The New Cue #417 September 23: Start the week with...Stephen Malkmus of Pavement, The Hard Quartet and more.
"Music is king in this household and I’m happy to be its servant."
Hello,
Stephen Malkmus, the Californian songwriter who has played guitar and sung distinctly with all kinds of people since the dawn of the ‘90s - mostly notably as a founder of Pavement, as well as with his own Jicks, and others - faces The New Cue music today. You know, this guy.
Pavement’s Range Life, from 1993. Banger.
His Traditional Techniques solo album from 2020 was really great.
He’s made lots of excellent music outside of Pavement, as this playlist proves, but ultimately many of a certain age remain focussed upon Pavement, as their lop-sided, fuzzily melodic rock defined a time and place (the campuses and alternative music venues of North America, 1992-99). They weren’t immune to that nostalgia themselves as they reunited for a second time for world tours across 2022 and 2023. I compiled twenty of my favourite Pavement songs for your consideration.
But I didn’t call him up to talk Pavement, because Stephen Malkmus has a new super-combo called The Hard Quartet, also starring Emmett Kelly (Ty Segall, etc) Matt Sweeney (Superwolf, Iggy Pop, etc) and Jim White (Dirty Three, etc) that have a debut album out on October 4th. They’re pretty great too. Exhibit one, Rio’s Song.
Exhibit two, the Byrds-like Our Hometown Boy.
When Stephen picked up the phone, he was in a transit van. “I’m pretty good,” he said brightly, before correcting himself. “I’m in a transit moving house, so I guess I’m actually not OK, but I’m OK to talk. I’m stressed-out, man!”
First, I asked him to talk me through The Hard Quartet. “It’s a hard band consisting of various shredders, players with great pedigree,” he explained. “If it was a dog at a dog show and it was running around the track you’d say it hadn’t been overbred. I saw a thing on social media about how dogs had transformed in the last hundred years, that they had become too genetically tweaked. This is not. It’s rock’n’roll, party music but it’s down. The hard’s not too hard. It’s down and dirty, not too gussied up.”
Once we’d established that, he agreed to face The new New Cue questionnaire.
The Life and Times of…Stephen Malkmus
pic by Malcolm Donaldson
What was the first record you loved?
I would say that I was pretty into The 5th Dimension, the song that goes [sings] ‘Up, Up and Away, in my beautiful, my beautiful balloon.’ It’s breezy, sunshine pop and I’m a Los Angeles kid. Teachers are wearing macrame and the Mansons would want to kill them or whatever. That was kinda the vibe: Mamas & Papas, 5th Dimension. Dug it.
And the last record you loved?
That’s a good question. I’d never listened to Mighty Baby, they’re a band from your neck of the woods. Their first album [Mighty Baby, from 1969]. They have a kind of almost American rural rock feel. British music of the time, well, most people were kind of singing of Sgt Pepper or what’s in Emily’s closet, the watchmaker with the tangerine coat, something like that. Mighty Baby were not. They were just rocking out. Not necessarily fuzz pedals or whatnot, kind of melodic hard rock. That’s what I go for, I guess. What can I say?
What is your earliest memory?
I remember going on an easter egg hunt. I was wearing, like, a Lacoste onesie short pantsuit and I have a bowl cut…it might be just I’m associating with an old, worn-out photo. They didn’t make it too hard, because I was so young, but all the eggs are right in front of me and I still can’t find them.
What is your daily domestic routine?
Well, I’m a modern man. I look at my computer, drink my coffee. Just like everybody else, pretty much. Take the dog for a walk, don’t throw the ball until he shits. That’s it basically. What more is there to life, domestically?
Who or what is the love of your life?
Oh, I gotta say my lady! She might see this, you never know. My children and my woman. That’s Jessica Jackson Hutchins and my kids, Lottie, Sunday. I don’t want people stalking them, but credit where credit is due, right? They mean everything.
What's your worst habit?
A sneaky smoke, for sure. I think nicotine is a great thing. I know it’s fucking stupid, but without it would we have all those David Bowie records, would we have the books of, you know, insert any author’s name? It’s personally a constant battle. I’m not evolved from it fully yet.
