This interview was conducted with key contributions by Townsman Kpdexter!
A few months ago, Kpdexter wrote about the unique collaboration between Robert Pollard and late-80s Indie Rock band Phantom Tollbooth known as Beard of Lightning. If you’ll recall, Pollard was a fan of the band’s works, and with his combination of fanboy exuberance and cult hero pull he received both a copy of the master tapes of their 1988 album Power Toy minus the vocals as well as the band’s blessing to write and record a new set of lyrics and melodies.
Phantom Tollbooth, “Bonus Track” (original from Power Toy)
Phantom Tollbooth, “The Cafe Interior” (Pollard’s take from Beard of Lightning)
A few of us in the Halls of Rock thought, What a brilliant, nerdy fantasy for Pollard to have achieved! A month or so later, when Phantom Tollbooth’s very own Gerard Smith contacted us to point out an inaccuracy in the original piece (since corrected, thanks), we thought to ourselves, What must it have felt like to be on the other end of a rock nerd’s fantasy come true? To our delight, Smith agreed to discuss the making of both the original Power Toy and the remade/remodeled Beard of Lightning from his band’s perspective. The interview that follows met the expectations of at least two rock nerds. We hope you dig it too.
Indie Rock in the ’80s, though highly inspirational and influential, was rough terrain for a band to operate.
How would you describe Beard of Lightning relative to Power Toy? A variation on a theme, an entirely new work, or something else?
First, I need to tell you how grateful I am to Bob Pollard for voicing his interest in Phantom Tollbooth. His contribution to this project was tremendous.
Beard of Lightning is an entirely new work. If you put them back-to-back, the vocal ideas, lyrics and the mixes are uniquely different. One thing that stands out to me is Bob’s placement of the words. In many instances, he sings in places where Dave or I didn’t and laid back in places where we did. It’s a wonderfully strange parallel to the original. I think BOL is free standing, but I also think that Power Toy still sounds great.
How did this remaking of Power Toy into Beard of Lightning happen? I’ve read some stories about Pollard saying that you would have been huge had he been in the band, and you guys called his bluff. True? Can you give us a taste of the initial discussions and planning and what went through your minds?
Flattery was my first response, though it wasn’t a complete surprise. Bob had expressed his interest in PT for a time long before Beard of Lightning. Over the years I’d heard from friends that we were a topic of his passing conversations. Dave Rick was responsible for making initial contact with Bob through Chris Slusarenko at Off Records. Once the idea came about, we all got into the same space after 15 years, had dinner and came to an agreement. Given our initial relationship as a very tough democratic unit, it was our natural inclination to bring Bob on as a 4th and equal member of this newly conceptualized idea of Phantom Tollbooth.
Bob is a good sport in his praise of what could have been. I also think that had we been more of priorty at Dutch East India (distributor and owner of Homestead Records) we’d have probably reached a wider audience, even without Bob’s assistance. Indie Rock in the ’80s, though highly inspirational and influential, was rough terrain for a band to operate. Factor in the kinds of influences that informed our songs and the crazy, chaotic structures that they were built upon, we didn’t make things any easier. All things considered though, Bob’s redo of the vocals/lyrics make for a smoother listen. Daniel Rey’s remixes are also great.
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