Fugazi: C or D?

No, that one rules, too. A lot.

Steady Diet a lot better than End Hits - the former a much better showcase for the rhythm section, which is the band's strongest point.

(what I mean is the instrumental-side of Fugazi is better in the context of short, tightly wound interplay where the bass/drums are at the forefront - 'jammy' Fugazi isn't the best Fugazi IMO)

i'd call red medicine jammy, end hits i guess is playing-wise but towards much more frictive ends? anyway that era is my favorite of theirs, i think the rhythm section gets plenty of shine and the compositions especially on end hits hit a great balance of punch and spaciousness (both of which iirc steady diet lacks a bit i comparison to their other records variously, though it still rules)

the argument hits that balance the most smoothly and so might be their best (it's a good record to end on as it ties together strands of their previous modes to creates its own). i listen to it less though bc i love their jammy mode

There is a case to be made that The Argument=Red Medicine/End Hits. End Hits is the one I listen to the least, for no good reason.

In On The Kill Taker is the band's most aggro album. "Facet Squared" - an awesome rush, but why even bother with lyrics? Blaaaargh!

...and their best, IMO. Probably their loudest album but also more dynamically nuanced than the earlier stuff. Plus "Sweet and Low" (an example of why I'm iffy about the longer, later material - they perfected the "this is a Fugazi instrumental" here)

"Facet Squared" - an awesome rush, but why even bother with lyrics? Blaaaargh!

ah but Facet Squared includes one of my absolute favourite Ian lines - "We draw lines and we stand behind them / That's why flags are such ugly things"

I love the lyrics to Facet Squared. 'Cool's eternal but it's always dated' has the ring of a stolen revealed truth.

Yeah, but did you catch any of those lyrics without a lyrics sheet?

Steady Diet is the one that most consistently slays from beginning to end imo. Maybe others have higher highs but it's still my favorite to play in the car.

xp "Irony is the refuge of the educated" was a line ahead of its time imo

That and "I hate the sound of guitars" are the fugazi lyrics I think about most

Messthetics LP is awesome, gotta check out more music by this Anthony Pirog guy

Good podcast interview w/Ian about some of the music that mattered to him: http://wypr.org/post/essential-tremors-ian-mackaye

Fugazi rules. my first album of theirs was "Red Medicine" and i was shocked it was only $10. soon enough picked up "Repeater" and listened to those two a lot in my first year of college. kept up with them off an on and always enjoyed their stuff. i remember really liking the "Instrument" movie, which was the last thing i heard of them.

i got to see them play a show in early 2000s. it was of course a great show, and they stopped it midway through to throw out somebody in the audience who was being unduly aggressive. as a small person who always had to be cautious around mosh pits at shows, seeing this in action was very much appreciated!

No one wants to discuss this Mesthetics record, huh? Quit living in the past!

Mostly kidding here. But this record is great and should be getting more attention.

Fuck it, I'm starting a thread

I just didn't think it was that great personally even though it's good to hear Canty + Lally together again.

gotta check out more music by this Anthony Pirog guy

Enjoy!

https://open.spotify.com/album/62JuK3H7TjIMAKbHPDSoCU

Seriously, though. Please enjoy that.

the best

i want to read this

https://www.amazon.com/Fugazis-Kill-Taker-Joe-Gross-ebook/dp/B07BFGYYG8/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Ordered. It should have a sticker on the back that says "$11 postage paid" or something.

Love this album. I will definitely be buying this.

i listened to 13 songs today so many jams....13 jams to be exact

killtaker was my first (but not my last). facet squared is a helluva intro to a band (esp if you're 17 and you only bought it because Eddie Vedder said it was great)

Just started reading this book and I am stoked, but already encountered something that super irked me. He's writing about the failed Albini sessions, and saying how it should have been the perfect pairing, a la (his comparisons) Miles Davis and Rudy Van Gelder (I'd say Teo Macero, but fine) but then also ... Jay Z and "Doctor Dre." First, that he spelled (or someone corrected) it "Doctor." Second, Jay-Z and Dr. Dre barely did anything together, right? Let alone formed some epochal team. Unless I'm reading his reference wrong, and it was supposed to be a dream team, but Miles and Rudy was real, so this one seems like a weird unforced error.

"Doctor Dre" oh man. But it's about what I'd expect from the 33 1/3 series. There are definitely a couple of good entries, but it's strictly amateur hour for the most part.

the perfect pairing, a la (his comparisons) Miles Davis and Rudy Van Gelder (I'd say Teo Macero, but fine)

Yeah, that's an odd one. Miles obviously worked a lot with Van Gelder, but never in Van Gelder's most celebrated studio, and never on any of Miles' most celebrated recordings (not that Walkin' etc. aren't celebrated; just that you don't think "yeah, Miles & Rudy!" on those, whereas you definitely think "yeah, Miles & Teo!" on their records together). John Coltrane and Rudy Van Gelder would've been a better example.

