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Stephen Malkmus

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For the album of the same name, see Stephen Malkmus (album).

Stephen Malkmus
Malkmus performing in 2005 at the River To River Festival
Malkmus performing in 2005 at the River To River Festival
Background information
Birth nameStephen Malkmus
Also known as
  • SM
  • Hazel Figurine
Born (1966-05-30) May 30, 1966 (age 58)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
OriginStockton, California
GenresIndie rock
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • bass
  • drums
Years active1982–present[1]
Labels
Member of
Formerly of
Websitestephenmalkmus.com

Stephen Joseph Malkmus (/ˈmælkmɪs/ MALK-miss; born May 30, 1966)[2][3] is an American musician best known as the primary songwriter, lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band Pavement. He performs with Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Pavement, The Hard Quartet, and as a solo artist.

Biography

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Early years

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Stephen Malkmus was born in Santa Monica, California, to Mary and Stephen Malkmus Sr.[4][5] His father was a property and casualty insurance agent.[5] When Stephen Jr. was 8, the family moved north to Stockton,[5] where he attended Carpinteria's Cate School and Lodi's Tokay High School. As a teenager, Malkmus worked various jobs, including painting house numbers on street curbs and "flipping burgers or whatever" at a country club.[6] At age 16, he spent the night in jail after consuming alcohol, urinating in the bushes, and walking on the roofs of several residential homes.[4] Later, he was placed on probation for underage drinking,[4] and was also expelled from school "for going to a party in the woods where people were taking mushrooms. I didn't take them, but some guy narc'd on me."[4]

Malkmus learned the guitar by playing along to Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze".[5] Around the age of 16, he started playing in several Stockton-based punk bands: Bag O Bones, The Straw Dogs, and Crisis Alert. After graduating from high school, Malkmus followed in his father's footsteps by attending the University of Virginia, where he majored in history and was a disc jockey for the college radio station WTJU. During this time, Malkmus met fellow WTJU DJs David Berman (who would later front the Silver Jews) and James McNew (of Yo La Tengo) and formed the lo-fi band Ectoslavia.[7][8] In the late 1980s, he was employed as a security guard at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, along with Berman and Bob Nastanovich.[4]

Career

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Pavement

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Malkmus performing with Pavement in 2010

Malkmus formed Pavement with Scott Kannberg (aka Spiral Stairs) right after finishing college at UVA in the late 80s.[9] Their first album, Slanted & Enchanted, was released to critical acclaim, and the band continued to receive attention for subsequent releases. Pavement, and Malkmus in particular, were hailed as spearheading the underground indie movement of the 1990s.

Pavement reunited in 2010 and embarked on a world tour,[10] and reunited again in 2022 and 2023 for another tour.

Solo work and The Jicks

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In 2001, following the 1999 dissolution of Pavement, Malkmus released his first self-titled album with his new band, The Jicks (although they were uncredited).

Malkmus's fourth studio album with The Jicks, Real Emotional Trash, was released in March 2008.[11]

In August 2011, he released his fifth studio album with The Jicks, Mirror Traffic. He played the album Ege Bamyasi, originally by the band Can, in its entirety on December 1, 2012, at WEEK-END Festival in Cologne, Germany.[12] A recording of this performance was released as a limited-edition live album on Record Store Day 2013.[citation needed]

Malkmus performing with the Jicks in 2018

Malkmus's sixth studio album with the Jicks, Wig Out at Jagbags, was released on January 7, 2014. On February 7, 2018, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks released "Middle America", their first material in four years. It was their first single from their seventh studio album, Sparkle Hard, which was released on May 18, 2018.[13]

Malkmus released an electronic album titled Groove Denied on March 15, 2019, after having worked on the album for 12 to 13 years. After he submitted the album in 2017, Chris Lombardi of Matador Records, which had released all of Malkmus' records thus far, told Malkmus that it was not the right time to release the album.[14] The album features Malkmus on all instruments and production and engineering.[15][16] Malkmus released Traditional Techniques on March 6, 2020. The album was produced by Chris Funk of The Decemberists and features guitarist Matt Sweeney and musician Qais Essar.

