3. PylonHits
Well, if The B-52’s introduced me to starkness, Pylon took it to the next level. People say they were influenced by Talking Heads and Gang Of Four, and while I love Talking Heads, I don’t really have much to say about Gang Of Four. It always seemed a bit too political for me and just came across a bit preachy or something… my point is that Pylon invited me in like Gang Of Four didn’t. But then again I’m not British, and maybe I’d feel differently if I were! Pylon just have this Southern-ness and this starkness to them that is primitive and eerie, a bit like folk art. Southern Gothic is totally different, like Faulkner – Pylon took their name from a novel of his (which is not one of his masterpieces). William Faulkner has that starkness to his language, and it’s like… a barn, or a vine covering a trellis. I’d also compare Pylon and Flannery O’Connor very closely. Like Flannery O’Connor, Pylon make these very short, distinct, focused, intense works that are not complicated, and not that abstract. Flannery O’Connor stories are over really suddenly too. It’s like a Todd Solondz movie. The ending’s always so muted you can’t believe it’s actually over. And Pylon songs are the same, you know. Working in a factory, putting things in boxes; "I’m not a race car driver, but I try to have my fun". They focus on one character or one feeling, which I aspire to do, but I usually end up throwing in a bunch of stuff out of laziness.