Jay Z and "Doctor Dre."

wtf

Joe should know better (& editor too)

Doctorb Dre

Fugazi and Steve Albini should have been like M&M and Doc Andre!

I'm halfway through the book and I'm mostly just happy I got to live in a world with Fugazi in it, the thrill of learning (pre internet) that there was a new album coming, or tickets on sale for a show. I miss Fugazi. I was talking to someone in New York last week, an indie/punk rock lifer, who had recently talked to Guy, and Guy was basically saying he thought no one was interested in a Fugazi reunion, and my friend was like, of course they fucking are! But Guy thought the only way it would happen is if they made new music, and that seems like hard work. It's worth noting that one major takeaway from a book (much of which is taken from getting the guys in a room and letting them talk) is that they're all (as reported) still really good friends. Just, well, hard to get in a room together.

Missed a chance to see Messthetics in New York, will try for Chicago next week!

Another fascinating, er, facet of the book is how often songs I/many assumed were political were really about relationships or sci-fi concept or something not specific at all. I guess it's just the general intensity of the band.

Oh, the first song, Facet Squared? It's a sort of anagram for Flags are Such Ugly Things. FASUT. Facet.

it's clearly not the case that no-one's interested in a Fugazi reunion but I think they do have the kind of high minded audience who'd get very sniffy if they played shows without writing or recording new stuff

Oh, the first song, Facet Squared? It's a sort of anagram for Flags are Such Ugly Things. FASUT. Facet.

Ha! oh shit!

Facet Squared is one of my favourite 'Gazi lyrics. "We draw lines and we stand behind them / That's why flags are such ugly things"

Some other neat (early) revelations:

Joe Lally refers to "Steady Diet of Nothing" as "Steady Diet of No Reverb."

Brendan Canty is apparently the best all-around musician and was playing guitar and piano longer than he's been playing drums. Like Bill Berry, he would often contribute songs and riff ideas as well.

Fugazi songs are typically constructed from bits of pieces and ideas and riffs and hooks others brought in and deconstructed and refined in the studio and on stage. The lyrics always come last and are designed to fit the final arrangement. "Epic Problem," from the last record, apparently was kicking around for so many years in so many forms that in its honor they let it keep the same temp title it always had.

jayz/drdre killtaker session story straight from the source:
http://vishkhanna.com/2015/11/12/ep-223-ian-mackaye-steve-albini-part-i/

Are there any 33 1/3 books primarily written by the people involved?

I was talking to someone in New York last week, an indie/punk rock lifer, who had recently talked to Guy, and Guy was basically saying he thought no one was interested in a Fugazi reunion, and my friend was like, of course they fucking are!

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, April 25, 2018 8:05 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Seriously! If anything, I figured an excess of interest might be an obstacle to a Fugazi reunion (as strange as that sounds), because they'd have to choose between playing a reasonable number of dates at the kinds of mid-sized clubs in which they're comfortable and meeting audience demand.

Of course, I might just be projecting my own (intense) interest in Fugazi onto the general punk rock public. But I'd be willing to bet that a reunited Fugazi could sell out a weekend's worth of dates at, say, First Ave. in Minneapolis, to say nothing of markets like Chicago, New York, and DC. So it would either be that, or playing bigger venues, or turning a lot of people away, and I can imagine them not being enthusiastic about any of those prospects.

it's clearly not the case that no-one's interested in a Fugazi reunion but I think they do have the kind of high minded audience who'd get very sniffy if they played shows without writing or recording new stuff

― thirst trap your hare (DJ Mencap), Thursday, April 26, 2018 5:01 AM (eight hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol people say this all the time and all i remember from the gigs is just rockin out and having so much fucking fun and being so inspired by how good a band could be, those gigs were a blast i wish i could live them all over

and in retrospect now an admiration for the effort that was taken to conduct a career and run and organization in probably the most ethical way possible in the music business

lol people say this all the time and all i remember from the gigs is just rockin out and having so much fucking fun and being so inspired by how good a band could be, those gigs were a blast i wish i could live them all over

memory from my first Fugazi gig (Brixton, 1994/5??): washing my hands after taking a piss and a guy who was absolutely paralytically wasted running into the bathroom, slipping and tumbling into the gutter of the big communal urinal, immersing himself in piss and being pissed on by guys who were then using the urinal and unable to cease their streams. "woah he doesn't seem very straight edge," i thought.

lol omg
i was wasted at every fugazi show i ever went to as i was generally wasted at every show i ever went to then
but not human urinal wasted

My only Fugazi show was one of 2 or 3 sold out gigs at the Congress Theater in Chicago, it seemed like a huuuge crowd at the time.

I must have been at that Brixton gig. Still one of the best live shows I've ever seen. I was probably a little wasted, but I don't *think* I got pissed on.