Side projects

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Malkmus was a member of rock group Silver Jews along with David Berman.[17] In early 1999, Malkmus participated in a Sonic Youth side project called Kim's Bedroom that included bassist/vocalist Kim Gordon, guitarist and vocalist Thurston Moore, Jim O'Rourke, and drummer Ikue Mori; they never released an album, but did play a few live shows. By 2001, Malkmus was performing as frontman of The Jicks.[18]

In 2007, Malkmus provided 3 songs to the Todd Haynes' film I'm Not There, based on the life of Bob Dylan. He contributed on the songs "Ballad of a Thin Man", "Can't Leave Her Behind", and "Maggie's Farm". Malkmus has admitted that he was never "a really big fan of Dylan,"[19] but noted that his involvement with the film had made him listen "to him again a little closer."[6]

In 2016, Malkmus scored the soundtrack to the Netflix series Flaked, which stars Will Arnett.[20]

In 2024, Malkmus started the band The Hard Quartet with Emmett Kelly, Matt Sweeney, and Jim White.[21]

Personal life

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Malkmus moved to Portland, Oregon, where he met his wife, artist Jessica Jackson Hutchins.[22][23][24] The couple have two children: daughters Lottie (born 2004)[25][26] and Sunday (born 2007).[27] In 2011, before the release of Mirror Traffic, Malkmus and his family moved to Berlin.[26] By the release of Wig Out at Jagbags in 2014, however, the family had moved back to Portland.[28]

Malkmus is a sports fan, supports Hull City Football Club and is known to play tennis[29] and golf.[citation needed] He also played second base for the Portland-based Disjecta softball team.[30][31][32][33] Malkmus also previously played lacrosse in his high school.[34][35]

Equipment

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Malkmus currently plays a Fender Stratocaster and a Guild S-100.[36] Other guitars used are a 1960s Fender Jazzmaster that can be traced back to the Brighten The Corners era, a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, and a Fender Stratocaster that was his guitar of choice during the majority of his time with Pavement. He used a Gibson SG with Pavement during the Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain era. For the 2010 Pavement reunion tour he used his Stratocaster extensively. During his 2011 tour in support of Mirror Traffic he played a Guild S-100. He has also played a Danelectro Silvertone (Sears model dating to 1962 or 1963) for one-off solo shows.

Typically, he uses an Orange Retro 50 head through a 1970s Marshall 4x12 cabinet when playing live, though he has used various other Orange, Marshall and Fender amps, including a vintage Silverface Twin Reverb during the early Pavement years, an Orange OR120 during later Pavement years, and a single channel Orange AD30 with the Jicks. Malkmus's other confirmed (though not constant) gear includes: Z.Vex Fuzz Factory, Diamond J-Drive, Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler, T-Rex Replica, Lovetone Big Cheese, Lovetone Meatball, BOSS TU-2, DigiTech Whammy, Crowther HotCake, Kaisser Instruments Reamer and Pro Co RAT.

Discography

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With Pavement

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See also: Pavement discography

With Silver Jews

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Singles and EPs
  • Dime Map of the Reef (1992 – 7"ep)
  • The Sabellion Rebellion & Old New York (1993 – 7")
  • The Arizona Record (1993 – 12")
  • Hot as Hell – Live 1993 (1999 – 7" Single)
Albums

With The Crust Brothers

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With The Jicks

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Albums

Solo albums

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Singles
  • "Discretion Grove" (2001) – w/ "Sin Taxi" and "Leisurely Poison" (2001)
  • "Jenny & the Ess-Dog" (2001) – w/ "Keep the Faith", "That's What Mama Said" and "Alien Boy"
  • Phantasies EP (2001) – w/ "Malay Massaker"
  • "Jo Jo's Jacket" – w/ "Polish Mule", "The Hook (live)" and "Open and Shut Cases" (2001)
  • "Sex Life of Robinson Crusoe, Pt. 2" (2001) – B-side available only on official site
  • "Us" (2003)
  • "Dark Wave" (2003) – w/ Pig Lib bonus disc B-sides
  • "Post-Paint Boy" (2005)
  • "Baby C'Mon" (2005) – w/ "Wow Ass Jeans"
  • Kindling for the Master EP (2006) – w/ 4 remixes
  • "Cold Son" 10" EP (2008) – w/ "Walk Into the Mirror", "Pennywhistle Thunder" and "Carl the Clod"
  • "Gardenia" (2008) – w/ "Walk Into the Mirror"
  • "Middle America" (2018)
  • "Shiggy" (2018)
  • "Refute" (2018)
  • "Viktor Borgia" (2019)
  • "Rushing the Acid Frat" (2019)
  • "Come Get Me" (2019)

