IAN MACKAYE

'Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye' (), born April 16 1962, is an American singer and guitarist. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known as the frontman of the influential hardcore punk and alternative rock bands Minor Threat, Embrace and Fugazi, and, as of 2007, The Evens. He is a founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label.
A key figure in the development of hardcore punk and a staunch promoter of an independent-minded, do it yourself ethic, MacKaye also worked as a recording engineer, and produced releases by 7 Seconds, Nation of Ulysses, Bikini Kill, Rites of Spring, and Rollins Band.

Contents

Biography

Youth

Early bands

Minor Threat

Fugazi

The Evens and future projects

Dischord Records

Campaigning and activism

Straight edge philosophy

Works

Filmography

Books

Notes and references

External links

Biography

Youth

Ian MacKaye was born in Washington D.C. on April 16 1962, and grew up in the Glover Park neighborhood of Washington D.C. His father was a writer for the ''Washington Post'', first as a White House reporter, then as a religion specialist; he was also active with the socially progressive St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.^[1] According to MacKaye's longtime friend singer Henry Rollins, MacKaye's parents "raised their kids in a tolerant, super intellectual, open-minded atmosphere."^[2]
MacKaye listened to many types of music, but was especially fond of mainstream hard rock like Ted Nugent and Queen before discovering punk music in 1979^[3] when he saw The Cramps perform at nearby Georgetown University. He was particularly influenced by the Californian hardcore scene. MacKaye looked up to hardcore bands like Bad Brains and Black Flag and was childhood friends with Henry Garfield (who later changed his name to Henry Rollins).

Early bands

Ian MacKaye's first band consisted of one performance as The Slinkees in the summer of 1979, performing a song titled "I Drink Milk".^[4]
In MacKaye's next project, The Teen Idles, he played bass guitar and sang back up vocals in from 1979-1980, and the short-lived Skewbald/Grand Union (1981-1982).

Minor Threat

After feeling creatively limited in the Teen Idles, MacKaye was determined to be the frontman and primary lyricist for Minor Threat (1980-1983). MacKaye cited the dynamic performance British singer Joe Cocker in the ''Woodstock'' motion picture as a major influence on his own animated stage persona.^[5] The Teen Idles and Minor Threat were modestly successful in and around Washington D.C., but would later be cited as two of the earliest and most influential hardcore punk groups, and as pioneers of the straight edge philosophy that rejects casual drinking and drug use. In his early teens, MacKaye saw the negative effects of drug and alcohol abuse on several close friends and one immediate family member, and he vowed to never use tobacco, drugs or alcohol.
After Minor Threat broke up, MacKaye was active with several relatively short-lived groups, including Embrace (1985-1986) and Egg Hunt (1986). Pailhead (1988), a collaboration between MacKaye and Al Jourgensen of the industrial band Ministry featured MacKaye on lead vocals.

Fugazi

In 1987, MacKaye founded Fugazi. Cited as one of the most important post-hardcore groups, Fugazi were active until 2002.

The Evens and future projects

As of 2007, He currently sings and plays baritone guitar in 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. Their second album, "Get Evens," was released in November 2006.
Additionally, MacKaye sang lead vocals on a Government Issue demo, one track of which is 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, along with guitarist Sonic Boom (formerly of Spacemen 3), co-wrote the music to the 2003 documentary ''The Weather Underground''.

Dischord Records

In 1980, MacKaye co-founded Dischord Records. The label was originally meant only as a means for distributing the Teen Idles 7 inch EP, but over the years it became a very well-established independent record label, as well as a source for a variety of different Washington, D.C. area artists. Today more than 150 titles have been released by Dischord.

Campaigning and activism

MacKaye refused to advertise in mainstream or corporate media, has rarely performed at events where admission was more than $5-$10, and consistently promoted anti-war and civil rights causes alongside his music. He regularly attended left-wing organized protests and events, working closely with the Positive Force collective in Washington D.C.^[6]
MacKaye has also been known for his stance against concert violence and his confrontations with moshers, crowd surfers, and people who start fights at shows. This is especially true of his days with Fugazi. When people became rude or violent at a Fugazi show, the band would stop playing (sometimes right in the middle of a song) and MacKaye would tell them to stop. If those people continued their behavior, he would give them their money back and kick them out.^[7] Because of this, MacKaye gained a reputation as a killjoy with some fans, and a misconception that he was against all dancing surfaced. MacKaye has said on numerous occasions that he has no problem with dancing but he simply does not feel comfortable letting people get hurt at his shows, and he wants to make sure everyone can have a good time.
MacKaye recently assisted in the investigation of the Kent State shootings when he helped clean up a field recording made by a Kent State student who recorded audio of the incident on a reel-to-reel tape machine from his dormitory windowsill. According to Alan Canfora, a Kent State student who was injured in the wrist that day by a gunshot, a voice can be heard on the tape yelling, "Right here! Get Set! Point! Fire!" before there is the 13-second volley of gunfire.^[8][9]

Straight edge philosophy

Main articles: Straight edge

The song "Straight Edge" was written by MacKaye for his band, Minor Threat, and was released in 1981 on Minor Threat's self-titled EP. It was a song that described his personal life free of the "drugs" and the self-destructive idea of "sex as a conquest" which served as a part of the "sex, drugs and rock'n roll" banner originating as a rebellion in the 1960s - smoking, drinking, and drug use - 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. Although straight edge is not explicitly supportive of vegetarianism, McKaye has stated that he is a vegetarian because he feels it's a logical progression from his view of straight edge.^[1]
Although "Straight Edge" gets the most attention, MacKaye wrote other songs with Minor Threat describing his clean lifestyle as well, most notably "Out of Step (With the World)," in which he said "I don't smoke. I don't drink. I don't fuck. At least I can fucking think." "In My Eyes", perhaps their most famous song, is also at least partially about his philosophies, with lines such "You tell me it calms your nerves; you just think it looks cool!"

Works

Filmography

Mackaye was in the documentary films, "Another State of Mind",''Instrument'', ''Dogtown and Z-Boys'', '', '', ''American Hardcore'', ''We Jam Econo'' and the K Records documentary, ''The Shield Around the K''.
Mackaye is also featured in professional skateboarder Mike Vallely's film Drive.

Books

''The Idealist'', Glen E. Friedman (with Ian MacKaye contribution), Burning Flags Press, 1998, updated 2004, ISBN 0-9641916-5-2. He also wrote a foreword for indie-punk band photographer Pat Graham's photobook ''Silent Pictures''.

Notes and references

1. Azerrad, Michael (2002). ''Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981–1991''. Back Bay Books. ISBN 0-31678-753-1
2. Azerras, 2002
3. Ian MacKaye speaking at Loyola University; Nov 14, 2006 http://www.loyno.la/ianmackayetalk.mp3
4. The AP History of Punk Rock X: Washington, D.C.
5. Azerrad, 2002
6. Scott Simon ''A Quieter Course for Punk Pioneer Ian MacKaye''; NPR Weekend Edition Saturday, April 30, 2005 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4625784
7. Kellman, Andy. ''Fugazi biography''; Allmusic.com http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wifqxqe5ldke~T1
8. Kymberli Hagelberg, ''Casualty wants new probe of KSU shootings'' Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal, May 2, 2007 http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/living/education/17166211.htm
9. ''Ian MacKaye helping with Kent State shooting investigation''; PunkNews.org, May 8, 2007 http://www.punknews.org/article/23611

External links

★ Dischord Records

★ Interview: Ian MacKaye from Downhill Battle