Former Pavement frontman and one of the original trailblazers that delivered ‘indie’ music to the masses during the 1990s, Stephen Malkmus, appeared on FOX News’ (nice move man; that really appeals to Pavement fans…) program “RedEye” last Friday (at 3 am – when every one’s watching) and, well, disappointed some fans, including yours truly, with his apparent snooty and less-than-dignified persona.
Maybe I’m over-reacting, but the interview (watch the video segment) speaks for itself. It’s a good educated guess that many Pavement/Malkmus fans may get a different opinion of the ‘indie rock sensation’ after seeing this clip. Maybe it’s just me (although other bloggers were left with a luke warm feeling as well). Is Malkmus a FOX News type of ‘thinker’? If so, what a let down.
Not only did Malkmus actually agree to do an interview on FOX News, but he also made what some consider a semi-racist remark, not surprising for a guest on FOX News, but this guy is a representative of indie rock. In another interview, Malkmus compares his music more to the ‘underground’ than the ‘indie fashion.’ What?!
Steve, you’re not underground at all; you’re a multi-millionaire preppy rock star – hardly an ‘underground’ musician. Even if Malkmus means ‘underground’ in an artistic sense – that is “holding unorthodox views in an environment where conventional ideas dominate” – he’s the one that went on FOX News and acted like a pompous ass.
In response to the question from the always annoying (maybe that’s why he’s on when no one’s watching) Greg Gutfeld about the origin of the word ‘jick’ (Malkmus’ band name is the Jicks), Malkmus said: “I don’t know what ghetto that comes from” and went on to elaborate that he believes it means someone who is “between a dick and a jerk.” Irony?
Fame often kills the ‘indie’ in a musician, and yeah Malkmus has made some of the greatest grunge and indie rock ever, but watching this interview left me with a stomach ache. This is the guy who was the force behind Pavement and he’s doing a stupid, ‘I’m-all-that’ interview on FOX News with Greg Gutfeld, who asked one stupid question after another.
It is just head-scratching and disappointing that one of indie rock’s most celebrated frontmen would go on FOX News channel and make such an ass of himself with the help of Gutfeld. I wish I’d never seen the damn interview, so if you’re a die-hard Pavement fan, you might want to save yourself the trouble and skip it – not ‘underground’ or true to grunge/indie ideals at all.
The bitch-fest about Malkmus on FOX didn’t start here; check out what others had to say:
Just in case you are curious about the debut album Real Emotional Trash, here’s a free, legal track off the new album:
MP3: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks – Baltimore from the new album Real Emotional Trash
* Maybe Malkmus should go to a ‘ghetto’ somewhere and ask around what ‘jick’ means and come back to us and explain to us what he meant by the “I-don’t-know-what-ghetto-that-comes-from” remark. And perhaps, he could clarify that whether he really thinks he’s in the same league as Bach and if he endorses FOX News distorted agenda of blatant support and advocacy of the right-wing agenda. (Ugh)
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