Frank Black is dead... set on purchasing a small bungalow in Chiswick [renamed]

[trotsky assortment]

Ta very much.  I'm trying to convince myself I won't need to buy all three versions.  Record companies are bastards.

[Glebe]

This pic of Frank live in Lille, France is smashing. More here.

And some video from the Paris show:

The Black Rider.

Los Angeles.

Captain Patsy.

Your Mouth Into Mine.

[trotsky assortment]

That is indeed a fine pic!  Cheers for that.

[Glebe]

This is definitely worth checking out, it's the site of Frank's current drummer Jason "Skippy" Carter, with a tour blog full of pics and vids:

Skippy On Drums.

[Ambient Sheep]

That is indeed a fine pic!  Cheers for that.

It's Johnny Yesno, isn't it?

[El Unicornio, mang]

Every time I see this thread I still think he's died, even though I've checked it about 15 times

[Glebe]

There's a live webcast from the Paradiso in Amsterdam on now (19:30 CET, 4/7/07):

Fabchannel.com: Frank Blank.

[buntyman]

thanks for the heads-up. I've never seen a live feed from a concert before - excellent quality too. why don't you get this sort of thing more often? i'd pay for it

[Duckula]

Wow, thanks for the heads up, great stuff.

[buntyman]

That was fucking good. I'd never seen a Frank Black solo set before, he's far more energetic than he was during the pixies reunion stuff.
Thanks again

[Glebe]

I think it's archieved. It was stopping a bit for me. And I missed a chunk of it when I went to the shops!

[Blank_Frackis]

Anyone go see the man himself last night? Was pretty good, the bluefinger stuff sounded great.

[Glebe]

Frank voicing the devil in Li'l Bush.

Guitarist Charles Normal's tour blog.

The cover of Bluefinger, featuring a painting by Frank's son Julian:

[Glebe]

He's gonna be on Colin Murray's show, which is on now (26th July, 10 PM CET).

[Glebe]

Frank and wife Violet playing in a lift!

Listen to Bluefinger free here!

Got 93-03 the other day, haven't listened to it yet, though.

[Glebe]

Frank interview...with The Sun!

Rare Tame video!

Pixies interview from way back.

Don't know if I've posted this before, but there's loads of great Pixies/Frank footage to download here:

Matthew Broszkowski - Pixies video downloads.

[Glebe]

Check out the Black Francis site , it's undergone a major update, an is now quite fancy!

Oh yeah, and the discovery of that Tame video has made the news!

[Glebe]

Here's some YouTube clips from a few recent Frank shows (He's currently on a US West Coast tour). I didn't embed them, bit messy since there's a bit too many:

Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, Oregon, Oct 1:

Gyaneshwar.
The Holiday Song.
The Water.
Wave Of Mutilation.
Stormy Weather.
Dead Man's Curve.
Test Pilot Blues.
Tight Black Rubber.
Captain Patsy.

W.O.W. Hall, Eugene, Oregon, Oct 5:

Gyaneshwar.
Mr. Grieves.
The Water.
Cactus.
Dead Man's Curve.
Tight Black Rubber.
Test Pilot Blues.
Captain Pasty.
Your Mouth Into Mine.
Break My Body.
Motorway to Roswell.
Threshold Apprehension.
Bluefinger.

...And here's another one with some funny chat from Frank, recorded 3 Oct at Richard's On Richards, Vancouver, BC:

She Took All the Money.

[Glebe]

Official Black Francis MySpace page.

[Glebe]

He's doing a European tour in the new year-don't have info on UK dates, but he's playing Vicar Street, Dublin on Feb 9, tix are €28 and go on sale Tuesday (Nov 19), more info here. I can't wait, last and only time I saw him live solo was on the Cult Of Ray Tour more than ten years ago!

Oh yeah, in related news, Kim and Kelley Deal are playing a benefit show in Chicago on Dec 4, more info here.

[Glebe]

Found Frank's Christmass CD/DVD album in a little record shop yesterday. Happy days.

Black Francis Blog.

Black Francis Forum.

