Frank Black Interview

When the Pixies came on the scene in Boston, it wasn’t obvious just what they were or what it meant that they had appeared.  Boston had been one of the key cities when punk rock emerged in the late seventies.  In the eighties the town had a strong sense for the pop side of “new wave.” The eighties also saw the rise of a brand of roots rock and roll that was as inspired as it was limited.  But the Pixies couldn’t be explained with reference to any of these various musical pasts-not that they abandoned what came before them.  A hybrid of a new kind, they took over the town.  Pretty soon no one really cared what musical category they called home.  With the Pixies in the lead, Boston enjoyed one of its richest historical passages.
At the heart of the Pixies was always the force that is Black Francis.  But for any who weren’t cogniscent of that, his post-Pixies career has proven plenty.  His solo output has been infectious, exploratory, strange, immediate, confusing, moving.  Eccentric in the best possible way, he has shown himself to be in a class that includes, among others, Neil Young, Elvis Costello, and Prince, artists who have refused to conform to anyone’s idea of who they are and what they do.  Black Francis has, it seems, done everything in his power to enjoy himself as he sets out to make music.  The same cannot be said of most performers.
The San Diego Craft Artist Series featuring Black Francis promises to be something special among the Craft events.  A treasure to American music, Black Francis is just the kind of artist we aim for when looking for guests in the series.