The Canon #3

The Pixies - "Debaser"

This is the song that made me want to start this column. One night at a bar, I had an intense discussion with my friend, Josh, concerning "perfect album openers." Once we both agreed upon "Debaser" as one of the great "album openers," the conversation quickly transformed into drunken praise about how perfect this song is period. Hell, I could write an essay on why The Pixies were a perfect band. I'm talking about the fact that you can play "Debaser" on repeat ten times in row after being familiar with it for ten years and it still sounds fucking unbelievable. I can't imagine my life without that bassline, that forever-bouyant riff, and the joyous declaration of "I wanna grow up to be a debaser!" I don't know what the hell a debaser is, but I wanna be one too. The Pixies had an uncanny ability to be simultaneously abrasive and superbly melodic. On "Debaser," their melodic nature seems bent on overthrowing their abrasive, weird side, but, you still couldn't call them a "pop" band.

At some point, "Debaser" (and The Pixies as a whole) ceased to be just a song I loved and became part of my being. You can call me nostalgic and hyperbolic, but, I could care less. Judging from the crowds at the recent Pixies reunion tour, I seriously doubt I'm the only fan who would make such bold and ridiculous statements. I saw them play twice on their 2004 reunion tour, and, I could have almost cried I was in such ecstacy. At the first show, I stood about ten feet from Joey Santiago's Marshall stack and I couldn't hear out of my left ear for two days. It was one of the best days of my life.