ABSTRACT
Having spent much of the early 1990s recording strikingly discordant singles, releasing a critically acclaimed lo-fi debut, and touring, Pavement hit their stride in 1994 with their effortlessly melodic and charming Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. This record, released that February, increased Pavement’s popularity by leaps as it was an immediately accessible record filled with hooks and humor. Soon, the band found itself in the heady waters of late night television talk shows and MTV. To that end, Pavement released three videos from the album, each of which connected to some element of the band’s musical personality. Through these videos—Cut Your Hair, Gold Soundz, and Range Life—this chapter explores the ways in which this record reflected and refracted the contemporary American music scene. By placing Pavement and their humor within the larger context of the early 1990s, this chapter underscores the tensions and ambivalence that would eventually redefine and reorient the American mainstream.
