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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2005)
October 7. 2005 ’ JUSt OUt 3Q MUSIC ............ ▼................ “When I told everybody I need to go away, I need to reinvent, I need to do some different things, it wasn’t Just about music. It was about claiming my identity as a gay man.” What about Bob? Htlsker DU frontman breaks the Mould inger. Songwriter. Guitarist. DJ. Wrestling scriptwriter. Liar. S These are all words that describe Bob Mould, frontman for the legendary Hiisker I Xi and Sugar, who said in 1998 that he was done touring with a loud rock band. Fast- forward seven years and he’s back at it again, seemingly happier and more energized than ever before. For those unaware of his rich musical legacy, Mould was the co-frontman (along with Grant Hart, the slightly less productive McCartney to Mould’s hyper-prolific Lennon) for Hiisker Dii, which changed the face of hardcore punk in the ’80s by adding melody, emotional lyrics and instrumental virtuosity to a genre obsessed primarily with being fast and hard. It would be easy to credit Hiisker Dii for Nirvana if you do the math: Frank Black placed an ad in a paper looking for musicians inspired by Hiisker Dii, which resulted in the birth of the Pixies; later Kurt Cobain readily admitted to both ripping off the Pixies and loving Hiisker Dii. Coinciden tally, Mould was on the short list to produce Nirvana’s Nevermind before that job fell to Garbage’s Butch Vig. Following the drug, drink and differences- fueled implosion of Hiisker Dii, Mould busied himself with a brisk solo career, spitting out a pair of pivotal, career-defining releases (the reflective, acoustic-based Workbook in 1989 and the bitter, bombastic Black Sheets of Rain in 1990) before re-embracing the band con cept with a trio of Sugar records (the high light being 1992’s close-to-perfect Copper Blue) that catapulted him onto MTV and further into the public consciousness. Newfound popularity didn’t come without a price: Spin unceremoniously outed Mould in 1994. “Publicly 1 was never out, but I wasn’t closeted. Everyone knew that 1 was gay. Some body just wanted to put a stamp on it.” Sugar dissolved soon after. Mould put out a couple of more solo records, including 1998’s prophetically titled The Last Dog and Pony Show, and then, after a tour supporting that effort, disappeared. “When 1 told everybody I need to go away, I need to reinvent, 1 need to do some different things, it wasn’t just about music. It was about claiming my identity as a gay man," he says. “I was living in New York, and I needed to have some time to integrate into my community and really feel connected to it and get in the gay life.” A lifelong wrestling enthusiast, Mould did Current Doctor not treating you like the by J im T hompson —Bob Mould Ten years after being outed by Spin, Bob Mould finds self-acceptance on the long-promised Body of Song. some scriptwriting for World Championship Wrestling, an exhausting seven-month stint he calls “insane, a dream come true and more work than 1 could ever imagine.” He doesn’t entirely rule out a return to this gig. “1 did the best I could. If somebody in the business ever wanted my opinions or wanted me back at it, they know where to find me.” Mould also began hitting the gym in earnest, simultaneously honing his physique and opening his ears to other sonic possibili ties, namely electronic dance music, a genre he would explore more fully in the ensuing years. He played guitar on the Hedwig and the Angry Inch soundtrack in 2001 and released three records in 2002: Modulate, an extreme electronic experiment under his own name, which confused and alienated critics and fans alike; Dmg Playing Grooves, an even more extreme electronic experiment under the moniker LoudBomb; and LiveDog98, an audio document of a London performance from the Dog and Pony tour. After moving to Washington, D.C., in 2002, Mould forged a successful DJ partnership with Richard Morel (known for remixes of Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, New Order and many others) dubbed Blowoff, which culminates in frequent sets at kx?al clubs. These multiple-hour marathons often begin as straight DJ sets, shift into a live rock show with guitars, vocals and backing tracks, and then segue seamlessly back into spinning records—a mind-bending combi nation for unfamiliar attendees who just happen to show up “instead of going to the circuit party that night,” he says. The DJ experience got Mould hankering for the familiarity of his guitar, which had mostly been collecting dust since the conclusion of the Modulate tour. This reacquaintance kick- started a creative process that helped bring the long-promised Body of Song to fruition. Mould describes it as a “sunny, optimistic” record, which sort of makes sense when sifting through his back catalog. (Sample lyric: “Should I throw myself from the hanging tree? Is there a place for those of us who don’t belong? 1 haven’t found it yet.”) More realistically, Body of Song is rhe work of a 44-year-old man experi encing an awareness of his own mortality, the end of a long-term relationship and the begin ning of self-acceptance. “I think I’ve got a little more of a comfort level with my own sound. I was running away from it pretty briskly with Modulate,” Mould says. “It’s an acceptance of whatever I do or have done well that people enjoy.” Body of Song offers much to appreciate for longtime fans and neophytes. “Paralyzed” and “Circles” (soon to be featured on The O.C.) tread comfortably recognizable loud yet melodic ground, with lyrics detailing breaking up and down, respectively. “(Shine Your) Light Love Hope” and “1 Am Vision, I Am Sound” provide an encouraging slap on the ass to the handful of fans who didn’t feel just slightly betrayed by Modulate. “Best Thing” and “Missing You” sound like long-lost Sugar outtakes and are jar ringly out of place sandwiched between the unrelentingly beautiful “Days of Rain” and “High Fidelity.” However, “Always Tomorrow," with its bewitchingly fat bass and drums, whis pered verses and ubercatchy chorus, offers the most hope for the continued vitality of Mould’s solo output. “1 wish I knew what was next,” he says, mulling future plans. A recorded Blowoff project is in the works, and his remixing skills are in demand, as indicated by recent work with Low, Interpol and VHS or Beta. In the meantime there’s the tour behind Body of Song, which hits Portland on Oct. 12. “The tour is gonna be a hcxit,” says Mould, who is breaking the mold of former tours by playing both Hiisker Dii and Sugar songs with a full band, a musically benevolent move that will undoubtedly delight diehards. “1 know what people like. This is supposed to be a fun year for me. This is not a big, dark, introspec tive kind of vibe. ” jm B ob M ould performs with Shiny Toy Gun 9 p.m. Oct. 12 at the Doug Fir Diunge, 830 E. Bumside St. Tickets are $17 at the door and $15 in advance from TicketsWest. J im T hompson was a soon-to-be-expelled, semi-juvenile-delinquent seventh-grade Catholic schoolboy in 1 987 when he first heard and fell in love with Hiisker Dii late at night on KBOO's What Does Your Brother Know? I imerora (1-11 aui? 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