When were you most creatively satisfied?
Probably in the early days, with Pavement. I made an album called Slanted & Enchanted which was our breakthrough. That’s when I knew that this was going to be a thing beyond a hobby. A lot of that is based on what other people say about you and so people from everywhere were saying, ‘This is brilliant’. It was like The Strokes in mini. These are the cute new weird Americans. The album didn’t sound like I thought it was going to sound, so hearing it through other people’s ears was good validation. Nothing is just about you.
Has anyone you've met ever made you feel starstruck?
This is kinda weird, but I slept…what’s that festival in Wales that’s like Burning Man but has a different name? Green Man! Really close, actually. We were relatively high on the bill at Green Man, so we got to stay in a boarding house. The night before, Shirley Collins had slept in the same room I slept in in that boarding house. So, by association we were bonded forever by sharing a bed on a different day. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t perverse. She’s an old lady. I’m just starstruck by her because I think she’s a genius. One of your true greats from over the pond.
What are you scared of?
I’m scared of death, I guess. It’s so unknowable. I’m scared of those kind of things, generally. I’m scared of my children dying. Sorry! That would be the worst thing. The kind of thing you see in a movie and think, Oh, I know why they put that in there, because it’s so horrifying…oh man, I should’ve just said I’m scared of heights, right?
What do you wish the 18-year-old you knew?
Just trying to remember what I was an asshole about at eighteen…hmm. I hate to be that guy, but it’s kind of a journey so the answer is: nothing. It’s a lame answer, but as I think about all the mistakes I made, at least I didn’t die. I didn’t have a major fuck up. Living and learning all the time.
What was the home you grew up in like?
Well, there’s two, but I lived in a suburban community that was before suburbs in that it wasn’t far outside of the town but rambling. I’m sure Britain has lots of these kind of places. We had bigger lots than you get in town. It was pretty idyllic, it was like a 1920s house with problems, but it’s California so they’re not British problems. Leaks, so many leaks, wasps, thin windows – stuff like that. But I grew up with all that, so I feel comfortable in that environment.
What one book would you recommend we read?
This book has been getting a lot of attention, it’s called Stoner. I read it recently, but I can’t remember the guy’s name: it’s bleak, but prose-wise it’s brilliant. And it’s not about stoners! Important fact check. John Williams, yes, that’s the author. Good book.
Do you mind getting older?
Not at all. I don’t feel much different physically, knock on wood. You gain a little peace. Obviously not everyone feels that way, but for me I count my blessings. You look in the mirror and you see it there only. If we’re talking about being in your skin, then I don’t feel it. I can still run around.
How do you spark creativity?
Nuts and bolts, making records and releasing them is my thing. Every time I do that, it spurs me on to do it again. I get inspired by the results of the last one and then decide to do it again. I just love that vague point when it’s not a song yet, that ‘is this good’ era of a song. Lyrics, however, those are torture. There’s no way round the torture of lyrics. I have different techniques for them: improv, sometimes something good comes out when you’re not thinking about them in a kind of wait-and-see way. Writing notes that maybe also subconsciously inform you. Then, also, reacting to what other people in your band say. Usually nobody will give me any lyrical advice because they don’t know either, but I can tell if something is sticking. I don’t have a real agenda, I just want it to be good. But the melody, how all that relates, the hooks, the ear candy: that’s my Halloween.
On what occasion do you lie?
I would more likely lie by omission. White lies, mostly. If something isn’t necessarily the best, I’m still going to support them. Classic social cue lies. I’m autistic but I can pick up that shit.
What’s the key to a harmonious working relationship?
Respecting others, knowing that it’s not all about you. All that obvious stuff. Being open to other people’s opinions, being supportive, yadda yadda…This is my self-help clinic. Anyone with a family knows, they’ve been in training already. There must some ultimate narcissist who doesn’t know, I guess. Not me.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Besides the dorky family stuff that nobody wants to hear, musically it would be the culminative impact of a long participation in music which I’m really into. Music is king in this household and I’m happy to be its servant.
TK
*The debut album by The Hard Quartet is out October 4th and they play a debut London show on October 22nd at Electric Ballroom.