Henry Rollins on Fugazi

Short clip from Don Letts' fantastic Punk: Attitude documentary. Uploaded as I needed it streaming for a lecture I was giving. If you want it taken down, just shout.

[@sydbarrett5]

They also wouldn't do a show if the tickets were going to be over $10. (I think that was the price.) and it had to be an all ages show. Lot of respect for these guys.

[@TheGrahamHick]

$10 was the high end. Most every Fugazi show I ever went to were $4-8 and always all ages. I might have paid $12 once but that was a long time ago and many brain cells.

[@metamorphosis67]

Four dollars? What pricks! How dare these greedy fuckjobs charge kids 4 fucking dollars when they can easily do a show for 10 cents. lol McKaye is a dumbass and wouldn't understand the first thing about economics if it bit him and his whole band in their scrawny asses.

[@ZPM7]

economics is bunk.

[@MEdalFan26]

i dunno hear, sir lard ballimore youis i is i is yuo us spealled theh fuirst way bro feel my grits feldman/?

[@dogshit1997]

@@MEdalFan26 what the fucking fuck??????

[@Hardbody94]

Fugazi could have sold out at any time, but they didn't. I remember that story where a big label offered them Millions to sign, and Ian said No thank you.

[@manysnakes]

By 1992, EVERY label was ready to offer them millions.

[@preciousmetalhead5155]

And he still lives in the house on the cover of minor threats album.

[@BudLightBeerOfStarCommand]

Precious Metal Head he lives in a different house right now. I actually got to go to the Dischord house last April. This old hippie guys lives there now but he was super cool and let me take a picture on the porch haha. But I think Ian’s current house is really modest even though he’s a millionaire

[@jasonpeng33]

@@preciousmetalhead5155 not true..thats Dischord House..his record labels ...Ian lives in Mt.Pleasant in DC

[@pradityopambudi5750]

it was ATLANTIC records

[@shruggzdastr8-facedclown]

This can't be all that he had to say about Fugazi in this interview.

[@stephenkane2464]

lol

[@MYST1ERIO]

nono, it was. he walked off the set afterwards without any other words. no goodbye, no nothing.

[@blockedinchina6015]

@@MYST1ERIO Yep, he rage quit.

[@bman6065]

Quick clips = more clicks

[@SPENCERH30]

@@MYST1ERIO that doesn't sound out of character for him though 😂

[@thenightbladefeeds]

Fugazi and Minutemen were probably the only two punk bands that set an ethos and never strayed from it.

[@lexremillard2549]

let's not forget the Velvet Underground. heheh.

[@morgellon7877]

There's a million punk bands that did that. Not everybody's heard of them, but there's a lot of them.

[@jtaco4101]

​@@morgellon7877 yea nobody cares about that

[@morgellon7877]

@J Taco Punks do. Crass, the Screamers, Totalitar, D-Clone, Nerveskade, Spazz, Kaaos, Fear... If you can't name 100 you're a kook.

[@danielreid9621]

Propagandhi are the modern version of that

[@londonmockett8952]

As a kid my Mom had 13 song on vinyl and I called waiting room the jumping on the bed song because my mom used to play it and I’d jump on the bed and go nuts

[@jksvana]

*Bed Song

[@londonmockett8952]

@@jksvana thank you

[@unojsn]

I like fugazi alot. I also like a cold beer and a smoke. Ahh freedom of choice.

[@killval849]

Devo - freedom of choice = D

[@lomoDaniel]

And those are your chains and the chains of millions.

[@dyr234]

hey that's okay, you got good taste in music.

[@theheightsboy100]

@@lomoDaniel the only chains are the chains of habit, which include never tasting the other fruits of life. how can you judge the devil if you’ve never handled his pitchfork? straight edge is a great way to live, but even that is a chain of life, to deprive yourself of things is no less a shackle than over indulging in them. balance is the key to happiness.

[@19MadMike95]

@@theheightsboy100 Yep. People are quick to talk trash about something that they've never experienced themselves.

[@eljordo765]

This band is the definition of having integrity

[@rong2912]

Ok but their live shows suck.

