The Jimmy Bramlett Definitive Guide to the Best 15 Pixies Songs Ever

9. “Gigantic” – Surfer Rosa.

Here is Kim up front, one of the rare times it was allowed to happen. And here she is singing presumably about her cheating on her husband. At least that’s the story I tell myself.

You can’t help but smile listening to this song. It’s like we’re all Mrs. John Murphy’s girlfriends as she dishes about this big big love.

8. “Debaser” – Doolittle.

This is Francis’ love song to surrealism, Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali. Un chien andalou is the reference, and it was a manic way to open up Doolittle.

7. “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)” – Peel Sessions, B-side Gigantic Single.

This was the Pixies’ ode to David Lynch taking the song from Eraserhead.

I remember once Wifey and I were driving from Ventura back to Santa Barbara late at night. There was no one on the road, and I was playing Doolittle in my car. Wifey quipped that it felt like we were in an IFC movie. I likened it more to a David Lynch movie.

Whenever I’m outside of a city and driving on the open highway, I always think about turning on the Pixies. Hell, for almost 2 weeks I thought about that during my road trip back in February.

In heaven, everything is fine.

6. “Velouria” – Bossanova.

“Even I’ll adore-ia / My Velouria.” Lemur skins, a lost continent inside Mt. Shasta and plenty of theremin.

Bossanova was my first exposure to the Pixies, and track 3 made me take notice. My best friend Moro and I used bum around at Yesterday’s coffeeshop in Redondo Beach, or at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. At Yesterday’s we would sit around writing and reading and gabbing. I honestly don’t remember actually how we passed the time.

Moro was the first Korean friend I had. We actually hated each other when we first met. She thought I was a poser, I thought she was a cunt. We started hanging out when we happened to run into each other at a Marilyn Manson show at the Palace back in 1995.

From that point until I left for Santa Barbara we were besties I suppose. We had our crushes. She had her boyfriends. She dropped out of school, ran away from home. I just kept writing in my journal and stayed the course.

Anyhow this was one of the songs that we used to sing to one another. I lost touch with her over the years. I last saw her when we reunited briefly for my 23rd or 24th birthday when we ended up at the Liquid Kitty in West LA and then IHOP in WeHo. I was trying to survive, she was still caught up in her drama.

I still don’t know what she’s up to. *shrugs*