Guided by Voices
Wish in One Hand
1997, Jass Records
Two years before Ric Ocasek shined up “Teenage FBI” for mainstream radio, the song appeared on this small-press 7″ that only indie dorks and GBV fan mega-dweebs, such as myself, knew about.
Two years before “Teenage FBI” acquired synthesizers and glittery Doug Gillard guitar work, it was a skeletal minute-and-a-half piece of raw indie pop, barebones and dog-simple.
Two years before “Teenage FBI” was the first song on the slickest GBV album ever, it sounded like an Alien Lanes outtake.
This three-song 7″ came out in the spring of ’97 when everybody and their alcoholic sister-in-law knew that the old Guided by Voices had broken up, but that a new Guided by Voices line-up were on the way with a new album (Mag Earwhig) in June. The Indie Kid community waited with folded arms for the result.
In the midst of that came this EP that was released under the name Guided by Voices, but that was neither the old Guided by Voices nor the new Guided by Voices. Drummer Kevin Fennell plays on it, but he’d been fired from the band for at least six months when this came out, so I’m guessing that this was recorded in mid-1996 at the latest. Aside from him and Pollard, the only other player is a guy named Nick Shuld, about whom I honestly know nothing.
(Nick Shuld, if you’re reading this, say hi! What’s your favorite color?)
Meanwhile, the recording is a throwback to the basement days. It sounds like it was bashed out over an afternoon, no muss, no fuss. The fidelity is nice and clear, but very “home studio” (the insert idenitifies the recording location as “the invisible room”), which is a comfortable place for Pollard’s songs.
Also, this record leans toward the pop side of the spectrum.
“Teenage FBI” is weightless, but a hook monster and nothing that Ocasek did with it later beats this simple, handmade, open-hearted take–and I think Pollard agrees. When he put together GBV’s 2003 Best-of compilation, Human Amusements at Hourly Rates, he brazenly chose this much more obscure version over The Cars’ guy’s polish job.
“Now I’m Crying” is the trashy rocker of the set. It’s a throwaway, but one that comes from a master of terrific throwaways. The guitar riff is T. Rex played at double-speed and Pollard shouts a lot more than usual. He’s pissed off on this song. Somebody’s being a jackass and refusing to take responsibility for his troubles. The song’s frustration resolves itself as best it can by dragging out the old “wish in one hand, shit in the other” expression.
The BEST song here comes at the end.
I’m talking about “Real”.
It’s one of my major sleeper favorites. Never played live. Never released in any other fashion, as of this writing, beyond this little scrap of vinyl.
It’s a song that sounds like it wants to be a slow-dance prom night number, but Pollard’s famous impatience with recording leads to it being oddly rushed and condensed–but that’s NOT BAD. It reminds me of teen love, which is almost always done quickly and under pressure.
You don’t have your own place where you can do whatever you want.
No, you have to sneak your sex into quick moments in your room or your car before your parents or the police or any other asshole who wants to judge you takes notice.
They’ll say it’s just a case of lust. They’ll tell you that your adolescent emotions don’t count.
But to you, it’s “Real… Reeeeeeaaaaal“.
I’ve always loved this one. Excellent B-side as well. Shame they had no time to play Teenage FBI at Best Kept Secret last summer, first time I had the chance to see GBV live.