With The Hard Quartet

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  • The Hard Quartet (2024)

Compilations and collaborations

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  • SubUrbia Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1997) – "Unheard Music" (with Elastica)
  • At Home With the Groovebox (2000) – "Robyn Turns 26"
  • All Tomorrow's Parties 1.1 (2002) – "Good Kids Eggs"
  • Colonel Jeffrey Pumpernicklel (2002) – "Blue Rash Intact (Quarantined-Hallucinations Due To Severe Allergies)"
  • Under the Influence – 21 years of Flying Nun Records (2002) – "Death and the Maiden"
  • Matador At Fifteen (2004) – "It Kills (live)"
  • This One's for the Fellows: A Sonic Salute to the Young Fresh Fellows (2004) – guitar on "No One Really Knows" (with The Maroons)
  • Chokes! EP by Silkworm (2007) – guitar on "Spanish Harlem Incident (live)"
  • I'm Not There (Music from the Motion Picture) (2007) – With [The Million Dollar Bashers]: "Ballad of a Thin Man" and "Maggie's Farm"; with Lee Ranaldo: "Can't Leave Her Behind" and "What Kind of Friend is This?" (iTunes only)
  • Early Risers by Soldiers of Fortune (2015) – "Campus Swagger"
  • Day of the Dead (2016) – "China Cat Sunflower -> I Know You Rider"
  • Battle Hymns (2017) – "Midnight Cruisers" Digital Download
  • Fiddle player in the 2019 film "First Cow"

Miscellaneous

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  • The New Yorker College Tour: University of Washington, Seattle: A Conversation with Stephen Malkmus (2006)

Music videos

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Year Title Director
2001 "Discretion Grove" Grant Gee
"Jenny & the Ess-Dog" ?
"Jo Jo's Jacket" Shynola
2003 "Death and the Maiden" Mitchell Hawkes
"Dark Wave" Scott Lyons
"Baby C'Mon" Lana Kim & Andy Bruntel
2005 "Mama" E.J. McLeavey-Fisher
2008 "Gardenia" Daniel Woods
2011 "No One Is (As I Are Be)" Steve Doughton
"Senator" Scott Jacobson
2013 "Lariat" Michael Leblanc
"Cinnamon and Lesbians" Jay Winebrenner
2018 "Middle America" (acoustic) Brook Linder
"Solid Silk" (acoustic)
2019 "Viktor Borgia" Jan Lankisch
"Rushing the Acid Frat" Robert Strange & James Papper
"Come Get Me" (lyric video) Marisa Gesualdi
2020 "Xian Man" (lyric video)
"Shadowbanned" Jan Lankisch
  • Cover of "Death and the Maiden" by New Zealand band The Verlaines. Available on Flying Num DVD Very Short Films.