Feb 08 Euro tour dates announced so far (UK dates to be confirmed):

02/09/2008 09:00 PM - Vicar Street, Dublin

02/16/2008 09:00 PM - Elysee Montmartre, Paris

02/17/2008 09:00 PM - Prime Club, Cologne

02/18/2008 09:00 PM - Postbahnhof, Berlin

02/19/2008 09:00 PM - Fabrik, Hamburg

02/20/2008 09:00 PM - Vega, Copenhagen

02/22/2008 09:00 PM - Den Atelier, Luxembourg

02/23/2008 09:00 PM - Les Docks, Lausanne

02/24/2008 09:00 PM - Abart Club, Zurich

02/26/2008 09:00 PM - Botanique (Orangerie), Brussels

02/27/2008 09:00 PM - Melkweg, Amsterdam

02/28/2008 09:00 PM - Doornroosje, Nijmegen

02/29/2008 09:00 PM - Hedon, Zwolle

[trotsky assortment]

Not watched the DVD yet, but wasn't overly fond of the 'Christmass' audio CD.  Frank's acoustic playing was hard work; matched only by J Mascis on his 'Martin + Me' acoustic live album.

[Glebe]

He does a nice version of I Burn Today, though. And I love his high pitched wails in California Bound! Anyway, I have my tix for the Dublin gig, and he's added UK dates:

10 Feb 2008 21:00 Garage Glasgow
12 Feb 2008 21:00 Academy 2 Manchester
13 Feb 2008 21:00 Koko London

Here's some news from Black Francis.net:

Black Francis has just finished the mini LP "SVN FNGRS" to be released by Cooking Vinyl in the new year. The track The Seus is to be featured as a b-side from the single She Took All The Money from this year's release "BLUEFINGER". The Seus (Charles Normal mix) is up on Black Francis' myspace page now!

Track listing for SVN FNGRS is:


1. The Seus
2. Garbage Heap
3. Half Man
4. I Sent Away
5. Seven Fingers
6. The Tale Of Lonesome Fetter
7. When They Come To Murder Me

The record features Black on guitar, harmonica and vocals, Violet Clark on bass, and Jason Carter on drums. The record was produced by Jason Carter. Vids forthcoming.

Furthermore,

We have donated an item to Waxploitation's 4th auction to benefit Darfur. Please check out the auction page and find something you'd like. One hundred percent of the proceeds will be split between three non-profit organizations working in Darfur: Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America.

Go to http://www.ebay.com/causesauction to see!

This year's items have been donated by a 'who's who' of artists, including signed guitars from The Flaming Lips, Avril Lavigne, Norah Jones, Nickelback, Deftones and Common, as well as items signed by Coldplay, Kanye West, Gorillaz, Gnarls Barkley, Wilco, TV on the Radio, The Decemberists, Bloc Party, Aesop Rock, Macy Gray and Thievery Corporation, to name a few. The auction also features unsigned items from Bob Marley, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Brian Wilson, Lupe Fiasco, Robbie Williams, Don Cheadle, Julius 'DR J' Erving, Bam Margera, MTV, Sony Playstation, Xbox, Zoo York, Adidas, T-Mobile, Nokia, Nintendo, Adult Swim among others.

[Marvin]

Official video for new song:
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugFvzM0FGz8[/youtube]

[buntyman]

and he's added UK dates:

10 Feb 2008 21:00 Garage Glasgow
12 Feb 2008 21:00 Academy 2 Manchester
13 Feb 2008 21:00 Koko London

Cool, thanks for that, i'm definitely going to this

[Glebe]

Cooking Vinyl Press Room - Svn Fngrs + UK tour dates PR.

BLACK FRANCIS
New mini album SVN FNGRS (COOKCD456) released 3rd March
On tour in UK in February

Cooking Vinyl has agreed to release my latest session (thank you CV!), which I have called SVN FNGRS, on 3rd March 2008. It was written, recorded and mixed in six days, and on the seventh day Mark Lemhouse did artwork. The band for the session was myself, of course, on guitar, vocals and harmonica, Jason Carter on drums, and Violet Clark on bass. The session was produced Jason Carter. There are seven (7) songs clocking in at 20 minutes and so I suppose it qualifies as a mini-LP under the old formats. No one seems to know or care what the  current format models are (a very weakened LP on compact disc continues to rule the roost by default), which is WONDERFUL; so let's  just call it music and pay whatever price your Google research turns up. If you want it for free you can usually find some tracks for free download on my Myspace page or on my own blackfrancis.net. The production is sparse in terms of the band, which, by the way, seems to be a kind of 'Black Francis' thing that has been developing ever since  I went back to the old stage name, but is much more produced in terms of the vocal layering of my own voice, perhaps along the lines of TEENAGER OF THE YEAR. I won't bother you here with what the damn concept is, but let's just say the theme revolves around a lot of NASTY sex, NASTIER death, and beautifully strange birth. It was a coincidence that the whole 'finger' thing turns up again; management asked for a digital b-side for a BLUEFINGER track and what they got was this seven fingered thing which is not related to the HERMAN BROOD concept, although I assure you he would approve of all this nasty business. I have made a video for the song I SENT AWAY (one of the birth songs) and you can see it on youtube and other places, so I guess that qualifies as the first single as released by the impatient  artist. I believe the more pragmatic record company is releasing another song (THE SEUS - Charles Normal re-mix) as ITS first single  and I'll make an internet vid for that one, too, as soon as I finish  recording the digital b-side for THAT (maybe I'll do a self indulgent  symphony - note to myself: symphony wiki - written in 10 minutes); DAMN! That espresso this morning was BLACK and STRONG! BLACK & STRONG & LONG! MUDDY BLACK WATER! My brain is exploding...
Black Francis
Eugene, Oregon

