Bob vs. Man or Astro-Man?

CD-Now.Com

Don't expect to see lo-fi heroes Guided By Voices and space-surf rockers Man or Astro-man sharing a stage any time soon -- though they might get into the ring at some point. Apparently GBV's Bob Pollard, singer-songwriter for the Dayton, Ohio, band (and the only constant member to appear on all 20 GBV albums), remembers a diss from way back, though he seems to be the only one.

In the midst of talking about the quintet's Aug. 3 release, Do the Collapse, produced by Ric Ocasek and its first for TVT, Pollard was half-jokingly expressing his desire for a Budweiser tour sponsorship. Asked about GBV's nickname, "Guided By Budweiser," the former grade school teacher admitted that he enjoys his fair share of cold ones -- three days a week by his count -- but his nerves and shyness require him to "get a little bit inebriated to get onstage."

Adding, "Some people misconstrue that as that's the way I am all the time. I get people thinking that I'm a complete drunk because of that: Man or Astro-man saw us play a couple of years ago and [one of them] predicted that I would be dead in 1998. I think I'm going to bust that guy's face when I see him."

Man or Astro-man is currently in Europe supporting its recent Touch & Go release, EEVIAC. Not anxious to start a fight, the band's drummer, Birdstuff, responded: "Maybe we've been drinking too much on the road, because nobody in the band remembers saying that." Hmmm, maybe beer does kill brain cells. (David Simutis)