Notes

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  1. ^ Although the Jicks are not credited within the title, the album Stephen Malkmus is in fact a Jicks recording. Initially, Malkmus simply wanted to call his post-Pavement band the Jicks with no mention of his name, but Matador records resisted the idea and released the album as Stephen Malkmus, although the word "Jicks" is printed both on the CD itself, and on the inner sleeve of the vinyl pressing.
  2. ^ Similarly, while Face the Truth is technically Stephen Malkmus's only true solo affair, the Jicks do provide instrumentation on nearly every song, and "& The Jicks" is visible on the back of the album artwork.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ Malkmus, Malkmus (March 30, 2020). Stubbs, Stuart (ed.). "Stephen Malkmus – the path to Pavement included the druggy hardcore scene of central California". Loud And Quiet. No. 141. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023.
  2. ^ Weisbard, Eric M. (January 25, 2017). "Pavement". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  3. ^ Stephen Malkmus - What's In My Bag?. Amoeba. October 28, 2019. Event occurs at 00:01. Retrieved May 12, 2024 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ a b c d e Yarm, Mark (March 11, 2008). "Dear Superstar: Stephen Malkmus". Blender. Maxim Digital / Alpha Media Group Inc. (published April 2008). pp. 36-?. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d "Stephen Malkmus: Being Stephen Malkmus". Magnetmagazine.com. April 1, 2001. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Lincoln, Kevin (March 6, 2008). "Musician Malkmus reviews Dylan, talks Trash". The Chronicle. Duke Student Publishing Company. Archived from the original on January 31, 2011.
  7. ^ Hogan, Matthew (January 10, 2015). "Secret knowledge of Silver Jews, Pavement, Ectoslavia and Horse Racing with Bob Nastanovich". The Indian Specific. [Self-published via WordPress.] Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  8. ^ "Pavement: Biography". Billboard.com. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Content provided by All Music Guide®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. 2007. Archived from the original on May 4, 2008.
  9. ^ "Stephen Malkmus – the path to Pavement included the druggy hardcore scene of central California: Stephen Malkmus revisits his teenage self for our latest Sweet 16 column". Loud And Quiet. No. 141. London (published March 14, 2020). March 30, 2020. p. 8. ISSN 2049-9892. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023.
  10. ^ Dombal, Ryan (March 1, 2010). "Pavement Launch Tour, Add Dates". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 25, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2012.
  11. ^ "Stephen Malkmus". Matador Records. Archived from the original on July 2, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  12. ^ Minsker, Evan (December 6, 2012). "Watch Stephen Malkmus Perform Can's Ege Bamyasi". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 21, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  13. ^ Greenhaus, Mike (June 26, 2018). "Stephen Malkmus". Interview. Relix. Vol. 45, no. 4 (published June 2018). pp. 32–33, 87. ISSN 0146-3489. EBSCOhost 129781952. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  14. ^ DeVille, Chris (January 18, 2019). "Stephen Malkmus' Shelved Electronic Album Groove Denied Out In March". Stereogum. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  15. ^ Online version: Knopper, Steve (January 17, 2019). "Stephen Malkmus is still enigmatic, but with a big heart". Chicago Tribune. ProQuest 2168458304. EBSCOhost 2W6777015226, 2W63942611083. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
    Print version: Knopper, Steve (January 18, 2019). "POP MUSIC PREVIEW: Enigmatic, but with a big heart: Stephen Malkmus, as amiably vague as ever, is back with new tunes". On The Town. Chicago Tribune. Vol. 171, no. 18. p. 5 of section 5. Newspapers.com 523678627. ProQuest 2168080737. (Corrected in: Holt, Margaret (January 24, 2019). "Accuracy and Ethics". Chicago Tribune. Vol. 171, no. 24. p. 2 of section 1. ISSN 1085-6706. Newspapers.com 525886858. ProQuest 2170305655.)
    Wire feed version: Knopper, Steve (January 17, 2019). "Stephen Malkmus is still enigmatic, but with a big heart". TCA Regional News. Tribune Content Agency. ProQuest 2167833873.
  16. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (January 22, 2019). "Stephen Malkmus' Excellent Electronic Adventure". Rolling Stone. Variety Media, LLC / Rolling Stone, LLC, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media. Factiva NAPRS00020190122ef1m0008k. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
    Abridged version in print: Vozick-Levinson, Simon (February 2019). "STEPHEN MALKMUS' WEIRD, WILD ELECTRONIC ADVENTURE". The Mix. Rolling Stone. No. 1324. New York: Penske Business Media. p. 24. ISSN 0035-791X. ProQuest 2207007537, EBSCOhost 134372058.
  17. ^ "David Berman and Stephen Malkmus Interview". Corduroy Suit. Wee Black Skelf records. Archived from the original on February 8, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2009.[unreliable source?]
