what does "art-damaged" mean and is it good or bad?

Hah, I'd completely forgotten about this phrase. If memory serves, it was often used to describe post-punk acts.

I see it being used to describe groups like Dirty Projectors circa 2010:

https://www.google.com/search?q=dirty+projectors+%22art+damaged%22&oq=dirty+projectors+%22art+damaged%22

Christgau used the term to refer to Flipper and The Knife, both of whom he liked. I think it's generally used to denote musicians working in populist or "street-level" genres who have taken a left-turn into art rock. As opposed to The Moody Blues or other groups who are seen as prioritizing the art before the rock.

My totally unfounded, apocryphal theory is that it was coined to describe Black Flag.

I used "art-damaged" to describe Su Tissue of The Suburban Lawns once, but my textbook example has got to be The Fibonaccis:

There are enough random posts on diverse threads from me about how much I adore The Fibonaccis, but here at last is new reason to bestir myself: I noticed yesterday with an eruption of joy that they have begun rereleasing their stuff for streaming + bandcamp! The core discography of the s/t EP, Tumor 7”, and dizzying Civilization And Its Discotheques LP are all up. Hell to the fuck yes!!!

http://fibonaccis.com

Start with “Somnambulist”, “Maculae”, “Tumor”, “Had It With Girls”, “Crickets” (setting Emily Dickinson), “Leroy” (setting The Bad Seed”), and “Some Men” IMO

Whoa, this is very up my alley. I hear lots of Slapp Happy/Art Bears influence.

Real Juliette Lewis in Meet the Hollowheads vibe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9QZ2SxeM9s

yeah i have always considered them to stalk the same turf as art bears (about as far up my alley as you can get) and in the remembrance by dentino on their website now I was delighted to see the AB specifically mentioned.

also delighted to see in the press clippings that they played a show with Pylon in 1982, what a perfect bill

Art Damaged Bears

I guess art damaged makes me think of Pere Ubu

me too. also the pop group.

yeah that's a good one too

I saw this band from Indiana once, Dancing Cigarettes. (M@tt, it was after the Longhorn had changed to Zoogie's.) Art damaged AF.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKxRE2PjHsw

oh that's great, never heard of them....i watched the longhorn documentary on amazon prime - was really cool! i'd always heard of those days but not as much detail on the whole story. also just nice to see things about mpls punk that don't revolve entirely around replacements and husker du (don't know if you saw the MN hardcore doc series on public TV but that was great as well)

Yes, the Longhorn doc is incredible. I went to the premiere, and the reunion concert that accompanied it. I did see the hardcore doc, that was cool as well (although I wasn't nearly as much a part of that scene.)

really enjoyed the longhorn, so many great photos

it was definitely a different focus but it was cool to a narrative that (maybe if you're lucky) mentions the Commandos and Suburbs in passing then goes on to Mats vs Huskers and then punk rock ceased to exist

History is written by (and about) the winners, so the focus is on the bands that made it big, but early on it was so cool that we had bands playing power pop, retro-60s Nuggets garage rock, rockabilly, surf, and assorted weirdness... anything went, as long as it wasn't trying to sound mainstream.

yeah that reminded me a bit of the stuff i've read about the pre-hardcore/black flag L.A. punk scene too

if i wanted to challops i'd say suicide commandos "make a record" is the best minneapolis rock record over HD and mats haha, not sure i believe that but it's a good opinion

It totally is as far as I'm concerned! It's as important (or more) to me as the first Ramones, I think there's more stylistic variation in the songwriting and cleverness in the lyrics. Sorry Ma is up there for me, I saw I think the Mats' second show they ever did because of the early Oarfolk buzz about them, and was floored. That's an album full of incredible hooks.