FRANK BLACK - CALISTAN

[cleomagoolando]

5 stupid hipsters are still annoyed that Frank didn't kill himself after 'Surfer Rosa' came out.

'Teenager of the Year' is one of the best things ever put to tape. There's really nothing quite like it.

[astonrd]

Frank Black is cooler than the coldest thing in the whole universe.

Frank black is godder than god. Frank is the man.

[southrules]

Ha, this is so fucking great

[krusher181]

this reminds me of D. boon for some reason

[BaseDeltaZero1972]

I love the way Frank guides us through this song...what an artist, what a legend.

[666CLD666]

Charles- I love you man. You have lifted me up when I have been so low. Thank you.

[67pacecartrust]

just got back... Its is as Blackie says : )

[mufc99ok]

this guy is so cool , legend

[lv42daze]

reminds me of john olander to the core!

[wungabunga]

no, the guitar does sound shit! but it adds to the charm. he's my favourite rhythm guitarist.

[levalek]

yeeeess))

[monkeysnail]

used to be yippie yayiiiii i don't know.

[SillyCyban]

Charles is beyond awesome

[88dethkar]

what can an American being myself expect from a dirty ignorant czech698

[czech698]

Hi my name's Frank Black and I SUCK

[88dethkar]

@czech698  If I had a penny for every dumb czech698 comment I would be rich

[joostcanters]

damn! stumbled upon this video five days before my trip to the golden states... How unlikely is that, considering I live in the Netherlands

[dolennon]

This has always been one of my favorite songs, and now after 12 or so years I finally learn that it was written about El Camino, a street I grew up 30 seconds away from. Amazing!

[dimiblack1]

pixies komen weer!!!

[dimiblack1]

frank op z,n best!!! Dimiblack

[boladepapelaluminio]

It used tu be Yippee yay!

[NinetiesYouth]

I worship California. Perfect song for it.

[trugritt]

i always see this entire album and a lot of his work during this period being his cult of ray period being ray bradbury the sci fi writer . i thinks he gots alot of his ideas from reading him... ge ni us... down @ bradburys mall........

[wwgt]

Inspiration ..Is the key .

interpretation..is a method ..

to the thinker....unfortunatley

a dying art ...in these modern times..

thinking cannot compete ..

with the g- string mentality .

Aristotle..Plato..Socrates...F­ranK Black..

Need I say more ?

[wwgt]

Yes ,,it is refreshing to hear a writer take off on

something interesting, rather than the same old tired subjects of , love. (blah ) lost love (blah )

and green tractors ...

[fumanbru]

yippy-iye-aye!

...frank's a fan of kim stanley robinson..he recommended kim's mars trilogy books on an interview on much music way back when...ksr also wrote the three californias trilogy about a future california...

[wwgt]

Oh thanks ..I will read these books !!

as I recently have started reading analog magazine

and love every page of it !!

[HarpoonTorpedo]

all the delicious fruits and vegetables...

[Sirrus1000]

One of his best

[bihlbo]

joshstrike, I think you're really reaching for some of that stuff.

[joshstrike]

(...) Inivisible (abstract?) planes have started intersecting with reality. By 2016, "Hollywood" has moved to Phoenix, and much of the region is underwater. People are spreading out into the solar system and colonizing "big red" Mars, terraforming it and turning the green map blue. By 2525, LA has been rebuilt and works like a beehive. And something like Buster Friendly cum Big Brother watching from every billboard in "I've Seen Your Picture"...

[joshstrike]

I could be wrong but here's how I always saw it... Calistan's the name of a country now, like a bantustan or one of the other 'stans. Where stood 16 lane freeways, in what used to be New Spain. Something crazy caused LA to melt into a valley of tar. The people who still live here are reduced to scavenging bottles & cans on the beaches. There's a lot of dust in the air, it makes you wheezy. And since the apocalypse, SoCal has fallen under the protection of Japan.

[wwgt]

How is it that , he makes playing and singing look so easy ...like he is filing his nail or something ..

great tunes FB,,your the best

[neviatha]

These two videos are amzing.... This and 'I will run after you'..... they soud great.... a light touch of reverb made this come together....

Bravo everyone involved..... Big Frank, Buxton and the guy who posted this.... i'll be watching these again!

[joshstrike]

Spoken just like Ray. I think Frank's being intentionally coy with the comments. The coolest thing about this and a few of his other songs is that they seem to take place in the same future. Esp. stuff on "Teenager..." where post-apocalyptic LA sits next to the Islands of Phoenix, and Big Red is getting the bee treatment. Be interesting to know if "I've Seen Your Picture" off Dog in the Sand is supposed to be in the same timeline...

[wwgt]

Interesting..I love all those songs , but never

drew those conclusions...

please elaborate more, as Frank

is a much a literary visionary as musically

[joshstrike]

(see below... I've always been a huge fan of both Francis and Ray =)

[GarethD23]

You're mostly cunts.

[BupSilverglide]

Stephen!