[@nathanb5579]

@@rong2912 no

[@rong2912]

@@nathanb5579 Yeah you're right, it's awesome when the band keeps stopping mid-song because they're angry at the crowd for not standing still.

[@futureskeletons66669]

Integrity and self sabotage aren't the same thing. There's a price for everyone. And no one has a problem with it.

[@levymoyer8391]

@@rong2912this is possibly the most asinine hot take I’ve ever heard.

[@theivory1]

They also refused to allow their tours to charge more than $5 to get in. I saw them countless times in three different cities and it was always $5. They also were one of the firsts to make their own label so they could control creativity and production costs. They were the best.

[@sagittated]

And their CDs were like $8.

[@Sarasapien]

“Why can’t I walk down the street free of suggestion?”

[@libertarianjury]

I admire Ian's dedication to principle, without necessarily agreeing with the specific principles. At least he has strongly held convictions. Plus, he makes some great music, especially "Repeater" and "Margin Walker"...

[@thesputnik6423]

INTEGRITY. They win the prize. No, they ARE the prize!!

[@metamorphosis67]

lol Is that why the singer of Fugazi (not Ian, the other dude, the skinny monobrow guy who dances around a lot) wears Nike shoes assembled in some foreign sweat-shop full of slaves in at least half the "live" videos posted on you tube?

[@Dhieen]

I think thats not the same thing, they fight against addictions, not against mass consumption (well i dont know for that but you can have nike and still fight against capitalism for example, or you better be living in a cavern)

[@bikerscout2012]

I'm a smokin' and drinkin' man! I love Fugazi/Minor Threat. I'm definitely not "straightedge" but Ian was just expressing his personal choice. I highly respect their decision to refuse an interview in a publication that sports alcohol or tobacco ads. That's real hardcore. I quit a band once over the frontman booking a gig at a pro-life "punk" show. I quit at a drop of a hat. People need to put their foot down when it infringes on their philosophy.

[@Ryanbrio]

Lol I love the punk in quotations. To me that goes against the rest of your argument

[@Ryanbrio]

Reason being of course having respect for people's choices/opinions. Punk isn't about virtue signalling, it means thinking for yourself, to quote a certain punk song.

[@IAmTheBestMang]

Eric Lamar You ain't hardcore when you spike your hair when a jock still lives inside your head?

[@oliverkalamata2753]

Yeah, fuck life! Always be Pro-Fetus Dumping! 👍😃

[@cmc3223]

I think it's cool that they don't want drinking and smoking to be normalized. I drink and smoke, but I do it knowing I have to keep myself in check. Both the alcohol and tobacco industry are infamous for trying to make it seem like their isn't any consequence so that people will get addicted. So the fact that Fugazi is full on with trying to shut that down is pretty awesome to me.

[@teleute69]

They got the straight edge.

[@idabamfwbossbeeotch]

this marijuana injection goes out to you ian

[@todessehnsucht]

lmao im high as shit

[@5645-l3s]

Wow you are so funny. Have fun dickhead. Keep it to yourself, asshole.

[@bluemooninthedaylight8073]

@@5645-l3s It's the complete lack of wit that kills me.

[@explanationmark_]

564 565 why are you so mad?

[@wildmike85]

Its legal now, go for it. Lol

[@MacetazzOpina]

love henry rollins, love fugazi

[@martinspud8325]

I'm a crackhead and I like Fugazi.

[@stop08it]

I hear the word Fugazi, I immediately get chills.

[@Ryan-vg4wn]

you were in 'nam?

[@jazp1120]

Are they multiplying ?

[@OwenAllRound]

Are you losing control?

[@declanwatkins6450]

WHAT DO THE NUMBERS MEAN?!!

[@dancefloorkid]

Asinine. No liquor company or tobacco company ever forced me to smoke or drink, that's the beauty of a free market economy. I don't think guys like Guy and Ian will ever understand that, though. They want to hold corporations to blame for choices that individuals make. I make my own choices and I am responsible for the attendant consequences. I'm not saying all corporations are angelic by any stretch, but in the end it still comes down to what the customer chooses to partake of.

