Ian Mackaye

[SamDBL]

Discuss.

[FormerLurker]

Hoo boy.

[jaybird]

Seems like a good dude. Maybe wound a bit too tight. Maybe have half a pot gummie and a glass of wine now and then to take the edge off.

[FormerLurker]

I agree he seems like a good dude, but I just can't imagine him laughing at something. That bothers me.

[jaybird]

I agree he seems like a good dude, but I just can't imagine him laughing at something. That bothers me.

I like Henry's stories about him... he does sound like he would have been a blast to hang out with way back when:

[FormerLurker]

Yeah, I find Rollins more and more likeable as he (I?) gets older.

[Chris Shary]

One of the most forward thinkers out there. Still making great music and sticking to his guns 40 years later. Alarmingly generous and giving.

[jaybird]

He should probably be canceled for his involvement on this record:

[SamDBL]

I am in awe of how the dude carries himself. He’s as famous and sought after as a dude from a hardcore band could be. Yet from day one he has been the most accessible to his fans. AFAIK, he will still return emails just as he would respond to every letter written to him. Yet, he also seems kind of guarded in a lot of ways. He doesn’t get included in every generic ‘punk panel’ or punk doc commentary that you see the likes of Rollins or Johnny rotten showing up for. I assume that’s by choice. He doesn’t appear to have a podcast or Twitter account where he incessantly flaps his gums about every thought that comes into his head, as so many others in his position do (Hi Rollins and Jello!). His speaking gigs and documentary interviews are pretty sparse when compared to Rollins. I dunno… the restraint he shows is super impressive to me. He retains a bit of a mystique. And when he does speak, his thoughts seem very well thought out and with a zen-like demeanor. As a public entity, he seems to be in a class all his own. Completely in a different league than any other frontmen from his era of hardcore. So many things put minor threat above their peers. But a big part of it is his handling of their legacy. No endless box sets, no half assed reunions, no legal in fighting from the members. These are all just random thoughts, but I’ve been on a kick lately.

[xxxMidgexxx]

I am in awe of how the dude carries himself. He’s as famous and sought after as a dude from a hardcore band could be. Yet from day one he has been the most accessible to his fans. AFAIK, he will still return emails just as he would respond to every letter written to him. Yet, he also seems kind of guarded in a lot of ways. He doesn’t get included in every generic ‘punk panel’ or punk doc commentator that you see the likes of Rollins or Johnny rotten showing up for. I assume that’s by choice. He doesn’t appear to have a podcast or Twitter account where he incessantly flaps his gums about every thought that comes into his head, as so many others in his position do. His speaking gigs and documentary interviews are pretty sparse when compared to Rollins. I dunno… the restraint he shows is super impressive to me. He retains a bit of a mystique. And when he does speak, his thoughts seem very well thought out and with a zen-like demeanor. As a public entity, he seems to be in a class lol his own. Completely in a different league than any other frontmen from his era of hardcore. So many things put minor threat above their peers. But a big part of it is his handling of their legacy. No endless box sets, no half assed reunions, no legal in fighting from the members. These are all just random thoughts, but I’ve been on a kick lately.

All of this!

[FormerLurker]

I am in awe of how the dude carries himself. He’s as famous and sought after as a dude from a hardcore band could be. Yet from day one he has been the most accessible to his fans. AFAIK, he will still return emails just as he would respond to every letter written to him. Yet, he also seems kind of guarded in a lot of ways. He doesn’t get included in every generic ‘punk panel’ or punk doc commentator that you see the likes of Rollins or Johnny rotten showing up for. I assume that’s by choice. He doesn’t appear to have a podcast or Twitter account where he incessantly flaps his gums about every thought that comes into his head, as so many others in his position do. His speaking gigs and documentary interviews are pretty sparse when compared to Rollins. I dunno… the restraint he shows is super impressive to me. He retains a bit of a mystique. And when he does speak, his thoughts seem very well thought out and with a zen-like demeanor. As a public entity, he seems to be in a class lol his own. Completely in a different league than any other frontmen from his era of hardcore. So many things put minor threat above their peers. But a big part of it is his handling of their legacy. No endless box sets, no half assed reunions, no legal in fighting from the members. These are all just random thoughts, but I’ve been on a kick lately.

Great point.

[SamDBL]

I mean, it's one thing to stick to your guns on stuff like that if you are any number of middling punk bands only a hand full of people give shit about. Like, hooray for Crimpshrine and Oi Polloi not selling out to the man, I guess. But it comes off as way more serious when someone refrains from cashing in on a band that's easily worth millions.

