Published on Nov 28, 1997
College radio used to pride itself on its separation of
mainstream radio. In the 80s, there were floods of artists who had
no chance of landing on mainstream radio:The Replacements, Husker
Du, Sonic Youth, the Minutemen, the Cramps and Sisters of Mercy to
name a few.
Now, in the 90s, a lot of college bands get transported to
mainstream radio faster than someone turing on the ‘on air’ button.
Nirvana, Tori Amos and 311 are all examples of college favorites
who found an audience of mainstream radio. Hell, even Sonic Youth
has landed a song or two on the more mainstream ‘alternative’
stations.
If one artist of the 90s is to be condemned to college radio, it
would be Wally Pleasant. Pavement, your hit is coming. Reverend
Horton Heat… the swing/ska trend HAS to pick you up by your next
album. But Pleasant is college rock personified.
With only an acoustic guitar, Pleasant strung 14 memorable songs
out with his first album,
Songs About Stuff. From his own record company in East
Lansing, Michigan, Pleasant is free to direct his sharp,
observational humor on almost everyone.
“Small Time Drug Dealer”, “Cool Guy With A Car” and “That’s
Evolution” are hilarious acconts of slackers. Any person who has
had to share an apartment or a house with roommates will no doubt
find the humor of “Psycho Roommate” to be dangerously close to
reality. “Psycho roommate/if she stepped in front of my car/ I
doubt I would even swerve,” Wally laments about a roommate
relationship turned ugly.
Pleasant’s high pitched voice is best compared to Morrissey. If
Morrissey were to ever take humor lessons from Mojo Nixon and vocal
lessons from the Flaming Lips, he would essentially be Wally
Pleasant. Unfortunately,
Songs About Stuff is an album that you can only take in
certain doses. A couple of his songs are a hoot to listen to, after
a couple of more, his voice tends to grate on you like that
“Barbie” song from Aqua.
Pleasant refined his humor and his musical skills on his next
few albums, with
Houses of the Holy Moly being his best work. Still,
Songs About Stuff is a purchase that is almost essential for
any college rock fan. Too jaded and introspective to be lumped
together in the geek-humor rock genre and too much of a sense of
humor to lump him in the Pavement crowd, Pleasant is a treasure
who’s work can only be truely experienced when seeing him live,
with 150 or so fans… and a lot of beer.