Joey Santiago reveals Pixies’ five biggest influences
The essential proto-grunge band Pixies remains unequivocally one of the most influential of the post-punk era. To this day, half the global teenage population seems to own a loose-fitting Nirvana T-shirt, but things could have been vastly different had it not been for their Boston-born luminaries. Nirvana would have existed had it not been for the Pixies, but their material would have been markedly different.
After forming in 1986, Pixies quickly gained a cult following that reached new peaks in 1987 with the arrival of their debut mini-LP, Come On Pilgrim. With this promising record in the bag, the group turned its attention towards a first full-length record. The 1988 classic Surfer Rosa was the straw that broke the camel’s back for both Pixies and Nirvana.
By the time they released their masterpiece follow-up, Doolittle, in 1989, Pixies were successful on an international level. One of the band’s early admirers was Kurt Cobain. When listing his 50 favourite albums in the early 1990s, the Nirvana frontman put Surfer Rosa in second place, just behind The Stooges’ Raw Power.
“I was trying to write the ultimate pop song. I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies,” Cobain said while discussing ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ in a 1994 conversation with Rolling Stone. “I have to admit it [smiles]. When I heard the Pixies for the first time, I connected with that band so heavily I should have been in that band – or at least in a Pixies cover band. We used their sense of dynamics, being soft and quiet and then loud and hard.”
In an interview in 2013, nearly two decades after Cobain’s tragic death, frontman Black Francis discussed the Pixies’ legacy. Asked what his contribution to rock was, Francis replied sardonically: “Being original, influencing Nirvana so they could rip a song. I’ll admit it — if Kurt Cobain ‘fessed up to it, fuck it, I’ll agree with it – you ripped us off.”
Speaking to Tone Deaf in 2014, lead guitarist Joey Santiago was more complimentary while discussing Pixies’ influence on Nirvana. “All I know is that we were influencing new bands, which was nice,” he noted. “Nirvana, obviously, but it’s always nice for bands to pick up instruments and interpret us in a different way. We were never The Beatles, but as far as being a surf rock band, yeah – I would say we nailed that one pretty well.”
As much as Pixies inspired subsequent artists with an energetic domino effect, they were inspired by a healthy variety of elders. Their punk sound most obviously grabbed the baton from bands like Ramones, The Stooges and The Velvet Underground, but besides these obvious connections, there were many more influential artists.
In his interview, Santiago touched upon the guiding force of surf rock as championed by The Beach Boys in the 1960s. He explained that Pixies bonded on a shared love for surf rock and were all particularly enamoured with that of Washington band The Ventures.
“The Bee Gees! I like the ‘60s Bee Gees,” Santiago added, picking out another crucial influence. “Very Melodic. Kind of like The Beach Boys and The Beatles, though in a lot more of a polished way, because Bee Gees had such a sweet three-part harmony. Just beautiful, beautiful records.”
Hitting full stride in his list of influences, Santiago honoured the accessible new wave stylings of The Cars. “They’re from Boston and had that great [self-titled] first album,” he beamed. “I liked every element of that record. The riffs were simple and effective, and the lyrics were always ‘she’s my best friend’s girlfriend’ kind of stuff [laughs], but it’s reminiscent of what I started doing early on with my guitar.”
“I was mindful that you didn’t have to be a slick player,” he added. “It taught me to kind of stay away but still be heard on the verses, to be mindful of the chord progression. Rather than muddling around out there, you know, being silly.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Santiago recalled how Pixies learned to name their songs and albums. “The other thing we took from bands like that was the titles – cos’, you know, they were instrumental, so you could listen and then go, ‘Ah, it really does sound like that’, like how Link Wray could have a song titled ‘Run Chicken Run’ and it sounds like a chicken running.”
Noting the legendary guitarist Link Wray as another pivotal influence, Santiago added, “You know I played with him? I played one song with him at a show.” Sadly, we don’t have footage from this most legendary of collaborations, but you can see Santiago doing what he does best in a live studio recording from 1988 below.
Pixies’ biggest influences:
- The Bee Gees
- The Cars
- Link Wray
- The Ventures
- The Beach Boys
