The Pixies never sold enough albums to qualify as a household name, but the group had a devoted following and huge credibility. And breaking up after just a handful of albums only added to the status as alt-rock heroes.
A new documentary, “loudQUIETloud: A Film about the Pixies,” catches up with the band’s four members as they embark on a reunion tour, 11 years after their acrimonious 1992 breakup. Things are still a little tense, but age and financial need make the four come back together.
Singer-songwriter Black Francis (real name Charles Thompson) has had a relatively steady solo career, and his roly-poly presence is still the group’s focal point. Guitarist Joey Santiago has been working on a film score, and drummer David Lovering has worked up a somewhat peculiar magic act.
Bassist Kim Deal had initial post-Pixies success with The Breeders, although at the beginning of the film she has just gotten out of rehab for a serious drug addiction. Accompanied on the tour by sister Kelley, she appears so fragile in spirit that she might crumble with a strong breeze.
Somehow it all works, although the film shows some amusing backstage footage of the band members sitting in uncommunicative silence around each other.
And, although “loudQUIETloud” is shy of “Spinal Tap” levels of drama, a subplot develops about Lovering’s use of valium. There is one bizarre episode where he loses his place in a concert and goes off on an impromptu drum solo, much to the bewilderment of his bandmates.
Backstage material is limited, although there’s a nice late payoff to a story about a teenage girl who worships Kim Deal’s example. The spectacle of watching Black Francis deal with rock journalists gives a good picture of how awkward such encounters are.
The film includes Kurt Cobain’s oft-quoted remark that his landmark song “Smells like Teen Spirit” was a Pixies imitation. And the music is the point here. We don’t get much history about how the band began, or the development of its sound. But we do get the music.
The concert sequences are excellent, potently shot and recorded. The coiled power of The Pixies’ songs comes through well in these sequences, and the now-aging rockers appear still committed to the music – even if they did get back together for the money.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
