Hüsker Dü

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This article is about the rock band called Hüsker Dü. For other uses, see Husker Du.

Publicity photo distributed by SST Records, 1985. L-R: Norton, Hart, Mould
Background information
Origin	Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Genre(s)	Hardcore punk Alternative rock
Years active	1979 – 1987
Label(s)	New Alliance Records SST Records Warner Brothers Records
Associated acts	Sugar Nova Mob
Former members
Grant Hart Bob Mould Greg Norton

Hüsker Dü was a highly-influential rock music group from Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, comprised of guitarist/vocalist Bob Mould, bass guitarist Greg Norton, and drummer/vocalist Grant Hart. Mould and Hart split the songwriting duties. Hüsker Dü were never widely popular but attained an impact far larger than their modest sales figures would indicate.

Hüsker Dü first gained notice as a hardcore punk band with thrashing tempos and screamed vocals, but also with a melodic, soulful edge that became more pronounced in the band's mid-career as they drifted away from their early sound, becoming one of the earliest and most influential bands in American alternative rock in the process.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Career 2.1 Signed 2.2 Major label era 2.3 Breakup 2.4 Surprise reunion 2.5 Future of the band 3 Influence 4 Discography 4.1 Studio albums 4.2 Live albums 4.3 EPs 4.4 Singles 4.5 Videos 4.6 Bootlegs 5 Sources 6 Footnotes 7 External links

[edit] Overview

Hüsker Dü broke with the anti-traditionalist ethos of most early hardcore bands. Their music shows the influence of folk, 1960s pop music, psychedelic guitar solos and even the blues (often buried under a thick layer of guitar feedback and aggression), with a strong melodic sense. The lyrics made astute, sharp personal and social commentary, showing a great deal of vulnerability and sympathy for their subjects. Hüsker Dü's songwriting was widely admired, and their live shows were often a venue for brilliant improvisational playing. (A feedback-laden solo guitar performance from an early-'80s soundcheck tape merited release via the avant-garde Telus Magazine.) Hüsker Dü was also, however, widely regarded as somewhat unusual-sounding in their early prime, due to the instruments' non-standard tones: Mould's guitar is described below, while Hart's drums were considered 'thumpy' (and he consistently played slightly behind the beat); Norton played bass fairly laconically even at fast tempos, using his fingers rather than a pick. The band's sound can be considered an organic synthesis of these elements -- a unit that was quite powerful in combination, yet perhaps difficult to parse singly.

A particular strength of the group was the two powerhouse singer/songwriters, Mould and Hart. The tension between their musical styles (Mould was generally the angrier songwriter, Hart the more melodic one), and their willingness to collaborate, made the sum of their contributions greater than their parts. Another strength was Mould's unique, resonant guitar sound, described by a critic at the time as "molten metal pouring from the speakers." Mid-period Hüsker Dü songs are immediately recognizable via Mould's incandescent guitar tone, achieved by splitting the signal in the studio between amplified and direct tones and adding a light stereo chorus effect. Mould's technique involved playing resonant drone notes on the high strings. Although a trio, Hüsker Dü generally sounded extremely large on record and live. The band was a striking trio on stage — far different from the typical hardcore band of the time — with Mould's hulking, doughy presence shouting angrily at stage left, offset by the generally unkempt, long-haired Hart flailing on the drums, and the lanky, good-natured Norton, who sported a waxed handlebar mustache for most of the band's career.

The group is also notable as one of the first 1980s American underground rock bands to contract with a major record label, a move that blazed the trail for the breakthrough of alternative rock a few years later. Another key Minneapolis band who served as an alternative rock icebreaker was The Replacements, who had a friendly rivalry with Hüsker Dü.

