first thing I’d do is go to fat camp, get an image makeover, a producer, start listening to what’s on the radio."
With the Force as his ally he did battle with the Dark Lord. And he showed the measure of a true Jedi at a place called "The Death Star" where hope for the Galaxy was reborn. May all who struggle against tyranny hold his memory in their hearts