MY CAREER IN FIVE SONGS

EVERY GREAT GROUP needs a secret weapon — that singularly talented player whose unique contribution adds a magical, and oftentimes irreplaceable element to its sound. In the case of alt-rock pioneers the Pixies, whose loud-quiet-loud dynamic was famously adopted by bands such as Nirvana, that honorary title goes to guitarist Joey Santiago. He’s the first to admit that his playing style — big on jarring shrieks, abrasive chords and short “anti-solo” outbursts — probably wouldn’t fit most other outfits. And that’s just the way he likes it.

“I wanted to be in a weird band, and I got really lucky when I hooked up with Charles,” he says, referring to Pixies frontman and co-guitarist Charles Thompson (a.k.a. Black Francis), whom he met in 1986 while the two attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “He’s got a wacky personality, and he understood right from the start where I was coming from. I made it very clear that I hated guitar solos. I still do. You hear these guys noodling around and playing fast. It’s like listening to somebody type. That wasn’t for me, and Charles