While most of us were sleeping, it seems that the culture leaped ahead several hundred yards and firmly planted the once outsider artform of hardcore punk squarely in the lexicon of nostalgia. I'm anxiously awaiting Brian Turner's report on the opening night of American Hardcore, but until then, I'm satisfying the jones with Yellow Arrow's streaming video/online documentary/video podcast called Capitol of Punk. Interviews with and anecdotes from all the key players in DC Hardcore's lengthy and nuanced history, plus tales of unsung heroes like the Urban Verbs right on up through lauded kingpins like the Bad Brains, Bratmobile, and Fugazi. Enjoy!
Via Boing Boing and Jon Solomon
I think I liked it! I couldn't see, HR's tam in the seat in front of us blocked my view!
No Crucial Youth = unbalanced report as far as I am concerned. Hearing Rollins talk about punching dudes in the face and then no love for the four basic food groups is just uncool. What was cool: Brownyn's Sluggo was in it prominently.
Posted by: Brian Turner | September 20, 2006 at 05:10 PM
Thanks for posting this DC Hardcore vid. DC was a really important city for punk and hardcore back in the day - I remember going to shows at the old 930 Club (and the best, as far as I'm concerned) and DC Space... even reggae nights at Kilimanjaro's (RIP) and free weekend Fugazi shows every week at Ft. Reno. That made an enormous impression on me personally, and also on everyone I know who was involved or even just witnessed it once or twice. Hopefully this vid does that justice. thanks again for the post, Mike!
And btw - I google'd "Mike Lupica" to see if you were ever on WXJM in Harrisonburg VA (my alma mater), and came across a Mike Lupica entry for Wikipedia. Well its for the ESPN guy Mike Lupica, but it specifically says "He is not the same Mike Lupica who hosts a radio program on WFMU." Thats kinda funny...
Posted by: Steve PMX | September 21, 2006 at 10:51 AM
Funny that you mention Ft. Reno... One of the more biblical shows I ever experienced was sometime in 1990 when a friend and I took a spontaneous daytrip to DC from the wilds of Jersey Centralia. 18 years old and buzzing on Mountain Dew and cigarettes, we each nearly wet ourselves upon accidentally rolling into an unannouced free Fugazi show in Ft. Reno park. I know it sounds hokey, but when you're 18 years old, seeing your favorite band play in the rain with 200 strangers on five minutes notice makes you feel pretty good about the world for a while. The high of that show carried me until mid-94, at least.
And no, I was never on WXJM. Before WFMU, I was on WPRB (Princeton) for 10 years, with a short stint at WRSU (New Brunswick.) That Wikipedia thing was added by me because I'm endlessly trying to curb the tide of mis-directed emails I get from angry sports fans who think they're writing to the other Mike Lupica. (Who pronounces his last name incorrectly, by the way.)
Posted by: Mike Lupica | September 21, 2006 at 11:16 AM
Perhaps I bumped into you at that Fort Reno show! They used to do those shows alot, and the energy was unbelievable. So cool.
I feel like a grandpa talkin about stuff like that. weird to think that was almost 20 years ago!
Posted by: Steve PMX | September 21, 2006 at 12:19 PM
Frist, what's up there Steve PMX. Steve's a friend and we've talked a bit about the old scene. Come to think of it, it's what actually got us talking to become friends. Anyway, I remember seeing Fugazi in Dupont Circle with a few other bands, Outcrowd and KingFace I think. Anyway, it was around Spring 1988. I was sold. I had been buying, trading tapes with friends since 1983 or so but this was one of the first shows I went to. I felt apart of a movement and apart of the bands. I got more and more into the heavier stuff. I ended up getting into the NYHC sound and played in a DC band, Initial Reaction. We did the heavy newer hardcore stuff. We played at the Safari club a lot. We put a 7" out on Cornerstone along with now Bmore legends Gut Instinct. They infact just re-released their stuff on A389 and Vicious Circle records. Those were good times. It's funny all this love for it now. It's become cool and actually I think it's great. The new stuff out there blows so it's good the new kids get to see what it was all about. Well, I guess I said enough. Later...josh
Posted by: Josh Woods | December 05, 2006 at 06:06 PM