“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.
Hi, Sheila – Apologies for an exceedingly off-topic response, but I thought I should put this on a recent post. I have run across your long-ago mentions of The Summer Sleigh Ride, by Betty K. Erwin, and wanted to let you know that ebook editions of Betty K. Erwin’s books, with annotations and an afterword by me, her youngest daughter, are starting to appear.
Today, April 16, would have been Mom’s 104th birthday, and Aggie, Maggie, and Tish (her first book) is up on Kobo. Will hit Amazon shortly. Other platforms to follow. I am currently working on uploading the four books set in her childhood home town, Aggie, Maggie, and Tish and its sequel Where’s Aggie? and The Summer Sleigh Ride and its prequel Who Is Victoria? All should be available quite soon on multiple platforms. Her two contemporary (1969) novels, Behind the Magic Line and Go to the Room of the Eyes, will take slightly longer.
There should eventually be POD versions, and the ebooks will be soon be visible on Overdrive for people to request library purchases.
Helen – oh my gosh I had to read your comment twice to really absorb it. Summer Sleigh Ride!! I LOVED that book – and still have my hard cover copy from when i was a kid. Thank you so much for reaching out – I don’t think I’ve read your mother’s other books!
What an amazing project and what a beautiful thing – bringing your mother’s work back into the public eye. I am really looking forward to reading the other books – and I had no idea there was a prequel to Summer Sleigh Ride!!
If you’d like to email me you can reach me here: sheilaomalley @ mac.com
Thanks so much – your comment made my day.
Really nice to hear, thank you! Things are hectic right now, but I will try to email soon.