Got this for Xmas and I'm almost through it:



Hardcore, as a "movement", is a funny thing. I wasn't really much into it because it A. was just slightly before my time and B. I lived just a little bit outside the sort of suburbs where kids were into skateboarding and Hardcore. Where I grew up, people were into bicycles, motorcycles and heavy metal. When I did move to a more affluent suburb, I was surprised that people still dug these bands from earlier in the 80's because most of them are/were terrible--and judging by this book, they (the bands) would be the first to tell you that.

I also find it ironic that these bands tried so hard not to be either punk or metal but a good number of them did become metal bands once they figured out how to play their instruments. Also, at least 80% of the people involved in hardcore appear to be complete and total fucking assholes, from Ian MacKaye to Jello to Bad Brains to Greg Ginn on down.

Pretty entertaining book though and its pretty cool to get the behind the scenes on all the different regional scenes and bands and players.

When you finish, you need to watch the doc was made based on the book.

Oh yeah? Is it good? Hilarious?

I think 2010 will be the year I get all my information from Parade.

I got this book from someone at Christmas so I guess I'll read it. As a mangler and manipulator myself it will no doubt turn out to be a great shaming experience.

Also, instead of buying a much needed pair of new shoes which won't let snow in through holey soles with my Christmas money, I spent it on a 1962 edition of A. W. Gomme's 'More Essays in Greek History and Literature'.

Unfortunately there is no mail for 3 days and I'll probably go mad waiting for it. I'm not good at waiting for things in the mail. It's a roller coaster of anticipation and despair.

My goal for 2010 is to learn how to read

I enjoyed it. I thought it brought another level to the book. I'm a fan of a lot of those bands though, so I'm probably kinda biased. When I was in high school->freshman year of college I was pretty into punk/hardcore music.

ooooh, a Simpsons-related book I haven't read yet!

anyway, jessie got me Under The Radar, Filter, and MOJO for Xmas so I'm reading those. After that I haven't decided yet.

fucking GREAT doc!

Chris you need to see it..

Really. Almost done too. Only took about a month. I enjoyed it, but I think I enjoyed Les Miserables, another super-long classic that involves Napoleon, more.

Added to my Netflix queue.

Dale, I figured you'd have some disagreements with some of my feelings regarding Hardcore in the first post.

i agree with 100% of it actually.

actually, 90% of hardcore dudes are assholes.

yes

just read this in five hour stint:

half way through this:



Also reading a collection a Sappho translations and an Auden collection.

Just starting...

i want to start reading more books in 2010. i have quite a backlog.

Seriously. Other than Mike Watt and maybe the dudes from Husker Du, everyone else is an epic douchebag.

And I actually like Ian MacKaye, but man, what a fucking head case.

Edit: King Koffee has some awesome commentary as well but I don't really consider the Surfers a part of the hardcore movement.

That's funny. Reminds me of when I was into Hardcore for about two months in high school. I still have the hand written letter that Ian MacKaye sent me after I wrote him. I had read in one of his early interviews that he responded to every letter and had wanted to see if it was true. He actually sent me a full page answering all my stupid questions, which I get the feeling that not many other people would have done.

Definitely, and Watt is still a nice guy. Genuinely wanting every member of the crowd to go home and form a band. I think you kinda had to have an attitude though based on their accounts of some of those shows, if you were a creampuff, you'd get yr ass beat.

I guess the thing I take issue with Ian is, basically bragging in this book about how badass they were and how many fights they started and all this (most of which I believe to be apocryphal) but then I've had to endure the guy dressing down people for moshing at Fugazi shows.

I guess I cut him some slack for 2 reasons:

1) he was just a 17 year-old when he was at the forefront of a movement in DC. He was immature, and young. His politics were taken as gospel by so many kids, and he became something that he was railing against. No doubt probably a confusing and annoying practice for a guy who just wanted to make music. I'm talking of course mostly about the straight-edge thing. Arguably he spawned that movement, and gave face to it.

2) In the beginning it was just teens who were just letting off aggression about everyday problems. Then the jockos and idiots started coming due to it being "harder" music. When that happened, that's when the normal moshing became dangerous, because these guys were not respectful, and not looking out for each other. There's a big difference between a mosh pit, and a dogpile of guys throwing kidney punches.

I totally agree with you, FR, but if that's true, why then does Ian seem to take such pleasure in bragging about the violent escapades of those days in a very "It was ok when we did it but at some point, we decided it wasn't ok so now people have to stop"

This would be like me bragging about how much fun I used to have drinking and drugging but then going around now telling people they shouldn't be doing the same because they are taking it too far. If there was more regret, I might be inclined to take him a little more seriously but there's not so I don't. Leave the piousness at home and play your geetar, chum.

Was in the junk store the other day, and found these 2 for a buck a piece. File in the category of yesterday's news, but I'm still a pushover for a good Bush bashing: