My first encounter with Kim Deal was at the Big Day Out 1995. She was playing with her band, The Breeders, and at the tender age of seventeen, I was left a little wide eyed by the screams of “I LOVE YOU KIM!!” and “KIM, I WANT TO HAVE YOUR BABIES!!” that arose from the crowd around me. They were all a lot older than me (hey, three years is a lot at that age) and had dreads and tattoos and Pixies tshirts.
Looking back, it was an interesting introduction. Watching this throaty woman with terrible posture belt out power pop melodies whilst marvelling at her ability to simultaneously clench a cigarette between her teeth throughout, I was blissfully unaware of her influence in the world of music. Sure, I had a Pixies LP (Bossanova) but it wasn’t until many years later that I understood what drove those wild men and their wild cries when she graced the stage.
Fast forward fifteen whole years. I stood in front of the sound desk at the Pixies show at Vector Arena, and as the band walked back onstage to continue the performance with another encore, the house lights came up. Normally this would signal the end of the evening and it was accompanied by a confused cry from the crowd, but this particular night, it meant we could enjoy seeing the band lit up, and projected onto the screen behind. I felt some visceral appreciation within me swell as I watched Kim’s broad grin glowing above the crowd, and I knew I’d found the place in myself where those wild things grow.
What has all that to do with wine? Well, not a lot. Apart from the fact that there are all manner of attributes that make a woman attractive, and the same applies to wine. More on that next post!