Guided by Voices and Taming Scruffy's Rock Snobbery

I was unfashionably late to the Guided by Voices camp. I happened to catch the video for My Valuable Hunting Knife on the boob tube one day, and I said to myself, this song is the cat's pyjamas. I bought the album Alien Lanes which ostensibly included the song. It was a slightly different version, but I still loved the song. Still do. It may be my favourite song of all time, and I've given it hundreds of spins.



Over time, I discovered that the band released numerous versions of My Valuable Hunting Knife - I've got four now. I also learned that GBV main man Robert Pollard seemed to be on a mission to release more music than any mortal man. Has he written 1500 songs yet? I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised; check out the complete Pollard/GBV song database here (which only gives output up to 2004) or read about his plan to unleash 5 albums in the next year here). Last time I checked, he was listed as writing more than 1300 tunes.

Anyway, by the time I got into Guided By Voices and Robert Pollard, there was already a lot to catch up on, and new solo releases, side projects and mammoth box sets made being a completeist a near-impossible task (at least for me). I did my best, but I still loved Alien Lanes the most - many good memories attached. But after Alien Lanes, things changed. The band signed to a major label, lost the lo-fi vibe, and put out a well-produced, Ric Ocasek knob-twirled record, Do the Collapse, which included the big rock/new wave single Teenage FBI. I liked it and didn't join in on the inevitable cries of "Sellout!" from fans disheartened by the major sound change.

Anyhow, I was at a show one night and an amazingly-inebriated acquaintance stumbled into my buddy and started talking about GBV. My friend mentioned that I was a fan. Drunk Guy wavered and tried to fix me with a piercing stare, but his focus was off, so it looked like he was trying to shoot lasers out of his eyes through my ear or shoulder.

"What's your favourite album?" He glared at me, ready to pounce.

"Alien Lanes," I replied.

"YOU'RE what's wrong with new Guided by Voices people!" He spluttered, jabbing a pointed finger at me. Then he REALLY vented his spleen, letting me know in no uncertain terms that only the earlier tunes were essential. It cracked me up, because Drunk Guy was not just putting down the shiny Ocasek record or well-produced follow-up Isolation Drills, he had drawn an even smaller circle in the sand - only real GBV fans can come in here, we only like the first records, pledge allegiance to Bee Thousand or you will be doomed for eternity to miss the brilliant bits, you can't nod thoughtfully while listening to twisted genius as evidenced by what sounds like bedroom, basement, and kitchen recordings, you are spreading the wrong message and creating new ear-borne diseases, and so on and so forth.

Well, it was kind of humbling, and since then I've tried to restrain my own rock music snobbery. At least as much as I can.

At any rate, Guided By Voices broke up in 2004, and sadly I never got to see the band live. From what I've heard and seen, the shows could be joyous, ramshackle, marathon-like, surprising, chaotic, beer-soaked, or beautiful, maybe akin to a Replacements show. But hey! A reunion of the Guided by Voices "Classic Line-up" was recently announced. If you get to see them, send me a badge or button. If only the guys would come a little closer to my sleepy little burg...

Auditorium/Motor Away



My Kind of Soldier



Glad Girls



The Official Ironmen Rally Song



Here's two tunes that supremely pissed off Guided By Voices Fans. A pretty straightforward rock ballad and the Ocasek-produced, new wavey, radio-friendly Teenage FBI.

Hold On Hope



Teenage FBI

Teenage FBI - Guided By Voices by scruffy the yak

You can download dozens of free, legal mp3s, (including rare tracks and live tunes) straight from the the Guided By Voices website and buy the music and other merch here. Same for Robert Pollard, download his songs here and buy his music here.

You can also download live or rare GVB in many other places, like Web in Front, or captains dead, where there are many GBV mp3s (use the search).

The Hallway Of Shatter-Proof Glass Tour

TOUR DATES
all on sale times are local

9/29 - TX Palladium Showroom Dallas TX
On Sale 7/26 at 10am
with Times New Viking

9/30 - East Side Drive, Austin, TX
On Sale 7/16 at 12pm
with Times New Viking

10/3 - Pearl Theatre @ Palms Hotel, Las Vegas NV
SOLD OUT
Matador at Twenty-One Las Vegas

10/4 - Wiltern, Los Angeles CA
On Sale 07/24 at 10am
with Times New Viking

10/5 - Warfield, San Francisco CA

Regular On Sale SAT 7/25 at 10am
with Times New Viking

10/7 - Crystal Ballroom, Portland OR
On Sale 7/20 at 10am
with Times New Viking

10/9 - Showbox So Do, Seattle WA
On Sale 7/26 at 10am
with Times New Viking

10/12 - First Avenue, Minneapolis MN
On Sale 7/16 at 12pm
with Times New Viking

10/13 - The Riviera, Chicago IL
Additional tickets on sale 7/31 at 10am
with Times New Viking

10/15 - Southgate House, Newport KY (Cincinnati)
SOLD OUT
with Nick Mitchell

10/16 - Outland Live, Columbus OH
SOLD OUT
with Nick Mitchell

10/21 - 9:30 Club, Washington D.C.
200 remaining tickets will be sold Thursday 9/9 at 10 AM
with Sweet Apple

10/22 - Cat's Cradle, Carrboro NC
SOLD OUT
with Sweet Apple

10/23 - Buckhead Theater, Atlanta GA
On Sale 7/24 at 10am
with Sweet Apple

11/4 - Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
On NBC at 12:35/11:45C

11/5 - Paradise, Boston MA
SOLD OUT
with Blitzen Trapper

11/6 - Trocadero, Philadelphia PA
SOLD OUT
with Blitzen Trapper

11/7 - Terminal 5, NYC
SOLD OUT
with Blitzen Trapper