Eight seats ago Hhailrs
1 hompson fotmrd the Pixies
and if named himsrlf Blai k
( lane is 1 hr band quit kl\
bn ame a i ollrgr link staple
with Us mix ol dure-* hind stilt gi mine and
drram stale imagery Its healths latrrt
spanned lise a I hums and srvrtal vsurld
u.uis
But the band like so mans that hasr
gone before it — has disbanded, leasing
( hailrs Ihomspon holding the hag and
tin- name Blai k Ham is
Ills solution ssas to record a ness solo
album, v heiluled lot irlrasr in Man h on
the .ilhum\ opening * til, "I »»s \»*geles
I hr solids on hi.it V s album air < railed
< archills. sounding more laid hat k and
en(oni|)asMHg a sancts «>t moods horn
the sll aight ahead rock of “len
Pert enter ." a blunt musical hie graphs of
punk it <m Iggs l*op. to Me antheum . las
ered guitar work of the instrumental jam,
“ I owed." sshic h ha lures John I innell »*l
1 lies Might Hr (.rants on saxophone
Part of the c redit tor the sailed musical
sts le*s < >1 the album g» »es t»» k nc krldniau. a
member of the seminal asant pop group
IVir l hu Fridman produced ihe alhum
,in(l added krvboard' and bass to a lew
tra« ks
Blai k savs Fridman‘s |>ir\emr helped
him (o deline furthei hi' new sound and
inspired him to write moir urn matrnai
dm mg a hiatus ot the- recording of hvmpe
Is SUmtU. the Pixies last alhum
"I rxpirs-sed (hr desire I** gel hai k to (hr
Mud hi r\rn (hough I had no material." he
retail' "I was going to do a cover song
album even though most |x-oplr do shtttv
covet album.' M\ agent suggested Fin
Feldman He was great - he and I wrte two
big hand meflthets B* the rune we ret otd
V for
^■PTby Elewtra
BplRle postpunk
PUpSgwnter is tar from the ^
IlMnt home
Ffeced with a shaky future and thf
breakup of his band. Ibe far" gr
\ Pixies frontman has abated a col*
\ lection that bothjfentrasts and
\.compiemer»te ,fl# bands'
ol manic garf*rock siund.
Named AH
I Go Aroufli
taling hal
•reenter"
Hack Franc!
ig live Frank
tem RagM
F leku.t 11w Ullr ut llif .iltmin (1<uiblcs as
.1 hompson's new tli|{r name —
Fi.uik Blat k Is Ins dn isimi the
suit- ellei i ut a latent idrnltfs
<iisis in |usi .1 ss*mptimi ut a
htultiple |K-rvuutJilV coin
pics- I hompson
Fi.iiii is Blai k sass n s
mil ili.il complex ut a
11 implex
*l’m (Ini lung tm
old stage name
I'm mi k ut it," lie
sass “A lol of
I k*i >pIc didn't gel
u — profile don't
want to a< i ept
Hlai k as a fust
name and Frant is
as a surname Sul
said S« tew K. I’ll
i hange my stage
name ' Besides
Flank Itl.u k looks
(oolet on a mati|uee
Ilian ( diaries
1 liompsi in."
1 lit* new allium reflet is
nor just a (tiangr in moniker
Inn also a transformation of
musii a I sts It* Blai k makes a (Its
Ubu keyboards! flic
the sharpest brig
k. Pixies .uatifl
★ ★
e(l the altniMi a seal and a Hall latei 1 nan a
bum !i of nes» material
And that tnateital tellci is a lelresli
mg i hange hum the gml.ii dt isen
sound ol the Pixies
"I was really glad to tome to
the reah/atton that I liked
keyboards," Black sass
"Because ol Fin I wasn't
thinking as imu li alxmt
the guit.u \ lot ol |k (s
pie who listen to indie
link base a bad idea
ol keylxiaids lx*i ausc
thrs are done jmmuIs
so often I think U s a
gteat instrument —
it's not dominant
and set son ( an I lake
It out of ioi k and
roll '
And you ( an t take
tile must! tail - whaleset
he (alls himself— out of it
rithri lake the song
"Party the Wind High,
laiw." whir It is alxmt one of
Bl.n k s favottie topics - Using
saucers Although Bl.n k neset
was alidtii led Its aliens as a i htld (he
admits that those* exjteriemes ustialls
uih i imiMi al brrak from the* rixirs m
*t>r hist lew acoustic guitaf strains of
inter rM in life on oilier |>l.mcn
' 111.1I v»«iv" revolves .in nine I .1 1 I (> eon
scutinu I .tttrmlrd, kIiii Ii might involve .1
Ini 11I 11.111 .uni lulvnrss, .1 I*>t 11I siull lit.11
I* oiiesm muble. Ill.ti L vm 'Ilirin.itrii.il
tllllll nl llir song |% .lit thuv lliiit^s Villi* )i
.111 \up|>osrdlv 1r.1l 1 hr ollirl hull I.*Ik>
about Hireling .1 l H ) mi ill*' mull .mil gri
ling mu kril up Iiv II I heir's u lnl nl hull
slut In Ihr slnltrs. hill il von wade ihluligh
11. ihrtr's sometimes 1r.1l mlnim.ilinii
their."
Mumiullv, llir vmg mutates like .1 gruel
u rxpnimrnt gone wild. txgliming with .1
krvhu.ud .mil huss (linen mrlodv with
(Ml.1 ( miM In 141111.11 mi llir 1 horns \ lien
/led. llolsv 14ml.11 vill 1 hiruks llir .ippuirilt
mild nl 1 hr st 11ig, Mint h thru tiunslmms
min .111 nun it Itllir sing .ill >ng
I his prill hull I Ini 1 outlast is 1 lushed
throughout the ulbuill Bl.11 k nllrn
svsiuhrs Iwlvsrrn aiouslu strumming und
11 ushs rlrt tin 14m1.11 1 holds uni I r\pd 1
llir ills with (htlrirnl lime signatures vsilhm
.1 sung Blui k suss hr hull inorr i native
liirnsr In plus uinmul ssiih sung sum line
Ik-i uusr hr vsus vsiuing Ini hmisrll .mil nut
lm die I’ixirs
“ I hr I’ixirs were .1 Ihr hum I Hr weir u
Ini more upnghl uhuul keeping things
puiiuhlr." hr s.ns "I vsus living In mukr
this us diflrtrnl us 11 mild
Anil 1h.1i s rx.111 Iv llir kind nl indrpru
ilrm r Blui k has now vsiihmii (hr I’ixirs
"Flunk Blui k is u separate rntitv." hr
suss " I his is u nrvs guv . .1 drliut prrtoimrr
I w 111 spend the next month promoting
Flunk Blui k I won't promote ihr I’ixirs
Ik-i uusr I've alirudv done dial I’m living
in mukr unnihri me us mm h us 11 an."
And trulls, lliul inukes lilts whole
I liompvonFium is Bl.u k business quite
xi in pit*
"Km k and mil isn't us |>s\( hulngii ul for
rnr us people inlet,* Blui k suss "I don’t
rxon isr demons; I mukr u good pop
rnord It’s not uus kind ol primal m tram
llirtups — 11 's jusi vi |K-opli can lap thru
damn foot. * Q