Svn Fngrs tracklisting :
1. The Seus
2. Garbage Heap
3. Half Man4. I Sent Away
5. Seven Fingers
6. The Tale of Lonesome Fetter
7. When They Come To Murder Me

Black Francis will be in tour in the UK during February, full dates as follows :
Thu 7th February OXFORD, Brookes University
Sun 10th February GLASGOW, The Garage (Shockwaves NME Awards Show)
Tue 12th February MANCHESTER, Academy 2 (Shockwaves NME Awards show)
Wed 13th February LONDON, Koko (Shockwaves NME Awards Show)
Thu 14th February PORTSMOUTH, Wedgewood Rooms

www.cookingvinyl.com / www.frankblack.net / www.blackfrancis.net

INFO JOOLZ at COOKING VINYLT: 0208 600 9203 E: Joolz@cookingvinyl.com

[Glebe]

He's added two more UK dates:

7 Feb 2008 20:00 Brookes University Oxford
14 Feb 2008 20:00 Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth

Also, he's doing free 'precore' gigs at various locations suggested by fans before the main gigs:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M3J_clrN8k[/youtube]

[gmoney]

Fucking hell, playing Portsmouth on Valentines Day, cheers you slap-headed twat.

[Glebe]

¡BLACKOLERO! : Interview : Jean "Speedy Marie" Walsh.

Translated:

Blackolero: Could you first introduce yourself to our readers? Don't be afraid to go on, we've got plenty of space on this blog...

Jean Walsh: I have no idea how to introduce myself! Ummm...I am the ex-wife/former long-time girlfriend of Charles Thompson/Frank Black. Let's see...we lived together for 12 years and 10 months and then got married on a whim in Las Vegas while visiting friends.Total relationship span: 16.5 years. We are still good friends. I have a brother who has never eaten soup. I was the Pixies first "manager," which means I was their friend and they enlisted me to drop their first demo tape off at clubs because they thought I looked cooler than them and the clubs would take them more seriously. Despite that grievous error in judgment, they were a success. Come visit me at www.myspace.com/jeanthecat.


- When did you meet Charles for the first time? Can you tell us about it?

I think Charles and I probably met in the fall of 1985. I actually met him through Kim and her ex-husband John Murphy, who was one of my oldest childhood friends. At first, Charles was just a guy my friend's new wife was going to be in a band with. (This was right at the band's inception; they hadn't played a show yet, hadn't made a demo.) He and I had a pretty strong mental attraction from the beginning. We had a voracious appetite for each other's personalities, but there was nothing romantic between us until we had been close friends for about 6 months.


- When Charles was the leader of the Pixies, were you aware of how important the band would become? Did you already suspect the influence it would have on rock music? Or, let's put it that way: did you ever think, "Wow, I'm living with a genius!"?

No, I had no idea the band would end up actually being "important" or having any influence. Wait, that sounds horrible! What I mean is I loved the band, but I just didn't realize how many other people in the world would feel that way. I think when you're in the midst of something like that it just seems fun and exciting and you don't really think about the lasting ramifications. (Either that or maybe I was just incredibly naive, oblivious, and ignorant. That's a definite possibility.)

Eventually I did come to think, "Wow, I'm living with a genius," but not for a long, long time. like maybe not until late '90s. I think that's probably a good thing. I would imagine a young musician who gains success quickly and has journalists and fans constantly telling him how great he is probably needs to come home to the loving arms of his devoted, yet sarcastic and unimpressed girlfriend if he wants to have any chance of not becoming a complete asshole.


