Kicked in the taco: A history of Frank Black’s weird lyrical obsessions
More than 20 years of incest, spacemen, and Celtic folk heroes
More than 20 years of incest, spacemen, and Celtic folk heroes
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The artist formerly and currently known as Black Francis has always said that he lived too good a life to write mopey, downbeat confessional lyrics. Instead, he has often substituted a hip-pocket surrealism, liberally sprinkled with sex and science fiction. Listening to his records in order, from the Pixies' Come On Pilgrim to last year’s Svn Fngrs mini-album, is like running into a friend you only see once a year, and all he talks about is whatever crazy shit he’s been into since you last met. In advance of Black's upcoming visit to New York on Sunday—for a benefit at Music Hall of Williamsburg—The A.V. Club presents all the crazy shit that Charles Thompson has been into since 1987.
Come On Pilgrim (Pixies, 1987)
Lyrical themes: Having sex with a close relative (“Nimrod’s Son," “The Holiday Song”); speaking Spanish poorly (“Vamos," “Isla De Encanta”); getting messed up by religion (“Caribou," “Levitate Me”).
Say whaaat?: “And while we’re at it, baby, why don’t you tell me one of your biggest fears? / I said, ‘Losing my penis to a whore with disease.'”
Lyrical themes: Having sex with a close relative (“Nimrod’s Son," “The Holiday Song”); speaking Spanish poorly (“Vamos," “Isla De Encanta”); getting messed up by religion (“Caribou," “Levitate Me”).
Say whaaat?: “And while we’re at it, baby, why don’t you tell me one of your biggest fears? / I said, ‘Losing my penis to a whore with disease.'”
Surfer Rosa (Pixies, 1988)
Lyrical themes: Fractures (“Broken Face," “Break My Body”); speaking Spanish poorly (“Vamos” again, “Oh My Golly!”); the male sex organ (“Gigantic," “Something Against You”).
Say whaaat?: “Sittin’ here wishin’ on a cement floor / Just wishin’ that I had just somethin’ you wore / Bloody your hands on a cactus tree / Wipe it on your dress and send it to me.”
Lyrical themes: Fractures (“Broken Face," “Break My Body”); speaking Spanish poorly (“Vamos” again, “Oh My Golly!”); the male sex organ (“Gigantic," “Something Against You”).
Say whaaat?: “Sittin’ here wishin’ on a cement floor / Just wishin’ that I had just somethin’ you wore / Bloody your hands on a cactus tree / Wipe it on your dress and send it to me.”
Doolittle (Pixies, 1989)
Lyrical themes: Prostitutes (“Tame," “Hey!”); eye injury motifs (“Debaser," “Gouge Away”); getting messed up by religion (“Dead," “Monkey Gone to Heaven”).
Say whaaat?: “Black tear fallin’ on my lazy queen / She got a tattooed tit that say, ‘No. 13.'”
Lyrical themes: Prostitutes (“Tame," “Hey!”); eye injury motifs (“Debaser," “Gouge Away”); getting messed up by religion (“Dead," “Monkey Gone to Heaven”).
Say whaaat?: “Black tear fallin’ on my lazy queen / She got a tattooed tit that say, ‘No. 13.'”
Bossanova (Pixies, 1990)
Lyrical themes: Outer space (“Blown Away," “Allison”); aliens (“The Happening," “Velouria”); herd animals (“Ana," “All Over the World”).
Say whaaat?: “Your heart is rip shit / Your mouth is everywhere / I’m lying in it.”
Lyrical themes: Outer space (“Blown Away," “Allison”); aliens (“The Happening," “Velouria”); herd animals (“Ana," “All Over the World”).
Say whaaat?: “Your heart is rip shit / Your mouth is everywhere / I’m lying in it.”
Trompe Le Monde (Pixies, 1991)
Lyrical themes: Outer space (“Trompe Le Monde," “Planet Of Sound”); science (“Alec Eiffel," “Distance Equals Rate Times Time”); neurotic animals (“Palace Of The Brine," “Bird Dream Of The Olympus Mons”).
Say whaaat?: “Oh, kiss me cunt and kiss me cock / Oh, kiss the world / Oh, kiss the sky / Oh, kiss my ass / Oh, let it rock.”
Lyrical themes: Outer space (“Trompe Le Monde," “Planet Of Sound”); science (“Alec Eiffel," “Distance Equals Rate Times Time”); neurotic animals (“Palace Of The Brine," “Bird Dream Of The Olympus Mons”).
Say whaaat?: “Oh, kiss me cunt and kiss me cock / Oh, kiss the world / Oh, kiss the sky / Oh, kiss my ass / Oh, let it rock.”
Frank Black (Frank Black, 1993)
Lyrical themes: Time travel (“Los Angeles," “Czar”); aliens (“Adda Lee," “Parry The Wind High, Low”); college towns (“Old Black Dawning," “Ten Percenter”).
Say whaaat?: “He had to learn Spanish (oh yeah) / He was a walking fish (oh yeah) / He was feeling so brackish / Between Norwegian and English.”
