| There once was a time when Stephen Malkmus looked forward to going on tour and getting "fucked up" with other members of his band Pavement. This was when the idea of being on one endless road trip sounded appealing and he was young enough to endure a serious bender.
Today, the 39-year-old singer is happiest hanging out at his house in Portland, Oregon – puttering around the garden, spending time with his new family and firing up the grill.
Malkmus is calling from New York on a tour pit stop, sounding overworked and homesick. He still has the same sardonic wit and staggered rhythmic way of speaking, but Malkmus is obviously tired of playing the game and bored with being a slacker alterna-icon.
When Pavement disbanded at the start of the 21st century, it seemed like it was the end of an era, and in 2001 Malkmus set out on a rocky solo career with a self-titled album. The record’s cover art would launch a thousand schoolgirl crushes, with its photograph of a sun-baked Malkmus wearing an appropriate T-shirt featuring a cartoon likeness of Underdog. Later that year, the singer was briefly mentioned in Jonathan Franzen’s popular novel The Corrections and it seemed he was turning a corner in his career – becoming a persona instead of a person.
He’s only mentioned in the book twice and he says that it’s a small scrap of fame. "I mean, it's nice to be in a good book like that," Malkmus says. "It doesn’t really mean anything, but it’s something to talk about with friends. That stuff doesn’t really affect us in Portland."
Malkmus raves about his adopted hometown of Portland and admits to moving there as a way to separate himself from the celeb-hipster nonsense that seems to follow him everywhere.
"(Portland) has nice people and it’s a small place. None of that fame stuff matters unless you’re trying to get ahead, either to make money or if you’re just trying to date your way to the top. Trying to become more famous so you can meet hipper people is just not for me," he says with trademark indifference.
"Don’t get me wrong – it definitely feels good to do something and accomplish things and succeed at whatever you’re trying to do. To be seen or taken notice of – that’s something special. But you have to also balance that with some inner peace," he says, laughing.
Face The Truth is Malkmus’s third solo record and he says it was important for him to write the album alone in his home studio. For the new record his trusty back-up band, The Jicks, are noticeably absent.
"I just had some energy because I was working in a different environment than I usually work in, which was my home studio," he says. "I was excited to experiment with being in total control and just being a little more unorganized by what could possibly happen. I started when I wanted to start and brought the band down when it was time, so that was liberating."
Malkmus, who bought his house three years ago, says it was a bout of serious buyer’s remorse that became the catalyst for the new album.
"I always wanted to record at the house because it’s kind of big and unnecessary and I didn’t like it at first," he says. "I thought, well, if I make a record in this house at least I would have got something out of it, you know? The roof leaks and it was overpriced and there is asbestos everywhere and I should have paid attention to that before buying it. So, I thought, even if I die of asbestos poisoning recording in the basement, at least I could record an album there and it’d be worth it."
This year also sees the release of the new Silver Jews record Tanglewood Numbers, an on-and-off project Malkmus has been involved in with his old college roommate, alt-country eccentric poet David Berman. The album features ex-Pavement musicians Steve West and Bob Nastanovich and it’s the first time the three members of Pavement have played together since breaking up six years ago.
"It was fun to play with people I like. I was just the rhythm guitar – anybody could have played my parts," says Malkmus. "They were David’s songs and we just tried to back him up."
However, without question the biggest event in Malkmus’s life this year was the birth of his daughter Lottie in February with girlfriend and visual artist Jessica Jackson Hutchins. Malkmus seems to be enjoying fatherhood and is using his newfound responsibility as a way to focus on the things that are really important.
"It really comes down to the way you are. That stuff opens your eyes – different responsibilities keep you grounded whether or not you really change. Hopefully I have," he says.
As if on cue, a baby screeches in the background, interrupting his train of thought.
"I don’t know, it can go either way – it didn’t help Kurt Cobain any." |
Copyright ©2005 FFWD. All rights reserved.