Ian MacKaye

Last night, I attended a Q&A with Ian MacKaye at St. Edwards University here in Austin. For those of you who are unfamiliar with MacKaye, he is the lead singer of the highly influential 80's punk band, Minor Threat, as well as a member of the equally influential band, Fugazi. He also owns the Dischord record label.

I saw Fugazi several years back at Tipitinas Uptown in New Orleans and it was, without a doubt, one of the best concerts I have ever witnessed. Fugazi, though no longer in existance, always charged five bucks a ticket for their live shows despite the fact that they could have easily charged twenty to twenty-five bucks. They refused to play venues that didn't allow access for all ages. The integrity of Ian MacKaye is second to none and anyone starting a band today should seriously study the path that this guy has carved out in the musical landscape. Here is a brief recap of some of the questions posed to MacKaye last night:

When asked about a possible Minor Threat reunion, MacKaye had this to say - "That would be absurd. We were reacting to the world around us at that particular time which would be totally irrelevant today." I, personally, have always had mixed feelings regarding band reunions because it is, more often than not, an opportunity to cash in on nostalgia rather than a burning passion to create, which is why music should be played in the first place. A few years back, one of my all-time favorite bands, Gang of Four, reunited and went on tour eventually making their way to Austin. I couldn't bring myself to see a group of people who were now well established in the corporate work world, singing their brilliant anti-corporate songs of twenty plus years ago. I don't have a problem with people doing whatever it is that makes them happy, but you shouldn't try to ignite a fire that no longer burns inside of you for the sake of making a buck - it's phony.

When asked about his feelings regarding piracy, he simply said that he made music with the sole intention of it being heard and anything that restricts people from hearing his music, he's against. I think that's quite a noble statement coming from someone who owns a record label. I can't tell you how many kids I have come across who tell me that their main goal is to be able to pay their bills and make some money with their music, as though you can't make music without it being economically feasible That saddens me. Whatever happened to passion?

MacKaye also addressed an issue regarding a song he wrote while in Minor Threat entitled "Straight Edge," a song(lyrics below) that still dogs him to this day...

I'm a person just like you
But I've got better things to do
Than sit around and fuck my head
Hang out with the living dead
Snort white shit up my nose
Pass out at the shows
I don't even think about speed
That's something I just don't need

I've got the straight edge

I'm a person just like you
But I've got better things to do
Than sit around and smoke dope
'Cause I know I can cope
Laugh at the thought of eating ludes
Laugh at the thought of sniffing glue
Always gonna keep in touch
Never want to use a crutch

I've got the straight edge

...anyway, it spawned the "straight edge" movement that still exists today, some twenty odd years after it was written, complete with gangs who will beat you up(seriously) for drinking, smoking, etc., and MacKaye has been unfairly attributed as the leader of this movement. The "straight edge" question was posed to him last night and he said that the song was written not about how he feels people should live their lives but, rather, the freedom to live your life how you want to and that was how he chose to live his. He insists that he wasn't trying to preach or start a movement because, as he said, movements often care more about the cause than they do the individuals they claim to represent.

Overall, the Q&A session was inspiring and, even though the place was packed, I sincerely wish more people could have listened to the wisdom of Ian MacKaye.

My Favorite Music of 2008

When punk rock was born the day the Ramones hit the stage, it was clear that this genre of music was made for the freaks and the misfits of society and music has been the better for it. Fast forward to 2008 and the heir to this throne is Deerhunter's lead singer - Bradford Cox. Gay and afflicted with Marfan's Syndrome, there is not a better misfit in the music world than this guy and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. Though his music doesn't have the typical "punk sound" that people associate with three chords, it is clear that he is a descendant of this genre in the "DIY" sense.

Refreshingly humble, Cox is also one of the more enthusiastic champions of music today. If there is a better frontman for a band alive right now, please let me know. For the last four years, women have dominated my favorite album of the year(2004 - Loretta Lynn; 2005 - M.I.A.; 2006 - Cat Power; 2007 - M.I.A.), but the female dynamic has finally been broken by the "solo" project of Bradford Cox, known as Atlas Sound, whose album - Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel - is my album of the year for 2008. I love, love, love this guy and I love, love, love this album.