Lyrical themes: Time travel (“Los Angeles," “Czar”); aliens (“Adda Lee," “Parry The Wind High, Low”); college towns (“Old Black Dawning," “Ten Percenter”).
Say whaaat?: “He had to learn Spanish (oh yeah) / He was a walking fish (oh yeah) / He was feeling so brackish / Between Norwegian and English.”
Teenager Of The Year (Frank Black, 1994)
Lyrical themes: Outdated 1970s pop culture (“Whatever Happened To Pong?”, “Pure Denizen Of The Citizens Band”); Southern California (“Calistan," “Olé Mulholland”); dimensional travel (“(I Want To Live On An) Abstract Plain," “Headache”).
Say whaaat?: “I’m literally deaf down here / From your canned philosoph’ / Softly, can you hear me / Through the sucking of your quaff?”
Lyrical themes: Outdated 1970s pop culture (“Whatever Happened To Pong?”, “Pure Denizen Of The Citizens Band”); Southern California (“Calistan," “Olé Mulholland”); dimensional travel (“(I Want To Live On An) Abstract Plain," “Headache”).
Say whaaat?: “I’m literally deaf down here / From your canned philosoph’ / Softly, can you hear me / Through the sucking of your quaff?”
The Cult Of Ray (Frank Black, 1996)
Lyrical themes: Violence involving Middle Eastern immigrants (“Kicked In The Taco," “The Last Stand Of Shazeb Andleeb”); outdated 1980s pop culture (“Punk Rock City," “Dance War”); getting messed up by religion (“Jesus Was Right," “The Creature Crawling”).
Say whaaat?: “And as he opened up my mind so friend and battered / I heard his words so very fine, so high above this constant dripping chatter / Young sharks feeding on the scrapple / And upstarts on your Adam’s apple.”
Lyrical themes: Violence involving Middle Eastern immigrants (“Kicked In The Taco," “The Last Stand Of Shazeb Andleeb”); outdated 1980s pop culture (“Punk Rock City," “Dance War”); getting messed up by religion (“Jesus Was Right," “The Creature Crawling”).
Say whaaat?: “And as he opened up my mind so friend and battered / I heard his words so very fine, so high above this constant dripping chatter / Young sharks feeding on the scrapple / And upstarts on your Adam’s apple.”
Frank Black And The Catholics (Frank Black And The Catholics, 1998)
Lyrical Themes: Bad breakups (“Solid Gold," “Do You Feel Bad About It?”); traveling to exotic locations (“Back To Rome," “King And Queen Of Siam”); getting messed up by religion (“All My Ghosts”, “Steak ‘N’ Sabre”).
Say Whaaat?: “No Paris, no Nepal, no Barstow / Won’t be none of them at all / No Congo, no Kish or Kishangargh, no Memphis / It doesn’t matter who you are.”
Lyrical Themes: Bad breakups (“Solid Gold," “Do You Feel Bad About It?”); traveling to exotic locations (“Back To Rome," “King And Queen Of Siam”); getting messed up by religion (“All My Ghosts”, “Steak ‘N’ Sabre”).
Say Whaaat?: “No Paris, no Nepal, no Barstow / Won’t be none of them at all / No Congo, no Kish or Kishangargh, no Memphis / It doesn’t matter who you are.”
Pistolero (Frank Black And The Catholics, 1999)
Lyrical themes: Trains (“I Switched You," “I Love Your Brain”); mythology (“So Hard To Make Things Out," “I Think I’m Starting To Lose It”); unusual crafts projects ("Western Star," "85 Weeks").
Say whaaat?: “Alone with the Beast and my skull choppers / Now I’m just a name dropper / And I’m bust in these deep slumber weeds / Stone was in me.”
Lyrical themes: Trains (“I Switched You," “I Love Your Brain”); mythology (“So Hard To Make Things Out," “I Think I’m Starting To Lose It”); unusual crafts projects ("Western Star," "85 Weeks").
Say whaaat?: “Alone with the Beast and my skull choppers / Now I’m just a name dropper / And I’m bust in these deep slumber weeds / Stone was in me.”
Dog In The Sand (Frank Black And The Catholics, 2001)
Lyrical themes: Substance abuse (“Blast Off," “I’ll Be Blue”); homicidal Spanish-speaking animals (“Hermaphroditos," “Llano Del Rio”); reluctant supervillains (“St. Francis Dam Disaster," “Bullet”).
Say whaaat?: “Robert, can you find your way? / Show me the way to come / Zugzwang got me in a way / Under my opposing thumb.”
Lyrical themes: Substance abuse (“Blast Off," “I’ll Be Blue”); homicidal Spanish-speaking animals (“Hermaphroditos," “Llano Del Rio”); reluctant supervillains (“St. Francis Dam Disaster," “Bullet”).
Say whaaat?: “Robert, can you find your way? / Show me the way to come / Zugzwang got me in a way / Under my opposing thumb.”
Black Letter Days (Frank Black And The Catholics, 2002)
Lyrical themes: Substance abuse (“True Blue," “Jet Black River”); Southern California (“California Bound," “End Of Miles”); damaged women with unusual names (“Valentine And Garuda," “The Farewell Bend”).
