David Pajo & Will Oldham Debut “Bad Guy” In Instagram Duet
Old pals, Papa M & Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy grab their acoustics to perform a beautiful new number via their respective homes
David Pajo and Will Oldham have a long history with one another. Even before Oldham fully entered the music world as an artist himself, he photographed the iconic black and white cover image for SLINT‘s groundbreaking Spiderland album, which featured Pajo and his fellow bandmates with their heads bobbing up out of the water in a quarry. Prior to that, he accompanied David‘s pre-Slint project, Maurice, on tour when the band of 14-year-old‘s got the opportunity to open for Samhain. When Oldham released his debut LP under the Palace Brothers moniker, Pajo was the only member of SLINT that didn’t appear on it. He did, however, contribute guitar to the Palace “Come In” 7-inch single the same year, as well as the ensuing Palace Brothers An Arrow Through The Bitch EP that it appeared on the following year. Pajo would go on to appear on several other Oldham releases, including the Palace Music “Little Blue Eyes” 7-inch [1996] and Lost Blues And Other Songs compilation [1997] and such Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy output as I See A Darkness and Ease Down The Road. Beyond that, he worked on the rare releases that Will Oldham put out under his own name like Guarapero (Lost Blues 2) and Joya. Meanwhile, Will has returned the favor by performing on Pajo‘s Travel Constants EP and contributing backing vocals, piano, and guitar to the 2001 album, Whatever, Mortal — both of which were released under David‘s Papa M pseudonym.
David and Will‘s work together comes across as organic occurrences clearly rooted in their longtime friendship, trust, and respect for one another. Pajo once explained to me on an IG post that he’d recorded the drums for least one song from Joya on the first take without ever hearing it prior. They have forged rich accomplished careers independent of one another, but come together to collaborate or help each other out when things align. Collectively, the Drag City labelmates refer to themselves as “The Continental Op,” a name that has appeared on mixing or production credits for individual projects, as well as Slitch Music, the 2002 short film soundtrack that they released as a duo.
During this pandemic, each songwriter has been posting live acoustic tunes from their own instagram accounts; one notable performance being Oldham‘s cover of John Prine‘s “Mexican Home” only days before it was announced that the now-deceased music legend had been hospitalized with Covid-19. On April 27th, the two came together on Pajo‘s IG to perform Charlie Pride‘s “Standin’ In My Way,” in what they promoted as “a sweet duet among friends.” Operating remotely from their respective homes — Oldham in Louisville and Pajo in Los Angeles, I believe — they received a comment asking about how they were able to sync up so well and “deal with the latency problem” inherent in the technology. David‘s response was, “I think you have to spend 35 years with the collaborator to cultivate a psychic connection :)”
Today the old pals have returned with yet another duet. Titled “B.AD GUY” and captioned as “a new jammer by [David Pajo] performed by the Transcontinental Op” this one was posted over on Oldham‘s account. They sound great together as always, but David‘s voice is not only a noticeable contrast to his friend’s, but to how many of us have heard him over the years. These recent posts show him sounding much more gruff, heading into the direction of Springsteen, if not full-on Tom Waits, territory. It’s hard to know if this is a permanent or temporary change, since he has endured numerous surgeries over the last few years and one incredibly recently. Either way, he adjusts and makes it work. David‘s songwriting prowess is also on full display with this new tune. As one commenter noted, this heartbreakingly nostalgic number about young love and growing apart is reminiscent of Big Star‘s “13,” something I not only see in the theme, but by where and how it hits me as a listener.
The clip starts with Pajo saying, “Let’s try this again,” and Oldham responding with, “It’s the last time, okay?” They’ve clearly just been working on making it playable, so, if this is what the song can do in it’s very rough early stages, I’m eager to hear what a more flushed out version might sound like. As an original member of Tortoise, who has joined bands ranging from Royal Trux to The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Interpol in the recording studio and/or as a touring member, David Pajo has long been known and respected for his guitar work, but “BAD GUY” is just another example of why his lyrical/songwriting ability is so shamefully overlooked. This one is definite winner. Check it out below and see if you don’t wind up playing it on loop and getting it lodged in your skull as I have.