“People ask me: ‘What is punk? How do you define punk?’ Here’s how I define punk: It’s a free space. It could be called jazz. It could be called hip-hop. It could be called blues, or rock, or beat. It could be called techno. It’s just a new idea. For me, it was punk rock. That was my entrance to this idea of the new ideas being able to be presented in an environment that wasn’t being dictated by a profit motive.”
— Ian MacKaye
It’s MacKaye’s birthday today.
Ian MacKaye is one of my brother Brendan’s heroes and inspirations. He’s written a lot about him, both as frontman for Minor Threat as well as Fugazi, so I thought I’d share those pieces here (again). I posted my brother’s music writing from his old blog here – Music Monday – which included his list of 50 Best Albums – and it’s a pleasure to share this stuff again. He wrote three pieces on MacKaye and his bands Minor Threat and Fugazi:
50 Best Albums, #17. Minor Threat, Minor Threat EP/In My Eyes
50 Best Albums, #49. Fugazi, Steady Diet of Nothing
Thank you so much for stopping by. If you like what I do, and if you feel inclined to support my work, here’s a link to my Venmo account. And I’ve launched a Substack, Sheila Variations 2.0, if you’d like to subscribe.