- When the Pixies split in late 1992, had you seen it coming? Do you think it was inevitable?

Well, yeah, I did know it was coming. I vividly remember us saying goodbye to everybody and walking out of the last Pixies show in Vancouver and knowing that Charles was planning on it being the last show ever, but he and I were the only ones who knew. I honestly didn't know if he would really end up doing it or if he just needed a break and would reconsider, so I didn't try to convince him to be open about it. It was a weird combo of nervous excitement, relief, and guilt.


- What, from your own point of view, motivated the split? What did you think of Charles' decision to go solo?

I think what motivated the split was probably Charles feeling trapped in a situation that wasn't fun anymore, where he felt like he couldn't fix it and he just needed to free himself and get a fresh start in order to be excited creatively again. That's just my theory. He may not agree with that. I definitely supported his decision to go solo because I just wanted him to be happy, be able to feel good about himself, and have a sense of creative freedom. A boy's gotta do what a boy's gotta do.


- Some say you were the one who suggested the name "The Catholics" for Charles' band. Is that right?

Yes, I did suggest it...sort of as a joke because we were all driving around on tour in a van and talking about our Catholic upbringings. Charles is not Catholic, but Scott Boutier, Dave McCaffrey, Lyle Workman, and I were all raised Catholic and had a lot of super funny Catholic childhood stories to trade. It's definitely the most comedic religion!

I absolutely love all the Catholics, the guys I just mentioned and also later Catholics Dave Philips and Rich Gilbert. You could not possibly meet a better group of human beings. My dream is to live in a big house with all of them one day. We can even set up a very nice guest room for Charles.


- To which extent were you artistically involved during the Catholics era?

Little to none! Only doing some artwork for the records and just the normal, "Hey, will you listen to this and tell me what you think?" type of thing.


- Besides the famous and beautiful "Speedy Marie", are you aware of any other songs that were inspired by you? Maybe "Subbacultcha", "Nadine"?...

Hey, good guesses! You're right. There are some other ones that I know of like King and Queen of Siam, Letter To Memphis, I Love Your Brain, Is She Weird?, Blown Away, I Could Stay Here Forever, San Antonio, TX, I Don't Want to Hurt You (Every Single Time), and Strange Goodbye. I think he told me Headache was about me (but I can't figure out why, other than the fact that I probably gave him a million headaches) and I Will Run After You (although he wrote that shortly before he ran AWAY from me).


- Did you usually know when Charles was writing a song about you ? Or was it a surprise every time?

I never knew until it was done. He plays it close to the vest! That expression probably doesn't exist in French and makes no sense to you. I apologize.


- Charles never seems to stop working. When he's not writing new material, he's either recording or touring. He said himself that if he could, he'd release a new record every 3 months, like early rock'n'roll bands used to do. Did you ever see him rest? Or did he constantly carry his guitar around, always ready to create a new song in five minutes?

This question is making me laugh right now. You're right; he works his ass off and is incredibly prolific. Undeniable. It's really exciting to be around someone who is that driven. But the "did you ever see him rest" part makes me want to upload one of my old "now do you believe me that you snore, Charles?" videos of him sleeping on the couch snoring at a dangerously high industrial noise level with a half-off sock dangling from his foot.


- Do you think that Charles will ever be able to shake off the shadow of the Pixies? Whatever he does, it seems to stick to him and to detract attention from his solo output, however great it might be. Does it annoy you as much as it annoys us? (That's a lot.)

Well, it annoys me on one level because I think his songwriting and singing have improved to the point of being absolutely beautiful and awe-inspiring on a lot of his solo stuff. I want the world to recognize that. If he had not been a member of the Pixies, and instead first came to fame as Frank Black, I think Frank Black's material would be absolutely huge, influential, and receive the respect it deserves. However, I totally understand the fans who can't see past the Pixies. I do the same thing with some bands I like. The Pixies' songs are phenomenal, but for a lot of people it goes beyond the song itself; it's also the emotional link those songs have to a place in their past that makes the music so special and untouchable to them. Do I like Johnny Marr and Morrissey's solo records as much as I love a Smiths record? Nope. I get it.


- Do you think you've had an influence, however small, on Charles' music, his style, his inspiration? Did he sometimes seek your opinion on his songs in progress?

I do think I've had an influence on him. I don't mean that in any kind of egotistical way; whatever influence there was occurred unconsciously and naturally. We were an insanely bonded couple and when you're in that kind of relationship, you both just naturally affect the way the other person thinks and behaves. He did it to me and I'm sure I did it to him.