[edit] Career

According to Michael Azerrad's exhaustively-interviewed Our Band Could Be Your Life, the group that became Hüsker Dü formed when Mould, Hart, Norton and keyboardist Charlie Pine began playing together in 1978.^[1] At the time, Mould was a freshman at Macalester College, and frequented a record store where Hart was a sales clerk; Hart and Norton had originally met while applying for the same job. Hart and Mould bonded over a shared love of the Ramones, and soon after enlisted Norton and Pine to form a band. In a 1984 interview, Hart reports that Hüsker Dü had their origins in a group called Three Guys With Skinny Ties (presumably a new wave ensemble, given the fondness of musicians in that genre of slender neckties). Hart and Norton's tone throughout the interview seems tongue in cheek; they offer slightly absurd, gently antagonistic replies, perhaps calling into question the honesty of their statements. [1] They were soon gigging, playing mostly cover songs, some classic rock, and frequent Ramones tunes. Unbeknownst to Pine, the remaining bandmembers disliked their sound, and began practicing without him, writing a few originals.

They owed their new name to a rather sloppy rehearsal of the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer". Unable to recall the French portions sung in the original ("qu'est-ce que c'est..."), they began shouting any foreign-language terms they could remember, when someone said "Husker Du", a board game that had been popular in the 1960s. (The name is a Norwegian phrase that means "do you remember?"). The group added Heavy metal umlauts, and had their new name. Mould reports that they liked Hüsker Dü's somewhat mysterious qualities, which set them apart from other hardcore punk groups with names like "Social Red Youth Dynasty Brigade Distortion"^[2]. Mould also reported that while Hüsker Dü enjoyed much hardcore punk in general, they never thought of themselves as exclusively a hardcore group, and that their name was an attempt to avoid being pigeonholed.

The newly-monikered group had their first official performance on March 30, 1979. A short way into the show, one of Hart's friends unplugged Pine's keyboards and gave him the finger. The remaining musicians made no objection, and Hüsker Dü formally became a trio.

By 1980 the band was performing regularly in Minneapolis, and their music evolved into a fast, ferocious, primal sound, making them one of the original hardcore punk bands. A pivotal event for the band was in March 1981, when punk trailblazers Black Flag were visiting Chicago, and Hüsker Dü landed a gig that they billed as a Black Flag after-party. Hart says that "We were on a mission to impress the hell out of Black Flag."^[3] The mission was successful--their furious performance deteriorated into a fight with a club employee after Hart kicked his drums from the bandstand and Mould began splattering the club with blue paint. Black Flag's endorsement helped introduce Hüsker Dü to new fans; the groups would later tour together on numerous occasions and sign with SST Records, the label owned by Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn.

[edit] Signed

The band started releasing singles on Terry Katzman's Reflex Records in 1981. Their first two albums, Land Speed Record (a live recording) and Everything Falls Apart , brought much critical praise. Determined touring brought them to the attention of The Minutemen, who released their debut and the In A Free Land single on their label, New Alliance Records. This, in turn, led to the band signing with Greg Ginn's SST Records.

The Metal Circus mini-album was released in 1983. The next year saw the release of Zen Arcade, a double album, regarded by most as their crowning achievement. Zen Arcade is a concept album following a boy who leaves home to face a harsh and unforgiving world. Its artistic and conceptual ambitions were a great stretch, given the purist sentiment then prevalent in U.S. punk rock.

Zen Arcade received significant mainstream attention (including a glowing Rolling Stone review by Mikal Gilmore, who compared the record to landmark albums like London Calling and Exile on Main Street), and appeared on many magazines' year-end best-of lists. In fact, the album was so well-received that SST, whose most popular records usually sold only a few thousand copies, had problems pressing enough copies to keep in stock for stores.

Follow ups New Day Rising and Flip Your Wig continued musical exploration, while tempering the speed and volume. Opinions differ widely as to their comparative importance and quality.

Although by this time the band had an international appeal, they continued to play in and support the local Twin Cities music scene. In a nod to the band's Minneapolis roots, 1985's Makes No Sense At All EP featured "Love Is All Around", the theme song to the Mary Tyler Moore Show, which was set in Minneapolis.

