loudQUIETloud

Went to see the film loudQUIETloud - A Film About the Pixies last night. It was great and sad and wierd and eye-opening. I became a Pixies fan in Grade 9 (1990), after hearing the song "Caribou" on Brave New Waves (on CBC - the best radio show EVER). I became a rabid fan of the band, especially of Kim Deal, who was one of the first rock chicks I ever fell in heart with. I saw them at Lollapalooza. They broke up, I was sad, I consoled myself by becoming enamored with the Breeders instead, that worked out. Cut to 2004. I go and see the Pixies reunion show here in Vancouver. It was amazing, and it gave me some hope that they might reform to record a new album. No go. After seeing this fim, I totally understand why.

Seeing them now, behind the scenes, gave me new perspective on the Pixies. It also made me feel sadly nostalgic for the passion that my teen self felt for them. The film shows them as who they are: totally dysfunctional non-communicators, barely holding it together. Kim Deal, my hero, chain smokes cigarettes and drinks bucket sized frappuccinos continuously, and drags her sister Kelly with her on the entire two year tour to act as her security blanket. The drummer David Lovering almost seems crazy. They all look...old.

Of course, none of that matters when they hit the stage. The Pixies live performances, even ten years later, still blow away 90 percent of live acts that I've ever seen. They still rock, and the reunion tour proved that. But clearly, they don't like eachother, which is too bad, but they leave behing a catalogue of near perfect albums, and for me,what was the perfect soundtrack to my youth.

Thanks Pixies.

Richard Dawkins: The Root of All Evil Part 2

Richard Dawkins on how religion is the cause of all evil. I posted the first part of this documentary months ago, this is the second half. We actually saw the entire thing at the film fest this last week. I am also currently reading Richard Dawkin's book The Ancestor's Tale. I guess you could call me a bit of a Richard Dawkins-ette.