Ian MacKaye
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MacKaye grew up in Washington, D.C. and listened to mainstream hard rock before discovering punk music in 1976 when he saw The Cramps perform at Georgetown University. He was particularly influenced by the D.C. and Californian punk scene. MacKaye looked up to punk icons like Bad Brains and Black Flag and was childhood friends with Henry Garfield (who later changed his name to Henry Rollins).
MacKaye played bass guitar in The Teen Idles (1979), was lead singer for Minor Threat (1980) and Embrace (1985), and presently plays guitar and sings with Fugazi (1987) and The Evens. MacKaye has also worked with a few smaller bands on the side over the years, including Egg Hunt, Skewbald/Grand Union, and Pailhead, a collaboration between MacKaye and Al Jourgensen of the industrial band Ministry in which MacKaye again assumed lead vocals. Additionally, MacKaye sang lead vocals on at least one Government Issue track featured on the 20 Years of Dischord collection. Backing vocals and collaborations -- as, for example, with brother Alec MacKaye's former band Ignition -- are numerous.
MacKaye currently sings and plays baritone guitar in the band The Evens with the drummer and vocalist Amy Farina of the Warmers. The Evens released their self-titled album in early 2005, breaking a four-year silence by MacKaye. MacKaye, along with guitarist Sonic Boom (formerly of Spacemen 3), co-wrote the music to the 2003 documentary The Weather Underground.
He is credited with starting the straight edge philosophy and is one of the pioneers of the DIY punk ethic.
The Straight Edge
The song "The Straight Edge" was written by MacKaye for his band, Minor Threat, and was released in 1981 on Minor Threat's self-titled EP. The song, according to The Manchester Newspaper in 1997, was written as an obituary for a friend of MacKaye's who died from an overdose of heroin. Ian expressed his pain, anger, and his determination of being clean and pure of any type of drug. It was a song that described a life free of the "Sex and drugs" part of the "Sex, drugs and Rock'n Roll" banner originating as a rebellion in the 1960's - smoking, drinking, drug use, and promiscuity - to what wasn't socially tolerated previously. It began to influence youth culture as Minor Threat gained popularity through numerous live shows and through sales of the song on their EP. Although to MacKaye, the song did not represent a philosophy or a movement, over time, people adopted the philosophy of the song and many bands began to label themselves straight edge, founding the straight edge movement. Many have criticized MacKaye's alledged self-righteous attitude.External links
- [Dischord Records]
- [Ian MacKaye Interview with Downhill Battle]
- [Cokemachineglow interview with MacKaye]
- [Ian MacKaye Interview by Billy Bob Hargus (April 1997)]
- [Ian MacKaye, By: David Faber]
- [Interview Music Excerpts (Real Audio)]
- [A letter to Ian MacKaye: The Inspiration Behind Friction]
- [Minor Threat on Fusion Anomaly]
- [MacKaye Podcast interview, April 2005]
- [Positive Force:] Washington DC activist group associated with Ian
- [Minor Threat discography and live shows]
- [MACRoCkumentary] A documentary about the Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference (MACRoCk) featuring an interview with Ian MacKaye.
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