Say whaaat?: “From the water jumped a bloody hand / Needing desperately a host / When I saw the bald bell-ringers / Well, I knew then that you were toast .”
Lyrical themes: Substance abuse (“True Blue," “Jet Black River”); Southern California (“California Bound," “End Of Miles”); damaged women with unusual names (“Valentine And Garuda," “The Farewell Bend”).
Say whaaat?: “From the water jumped a bloody hand / Needing desperately a host / When I saw the bald bell-ringers / Well, I knew then that you were toast .”
Devil’s Workshop (Frank Black And The Catholics, 2002)
Lyrical themes: Deadly and/or seductive cats (“Velvety," “His Kingly Cave”); reluctant travelers (“Out Of State," “Are You Headed My Way?”); despoiled priests (“Bartholomew," “Heloise”).
Say whaaat?: “As you climb out of the top of some truck limousine / Still filming your scene / You’re talking way too loud / But there is nothing to exchange.”
Lyrical themes: Deadly and/or seductive cats (“Velvety," “His Kingly Cave”); reluctant travelers (“Out Of State," “Are You Headed My Way?”); despoiled priests (“Bartholomew," “Heloise”).
Say whaaat?: “As you climb out of the top of some truck limousine / Still filming your scene / You’re talking way too loud / But there is nothing to exchange.”
Show Me Your Tears (Frank Black And The Catholics, 2003)
Lyrical themes: Bad breakups (“Horrible Day," “Goodbye Lorraine”); unrequited lust (“Nadine," “Massif Centrale”); traveling very quickly to distant locations (“My Favorite Kiss," “This Old Heartache”).
Say whaaat?: “Did you know three days I tried to wake myself? / But no / My flesh had turned to snow / And I thought that I had died.”
Lyrical themes: Bad breakups (“Horrible Day," “Goodbye Lorraine”); unrequited lust (“Nadine," “Massif Centrale”); traveling very quickly to distant locations (“My Favorite Kiss," “This Old Heartache”).
Say whaaat?: “Did you know three days I tried to wake myself? / But no / My flesh had turned to snow / And I thought that I had died.”
Honeycomb (Frank Black, 2005)
Lyrical themes: Women with aquatic powers (“Selkie Bride," “Strange Goodbye”); alcoholism (“Another Velvet Nightmare," “My Life Is In Storage”); self-declared monarchs (“Go Find Your Saint," “Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day”).
Say whaaat?: “Mama killed a pumpkin / She thought it was a sweet / She put it on the table / But it was still meat.”
Lyrical themes: Women with aquatic powers (“Selkie Bride," “Strange Goodbye”); alcoholism (“Another Velvet Nightmare," “My Life Is In Storage”); self-declared monarchs (“Go Find Your Saint," “Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day”).
Say whaaat?: “Mama killed a pumpkin / She thought it was a sweet / She put it on the table / But it was still meat.”
Fast Man Raider Man (Frank Black, 2006)
Lyrical themes: Human sacrifice (“Johnny Barleycorn," “You Can’t Crucify Yourself”); mentally ill women (“If Your Poison Gets You," “Wanderlust”); underwater shenanigans (“Down To You," “My Terrible Ways”).
Say whaaat?: “See his eyes turn to stained glass / head to toe in a black roadkill / Here I am for your judgment / When the paint grows darker still.”
Lyrical themes: Human sacrifice (“Johnny Barleycorn," “You Can’t Crucify Yourself”); mentally ill women (“If Your Poison Gets You," “Wanderlust”); underwater shenanigans (“Down To You," “My Terrible Ways”).
Say whaaat?: “See his eyes turn to stained glass / head to toe in a black roadkill / Here I am for your judgment / When the paint grows darker still.”
Bluefinger (Black Francis, 2007)
Lyrical themes: Deceased Dutch painter/musician/celebrity Herman Brood (all songs).
Say whaaat?: This entire album is a rock opera about the life of deceased Dutch painter/musician/celebrity Herman Brood.
Lyrical themes: Deceased Dutch painter/musician/celebrity Herman Brood (all songs).
Say whaaat?: This entire album is a rock opera about the life of deceased Dutch painter/musician/celebrity Herman Brood.
Svn Fngrs (Black Francis, 2008)
Lyrical themes: Celtic folk heroes (“Seven Fingers," “When They Come to Murder Me”); sex (“The Seus," “Garbage Heap”); unusual musical instruments (“I Sent Away," “The Tale Of Lonesome Fetter”).
Say whaaat?: “I am the last in line that started with who? / With John Von Neumann? / If it’s at the end of time, so be it / But hey, hey, it was Truman who set me free.”
Lyrical themes: Celtic folk heroes (“Seven Fingers," “When They Come to Murder Me”); sex (“The Seus," “Garbage Heap”); unusual musical instruments (“I Sent Away," “The Tale Of Lonesome Fetter”).
Say whaaat?: “I am the last in line that started with who? / With John Von Neumann? / If it’s at the end of time, so be it / But hey, hey, it was Truman who set me free.”