[FormerLurker]

[jaybird]

Even though Dischord does not make or sell any Minor Threat merch itself, they do license official Minor Threat t-shirts to retailers like Urban Outfitters for what I'm sure is a decent percentage... I know he did it mostly out of frustration after years of playing whack-a-mole with infinite bootleggers, but he does get some money off of low-key merch like t-shirts... I do agree that at least he's not licensing stupid shit like Out Of Step flip-flops or fidget spinners.

[lewdd]

Even though Dischord does not make or sell any Minor Threat merch itself, they do license official Minor Threat t-shirts to retailers like Urban Outfitters for what I'm sure is a decent percentage... I know he did it mostly out of frustration after years of playing whack-a-mole with infinite bootleggers, but he does get some money off of low-key merch like t-shirts... I do agree that at least he's not licensing stupid shit like Out Of Step flip-flops or fidget spinners.

Not everyone can be a marketing machine like KISS.

[Knutsen]

I like the guy and his attitude.
It was the 2nd Fugazi show in Berlin in 1988 or so and my little brother took a lot of pictures (and great action shots) during the show.
Developed and printed the photos at home and had sent a collection of the best prints to DISCHORD.
He received an appreciating and thankful postcard back from Ian like 3 weeks later.
My brother still got it.

[JGJR]

Yeah, I find Rollins more and more likeable as he (I?) gets older.

100%; he has aged quite gracefully.

[JGJR]

I mean, it's one thing to stick to your guns on stuff like that if you are any number of middling punk bands only a hand full of people give shit about. [size=150]Like, hooray for Crimpshrine and Oi Polloi not selling out to the man, I guess. But it comes off as way more serious when someone refrains from cashing in on a band that's easily worth millions.

You make a good point and that's gotta be true in terms of the difficulty of saying no to that sort of thing when one is as prominent as that, but why throw those other bands under the bus here? Strawman argument much? I can't imagine either of those bands getting any major label interest, especially of the type that Fugazi eventually got, so it's irrelevant (kinda your point I know, but still...). That's why that sort of stuff is off-putting. It's just slagging off other bands for no reason. FWIW, I've never really gotten into Crimpshrine partly due to the off-putting nature of Jeff Ott and his BS, but the Oi Polloi/AOA split is straight fi-yah.

[SamDBL]

I mean, it's one thing to stick to your guns on stuff like that if you are any number of middling punk bands only a hand full of people give shit about. [size=150]Like, hooray for Crimpshrine and Oi Polloi not selling out to the man, I guess. But it comes off as way more serious when someone refrains from cashing in on a band that's easily worth millions.

You make a good point and that's gotta be true in terms of the difficulty of saying no to that sort of thing when one is as prominent as that, but why throw those other bands under the bus here? Strawman argument much? I can't imagine either of those bands getting any major label interest, especially of the type that Fugazi eventually got, so it's irrelevant (kinda your point I know, but still...). That's why that sort of stuff is off-putting. It's just slagging off other bands for no reason. FWIW, I've never really gotten into Crimpshrine partly due to the off-putting nature of Jeff Ott and his BS, but the Oi Polloi/AOA split is straight fi-yah.

Because these bands never had any chance to make any money is precisely why it’s funny and ironic that never selling out would be a mantra. I just used these two bands as examples. I don’t know if they, specifically, were of the zillions of bands that were all about ‘keeping it real and independent’ during the 80s and 90s. But they are about the right size and of the ilk for the analogy to work. Use any band you like that fits the bill. Giving the corporations the middle finger and swearing to never sell out is just hollow sloganeering when you play in a band that could never even come close to having that temptation presented to you. Fwiw, I think Crimpshrine had a few good songs. And that Jeff Ott guy was super nice the one time I met him. Oi Polloi also has just a few good songs. But I find them to be quite silly, in general.

[Knutsen]

What is wrong with selling out? Just do it! Spread the music and the message! Reach a bigger audience! Pay lawyers and a PR department! Get rich!

[SamDBL]

What is wrong with selling out? Just do it! Spread the music and the message! Reach a bigger audience! Pay lawyers and a PR department! Get rich!

Absolutely nothing wrong with it. I fully support musicians getting paid whatever they can, however they can, in this shitty market. It’s just impressive when someone has a stated principle, whatever it is, and they stick to it. Even if it costs them.

[JGJR]

And that Jeff Ott guy was super nice the one time I met him.

Never met the guy, to be completely fair. I'm just referring to some of the stuff he's said in interviews, etc.