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Review: Fool The World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies
Fool the World: The Oral History of a Band Called Pixies
Written by Josh Frank and Caryn Ganz
Published by St. Martin's Griffin. $14.95
This came out some time this year and I just happened across it. I don't go buying biographies of bands I don't like, so obviously I'm something of a Pixies fan, and Frank Black, Breeders, Amps, etc. It was a good time to do this book, since the Pixies reunited, surprisingly, in 2004, for the Coachella Music Festival and a one-off song, and lengthy tour (go to emusic to find an exclusive two-disc live album documenting that tour). Frank and Ganz are professional music critics, but they're also fans, so the book has a real warmth and affection towards the subjects. As it's an oral history, there are only a few bits of text to put different phases of the band's career in context; the rest of the book is a series of quotes from the band and those around them, as well as some appreciations and insights from contemporaries or followers like Billy Corgan, Perry Farrell, Courtney Love and Bono, as well as old friends like Kristin (Throwing Muses) Hersh and Tanya (Muses, Breeders, Belly) Donnelly. I bought the 300 page book last night and finished it tonight, so I assure you it's compulsively readable if you like the band at all. And it's not because there's a lot of dirt; they weren't that kind of band. You gather what you need to, that the band broke up largely because of the battling egos of Black Francis and Kim Deal, as well as her substance problems, but what's nice is that some of the interviews are pretty current and reflect the renewed camaraderie and sunnier, more sober outlook of the band members, who are not best friends and never really were but honestly seem to enjoy playing with each other again. As far as insights, I dunno--I didn't know just how much of their catalog was written by Francis so early in their career--all their albums have old songs on them, or that the reason Trompe le Monde is their worst album (though still good) is that they all weren't getting along and much of it was written in the studio, which is rarely a good idea. This may not be a book I read again for ten years or so, but it's a very solid biography and it will definitely make you crank up some Pixies music again.
Written by Josh Frank and Caryn Ganz
Published by St. Martin's Griffin. $14.95
This came out some time this year and I just happened across it. I don't go buying biographies of bands I don't like, so obviously I'm something of a Pixies fan, and Frank Black, Breeders, Amps, etc. It was a good time to do this book, since the Pixies reunited, surprisingly, in 2004, for the Coachella Music Festival and a one-off song, and lengthy tour (go to emusic to find an exclusive two-disc live album documenting that tour). Frank and Ganz are professional music critics, but they're also fans, so the book has a real warmth and affection towards the subjects. As it's an oral history, there are only a few bits of text to put different phases of the band's career in context; the rest of the book is a series of quotes from the band and those around them, as well as some appreciations and insights from contemporaries or followers like Billy Corgan, Perry Farrell, Courtney Love and Bono, as well as old friends like Kristin (Throwing Muses) Hersh and Tanya (Muses, Breeders, Belly) Donnelly. I bought the 300 page book last night and finished it tonight, so I assure you it's compulsively readable if you like the band at all. And it's not because there's a lot of dirt; they weren't that kind of band. You gather what you need to, that the band broke up largely because of the battling egos of Black Francis and Kim Deal, as well as her substance problems, but what's nice is that some of the interviews are pretty current and reflect the renewed camaraderie and sunnier, more sober outlook of the band members, who are not best friends and never really were but honestly seem to enjoy playing with each other again. As far as insights, I dunno--I didn't know just how much of their catalog was written by Francis so early in their career--all their albums have old songs on them, or that the reason Trompe le Monde is their worst album (though still good) is that they all weren't getting along and much of it was written in the studio, which is rarely a good idea. This may not be a book I read again for ten years or so, but it's a very solid biography and it will definitely make you crank up some Pixies music again.
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