In a list of the University's alumni, one would hardly be surprised to see the names of prominent businessmen, politicians, lawyers and doctors. But what about an indie rock legend? Stephen Malkmus (CLAS '88), frontman of the influential rock band Pavement, helped change the sound of the underground rock scene in the '90s. Five albums and one decade later, Malkmus is on the road with his new band, The Jicks, playing in Charlottesville for the first time since 1992. Before his show at Starr Hill last week, he let us pick his brain.
The Cavalier Daily: You've been on tour since '91. How do you feel that touring has expanded your music or your life?
Stephen Malkmus: Well, I can say that I went to Daedalus Bookshop [today]. I haven't been there in a long time - and I was thinking, "What if that same old guy works there?" And he's there. So I was thinking that in those same years, I've been across the globe a million times, and he's been there the whole time. But who really got a better education or got more out of it, I don't know. He seemed pretty happy, talking to him now, showing me around the bookstore, just reading stuff. I mean, obviously all the travel is exciting, but it's more addictive than educational.
CD: You graduated from U.Va. How did you make it here?
SM: That was tough back then, you know. It was a very conservative environment as far as having to conform. You know, when I was a freshman, I was close to joining a frat, but I just didn't. It turned out to be a good choice. You just gotta be patient. I mean, I had a good time, it just took me like a year or two.
CD: What do you think of the contemporary music scene - what's going on the radio, what's not going on the radio?
SM: Well, you know, the commercial radio scene is not the greatest. There's not much pushing ... I mean, things are not very dangerous because it's radio; things are just kind of safe. Now and then, there are people that get through that are like pretty crazy, and they still manage to sell, you know like Macy Gray, she's really kind of wild, or Outkast. There seem to be things that aren't completely safe, so I like them. But most of the alternative rock is kind of mindless. It takes out all the dangerous things and leaves some signifiers of anger, like volume or yelling or something, but it doesn't really push any boundaries. Radio's maybe not for that. But there's a huge underground of music that is still great, people are just doing it for themselves.
CD: How do you reconcile what you mean to say in your music with how critics and fans interpret it?
SM: Generally if someone dislikes something or they misunderstand it, I just say, "Well, OK. They don't." It's not that they're dumb or anything, but they don't like the same kind of music as me, or we're not on the same playing field as far as that goes. And that's fine with me. The music that we made as Pavement, and [what I'm doing] now, it's not made for everybody. It's not pop, in that way. It's just not made to communicate or to appeal to everybody. And that's fine. I'm always open to when people tell me that stuff, I'm like, "Oh yeah, I agree." But you don't really know what your stuff sounds like. We did this party for Jane magazine. It was a Webcast, and I heard this song on our record laid down in that context. It was just women and Loreal cosmetics and like girls and stuff, and my voice sounded much higher and nerdier in that context. I never thought I was the toughest person or anything, but I was like, "Oh my God, this is so soft. I can see why they'd like this nerdy boy to be at this show."
CD: Do you feel more or less scrutinized without Pavement, now that you're a solo artist?
SM: I don't feel much different. At this point, it's what I've been doing [for 10 years]. I'm not so worried about any of that anyway. I mean, we just do what we do. We do photos and interviews, and you can go and exist in that, and it's not real. I mean, maybe if I was 10 years younger, it would have like screwed with my head or something. I'm not at that level of fame where people notice you in every bar or anything, where you become that person on the record entirely. I mean, I am that person, but I'm another person. I'm not David Bowie.
CD: Sometimes fans can take a piece of music and claim it for themselves or try to make it their own. How much do you feel that the image of your music is yours, and how much do you feel that it has been created by others?
SM: In the end, we're going to be associated with a certain type of music, and fans of a certain type of music will like it. They're just music fans, they're not spending their whole life trying to decide what's important about the bands. They just want to listen to music. As long as there's no evil political message that people are getting from it or something like "beat your girlfriend" or something, or they interpreted something like that ...then it would be bad. But that hasn't happened. We're not Judas Priest.
CD: What do you think about music elitism? Do you think Pavement's music and other underground music should be broadcast on the radio?
SM: Well ... people hear songs, and it goes in and out of their heads. If you make an effort to make your music more than just a radio song, people will [appreciate it]. There's plenty of successful musicians that don't get any radio play. The Grateful Dead is a huge example. Extensive touring, word of mouth. Those things still have import. I mean, that's how I hear about new stuff-friends that recommend things. I think there's enough room for that. I'm not really worried about it.
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