Ever since Camper Van Beethoven got back together in the late 1990s, the indie rock forebears have continued a remarkable second act. When they broke up at the beginning of that decade, the group appeared to be on the cusp of breaking big in the mainstream, à la R.E.M. Camper had released a pair of well-received major-label albums and notched a modern-rock radio hit with a cover of Status Quo's "Pictures of Matchstick Men."
After Camper's demise, singer/guitarist David Lowery built on that success with the more straight-up rock band Cracker. More recently, Lowery has been writing a blog, 300 Songs, discussing the history of Camper Van Beethoven and Cracker. There's a long, fascinating Lowery begins the post with the idea that surprise events, like the song's triumph, can only be rationalized in hindsight, then winds through his theory that there's no way to predict the reason for a performer's success, at least as judged by record sales - whether it's talent, lack of talent, or promotional excess. He reveals that "Bowling" is the last song he'd expect to catch people's attention. He writes: "BTW this is the most important fact about this song. We wanted the words to lack any coherent meaning. There is no story or deeper insight that I can give you about this song." The post winds up with an interesting discussion of how bands come to be respected as "serious," comparing the saga of often-humorous Camper with the journey of fellow travelers the Dead Milkmen. Camper Van Beethoven is currently on tour and visits the High Noon Saloon on Jan. 4. The Madison show will be one of the first featuring some new material written for an upcoming studio album. But will they play "Take the Skinheads Bowling?" There's only one way to find out.