  18. ^ Burland, Chris (November 23, 2001). "LIVE: Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks". ChartAttack.com. Chart Communications Inc. Archived from the original on November 25, 2001.
  19. ^ "Stephen Malkmus on Bob Dylan, Rehearsing and His Favorite Venues Around the World". Rolling Stone. August 28, 2012 [originally posted on February 21, 2008, at 1:36 PM]. Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved February 4, 2014. (This is an annex to: Scaggs, Austin (February 21, 2008). "Stephen Malkmus". Q & A. Rolling Stone. No. 1046. New York. p. 28. ISSN 0035-791X. ProQuest 220168342, EBSCOhost 29962171.)
  20. ^ Payne, Chris (February 12, 2016). "Stephen Malkmus Is Scoring Will Arnett's New Netflix Series 'Flaked'". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  21. ^ Strauss, Matthew (July 17, 2024). "Stephen Malkmus, Emmett Kelly, Matt Sweeney, and Jim White Form New Band the Hard Quartet". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  22. ^ Valania, Jonathan (September 12, 2011). "Stephen Malkmus And The Jicks: Rule Portlandia : Is Stephen Malkmus, indie rock's long-reigning king, abdicating his throne?". Magnet Magazine. Archived from the original on October 13, 2011.
  23. ^ Online version: Tannenbaum, Rob (May 14, 2018). "Stephen Malkmus Doesn't Think He Was a Jerk". A Word With. The New York Times. eISSN 1553-8095. ProQuest 2038288132. (International New York Times / International Herald Tribune / https://international.nytimes.com/ version: Gale A553235575, Factiva INHT000020180523ee5e0000k. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023.)
    Print version: Tannenbaum, Rob (May 20, 2018). "To Stephen Malkmus, the Brain Beats the Heart". Arts & Leisure / A Word With. New York Times. Vol. CLXVII, no. 57968. New York, N.Y. p. AR/L 6. ISSN 0362-4331. ProQuest 2610862823, 2041253344, 2082094573. Gale A539469755. Factiva NYTF000020180520ee5k0009g.
  24. ^ Sherburne, Philip (March 20, 2019) [updated March 25, 2019]. "Stephen Malkmus: 'There's this reggae song where I sing in patois – it should not be heard'". The Guardian. Factiva GRDN000020190325ef3p002pb. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023.
  25. ^ Online version: Klosterman, Chuck (February 24, 2010). "Greatest. Indie-est. Band. Ever". GQ. Photography by Melodie McDaniel. Archived from the original on February 27, 2010.
    Print version: McDaniel, Melodie (March 2010). "Greatest. Indie-Est. Band. Ever". GQ - Gentlemen's Quarterly. Vol. 80, no. 3. Conde Nast Publications, Inc. p. 135. ISSN 0016-6979. Gale A222888230. EBSCOhost 49075169.
  26. ^ a b William, Goodman (July 6, 2011). "Q&A: Stephen Malkmus on New LP, Beck + More". Spin. Archived from the original on February 9, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  27. ^ Thompson, Paul (December 13, 2007). "Stephen Malkmus Talks Trash". Archived from the original on December 15, 2007.
  28. ^ Sheffield, Rob (January 3, 2014). "Stephen Malkmus on Why Everyone Wants to Be a Nineties Kid". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
  29. ^ "Stephen Malkmus and the Truth About Tennis". Tennis.com. May 20, 2009. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  30. ^ Caraeff, Ezra (August 13, 2007). "Disjecta - Softball Champions!". The Portland Mercury | Blogtown, PDX. Archived from the original on February 23, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2012.[unreliable source?]
  31. ^ Caraeff, Ezra Ace (August 24, 2011). "My Apologies to the Willamette Week Softball Team". Portland Mercury. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  32. ^ "Head Jick Stephen Malkmus invites us inside his Portland, Oregon living room". SPIN Magazine. August 2011. pp. 30+. Gale A263925945.
  33. ^ Zondo, Johnny (October 25, 2012). "I played softball with Stephen Malkmus of Pavement". Did I ever tell you about the time.... Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2024.
  34. ^ "Athletics, punk band occupy Malkmus' time [Header image caption: Stephen Malkmus displays some of his Lacrosse gear.]". Tokay Press?. Santa Barbara: Tokay High School. Via: Schneider, Martin (May 1, 2014) [updated May 11, 2015], "Pavement's Stephen Malkmus played bass in a punk band that opened for Black Flag and others", Dangerous Minds, archived from the original on June 9, 2014; which got it from: Breihan, Tom (April 27, 2012), "See Stephen Malkmus In High School", Stereogum, BUZZMEDIA, archived from the original on April 27, 2012; which got it from: "STEPHEN MALKMUS high-school paper article about his sports and punk activities", Twitter, (originally posted by Matador Press, later redirected to Nils Bernstein; Stereogum also credits Greg Johnson), April 27, 2012, archived from the original on March 18, 2018{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link).
  35. ^ Basedow, Neph (September 21, 2015). "Stephen Malkmus Roots for the Bears!: Left Coaster pulls out some Pavement at the Parish". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  36. ^ Taylor, Luke (February 26, 2014). "The Current's Guitar Collection: Stephen Malkmus". The Current. Minnesota Public Radio. Archived from the original on October 16, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
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