[@bear5945]

Good 4 u buddy

[@GodWeenSatan]

I remember going to Sam Goody to buy a cd and there was a sticker right on the front. do not pay more than 10 dollars for this cd but it was 15

[@dLimboStick]

Um..he's an intelligent, knowledgeable, articulate, well spoken artist who can speak from his experience both as fan and a performer of music. Exactly the kind of person you'd want to provide commentary to your "rockumentary".

[@samhain6677]

I have much respect for Rollins, but always was amused by the fact that he's so anti alcohol and pot, yet used to trip his balls off on LSD

[@kingcobrajfsofficial]

It's almost like people evolve and change their outlooks over time or something.

[@Hitithardify]

@@kingcobrajfsofficial Plus, he stated he only did those things a couple of times and only in his early 20s. In his interview with Pharrell, he says he got drunk only 2-3 times, smoked weed a couple of times, and in the Comedy Central series: This Is Not Happening, talks about his time with LSD. Point being, he was simply curious on certain days and never stuck to them.

[@hawkyxvx1786]

He tried it like a couple times and decided it wasn't for him same with everything else. You make it sound like he was a junkie.

[@barankayim2605]

Why does Henry Rollins comment on every rockumentary? Seriously, Black Sabbath, Nirvana. Punk, Sex Pistols, Led Zeppelin, I believe even Motorhead. What is it with Henry Rollins?

[@genXcripple]

i love Fugazi. and i love Henry. god damn i lived in some great decades. now someone schedule a fucking meteor already, cause shits gettin WHACK 🥴

[@nk-jt1br]

Smoke weed but i love fugazi

[@philgecko]

weed aaaiint no drug yoooo. ur totaly edge bro

[@nk-jt1br]

true

[@philgecko]

true

[@idonteatcheetos]

people would smoke weed at fugazi shows all the time and fugazi for the most part wouldnt care

[@WalkingPartyHat]

Jeremi L. Lord quas

[@brentobrien6642]

Saw them in detriot 1994 Ian stopped the show like three times because he hated everyone crowd surfing

[@billrose2202]

I'm a DC guy but grew up with reggae more than punk. All the same I always dug Bad Brains and fully respect Fugazi and Henry Rollins. Our Moms both worked at NIH haha. Henry's from Bethesda and I"m from Silver Spring. My old house mate grew up with those Fugazi kids

[@ulstershound1588]

So so good saw in Sacramento when in eighth grade five bones had run away from home to see them but took a greyhound home and yea best concert ever

[@JacobStevens13]

They were also incredibly good at actually playing music, bs aside....

[@TheSlipknotopio]

This was great from MacKaye, if you think about it musicians are always trying to innovate through music and their music is always backed by certain philosophy, just as earlier/ common punk songs hold an anarchist or hedonist perspective MacKaye did just the opposite, 'Straight Edge'. This is why I'm not totally convinced by it, though I of course LOVE minor threat.

[@bgcreationz]

I interviewed Guy and Ian in the back of my VW in 1989 for the fanzine called Twang - good times

[@brandonchilian4625]

He has a point sort of, actually. I'm a big fan of Fugazi. I believe they could have gotten their message out even more for being on magazines and such that had ads such as smoking and drinking. What's the cool thing for teens back in the 80s? Smoking and drinking. And I believe if Minor Threat/Fugazi have done interviews and expressed their beliefs maybe teens wouldn't wanna smoke anymore. Maybe they wouldn't wanna drink. Ya know why? Cause those two bands kicked fuckin ass and I would respect

[@CarinaPrimaBallerina]

I always admired Ian Mckaye for his consistency!

[@JackieAprileJr]

fugazi bought me a drink once.

[@sooper2dooper3]

I want to a Fugazi gig once. It rocked!

[@bear5945]

I believe you

[@bowlsallbroken]

Saw a video recently of a talk and Q&A session Ian MacKaye gave at some college and he was asked what's got to be one of the most common questions people ask him: Why Straightedge? Part of his explanation was totally something I can relate to. He was aware as a teenager that young people in American society are expected to act out their "rebellious phase" in very a contrived way that involves drinking/smoking/drugs, etc. He simply felt that acting out that cliche was kinda lame.

[@bowlsallbroken]

Sure, but you can't deny many teenagers start, specifically, to be "cool" or "adult" i.e. as a rite of passage.

