WILL Oldham is lying on his back, his hands clasped across his chest, knees protruding outward, heels together, toes apart. “This is what is often referred to as classical Pilates,” he explains, “because people who practise it trace it specifically back to the original creator, a guy named Joe Pilates. Other branches have evolved from it, but I say, why evolve? It was great to begin with.” Lying there in the Frog position, he exudes a sense of calm, as though this pose – meant to strengthen his inner thighs – does not strain him in the least.
Oldham is a pro, but he’s also a purist, which is one of the reasons he comes to Wild & Woolly Pilates in Louisville once a week. It’s run by his lifelong friend, Slint bassist Todd Brashear, who opened this studio in 2017. The quiet room is lined with handmade towers fashioned out of pipe and wood, with taut metal springs, leather straps and cushions of deep green. “I’ve had people say it looks old-school or antiquey,” says Brashear. “Someone said it looks like the gym on The Titanic. There are more modern versions of this equipment, but I like this. It makes weird noises. It’s more difficult.”
As Oldham flips over and grabs the pushthrough bar for the next exercise, Brashear points out a framed photograph on the wall – a close-up of a white-haired, bespectacled man. “That’s Joe Pilates. The people who signed my diploma as an instructor were taught by one of his protégés, so I can trace it directly back to him. Keep your wrists straight, Will.”
Oldham, now on his hands and knees, traces his interest in the workout regimen to a much more unlikely source. “The first time I heard about it was when I went to Björk and Matthew Barney’s house outside of New York. I went twice, once to record vocals and once to go to a barbecue. One of those times she showed me this little outbuilding that had some Pilates
