Slanted and Enchanted

I like when bands don't feel the need to grimace for the camera. Note, Malkmus in full whatever mode.



Pavement are one of those bands that, if leader Steve Malkmus had died somehow in 1997, they'd be revered as a legendary, groundbreaking 90s alt band that had so much potential in the years to come. Well, they sorta did die in 1999, seven years after their breakthrough album. And they did gain wide cult popularity over time. The first time I came across 1992's 'Slanted and Enchanted,' my friend Jeff was loaning it to my other friend Alex. Since I generally trust Jeff's taste in all things music, I uploaded it to my Nano, and learned to love the mix of heartfelt pop tunes mixed with slacker flippance.

Fast forward four years later, and Pavement is back on the road. Not with a new album, but just for the sake of, whatever. If you have a chance to se Steve Malkmus in person, he seems like a very 'whatever' sort of person. During their two-hour show at the Enmore Theatre in Newtown, Malkmus smirked, feaux shimmied and made faces to suggest that he really didn't care or has been a perma adolescent through the age of early-40-something. That said, the band charged through a series of their hits and fan faves.

Along with the music of course, what I enjoy about going to shows like this is to see the mix of Gen Xers, who may have seen Pavement in their early-mid-late 90s 'prime' and those of us who only heard about them in the last decade and now have taken the opportunity (and plunked down $73) to see an influential band live. The venue is also pretty interesting: tucked away on the south(?) end of Newtown, the Enmore is an old-style theatre, complete with a balcony and standing room only on the floor. They even have a little bar right at the door, probably where the popcorn used to be.

On this rainy night, the boys from Stockton, CA primed themselves for a North American tour, including what is now a cliche'd reunion stop at Coachella. Never have seen the band outside of promo photos from the 90s, one member who stood out was Mr. Bob Nastanovich, whose name is a mouthful, as is his voice. First of all, he reminded me of a mix between Will Farrell and Jason Segal's character in 'Freaks and Geeks.' I suppose you can describe his job in the band as 'percussionist,' but he was really there to play dual drums with Steve West, shake the tambourine and scream into the mic when it called for. Other than looking older, and in West's case, much hairier than the 90s pprmo poster outside the Enmore, the members looked and played like it was 1994. Still the same seeming tension, where it looks like Malkmus is ready to not give a crap or just walk off the stage entirely and leave the band standing there without a singer. But hey, that's the fun of rock n roll, right?

For anyone who may not be familiar with Pavement's work, here's a few clips for Cut Your Hair, a hit song from their '94 album, Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. When Malkmus sings "I don't care, don't care, I really don't care,' I believe him 100%. Somehow, Jay Leno invited them to a Tonight Show taping, and probably never invited them back.



A more coherent version of the song is the music video, which I'm sure had some good rotation on weekly episodes of 120 Minutes. An aside, but that show should really exist again, or at least make the rounds on MTV Classic.


Finally, check out the Spike Jonze clip of 'Shady Lane,' from the band's 1997 album, Wowee Zowee. Good track, plus anything from Spike is worth seeing.