loud Quiet loud: A Film About The Pixies (Music
Documentary) + Pixies – Club Date: Live At The Paradise In Boston (Music)
Picture:
C/C+ Sound: C+/B- Extras: B Film: A/B
The
first time I saw the Pixies was in 1989.
I had only heard Doolittle once, and while I liked it I hadn’t really
listened to it as fully as I could have.
I looked forward to seeing them, but they were opening for Love and
Rockets and were, quite honestly, a secondary reason for me to go.
The
second song on their setlist was Tame (at least that’s how I remember it). It
started out slow and mellow, then without warning Black Francis screamed loud
enough to blow the roof off the venue and to ensure that I was a lifelong
fan. There was a power emanating from the
stage, made all the more so by how it contrasted with the calm moments.
Loud, quiet, loud. This is as good a way to define the Pixies
sound as any as issued by Music Video Distributors. When they were first writing and performing
their now classic songs in the Boston club scene in the mid 80’s no one knew
just how influential they were to become. The documentary begins with a quote
by Kurt Cobain of Nirvana from a Rolling Stone interview in 1994.
“I
was basically trying to rip off the Pixies,” he says.
With
that in mind it’s easy to hear the influence, not only on Nirvana, but on the
whole grunge movement and the explosion of Alternative music in the
mainstream. Unfortunately, by the time
the masses had been told that Doolittle was a classic album and that a million
bands referenced them as a major influence, the Pixies were no more.
Frank
Black is the only member to maintain a consistent career as a performer in the
music industry. Joey Santiago has played
on some albums and worked writing film scores. David Lovering became a stage
magician and essentially lived off the continuing residuals from the sale of
Pixies material. Kim Deal enjoyed a
brief moment of nationwide success with the Breeders in the early 90’s but
fought substance abuse for years, eventually coming back to Ohio to live with
her mom and retire from public life.
loud Quiet loud
is a film about their 2004 reunion tour.
It is an incredibly well made documentary. They play sold out shows around the world for
audiences far larger than any they had previously played for. There is a level of expectation that seems at
times overwhelming to all of them. They were always an unlikely bunch of rock
stars; they were all average kids who managed to create something that went
beyond them. The success of the film
lies in showing the contrast between the quiet personal lives of the individual
band members and the loud public persona they collectively share.
Nowhere
is this discrepancy more obvious than with Kim.
Throughout the film we see her struggle with her recovery (she allows no
alcohol backstage). She and her twin
sister Kelly, who accompanies her on the tour for emotional support, both
appear fragile and overwhelmed by the experience. Yet Kim is confronted time and time again by
young women who idolize her, who tell her she has changed their lives, that she
is their god. The incongruity between
the goddess of her public persona and the frumpy, middle-aged, recovering
addict we see offstage is stunning.
We
see it with the others as well. David’s
father dies of cancer while they are on tour.
We see his grief and his ensuing descent into substance abuse. We see Joey trying desperately to keep in
touch with his wife and children while on tour. We see Frank as he discovers his girlfriend is
pregnant, as well as charming scenes of his interaction with her children.
And
we see the conflict that still exists among them. No one except the Pixies know exactly what
happened among them when they broke up.
Ego conflicts, too much time together and too much pressure, simply
growing apart, all played their parts.
Black describes them as a dysfunctional family. In a phone interview we see him visibly
frustrated as he is asked for the millionth time why they broke up and how they
are currently getting along. Eventually
he puts the interviewer off by saying that they really don’t talk that much
because that’s just the kind of people they are. This is followed by a scene of them backstage
waiting to go on, and no one is talking.
But it’s not all tension. We see
them laughing and joking with each other, sharing good news and personal
concern. Whatever differences they may
have, they are family.
It
is this humanity that sets them apart, that makes their fans believe anyone can
accomplish great and lasting things.
As
a fan it would be nice to see more archival footage of the Pixies past, though
it is a safe bet that there really isn’t much from their early days. Who knew in 1986 what they would become? The focus of this DVD is the story of their
reunion and the behind the scenes nature of it. Luckily there are several other discs out
there that chronicle their live performances (you can read reviews of a couple
of them at links provided below). It's
easy to see examples of the reunion tour.
One
Pixies show is much like another; they’re not a jam band playing radically
different versions of their songs at every show. What sets Pixies
– Club Date: Live at the Paradise in Boston apart from the others (aside
from it taking place in Boston, where the Pixies first began) is the archival
footage included with the extra features. Filmed on a handheld video camera on
Halloween, 1996, the footage is jumpy and poorly lit. The sound is bad. There are bad cuts between songs, some of
them cutting out early, others starting late.
It doesn't matter. This is the
freaking Pixies in 1986! What is most
striking is how complete and powerful the songs are, even at this early
stage. What was performed for a small
handful of people in a local bar became a couple of classic albums and
continues to inspire wannabe rock stars the world over.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image on loud
Quiet loud is surprisingly rough, looking no better and sometimes worse
than the older Boston concert with the same specks. The Dolby Digital 5.1 sound mix on loud stretches out the sound a bit more
than it should. Eagle has Dolby 5.1 and
DTS, with the DTS being the best of both DVDs, though showing its age in
fidelity limits. Extras on loud include an audio commentary,
16-page booklet about the band and film inside the DVD case and bonus scenes,
while Boston has a set of bonus
tracks.
Links
to other Pixies reviews include:
Pixies Sell Out: 2004 Reunion Tour
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2990/The+Pixies+Sell+Out:+2004+Reunion+Tour
Pixies Acoustic: Live In Newport 2005
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/4250/Pixies+Acoustic:+Live+in+Newport+2005+(DTS)
- Wayne Wise
www.wayne-wise.com
Wayne
Wise has now written more articles about the Pixies and/or Frank Black than any
other artist.