[reyrayolunar]

enjoys his privacy?

you know this man is in the public spotlight 24/7.Hes the busking king.

He draws crowds of thousands just by playing some of his hits.He is a legend who could never have real privacy.

[momopup01]

this.... this legend.... he gets around by walking? he needs a cloud to sit on.

[famousashtray]

he seems like a man who adores his privacy. just a hunch

[momopup01]

well i dont think so after all he does live performances out in public just about every day

[HarpoonTorpedo]

i could spend 90 years listen to him explaining things...i love his voice!!!

[tenpercenter]

I love all the little lyrical explanations!

[theropingeffect]

Nice orange shirt.

[citizen45]

that right hand is a locomotive.

[thedayitriedtodie]

all the delicious fruits and vegetables :)

[Crackerdamus101]

Frank Black = LEGEND

I LA LA LOVE HIM

[iamnoface]

Just shut up and bloody play it you awful slap head.

[geebeebee1]

Idiot

[u2forinterpol]

just shut up and get a life you dickhead

[stephieroque]

Franktastic

[CEREALK]

HURRA for Francis!!!

[dtoma555]

Masterful Bad Ass

[fredpunk123]

i miss the pixies

[Zeinishe]

maaaaaaan :'(

[ssproutz]

funken great frank %%

[grayson311]

freak-ing classic

[volandvasoliono]

It used to be Yippe Yay!

[milesihamer]

Blimey, I love that song (despite being British and never having gone near the road about which he is singing). Makes me want to lick his big head.

[katkal3]

LOL!!!

[hatsoff2thezebras]

Awesome!

[sconl]

Black's playing a Squire acoustic w/ electric strings recorded on a cam-corder w/ a bunch of crappy reverb - How does he sound so good?

[sconl]

Oh, yeah - He's a badass!

[kookooo1]

Bow your stupid little head,

aint been long since thats been said b; UTTER ME

[888archangel]

@sconl Is that how gets that unique sound?

[dumbzebra]

@sconl Because it´s not about the price of the guitar or the quality of the recorder. He could play on stringed piece of wood in the middle of the vietnam war bombing over one of these telephones, it would be awesome.

[nazaxprime]

@sconl Magic.

[slipthejab]

killer version of this song... love the guitar and the vocals with explanations. I've always wonder how many people not from Calistan understood that.

[teefmurray]

man. for really my favorite song, of all all song.

[wwgt]

Musically beautiful..

and informative..

FB ..love you

love your show...

[colgjs]

I loved this album when it came out...still do

[ybonarnaud]

Grand fan français de franck continue mon gros on se voit au prochain concert

[FrankusBlackus]

I love you, Charles. I love you. I love you.

[unkrw]

"in the valley of tar that once was L.A."

Teenage of the year is a great album.

[trugritt]

well said, one of the 10 greatest of all time. frank has very rare company as one of the best songwriters, performers ever

[tmeshanko]

This is incredible. Frank is a genius. I can't beleive that I have lived 36 years and I just discovered the Pixies and Frank Black a year ago. I was lucky enough to see Black Francis when I was in Hollywood last month. Go get yourself Bluefinger.

[KJoshIAm]

neither can I but welcome. Chuck is number one.

[WARDISWARD]

love peace  awesome

[wwgt]

How cool to have him give some background to his songs

because sometimes just listening you may have a completely different interpretation,,

at least in my limited mental capacity

Frank you kick a**

[Zatzzo]

this is such an amazing song. teenager of the year is one of my all time faves anyway.

[bradr29]

Nice, one of my favorite songs.

[converse1762]

Does anyone know what kind of guitar that is? it sounds great.

[igulator]

one fine frank black track. this acoustic rendition beats the one i witnessed last week in rotterdam.

[Elecricoustic]

This is as cool as hell. Thanks a lot!

[ChonnyChimole]

I love how he explains his lyrics. Yeah im not from california so I cant relate to all of it, but still extremely powerful feelings about his home. I cant enough charles.

[21reasons]

Besides being one of my musical heroes, Frank's so entertaining and funny. During concerts he don't talks much, though. IT's all about the music, and not some image you have to show the world.

See you this sommer Frank..

[THISISNOTINUSE]

be careful of the smog when you come into L.A.! Ok, Frank, thanks! God I love this guy. He doesn't give a goddamn what anyone thinks of him. A true individual. We're all supposed to be free, but so few of us get to take advantage of it. God bless, Frank.

[Probos]

looks like a modified "Requinto" (little spanish guitar)

[whoever330]

I remember California man. It's Mexico now.

[helicop]

The members that formed the pixies all never cease to amaze me even though it's been close to 20 years. wow ! I'm old...

[Stuie1973]

this is fuckin sweet...thanks jamesB

[abeferraro]

This was a really nice play by play commentary & song... and the original is such a cool song!

[doogdoogdoog]

Heehee, Chuckie's got a little guitar..

Awesome work Ada.. uh, James.

[AdamBuxton]

Amazing! Thanks for putting this up James Bignutz. I admire you tremendously.