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Frank Black

Frank Black

Acting

Biography

Black Francis (born Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV on April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the influential alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. Following the band's breakup in 1993, he embarked on a solo career under the name Frank Black. After releasing two albums with 4AD, he left the label and formed a backing band, Frank Black and the Catholics. He reformed the Pixies in 2004 and continues to release solo records and tour as a solo artist, having re-adopted his current stage name in 2007. His vocal style has varied from a screaming, yowling delivery as lead vocalist of the Pixies to a more measured and melodical style in his solo career. His cryptic lyrics mostly explore unconventional subjects, such as surrealism, incest and Biblical violence, along with science fiction and surf culture. His use of atypical meter signatures, loud-quiet dynamics and distinct preference for live-to-two-track recording in his career as a solo artist give him a distinct style within alternative rock. As frontman of the Pixies, his songs (such as "Where Is My Mind?" and "Debaser") received praise and citations from contemporaries, including Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. Cobain once said that "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was his attempt at trying to "rip off the Pixies". However, in his solo work and records with the Catholics, he received fewer popular and critical accolades. Description above from the Wikipedia article Black Francis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.​

Known For

NPR Tiny Desk Concerts
7.0

Intimate musical performances, recorded live at the desk of All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen.

NPR Tiny Desk Concerts

2008
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!
7.3

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! is an American sketch comedy television series, created by and starring Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, which premiered February 11, 2007 on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim comedy block and ran until May 2010. The program features surrealistic and often satirical humor, public-access television–style musical acts, bizarre faux-commercials, and editing and special effects chosen to make the show appear camp. The program featured a wide range of actors, spanning from stars such as Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, Will Forte and Zach Galifianakis, to alternative comedians like Neil Hamburger, to television actors like Alan Thicke, celebrity look-alikes and impressionists. The creators of the show have described it as "the nightmare version of television."

Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!

2007
Seven Ages of Rock
9.0

A definitive landmark series charting the emergence and re-emergence of rock music as a global force, told through the musicians who have shaped this most enduring of genres.

Seven Ages of Rock

2007
Lil' Bush
5.5

Lil' Bush cracks satirical jokes at the Bush administration. The show depicts the administration members as pint-size cartoon characters. The title character is accompanied by Lil' Cheney and Lil' Condi.

Lil' Bush

2007
Berlin Live
6.0

Bands perform in Berlin's legendary club TRAFO, the concrete temple music.

Berlin Live

2011
Coachella
6.5

Filmmaker Drew Thomas brings California's popular Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival to the screen with a different kind of musical documentary that not only showcases performances by some of the hottest acts to take the stage, but offers interviews with such musical icons as Beck, Joshua Homme, Mos Def, and Perry Farrell as well. From English icon Morrissey's performance at the inaugural Coachella Festival back in 1999 to Canadian indie rockers the Arcade Fire's electric 2005 set, the musical acts featured here run the gamut from hip-hop to alternative and virtually everything in between. Other artists featured include the Pixies, the Flaming Lips, Kool Keith, Radiohead, Saul Williams, and Squarepusher.

Coachella

2006
Unknown Brood
6.4

“When I do my suicide for you, I hope you’ll miss me too,” Herman Brood sang in “Rock ‘n’ Roll Junkie” – just one of many announcements of his own death Brood worked into his songs. It’s a subject Brood, who jumped off the roof of the Amsterdam Hilton 15 years ago, often sang about. In Unknown Brood, a whole range of people look back on the rock and roller’s turbulent life, including fellow musicians, his manager, a former girlfriend, photographer Anton Corbijn, Brood’s wife and their daughter. Video footage shot by Brood himself and never seen before is intercut with a rich collection of archive material, including a humorous clip of Brood barking the Dutch national anthem. His sister Beppie Brood stresses her brother’s split personality: on the one hand the shy, vulnerable man wary of other people, and on the other the one who played Herman Brood – an extravagant, hedonistic junkie and rock and roll star.

Unknown Brood

2016
Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)
8.4

John Flansburgh & John Linnell met in the 1970s as junior high students in Lincoln, Massachusetts. A decade later, their band—They Might Be Giants—would stand at the forefront of a burgeoning East Village NYC performance art scene as well as the college music revolution of the late 1980s. Filmed in 2001, ‘Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)’ is the acclaimed true story, tracing their independent and sometimes hilarious path through two decades in the pop music wilderness. From their legendary Dial-a-Song answering machine, to their Grammy Award-winning theme song for ‘Malcolm in the Middle’, fans and friends gather to tell the oral history of Brooklyn's finest alternative rock band.

Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)

2003
Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr.
7.8

The American indie rock band “Dinosaur Jr.” is a radical group with an unmistakeable sound. The film tells the story the three charismatic guys in the band: J. Mascis (vocals, guitar), Lou Barlow (bass) and Murph (drums).

Freakscene: The Story of Dinosaur Jr.

2021
Sound City
7.4

The history of Sound City and their huge recording device; exploring how digital change has allowed 'people that have no place' in music to become stars. It follows former Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighter David Grohl as he attempts to resurrect the studio back to former glories.

Sound City

2013
Freaks, Nerds & Weirdos
7.5

Documentary that gives a voice to the percentage of youth that were outcasts/non-conformists in the 90's. Interviews many famous musicians and other celebrity personalities, who talk about their being outcasts as youths, in school etc., leading up to their successes in adult life, and how being an outcast/non-conformist played a role in their artistic expression.. Also touches upon the topic of teen suicide & depression.

Freaks, Nerds & Weirdos

1994
Pixies : Live At The Paradise In Boston
8.0

The Pixies are one of the most influential American acts of all time. Initially spanning the late eighties and early nineties they created the blueprint for alternative rock that would be followed and embellished upon by everyone from grunge to Britpop. After 10 years apart the Pixies reformed in 2004. This program is the second release in our Club Date series and features the Pixies in the intimate Paradise Club in Boston.

Pixies : Live At The Paradise In Boston

2006
Pixies - Acoustic : Live In Newport
8.0

One of the most influential American bands of all time, The Pixies created the blueprint for alternative rock. Beginning their musical career in the late 80's until the early 90's, the band took an extended break, until reforming once again in 2004. This recording captures their first ever all acoustic performance filmed at the famous Newport Folk Festival.

Pixies - Acoustic : Live In Newport

2006
Pixies: Gouge
8.0

Gouge - a documentary tracing The Pixies' story featuring interviews with Bono, David Bowie, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead), Graham Coxon and Alex James (Blur), Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop (Travis), P J Harvey, Tim Wheeler (Ash), Gavin Rossdale (Bush) and Badly Drawn Boy.

Pixies: Gouge

2004
The Magnificent Tati
7.0

This documentary traces Jacques Tati's rise from the Parisian Music-Hall stage to his Oscar winning films of the 1950s, the documentary then explains how Tati bet all he had on his fourth film 'PlayTime' and how this mammoth film ended prematurely the career of a genius while also giving the world one of the most beautiful films ever made.

The Magnificent Tati

2009
Placebo: Soulmates Never Die: Live in Paris 2003
7.3

Track list : 1. Bulletproof Cupid, 2. Allergic (To Thoughts Of Mother Earth), 3. Every You Every Me, 4. Bionic, 5. Protégé Moi, 6. , 7. Bitter End, 8. Soul Mates, 9. Black-Eyed, 10. I'll Be Yours, 11. Special Needs, 12. English Summer Rain, 13. Without You I'm Nothing, 14. This Picture, 15. Special K, 16. Taste In Men, 17. Slave To The Wage, 18. Peeping Tom, 19. Pure Morning, 20. Centrefolds, 21. Where Is My Mind?

Placebo: Soulmates Never Die: Live in Paris 2003

2003
Pixies - Olympia, Paris
8.0

Highly influential indie rockers from Boston, famous for such tracks as Debaser and Where is my mind perform in Paris as part of a European tour for their latest album Doggerel.

Pixies - Olympia, Paris

2023
Pixies à l'Olympia - ARTE Live Web
N/A

On September 30th 2013, The legends that are The Pixies will be playing over in L’Olympia, Paris. They will play some of their greatest career spanning trcks from the last 30 yers including new material such as Andro Queen and Indie Cindy from the EP1. The venue is sold out, and what with it not being in Ireland it might be tough enough to catch the show even if tickets were on sale.

Pixies à l'Olympia - ARTE Live Web

2013
loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies
6.8

When college rock darlings the Pixies broke up in 1992, their fans were shocked and dismayed. When they reunited in 2004, those same fans and legions of new listeners were ecstatic and filled with high hopes. loudQUIETloud follows the rehearsals and live shows of the band as they struggle through the reunion tour "Sell Out"

loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies

2006
David Bowie: An Earthling at 50
8.5

Interview with David Bowie, in an original format of non-linear edition, cut-and-paste style.

David Bowie: An Earthling at 50

1997