Also by the mid-1980s, rumors had begun to circulate that one of Hüsker Dü's members was homosexual. Many assumed it was Norton, due in part to his handlebar mustache. Mould reports that Norton took the whispers and occasional taunts in stride: "I have never encountered anybody who was so patient with that kind of bullshit."^[4] In fact, both Mould and Hart were homosexual--Azerrad described both men's sexual orientation as something of an open secret among their peers--but despite continued rumors to the contrary, Mould and Hart were never lovers. According to Hart, both he and Mould occasionally took partners on tour, but Azerrad also quotes Hart's flat denial of claims that he and Mould were ever romantically involved: "It would have been fuckin' bullshit."^[5]

[edit] Major label era

In 1986 the band signed to Warner Brothers Records. Many of Hüsker Dü's peers saw the band's deal with Warner Brothers as a sell out, but the band pointed to a contract that gave them complete artistic control over their recordings, and insisted that Warner could expand the band's audience to areas that SST's relatively modest distribution couldn't reach. (The contract, in fact, became a model for future alternative bands that made the jump to the majors: Thurston Moore sought Mould's advice when his own group, Sonic Youth, was being courted by major labels.) The young Warners executives who forged the deal saw Hüsker Dü as a 'prestige signing,' never expecting to make much money on the band, but backing them as a statement against the mainstream rock climate of the time, in which exciting new artists were typically excluded from major distribution, MTV visibility, and major press coverage. Their goal was to make a statement that Warner Brothers was willing to put its money where its mouth was, supporting a band that many industry professionals admired, but were reluctant to sign to a contract. Azerrad reports, however, that the group's Warner's albums were profitable, credited in large measure to the group's low overhead costs: for example, they were used to touring with one van and one roadie and didn't expect or even want "rock star" treatment.

Their two albums on Warner Brothers, Candy Apple Grey and Warehouse: Songs and Stories (a double album), show the band as more mature psychologically and musically, though, again, opinions among fans differ as to whether these changes were worthwhile. Both albums scored a few modest hits (primarily on college radio) and appeared briefly on the low end of the Billboard charts.

[edit] Breakup

Creative and personal tensions between Mould and Hart had become irresoluble by the release of Warehouse, which amplified when Mould began overseeing most of the band's managerial duties following the suicide of manager David Savoy. To make matters worse, drug problems (mainly Hart's heroin use) were hurting the band, while Mould was trying to overcome his own alcoholism and amphetamine use. By 1988 they were no longer able to work together; Hart either quit or was ejected from the band (recollections differ), which promptly collapsed. The Living End, a live collection taken from the band's final tour, was released after the band's demise.

Mould and Hart have continued making music, albeit separately; this work has included solo albums and forming the successful alternative bands, Sugar and Nova Mob, respectively. Mould has also joined Richard Morel in the band Blowoff. Norton formed the short-lived band Grey Area, played with Shotgun Rationale, and became a chef; he and his wife, Sarah own a restaurant in Red Wing, Minnesota.

[edit] Surprise reunion

Mould and Hart did a brief, unannounced reunion in 2004 at a benefit concert for the late Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller, who had been receiving treatment for cancer. At the end of what had been scheduled as a Bob Mould solo set, he brought Hart out and the duo played two Hüsker Dü songs, "Hardly Getting Over It" and "Never Talking To You Again". Mould wrote on his blog that the performance was an impromptu, last-minute suggestion by Hart and shouldn't kindle any "false hope" for a reunion. [2]

[edit] Future of the band

In June 2005, Mould told Billboard magazine in an interview that SST had not given the band an accounting of their record and CD sales in several years, and that plans to regain the master tapes from SST and reissue them elsewhere were being held up by business disputes between the former band members.

