Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Hüsker Dü -- Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely

Apropo of not a goddamned thing, Here's Hüsker Dü's "Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely." (The video is here, and if you can figure out how to embed that, let me know.)



A lot of Hüsker Dü fans dismiss Candy Apple Gray -- the album that featured "Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely." I disagree, finding the album mature, but still angry, and connected to real life. There's a reason I keep coming back to it, again and again. Warehouse, on the other hand ...

These guys, the Pogues and the Replacements largely defined my musical life in the '80s. Interestingly, they all continue to sound good to me and multiple albums by each band are loaded on my Sansa Clip. After listening to a lot of jazz and lounge singers recently, I've been turning back to punk, at least partially because my four-year-old has Sinatra on a continuous loop and refuses to listen to "that yelling music." Yeah, really. Maybe we can compromise with Sid Vicious's take on "My Way."

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5 Comments:

Blogger KN@PPSTER said...

That album has aged well, hasn't it?

I didn't like it that much when it first came out (the old "punks get pissy and snobbish when their favorite bands find mainstream acknowledgement" thing, probably).

The Pogues will always be a favorite. I heard Shane finally got false teeth.

March 4, 2010 4:09 PM  
Blogger J.D. Tuccille said...

I do think Candy Apple Grey suffered from sold-out syndrome. (How dare you break even on your tour!)

I hope Shane has fresh choppers. I saw him take a header on the stage at the World in NYC about ... damn ... 20 years ago, and he needed teeth then.

Best show I ever saw was a triple bill headlined by the Pogues. The opening acts were Mojo Nixon and the Violent Femmes.

March 4, 2010 8:09 PM  
Blogger rstanley21018 said...

Mr. Tucille,

May I suggest "Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From The American Underground (1981-1991)", by Michael Azerrad, if you haven't already read it.

Excellent compendium of stories of alternative and punk bands, including Husker Du, The Replacements, The Minutemen, Black Flag, and more.

Bob Johnston

March 5, 2010 5:12 PM  
Blogger J.D. Tuccille said...

Bob,

I'm not familiar with that, and it sounds like a good read.

Many thanks for the heads-up!

March 5, 2010 5:17 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Our Band Could Be Your Life is a great book. If you're a fan of those bands, it's kind of a must-read.

March 9, 2010 5:42 AM  

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