The Evening Descends - Evangelicals
This is an extremely underrated album. Why the Evangelicals aren't bigger than they are is beyond me.

What Does It All Mean? - Steinski

Two Men With The Blues - Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis

Offend Maggie - Deerhoof

A Place To Bury Strangers - S/T

The Renaissance - Q-Tip

Shapeshifters - Invincible
The best rapper alive today.

Promises Promises - Die! Die! Die!

The Slip - Nine Inch Nails
The best music of Trent Reznor's career.

That Lonesome Song - Jamey Johnson
The Country Music Awards SUCK. Thankfully, there are artists like Jamey Johnson who are keeping it real.

The Odd Couple - Gnarls Barkley


Favorite Songs of 2008:

1 - "Skeleton Man" - Evangelicals
2 - "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" - Gnarls Barkley
3 - "Electrical Feel" - MGMT
4 - "Golden Age" - TV on the Radio
5 - "Sideways Here We Come" - Die! Die! Die!
6 - "Gettin' Up" - Q-Tip
7 - "Agoraphobia" - Deerhunter
8 - "To Fix The Gash In Your Head" - A Place To Bury Strangers
9 - "Problems" - Mahjongg
10- "Tell The Police The Truth" - Mahjongg

Favorite Video of 2008:

I Was Thankfully Wrong

As a (former)southern Baptist son of the Deep South where the utterance of the name Martin Luther King, Jr., was the equivalent of saying a curse word in church, I can honestly say that I didn't see this coming. I never thought that a black man could ever possibly win the presidency, much less one with an Arabic name in this post 9/11 climate. And he won it honestly. The youth vote failed once again and Black voter turnout was only slightly higher than in previous presidential elections. Barack Obama defeated John McCain because of white working class voters and that is a HUGE turning point for this country. I was WAY OFF. He unofficially won 72 percent to 28 percent of the electoral votes. When the youth speak of old people not knowing what they are talking about, this could certainly apply to me regarding this campaign and I couldn't be more pleased. Does this signal the death of racism? Of course not. However, whether you're conservative or liberal or whether you agree or disagree with Obama's political beliefs, you have to be impressed with the fact that, within the short span of forty years, we've gone from blacks not having the right to vote...to a black man winning the presidency of this country. Amazing.

Obamamania

It's no secret that I am an Obama supporter, but I've never seen a candidate get his ass kissed by the mainstream media as much as Obama has. It only lends credibility to the notion, claimed by the ridiculously right-winged news operation known as Fox as well as other conservatives, that the mainstream media has a liberal bias. Add to the fact that Oprah refuses to have Palin on her show; everyone makes fun of McCain/Palin, but has handled Obama with kid gloves; the entertainment world's obsession with Obama...and you have what I would call a classic case of elitism. Regardless of who wins, I am sick of this campaign. I'm ready for it to be done with.

Iran

Amid the presidential debates, I keep hearing over and over again about the necessity of protecting Israel from Iran because Iran's president - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad - said that Israel should be "wiped off the map."

Israel is about the size of New Jersey and within Israel is Palestine. Palestinians are the most sympathized group of individuals within the Arab world. If Iran were to lob a nuke at Israel, it would most certainly wipe out Palestine as well, and no matter how much hatred the leaders of Iran have for Israel, they simply would NEVER entertain the thought of wiping out Palestine.

Secondly, Israel already has "the bomb" and I'm quite certain that Iran is fully aware that they would be "wiped off the map" as well, in retaliation. It's a lose/lose situation for Iran.

If Bin-Ladin, himself, had nukes, I seriously doubt that he would lob them at Israel because of Palestine. If anything, the United States should open up diplomatic relations with Iran because Iran and Al-Qaida hate one another. Strategically, it would benefit us. The common misconception, unfortunately, is that Muslims are united in their support for Bin-Ladin and other such terrorists. Nothing could be further from the truth. Is it too much to ask of politicians to make an attempt to study the various cultures of the world before they decide to make policies that affect us all?