It's worth noting that one major takeaway from a book (much of which is taken from getting the guys in a room and letting them talk) is that they're all (as reported) still really good friends. Just, well, hard to get in a room together.

Per Joe they occasionally get together and prac, though just for themselves

https://pitchfork.com/news/fugazi-play-music-together-in-private-joe-lally-says/

Also the clips I've seen of the opera based on Fugazi stage banter are a fucking mind-blow.

They were a good as hell band

i've been a little surprised that they haven't done occasional one-off benefit shows over the years

Also the thank you note that Fugazi wrote to Steve is attached via magnet on the Electrical Audio fridge (or was last time I was there)

the opera based on Fugazi stage banter

wait what

https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/fugazi-returns-through-opera/

The 100-minute performance, created with the band’s approval and endorsement, samples the sounds of “random feedback, aimless drum noodling, pre-show activist speeches, audience hecklers, and the police breaking up gigs” found in the countless hours of archival Fugazi live recordings in existence.

One of the clips heard there was a little peal of guitar feedback and some drum clatter and I was "oh that's Fugazi" in about two seconds

If you or someone you know was deeply into Fugazi in 2001, well, good for you. Pat yourself on the back for how well-versed you are in harDCore. Congrats.

I think it was on the Kreative Kontrol podcast a couple of years ago that MacKaye talked about things such as keeping Dischord records going and the importance of reissuing/keeping the back catalogue in print, migrating to Bandcamp, etc.

He seems to feel that his role is as a curator nowadays, and that's how he keeps busy, I forgot that Dischord was based on handshake contracts. He certainly has historian/journalistic instincts, inherited from his mother.

If you or someone you know was deeply into Fugazi in 2001, well, good for you. Pat yourself on the back for how well-versed you are in harDCore. Congrats.

hi dere, midwest hxc kid here, saw fugazi for the only time in 2001 and it was amazing

your opinions on this are weird, tho not as weird as the chili peppers guy

I was also at the AFI screening on Saturday night. The whole thing took shape in just a period of months when someone realized 2002 was the anniversary of Fugazi's last show. One of the performances shown was inserted like a week before the screening. It seems like they initially didn't even want to call it a documentary but there are interviews and inserts that lead me to believe they might keep working on it and release it as a doc at some point.

Was a fun time seeing something like the "Glue Man" performance in Olympia (shot by Lance Bangs, who was also in attendance) on the big AFI main theater screen.

*2022 was the anniversary, rather.

Sorry I've been testy, folks, just having a bad patch lately and it's coming out in weird unnecessarily strong opinions

Yeah, MacKaye I get the feeling is mostly in curator mode. It's not like he's some talking head media whore, out there seeking the spotlight. I think (like Albini) he's just doing his thing, but always happy to answer the phone.

Brendan seems busiest, then Joe, then ... I have no idea what Guy is up to.

If Ian is doing nothing more than making sure Dischord has the most efficient and easiest to deal with mail order service on planet Earth than that is enough

this was pretty recent long interview with Guy
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2rrhS2MD7xlcs5eQLOUEKw?si=ebd2810b15ce4383

Sorry I've been testy, folks, just having a bad patch lately and it's coming out in weird unnecessarily strong opinions

sorry for my unnecessarily testy reply, I'm a dick. But Fugazi in 2001 were a fantastic band, still at their peak IMO!

THink I may be missing out on a lot by being more familiar with the band from the early 90s. When they were quite incredible anyway.
Still can't get over somebody from Ugly Things saying taht Fugazi had nothing to do with punk, were more to do with math rock.
Seems to exist in a world where their own history and prehistory was erased if that were true.
Surely that is way more than opinion. I thought that they were incredibly influential on more punky bands even once they had developed to a point when they weren't immediately connected to 'punk' sonically. Thought they were laying blueprints for exploration and ethical conduct anyway.

you're not a dick, stevie

98-2001>88-91

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3li8fui6XcI

End Hits 4 lyfe

We are Fugazi concert film is showing in Philadelphia one night only June 11 . It just had an extended run in DC area at the AfI Silver that is scheduled to end tonight April 20

We Are Fugazi From Washington, DC exclusive Philly engagement at PhilaMOCA on Sunday, June 11, 7:00 PM. Tickets are on sale now: https://t.co/DUz5rS8shz pic.twitter.com/MewztvIVH3

— PhilaMOCA (@PhilaMOCA) April 20, 2023

And another showing in Harrisburg, PA on May 19

WE ARE FUGAZI FROM WASHINGTON, DC - HARRISBURG SCREENING - With Filmmaker Jeff Krulik In Person!

First Screening Outside of Maryland / DC area!
One Night Only! In conjunction with the 24th Annual Moviate Underground Film Festival!

https://allevents.in/harrisburg/we-are-fugazi-from-washington-dc-harrisburg-screening-with-filmmaker-jeff-krulik-in-person/200024480512020

Brooklyn NY showing tba