Music With a Capital 'M'
The History of Rock|March 2017

The prolific HÜSKER DÜ have escaped the strictures of hardcore, to make truly remarkable music. “There’s nothing incredibly new about it,” says BOB MOULD. “We’re just doing what we do the best we can.”

Andy Gill
Music With a Capital 'M'

In one of her more perceptive Time Out columns recently, Julie Burchill took a hefty sideswipe at the video popsters’ incessant flirtation with outsiderdom – all that “look at me, no one understands me” bullshit that still accompanies the high cheekbones and doe-eyed aquillinity – and came to the conclusion that to be truly revolutionary and original these days, a band would have to be old, ugly and visually unsaleable. An audio band rather than a video band. Hüsker Dü may well be the band of which she wrote.

Not that they’re that old – no older than Madonna, I’d imagine – or that ugly, or even that unsaleable (in the current resurgence of American rock, all things are possible); it’s simply that they don’t seem to give a damn, and never have done. Almost as if they realised long ago they couldn’t challenge the pin-up boys of the pop world, and so set about working in a different arena.

Bob Mould – guitarist, singer and songwriter – is soft-spoken, short-haired, paunchy, and wears an anorak over a sweatshirt bearing the legend “American Wrestling Association”. He looks like he might indulge himself – serious wrestling in America is a noble sport; but no, he likes to watch it on TV (Bob watches a lot of TV), and the real showbiz kind, at that. Bob says it’s the modern-day equivalent of Shakespeare, the only place the common man can get a full-blown morality play, with a bit of gymnastics thrown in for good measure. It’s one of the few subjects on which Bob gets mildly animated. His greatest desire, while in Britain, is not to see St Paul’s, the Tower or Big Ben, but to see Big Daddy, a monument among men.

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Music With a Capital 'M'
The History of Rock

Music With a Capital 'M'

The prolific HÜSKER DÜ have escaped the strictures of hardcore, to make truly remarkable music. “There’s nothing incredibly new about it,” says BOB MOULD. “We’re just doing what we do the best we can.”

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2017
All Pop is Political
The History of Rock

All Pop is Political

“To me, pop and the whole notion of pleasure, sex, entertainment and leisure is political,” says SCRITTI POLITTI’s GREEN GARTSIDE. “So Dead Or Alive with their swirling clothes have as much political resonance as Billy Bragg.” Charming as he is, Gartside’s work doesn’t please everyone.

time-read
8 mins  |
March 2017
I Think I Hold My Ground
The History of Rock

I Think I Hold My Ground

NME OCT 5 Introducing a product of NYC coffee society… Suzanne Vega.

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2017
It's Better To Burn Hard Than To Rot
The History of Rock

It's Better To Burn Hard Than To Rot

With his reputation on a high, a tangential interview reveals a lot about the unique worldview and oddball technique of TOM WAITS. On the release of Rain Dogs, Tom talks white socks, neuroscience and his new guitarist, Keith Richards. “We met in a woman’s lingerie shop…”

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2017
Business is Booming
The History of Rock

Business is Booming

In a university dorm room, a rap dynasty is emerging. NME travels to New York to interview wordsmiths RuN DMC, along the way meeting producers Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons – the brains behind Def Jam. “The street wants something specific,” says Simmons.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2017
I Don't Think Keith Was Pleased
The History of Rock

I Don't Think Keith Was Pleased

MICK JAGGER makes a solo album. In Paris, the singer talks dodging paparazzi, the outrageous young Rolling Stones, and the miners’ strike. He even touches on his solo prospects. “You can’t expect to get No 1s all the time,” he says, “and if you do you’re a cunt.”

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10+ mins  |
March 2017
I'm Prepared to Go Down With the Ship
The History of Rock

I'm Prepared to Go Down With the Ship

On behalf of THE SMITHS, Morrissey meets the fanzine press. He faces questions about love, Band Aid, the Moors Murderers and the band’s own unique position in the world. “There are people I admire,” he says, “but ultimately we are alone.”

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10+ mins  |
March 2017
Ambition. Greed. Money
The History of Rock

Ambition. Greed. Money

Most of these are missing from THE POGUES as they stagger across Europe on tour. “Even if I drink myself to death doing this,” says SHANE MACGOWAN, “I’d still prefer that to the boring, horrible jobs I had to do before this band.”

time-read
10 mins  |
March 2017
Pandemonium
The History of Rock

Pandemonium

MM July 13 Bruce Springsteen seduces the masses.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2017