Hooray For Pavement

PAVEMENT
Words: JJ Dunning

Lackadaisical, lyrically smart and laced with lethargy, the reunion of 90s slacker heroes Pavement is the indie event of 2010.

Lurching Languidly out of late 80s Stockton, California, Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg came armed with some stupefyingly lo-fi tracks, recorded in the home studio of a crazed hippie with no sense of rhythm. His name was Gary Young, and, naturally, they made him their drummer. Well, just for a bit, anyway; until he started handing out mashed potato and cabbage at gigs; then they had to sack him. Anyway, with the addition of bassist Mark Ibold, utility man Bob Nastanovich, and proper drummer Steve West, Pavement grew to be the vanguards of the ambling, shambling, 90s slacker generation; mixing mild success with a smattering of kooky mystique. Along the way, they garnered a devoted diehard core of cultish followers with thousand-yard stares and a scary ability to memorise Malkmus’ abstract lyrics. Then, in 1999, after _ ve albums, they split up. Ten years later, absurdly, it’s looking like a great career move, as here they are, reunited, and due to play some of their biggest-ever shows in the summer. There’s a Best Of, entitled ‘Quarantine The Past’; out this month and, for the first time ever, Pavement are the centre of the attention. Please, be upstanding, as we stumble through some hazily-related vagaries in the career of Pavement…

Stockton

Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg formed Pavement in Stockton, California in 1989. Early stuff was recorded at Louder Than You Think studios, owned by acid-casualty Gary Young.

The Whitney

In the late 80s, Steve West, Stephen Malkmus, Scott Kannberg, and The Silver Jews’ Dave Berman were all security guards at the Whitney Museum Of American Art, New York, which is situated just one block from Central Park, where the band will perform their reunion shows this September.

Speedy Service

Speedy Service is the racehorse co-owned by Malkmus and Nastanovich. According to Bob, it’s “not been doing too well recently”.

Watch
‘Slow Century’ by Lance Bangs

Read
‘Perfect Sound Forever’ by Rob Jovanovic

The Band

Stephen Malkmus

Frontman, songwriter, secretive laconic enigma. In person Malkmus is almost as cryptic as his lyrics. Recently bought Gary Jarman of The Cribs a blanket.

Scott Kannberg

Malkmus’ childhood buddy, Kannberg is the band’s guitarist and co-writer who goes by the name of Spiral Stairs.

Mark Ibold

Bass player who is also now a member of Sonic Youth, Ibold is currently a bartender in New York. Who says being a musician doesn’t pay?

Bob Nastanovich

Multi-instrumentalist Bob’s trademark scream is said to be the influence for the “whoo-hoo” on Blur’s international hit ‘Song 2’. He doesn’t get any royalties for it though.

Steve West

Drummer and subject of the song ‘Westie Can Drum’ which goes “Westie cannot drum”. Obviously.

Gary Young

Original drummer. Was ejected from the band for his increasingly erratic behaviour. On _ rst hearing the band play he remarked, “This Malkmus idiot is a complete songwriting genius”. Also known as ‘Plantman’.

Albums

‘Slanted And Enchanted’
(1992)

An indie classic that has sold 150,000 copies. That’s not really very many, is it? Gary Young’s drumming was
so shonky that tour manager Bob Nastanovich had to step in and keep time for him.

‘Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain’
(1994)

With Young fired and Ibold, Nastanovich and West installed, ‘Crooked Rain…’ and the single ‘Cut Your Hair’ nearly sent Pavement into the realm of mass popularity. Phew, that was close…

‘Wowee Zowee’
(1995)

Equally, 1995 could have seen Pavement propelled into the mainstream; yet instead they went and wrote an album crammed with dislocated half-ideas and abrasive minimalism. It was too weird for radio, but with ‘Father To A Sister Of Thought’, ‘Grave Architecture’, ‘Rattled By The Rush’ and ‘Grounded’ on board it remains arguably
their finest work.

‘Brighten The Corners’
(1997)

The most coherently pop album in their career, ‘Brighten The Corners’ spawned singles ‘Stereo’ and ‘Shady Lane’.

‘Terror Twilight’
(1999)

The band’s final album was produced by Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich, and also features the harmonica playing of Jonny Greenwood.