Thoughts

This Saturday night, I will see for the first time, Wayne Coyne's(lead singer of the Flaming Lips) movie - Christmas On Mars. I have been waiting for this movie FOREVER. It was supposed to be released last year and the year before and so on and so on. If you are not familiar with the Flaming Lips' music, let me just say that Wayne Coyne is the closest thing to being a rock star without actually being well known...he will be in attendance at the screening at the Alamo Drafthouse and I am absolutely stoked...

This past weekend, I saw Bill Maher's Religulous which I thought was pretty terrible and I'm an atheist. Do you really need to be condescending when trying to make a point?? If people are Christian than so be it. I don't care. I disagree with many things regarding Christianity...yet all Bill Maher can do is point out how smart he is and how stupid everyone else is because they believe in a higher power?? You can't enlighten people by being an asshole, Bill.

OJ. Stop being so obsessed with OJ. JESUS CHRIST. It bothers me more that child molesters are allowed back into society to live in neighborhoods where children play. OJ??? I could give a shit about him. What absolutely baffles me about OJ is that he was convicted of KIDNAPPING charges.
kidnap |ˈkidˌnap|
verb ( -napped , -napping ; also -naped, -naping) [ trans. ]
take (someone) away illegally by force, typically to obtain a ransom.
OJ DID NOT KIDNAP ANYONE. What's going on here?
Lastly, if we passed a bill to bail out the economy, which I might add, cost taxpayers 7 billion dollars, why did the Dow drop below 10,000 for the first time in four years?? I thought this bill was supposed to stabilize the economy.

Authenticity Matters

When you are young, "authority" and the "establishment" are vile words reserved for those who reside in a different age bracket and many of us vow - no matter how old we get - to never end up in that mindset. The sad reality, however, is that we in the industrialized world are participants in the very "machine" that we rage against. This "machine" can't run without consumers and we are all, for the most part, major consumers. It is a symbiotic relationship that we can't escape which is why many of us long for the proverbial "exception to the rule" - that rare intellectual and/or creative soul who exists on the fringes of society.

Would 2Pac's music have been taken seriously had he grown up in the suburbs? I doubt it. Why? Because authenticity matters. Amy Winehouse's neo-soul classic - Back To Black - is not an amazing album solely based on her talent alone, though talented she is, but because of the self-destructive nature that coexists with her talent which screams authenticity. It's a double-edged sword that seems more and more likely to consume her with each passing day and rather than wish her well, we simply ask for more.

And why did this particular photo of Metallica lead singer, James Hetfield, coming out of Armani cause such an uproar?

Because twenty some odd years ago the people in Armani would have called the cops on him the second he walked through the door and Metallica's music, at the time, reflected that. However fair or unfair you may think that is to Mr. Hetfield, once again the issue boils down to one of authenticity.

Yet nothing stirs more debate in regards to authenticity than the strange bedfellows that are commerce and art. I assure you that there's not one admirer of the Sex Pistols who aren't cringing at Johnny Rotten's latest foray which premiered last night on the BBC...

And why shouldn't they? The lead singer of the Sex Pistols - a band that sent shockwaves across England and thumbed it's nose at the "establishment" - is now a spokesperson for butter?? Very few people in this world can build a legacy similar to that of the Sex Pistols and yet he's managed to destroy it with a thirty second spot. Johnny Rotten's explanation?

I for one am proud to be British and I'm proud to get behind a proper British brand. That's why I'm supporting Country Life butter. People know I only do things that I want to or that I believe in and I have to do it in my own way. I've never done anything like this before and never thought I would but this Country Life ad was made for me and I couldn't resist the opportunity.

This can only be translated one way - he wanted the money. Just say so. Why do artists often backpedal when called out for taking the almighty advertising dollar? Because they know that authenticity matters.