Pavement – Frontwards

And now, the tale of Pavement and Basketball camp.

Sometime towards the end of elementary school or early middle school, I was taking a lunch break during my annual week at Basketball camp. Unbeknownst to me, I would overhear a conversation that would shape my music-listening life, many years later.

Random Kid: “What kind of music do you like?”

Random Other Kid: “I really like Nirvana.”

Random Kid: “Oh if you like Nirvana, you will DEFINITELY like Pavement. Pavement is WAY better than Nirvana.”

Random Other Kid [Incredulous]: “I’ve never heard of Pavement. Who’s ever heard of Pavement?”

Random Kid: “My older brother told me about them.”

Faulty logic aside, I would not go on to appreciate Nirvana for at least another few years. Given my early impressions of Nirvana (i.e., “I don’t understand why people like scary cheerleaders” (hey, whatever I was young)), I had pretty much no interest whatsoever in listening to this supposedly superior band.

But that conversation stuck with me.

When I finally arrived at college, ready to staff a radio station, I did my due diligence, never forgetting that conversation.

I don’t know if Pavement is better than Nirvana, but I have to admit, they have become a part of my life in a way that Nirvana never did.

In no uncertain terms, Pavement is was the first band that freed me from the idea that music needs to make *literal* sense to be good. It was a revelation.

Thanks, Older Brother of Random Kid at Basketball Camp.

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