Biblical brutality, mutilation, incest, torture, and death have all been mentioned in his band’s broken, frequently abstract lyrics throughout their enormously influential history.
“Goats of lust” and “sliced up eyeballs” aren’t often the kinds of pictures that put your toddler to sleep.
Fortunately, when he appeared on CBeebies earlier this month, he didn’t speak his own songs. However, there was a noticeable Pixies flavor to the book he selected. “There Was A Young Zombie Who Swallowed A Worm” is the title.
I did it out of sympathy for my girlfriend, and I’m quite excellent at telling bedtime stories because I’ve raised five kids.
Pixies’ appearance on children’s television at any other stage of their career is difficult to envision.
From Nirvana and Radiohead to, well, James Blunt, the harsh guitars and entwining harmonies of songs like Debaser, Monkey Gone To Heaven, and Where Is My Mind symbolized the direction of alternative music in the late 1980s. He recently remarked, “They’d be furious to hear that, wouldn’t they?”
The band disbanded just as the artists they influenced were starting to gain popularity, yet their standing increased during their absence.