He did seek my opinion on his songs, and it was easy because I felt free to say what I really thought and he felt free to either say, "hey, you're right" or "hey, you're fucking crazy" and neither one of us would be offended.


- You and Charles have sung about your parting on "Strange Goodbye". That must have been a very unusual and emotional experience. Could you tell us more about it?

You know what's unusual? The fact that it really wasn't that emotional. I think the semi-stressful reality of carrying out the task extinguished any possibility of emotion. I am not a singer. I do not have a good voice. I don't even sing Happy Birthday at a party. (But if I think someone's watching, I will lip-sync.) So, singing and having it be recorded seemed likely to be an incredibly humiliating experience. But he asked me to do it and what can I say, we're not a couple anymore but I love the guy like family and I'll take a bullet for him any day of the week. So I said yes. And now everyone who listens to my singing on that track will also take a bullet...straight to their ear drum.

In true Charles fashion, he sent me the lyrics the night before and also told me that he wouldn't be there when I recorded it. So I just went to the studio with an engineer, Ben Mumphrey, who basically had to tell me how to sing it and I did the best I could.

Having said that, I do think it was a truly beautiful gesture on his part and a very fitting and fun way to say goodbye to our relationship.


- What is/are your favorite of all of Charles' records, with or without the Pixies?

This question is too difficult! I love so many songs on so many records. I honestly can't say. I know that's an unsatisfying response and I apologize, but I can't isolate one particular record above the others. An overlooked record that I absolutely love is Oddballs, the Frank Black b-sides collection. Some of the recordings are rough-sounding, but it really doesn't get any better than songs like "Can I Get A Witness" and "Man of Steel." And his tribute to an actor he truly loved, John Candy, on "At The End of the World." Charles was really emotional when John Candy died, and I think that song is stunningly beautiful. Oddballs is definitely up there.


- Do you know the other members of the Pixies well?

I do. I'm really close to Joe and his wife Linda and see them all the time. They're both incredibly funny and great to hang out with. We've had many drunken and delightful meals and will do so again in a couple of days on Christmas Eve!
I love David and go see his magic/comedy trio The Unholy Three whenever I get the chance. Their show is stellar. David's a completely unique, kind-hearted, and fascinating guy. He's actually the first member of the Pixies I met, long before the band existed. He was a friend of Kim's ex-husband (and my long-time friend) John Murphy and the three of us went out and partied it up at a club one night. Little did I know we'd end up being connected for years to come! Kim's not in LA so unfortunately I don't see her very often. She, David, and Joe were nice enough to come to one of my sketch comedy shows when they first started rehearsing in LA for the reunion tour. That meant a lot to me. Last time I saw Kim was at a reunion show in 2005, and it was really great. We've both been through a lot of crap in the last 20 years and I feel a bond to her.


- Are you a musician yourself? Have you ever been in a band?

I believe my greatest contribution to mankind is the fact that I have never been, nor will I ever be in a band. You're welcome, world.


- You're an actress with a gift for comedy and a taste for experimental cinema. What are your immediate projects? Do you have any long-term ambitions? Do we have a chance to see you on French screens anytime soon?

I mostly do live comedy here in Los Angeles; I used to perform at the Groundlings Theater, if anyone's ever heard of that. I wrote a sitcom pilot this past year that initially seemed semi-promising, but is going nowhere. Sadly, the only French screen you'll probably see me on is your own personal computer screen! I do a lot of short comedy films and I was in an unspeakably bad movie called Rectuma that you might be able to find somewhere...look it up! I feel guilty for saying that. The director is a super nice guy. How's about I say "extremely non-traditional and no-budget" rather than "unspeakably bad?" Wow. I'll never work in this town again.


- Another question if you don't mind... Do you share Charles' francophilia?

I absolutely share it! This October I went to Paris alone for my first vacation in 6 years and had the time of my life. Instead of a hotel, I got a gorgeous rental apartment on Rue de la Reynie. I didn't really do anything touristy, I just walked around all day, ate great meals, and bought the most gorgeous boots and shoes in the world. I can't wait to go back. I would move there in a heartbeat, if I could afford it.

[Glebe]

Oxford Mail - Black strikes a chord with fans.

BBC - 6 Music -Frank Black pre-core set.

Manchester Evening News interview.

By the way, keep an eye on drummer Jason Carter's blog.

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGab7FpmtoE[/youtube]