Without exception, they had each made that lifestyle choice at least partly under the influence of either Fugazi or Ian MacKaye's previous band, Minor Threat. All that said: the key experience that gave me the confidence to think that stopping drinking was a viable option came early in 2000, when I met a number of straight edgers, all in their teens and early 20s, and had the opportunity to talk to them about why they'd stopped drinking and the differences it had made to their lives. Whether it's a character flaw or a personality trait, I find it far easier to cut out than to moderate, and, faced with clear evidence (ballooning waistline, incipient general lack of wellbeing), a stark choice presented itself - either pack in the beer, or stop eating pizza and chips. The reasons for that had little to do with music, or culture. I can't even say that the band or their peerless discography were part of a direct process of cause and effect that led me to take that decision. Lest my regular reader fears this series is turning into a kind of autobiography by proxy, I ought to get clear from the outset that I didn't give up alcohol because of Fugazi. Whether it's the vegan, straight-edge lifestyle that the members adhere to (but don't browbeat or proselytise for), the epitome of the do-it-yourself independent ethic they espouse through the running of the Dischord label and the championing of fellow Washington DC artists, the pledge to play all-age gigs at affordable ticket prices which saw them accidentally pioneer the idea that bands could play in unusual spaces, or the steadfast commitment to remain independent which saw them turn down a proffered blank cheque from at least one music-business legend, Fugazi have and will always mean more than the often politicised, sometimes enigmatic and always relentlessly inventive music they released. They have always been so much more than a band, so much more than a group of musicians making records and playing gigs: have come to mean so much more than "just" the outfit that revolutionised the scene they sprang from and instigated genres, styles and attitudes towards music, musicians and the business of scratching a living from doing what you're good at. If you've ever had a more than passing acquaintance with the music of Fugazi, it's pretty much a given that they will fall into that second category. And then there are bands that not only do all that, but go one crucial and massive step beyond, and actively change your life. There are bands who make records you love, and which enrich your life or expand your vision and your mindset, which open you up to new ways of thinking or feeling.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |