I think everyone who knew anything about Guided By Voices knew that Robert Pollard would be drinking onstage last night. The only question was what he would be drinking. The answer: Jose Cuervo, Crown Royale, and Miller Lite (I think). The point is that he was drunk, which is what is expected of him by this point. I’d never been to a Guided By Voices show before, and I was not disappointed. The band really tries to commune with its audience—indeed, its tunes have always sounded something like indie rock gospel to me, so I suppose that makes Pollard’s sharing of his drink with the audience the equivalent of a sacrament, and bandmembers’ frequent high-fiving of audience members some sort of baptismal gesture—I suppose the “laying on of hands†or something like that. It should be noted that no one writhed on the ground or spoke in tongues—this is not that kind of church. This is indie-rock-slacker-drinking church.
Even though rock music has always been known as music for young people by young people, it occurs to me that it must be pleasant and rewarding to be a successful veteran rock band. After all, if our parents are any indication, life for middle-aged people must be pretty boring. Why not get onstage and drink your guts out, especially if that’s what you’re famous for? And Guided By Voices has such an extensive catalogue of music to choose from, it’s no wonder the band still wants to tour and play shows. I mean, for goodness sake, GBV released three full-length albums just this year! It’s the right band for our time and place—even if the members are a bit past middle-aged.
Indeed, the time of the individual songwriter is upon us, once again. Anyone and his dog can write, record and upload a song to the Internet in less than a day. So it’s no surprise that a band that has always been famous for its songwriting is able to record and release almost 60 songs in under a year. The tried-and-true formula is rife for production. Long live Guided By Voices!
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