"Advice to the Graduate," Silver Jews (1994)
Random Rules for Oct 28, 2024
Today’s “Random Rules” is actually by the band that this column derives its name from (via The Onion AV Club): David Berman and the Silver Jews. I think this might be most Pavement of the Silver Jews records as Stephen Malkmus, Bob Nastovich, and Steve West all feature prominently. This song in particular sounds like a more earnest version of Pavement.
I don’t want to get into Berman’s backstory as it’s just too depressing. You can look that up on the internet. I’ll just summarize by saying that I’m still more than devastated at the loss of one of the best songwriters and lyricists of my generation. “Margaritas at the Mall” from his Purple Mountains project is the American Experience stripped bare of artifice. That song is in my all-time top 10, possibly #1 on the right day.
Today’s song, “Advice to the Graduate,” is maybe much more hopeful? As hopeful maybe as it gets for a David Berman song anyway. It did provide me with some solace during my twenties when I had little certainty and few clues about where I was heading in life.
The interplay of Berman and Malkmus’s voices sets this apart as well—a significant percentage of my favorite Silver Jew moments are when they duet. So naturally this song is at the top of my list too. Take a listen:
I decided to organize all of my Random Rules entires into a very random playlist. Check it out:
I’ll update this as I add more songs.