Guided by Voices GBV lives again / Robert Pollard / new disc

The problem seems to be that Pollard is so attached to his whole boorish anti-intellectual good ol' boy shtick - this in spite of him publishing poetry, having exhibitions of his art etc. This dichotomy would be a good area for a proper biography to cover.

 

You can still buy the single here for anyone who wants it. Personally I think it rocks.
Space Gun, by Guided By Voices

 

I agree. Can’t wait to hear that live.

 

While I've been a fan since 1995, I can't help but hear Space Gun as more of the same formula; guitar & vocals, the band come in for a few seconds then stops, guitar & vocals again, the band comes back in probably for the rest of the song but maybe not. It's one thing about Pollards writing that put me a bit off. The start/stop in lots of songs. I'll still buy it but these albums aren't sticking with me as much even though I think August By Cake is a really good album. I'm aware I'm also changing and not having the same responses to bands and albums anymore.

 

I don't believe that it's a good lo' boy sctick. He is an artist representative of our rust belt region where the blue collar work ethic reigned supreme and its remnants remain. Having grown up in this region, it is not uncommon for creative types to be drinking down at the local watering hole with welders, plumbers, coal miners, etc. you can see this regularly on the GBV Facebook site as Pollard is constantly posing for pictures at dive bars with fans in Dayton Ohio. If it were a schticK he would not likely be staying in Dayton. Pollard himself continues to drink cheap domestic beer though many of his crowd are aging hipsters who buy a six pack of beers that could net you 24 cans of Miller lite.

Much of Pollard's song writing champions this blue collar everyday man who looks to the bottom of the bottle to seek comfort and comradeship (Drinkers peace, back to the lake, official iron men rally song, etc.). These songs resonate with those blue collar types who could never find a way to commercialize their own creative leanings.

Personally I view Pollard as a folk hero for disgruntled middle aged men, especially those who have had to figure a way to grind out a living doing something they hate. Pollard was a fourth grade school teacher well into his thirties from my understanding. Not a blue collar job but having been a teacher myself it is a grind I hated on a daily basis. He had to commit to leaving a steady job as a teacher supporting a family to chase his dream of being a rock star. Nothing wS certain about GBV. Who amongst us 9 to 5 have the stones to do that? While pollard has never attained Who-like status, he is the idol of many a steelworker, busboy, waiter, welder, postman who do not get to do what they love for a living. He is the Paul Bunyon of the rust belt.

If we are going to tAlk schticK we can discuss Pollard's onstage persona.

 

A couple of months ago, I was given the task to create a GBV mix for someone, and as I was doing it, I realized just how little of the “classic lineup” reunion stuff has stuck with me. It’s the oldest complaint in the world, but I really wish Bob had distilled the best of that material into maybe half the number of albums. Having said that, How Do You Spell Heaven has an energy to it that I haven’t heard from Bob since the Boston Spaceships era. It has me really looking forward to the new album.

 

Yes, shtick was probably the wrong phrase - notwithstanding the fact that I'm not even sure how to spell it - that makes it's sound like a affectation which it clearly isn't because he's being doing it long enough. I can't comment on whether there's any sort of regional basis for this clash between the dreamy poet/artist and the boozy no-**** jock, it seems like a result of his family background, to some extent, from what I've read of it. Anyway, this is the sort of stuff a proper biographer should be writing about, not merely tales of Bob yukking it up in his basement with his cronies.

 

I agree that it would be great for someone to write a biography who isn’t from within his influence of friends.

 

Mag Earwig vinyl reissue for anyone interested..
Mag Earwhig! Exclusive LP

 

They're also doing a purple Live In Austin at Newbury Comics:
Guided By Voices Live From Austin, TX Exclusive 2 LP

 

Yeah despite the discount I skipped that for now. Bob gets really sloppy in the last half, can’t say I e watched the dvd or played the cd in years. When I’m in the mood for 2004 live Gbv, the electrifying conclusion is it.

 

Bring on the Universal Truths And Cycles reissue..

 

I finally got around to buying the regular vinyl last weekend, and yeah, the second half is a lot sloppier than I’d remembered. It’s really too bad because it would be kind of nice to have a professional live recording of a good GBV show.

My dream reissue is Speak Kindly of Your Volunteer Fire Department.

 

I can see rockathon reissuing speak kindly in a year or two. It’s high on fan wishlists like NIMA was.

Also pro rock show - rumor is there will be an official live album in 2018 from this years tour.

 

They are releasing a live recording of the Asbury Park show at the House of Independents from a couple months ago.

I was there in the front row and it was a great night.

 

Kid Marine needs a vinyl reissue...the world needs to hear this one.

 

That was my first thought after hearing it, too.

 

Thanks. I ordered a copy the moment I read your post. And now it is sold out ...

 

Vinyl reissue wishlist

Vampire on Titus
Earthquake Glue
Kid Marine
Speak Kindly


Reminds me I still need to get that Carnival Boy reissue. Tobin at his best

 

I think all of these are realistic. Vampire has already been reissued, but that was awhile ago and Scat recently reactivated for the Bee Thousand reissue. The others seem due based on what has been reissued in the last couple of years. I DEFINITELY want Kid Marine and Speak Kindly as they're the two from the solo catalog that I don't have that aren't still available from Rockathon.

 

Yeah not sure what’s up with scat. Robert Griffin is less and less active and I assume he has to be involved in some way.

The fading captain stuff - not sure if Todd at Luna Records would need to approve or be involved there either but I’d think kid marine and speak kindly would sell as much as Not in my Airforce. And Newbury said on twitter they’re very open to more Gbv exclusives. Hell Mag and B000 sold out in preorders so why not! I’d think they’d at least try alien lanes if not the later matador stuff.

 

I think B1000 and Mag sold well because those records weren't reissued prior. You can still get the colored version of "Under The Bushes" from Newbury and that came out last year, probably because Matador reissued that one back in 2009.

 

I received my Space Gun 45 from Rockathon yesterday. Nice!

 

Is this Mag Earwhig thing a Newbury one-shot or will Matador be reissuing this in black vinyl any time soon? I hate hate hate limited releases with unrealistically low print runs.

 

Most likely a black vinyl version coming from matador. Newbury exclusives are a small part of a larger run. It’s not worth it for them to do a small pressing on their own. Under the bushes was the same thing and can be had for under $15 on amazon