story by Joseph O'Fallon
photo by David Torch

Stephen Malkmus’s easy style and sense of fun were immediately apparent when his PR person connected us and the Portland-based Malkmus was singing "You spin me right round, baby…" The 41-year-old frontman, whose daughter played in the background, said a 15 to 20 minute interview would be ideal. But in a relaxed, genuine conversation he could have gone well beyond that as he got caught up in reviewing movies he watched on a transatlantic flight and giving detailed descriptions of Herzog’s Even Dwarfs and Ciao Manhattan — with special attention paid to the "Rambo in reverse", a.k.a. the strange-but-good Valley of the Wolves.

Movies are Stephen’s plane distraction, he listens to CDs in the car (he doesn’t own an iPod), and he puts on vinyl at home, including, "[referencing his shelf] I got New Sounds by Bob Harper, which is the rarest rare thing I ever bought…doo-doo-doo, let me see…Judee Sill’s first album…Dead Meadow, always like checking them out…Times New Viking." Other recent purchases included releases from Domino Records in London. When I asked if he ever considers covering these songs or the songs he sings in the shower, Stephen described the difficulty the Jicks are finding with covers. Ambrosia’s "Holding on to Yesterday," a Yes cover, and Focus’s "Hocus Pocus," are some he’s considered, but Stephen says "association" is the key problem. “It’s important knowing your own heroes,” he adds.

Stephen’s favorite moments off the Jicks' excellent new Matador Records release Real Emotional Trash were the final products of "Elmo Delmo," "Cold Son," and "Wicked Wanda," and the process that these almost aborted songs underwent. Yet "Gardenia," which is the pop-song "Phantasies" equivalent, doesn’t seem to be one of his prouder moments: "Yeah...that sounds a lot different in my head than it does to the fans," he says.

Malkmus offered his potential reaction to Trash being well received by the masses but primarily through means of illegal downloading: "I feel like [downloading] is inevitable,” he says. “A band shouldn’t be up in arms about it. The upside about selling records is that it enables the band to have a better recording studio.” He adds: “Some people who wouldn’t ordinarily hear [the album] might get a compromised MP3 version, go to a show, like it, and might want documentation.”

Clearly, Stephen is pretty cool about things. When I asked him about the Pitchfork Music Festival last summer in Chicago and his overall impressions of festivals, he said: "Yeah, I love them, in the sun…From a fan’s viewpoint, of course, if you see an intimate performance it’s always going to trump a festival. Unless you’re there for the headliner, it’s night, the lights are real cool, and you have the perfect amount of beer in you."
 
Stephen’s ideal show is a simple one: "I like playing the nicer venues. Pretty much if you have a receptive audience that really gets it, you could be just about anywhere," he says, though he does prefer American audiences. "I love playing in Chicago…My wife’s from Chicago…in between New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, you have serious fans, intellectual…it’s conducive to performing."

Malkmus went on to list about eight Chicago connections, from a high school friend to overdubbing vocals in Wilco’s studio, all strung together by, "That’s another connection…let’s see." Before the fun ended, he did address the message board mustache question, laughing, "Please don’t call it a MalkStache," and informed fans that the experiment is now over.

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks :: with John Vanderslice :: Vic :: March 21.