Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks are a rock band consisting of Stephen Malkmus… Read Full Bio ↴Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks are a rock band consisting of Stephen Malkmus (vocals, guitar), Joanna Bolme (bass, vocals), Mike Clark (keyboards) and Jake Morris (drums). The band has released seven albums: "Stephen Malkmus" (2001), "Pig Lib" (2003), "Face the Truth" (2005), "Real Emotional Trash" (2008), "Mirror Traffic" (2011), "Wig Out at Jagbags" (2014) and "Sparkle Hard" (2018). Malkmus was the lead singer and primary songwriter for Pavement.

The Jicks formed in 2000 in Portland, Oregon, United States, almost immediately after Pavement's 1999 "hiatus" began. The group's first record - which had a working title of Swedish Reggae - was simply called Stephen Malkmus. It was released by Matador Records on February 13th, 2001. At least a few of the songs were proposed Pavement songs before the group disbanded.

The group made their official live debut at New York's Bowery Ballroom only a few weeks before their first record was released. Around this time, Pavement's auxiliary percussionist Bob Nastanovich began acting as The Jicks' manager.

Pig Lib was the name of the band's second record, which was released in 2003. The songs had a much looser yet darker feel, and the band sounds more comfortable playing with one another. Malkmus has since expressed regret in some of the decisions he made with putting certain songs on this record. The album received decent reviews, gaining 3/5 stars from Allmusic and an 8.0/10 from Pitchfork Media.

For the first several years of The Jicks' existence, no Pavement songs were ever played live. Then on May 23, 2003, spontaneously and without notice, the band opened the evening's show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with "Summer Babe" from Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted album. What followed was a complete set of Pavement tracks in the chronological order that the band originally released them, playing roughly two-three songs per album. This concert has been dubbed by fans as The Milwaukee Show.

Notably, The Jicks opened up for Radiohead on the band's North American tour in support of their album, Hail to the Thief.

Face the Truth, credited only to Malkmus, came in 2005 to ecstatic reviews, many of them claiming a return to Wowee Zowee-type form. Most of the album was recorded by Stephen alone in his basement, although each member of the Jicks play on at least one song on the record. The band toured only a small amount behind this record, partially due to the fact that Malkmus had a new child.

On October 2nd, 2006, it was reported by Pitchfork that Janet Weiss, drummer of Quasi and the defunct Sleater-Kinney, had officially joined the band, replacing founding drummer John Moen, who left to be the drummer for The Decemberists.

On March 4th, 2008, their latest album "Real Emotional Trash" was released.

In 2011, shortly after recording their fifth album, it was announced that Janet Weiss had left the band. She was replaced by Jake Morris, formerly of Joggers.

On August 23, 2011, the album "Mirror Traffic" was officially released to generally positive reviews.

Dragonfly Pie
Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Of all my stoned digressions
Some of you take it in
To the truth
Not a spoof

You are the born expression
Of all you parents laws
Makes you pause

There's no Oz

Can't be what you ought to be
Gotta be what you want to be
Take it with pride
And like a dragonfly
Dragonfly wants a piece of pie
But he is so strung out

Shake me tonight
Because I want to go home
Shake me tonight
Because I want to go home
Shake me tonight
Because I want to go home

Curse being name after jazz songs
High school friends support
Show and tell
Preach and yell

Ghostly Iraqi inside ya
Ghostly (?) Van Gogh
No more signs
No more lying

Can't be what you ought to be
Gotta be what you want to be
Take it with pride
And like a dragonfly
Dragonfly wants a piece of pie
But he is so strung out

Shake me tonight
Because I want to go home
Shake me tonight
Because I want to go home

Shake me tonight
Because I want to go home

Overall Meaning

In "Dragonfly Pie," Stephen Malkmus sings about the experience of being stoned and going off on tangents, but some people in the group can see through the nonsense and realize there is truth behind the ramblings. He then shifts to discussing the idea of being born as an expression of your parents' laws and how this can be limiting. The chorus comes in with the refrain "Can't be what you ought to be / Gotta be what you want to be / Take it with pride / And like a dragonfly / Dragonfly wants a piece of pie / But he is so strung out." Here, he is talking about the importance of being true to yourself and not succumbing to societal pressures. The dragonfly, as a symbol of change and transformation, wants a piece of pie, or a piece of the good life, but is unable to fully enjoy it due to being "strung out."

Malkmus goes on to address other issues such as feeling cursed for being named after jazz songs, the support of high school friends, and the complex inner turmoil that many people experience. The song ends with the repetition of "Shake me tonight / Because I want to go home," which seems to convey a longing for a return to a simpler, more connected time.

Line by Line Meaning

Of all my stoned digressions
Out of all my drug-induced wanderings and tangential thoughts

Some of you take it in
Some of you listen and absorb my words

To the truth
To the reality of the situation

Not a spoof
Not a joke or prank

You are the born expression
You are the natural product

Of all your parent's laws
Of all the rules and regulations your parents have set for you

Makes you pause
Makes you stop and think

There's no Oz
There's no fantasy world or magical solution to life's problems

Can't be what you ought to be
You can't conform to society's expectations of you

Gotta be what you want to be
You have to follow your own dreams and desires

Take it with pride
Approach life with dignity and self-respect