Music

Kim Deal quits the Pixies

by Mike Usinger on June 14th, 2013 at 6:09 AM
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      It looks like Kim Deal has had enough of Black Francis. Again.

      In an announcement made this morning, the bassist is no longer a member of the Pixies. The decision to quit appears to be hers.

      The famously combative relationship between Deal and singer-guitarist Black led to the breakup of the iconic alternative pioneers in 1993. 

      After being cited as a seminal influence by the likes of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain,  the band would watch its legacy grow over the next decade. 

      The Pixies cashed in big time when they decided to reunite in 2004. An appearance at Coachella was followed by a sold-out tour that reportedly grossed over $14 million.

      The band's members have continued to pad their bank accounts by touring sporadically since then.

      Here's the announcement on Deal, made this morning:

      "We are sad to say that Kim Deal has decided to leave the Pixies.  We are very proud to have worked with her on and off over the past 25 years. Despite her decision to move on, we will always consider her a member of the Pixies, and her place will always be here for her. We wish her all the best."

      - Black Francis, Joey Santiago, and David Lovering.

      Comments

      10 Comments

      A. MacInnis

      Jun 14, 2013 at 8:40am

      These guys have been milking a very slight run of good, but not astonishing, albums for a very, very long time, so much so that it keeps getting harder (for me, anyhow) not to think of them as Vastly Overrated. I mean, sure, I've seen them a few times since the reunion, and enjoyed each show - the first being the best; but they've shown no real sign of forward motion or new life since they got back together, and it's not like their back catalogue is so stellar that they can keep playing the same thirty or forty songs over and over and over and over and over again without killing 'em deader'n dead. And how sick THEY must be of them - how many times can someone sing "Gigantic" before there's no feeling left in it at all?

      Deal might have the right idea, here...

      Pat Crowe

      Jun 14, 2013 at 10:43am

      Hey Al, check out Gary Numan playing in late August for 33 buck a tik! There's a guy still pushing forward and creating for the fans. Unlike 99 percent of the retro rockers shaking the fans upside down for their hard earned shekels and delivering a mediocre, forgettable, performance. Nu Man still delivers the goods.

      James Blatchford

      Jun 14, 2013 at 11:31am

      Mac - I hear what you're sayin', but Doolittle is an all-time classic..you got to give 'em that. Surfer Rosa not far behind....place and time, my friend...place and time.

      A. MacInnis

      Jun 14, 2013 at 11:37am

      Yeep, I think all my concert-goin' money for the next while is gonna go to Kris Kristofferson.

      Please don't laugh.

      A. MacInnis

      Jun 14, 2013 at 12:36pm

      I was at that place and time, James - these were the albums of my mid-20's (I started with Bossanova when it came out and worked backwards, but still). They're all solid albums, but there are sooo many greater (& lesser praised) bands/ albums out there it ain't funny, & Doolittle in particular has been Done To Death. If I had to choose a thousand rock CDs to bring to a desert island, I'd be packing Mission of Burma, Pere Ubu, Nomeansno, the VU, the minutemen, the Meat Puppets, and a whole lot of punk & metal of various flavours... The Pixies would not make the cut by a mile. I don't think I even OWN Doolittle anymore...

      James Blatchford

      Jun 14, 2013 at 5:27pm

      ....desert island and no Beefheart?!? You'd starve.

      Martin Dunphy

      Jun 14, 2013 at 5:32pm

      James:

      Not so fast, there's still room for 994 copies of <em>Trout Mask Replica</em>.

      James Blatchford

      Jun 14, 2013 at 8:15pm

      M.D. --- what a relief!...there IS intelligent life out there!

      MAC - I really think it is hard to work back on someone's catalogue and make solid judgment on the evolution and impact of an artist...not saying it's impossible, just difficult. Pixies victim of their success, and the earlier work in my opinion, the most impactful and their best. I guess you weren't there when they double-billed with Bob Mould at the Commodore..no one doubted their stature that night.

      Big Deal

      Jun 20, 2013 at 12:46pm

      As a long time fan that saw them live in their hey-day, I just gotta say: who really cares. They haven't created any new material since reuniting (nor do I think I'd care to hear it) & even back then they were quite possibly the most boring live band in existence.

      Stick to listening to the records.