In addition to their fabulous full-length records, the Pixies issued a number of great B-sides during their original late ‘80s/early ‘90s run. One of their lesser known—but still totally awesome—non-LP tracks was an unlikely remake.
During the 1980s, the United States government’s “War on Drugs” was in full swing. In 1986, Ronald Reagan signed into law the Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which established mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug crimes. Incarceration rates for nonviolent drug offenders also increased dramatically under Reagan’s watch. It was in this era of “Say No to Drugs” that a new video game emerged.
In 1988, NARC debuted in arcades across the country. The game pitted law enforcement against individuals involved in the distribution or consumption of illegal drugs. Coming across as some sort of far right-wing fantasy, the object of the game was to apprehend or kill (but mainly kill) anyone associated with unlawful drug activity. NARC was one of the first ultra-violent games, and it raised the eyebrows of parents concerned about its display of graphic violence.
It’s been reported that during the recording sessions for Trompe Le Monde (1991), Pixies singer/guitarist Black Francis became obsessed with Nintendo’s home version of NARC. The Pixies were by no means an anti-drug band, and it’s unclear how their frontman became hooked on NARC. Perhaps he played it during repeated lulls in the studio, or absorbing himself in a violent video game was a way to blow off steam (tensions within the group would lead to a break up in early 1993). Regardless, we know that Black Francis definitely was drawn to one element of NARC—its music. There’s a brief quote that circulates online, said to be from the fanzine, Rock a My Soul, in which Francis talks a bit about the video game’s theme.
“Theme From NARC” doesn’t really have a chorus. I thought it was pretty cool, because the chord progression in it is completely fucked up. It isn’t a standard rock ‘n’ roll progression.
Continues after the jump…