[edit] Influence

Perhaps Hüsker Dü's most lasting legacy was in bridging the gap between hardcore and alternative rock. Also, many people credit Zen Arcade to be the first form of emo, even before Embrace and Rites of Spring. Many later musicians cite Hüsker Dü as an influence on their own work.

Green Day, Lifetime, Gravenhurst, Deacon Blue, and Therapy? are among those who have recorded versions of Hüsker Dü songs. The Replacements, Foo Fighters, Buffalo Tom, Sebadoh, Trip Shakespeare, The Posies, Sonic Youth, Jason Anderson, The Wildhearts, and The Dead Milkmen have made reference to the band and its members in their own songs. The Pixies and Nirvana have also called Hüsker Dü a major influence. (In fact, the newspaper advertisement placed by Black Francis of the Pixies, which was answered by Kim Deal, described the band he wished to form as a Husker Du/Peter, Paul, and Mary-type band)

VH1 has said that Hüsker Dü are one of the 2 most important American post-punk bands (along with R.E.M.).[3]

Dennis Cooper's novel Try contains many references to, and lines from, New Day Rising.

fIREHOSE's 1987 album "If'n" features a photo of bassist Mike Watt's apartment wall, on which an enlarged photograph of Hüsker Dü can be clearly seen. The Hüskers are credited on the back cover as "cover models".

The inside cover of the Minutemen's seminal double album Double Nickels On The Dime says "Take That Hüskers!" in the lower right corner. This was placed there to tease the Huskers, who were about to release Zen Arcade around the same time.

The group's career is chronicled in the book Our Band Could Be Your Life, a study of several important American underground rock groups.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio albums

• Everything Falls Apart, 1983
• Zen Arcade, 1984
• New Day Rising, 1985
• Flip Your Wig, 1985
• Candy Apple Grey, 1986
• Warehouse: Songs and Stories, 1987

[edit] Live albums

• Land Speed Record, 1982
• The Living End, 1994

[edit] EPs

• Metal Circus, 1983
• Sorry Somehow, 1986
• Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely, 1986

[edit] Singles

• Statues, 1981
• In A Free Land, 1982
• Eight Miles High, 1984
• Celebrated Summer, 1984
• Makes No Sense At All, 1985
• Sorry Somehow, 1986
• Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely, 1986
• Could You Be The One?, 1987
• She's A Woman (And Now He Is A Man), 1987
• Ice Cold Ice, 1987

[edit] Videos

• Makes No Sense At All/Love Is All Around, 1985
• Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely, 1986
• Could You Be The One?, 1987

[edit] Bootlegs

• Pogo of the Halfdead (1988)
• Supernova (Kiss The Stone, 1994)

[edit] Sources

• Michael Azerrad, Our Band Could Be Your Life, ISBN 0316787531

[edit] Footnotes

1. ^ Azerrad, Michael. Our Band Could Be Your Life. Little Brown and Company, 2001. ISBN 0316787531.
2. ^ Azerrad, 162
3. ^ Azerrad, 163
4. ^ Azerrad, 179
5. ^ Azerrad, 179

[edit] External links

• Hüsker Dü on the Music Map
• Hüsker Dü Database – comprehensive fan website
• Wishing Well – fan site with images, articles, and links
• Hüsker Dü Lyrics
• Granthart.com - Grant Hart's website
• BobMould.com - Bob Mould's website
• Granary Music - Bob Mould's record label's website
• Boblog - Bob Mould's weblog
• 3:AM Magazine interview with Grant Hart
• Greg Norton's restaurant

Hüsker Dü
Grant Hart | Bob Mould | Greg Norton
Discography
Albums: Land Speed Record | Everything Falls Apart | Zen Arcade | New Day Rising | Flip Your Wig | Candy Apple Grey | Warehouse: Songs and Stories | The Living End
Extended plays: Metal Circus | Sorry Somehow | Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely
Related articles
Nova Mob | Sugar | Grey Area