[@pandaeyes42]

FUGAZI!!!

[@jasonpeng33]

Fugazi will not speak with Henry Rollins

[@patron40silver]

They may be anti booze and smokes but the kids at the show I went to back in '91 didn't seem to be.

[@SirCambertHotJam]

They don't drink alcohol or use tobacco and don't wish to have others' lives potentially eaten away by them.

[@Labyrinthman]

What is that song of Fugazi ?

[@scottsexton4050]

Nah, its spelled 'Fugazi'

[@rjplamf61]

I would like to add Mike Ness. Dude had to work his ass off to get where he is today without selling out and staying true to his music.

[@Papadragon8155]

Sooooo punk to not like liquor or cigarettes..🙄

[@feinegrafik]

Dafuq bro ?

[@jackd9375]

Yes everyone knows that to be punk you can NEVER make your own decisions despite what might be absurdly expected of you

[@bowlsallbroken]

What of it? A 15 year old forcing himself to choke on his first cigarette or barfing up his first sixpack in front of his buddies has an agenda beyond "boy am I really going to enjoy this".

[@pcm7315]

Love to listen to Henry Rollins' stories about bands.

[@StuartDillion]

Straight Edge scene is for the under 21. Mark Adkins of GutterMouth

[@bunnyzero0]

Straight edge!

[@etiquettefiend]

Furthermore to follow your point he said in Minor Threat "I don't care if it's golf, these are just three things that I don't really care about - Don't smoke, don't drink, don't fuck - at least I can FUCKING THINK!"

[@xdeadbeatboi6666x]

This is the band that refused to be commercial and gain mainstream populatrity, The best damned thing that Fugazi did! Thanks Ian >:-D

[@moparmonster1965]

I don't necessarily agree with the stand on liquor and tobacco, but I really admire them standing by their principles.

[@45cave45cave]

Just like minor threat straight-edge★

[@birdshot]

@D6onGPS That was a bootleg.

[@DamianBrown]

Legends

[@wolfgangi]

Fugazi is the only band that never sold out

[@samhain66]

Anbody know the ttile of the song played at the intro of the clip ?

[@pabloisusi6097]

Guilford fall. Alternate take.

[@beeswaxlike]

Fugazi didn't fuckin' force anyone to not drink or take drugs, so if you wimps out there whining don't like it, then just DON'T and stop acting as if you're a victim, or as if your choice is limited by the choice they have done. If it bugs you that much, then it sure sounds like guilt talking. The way people talk down on Mackaye for having a fucking opinion about drugs and alcohol (let's face it, it's just the alcohol that gets to them) is absurd.

[@toolkien]

Liquor and tobacco don't kill people. ABUSING liquor and tobacco kill people. ABUSING anything will make you sick. Too much refined carbs could very likely kill you early. Granted there is a very small percentage of people with great sensitivities where low usage may do them harm, but the vast majority of people can enjoy a rum and coke, or party smoke and they're not going to assume room temperature. A fifth of jack and two packs a day? Probably heading for an early dirt nap.

[@taylorbortnerathing]

@andook because they treat the music as an end in itself and not a means to getting anything. do you understand that? they play music only because that's what they want to do, and the fans came afterward. "why even bother" is a question you would ask someone who is making financial decisions or decisions based on his fans. while you may not like it, it seems as though ian mackaye doesn't care if he has fans or not, and while i'm sure he is glad that they like his music, they don't matter much

[@mussman717word]

I don't understand this stupid straightedge bullshit. I mean, it's one thing to refuse an interview in a publication that has any ads whatsoever, I'm ALL for that. But, to say "ohh, I won't do it next to an advert for a $5 pack of cigarettes, BUT I'll do it next to a picture of a $35,000 luxury automobile" It's just so fucking USELESS. Talk about futile effort.

[@donsimmmo]

@dancefloorkid Completely missed the point there eh pal??

[@NishadSD]

@andook It's because tobacco and alcohol companies are these massive corporations that appease investors by selling(and marketing) a product that they KNOW yields in deaths. A corporation that kills people is not punk.

[@dancefloorkid]

Actually you're completely right. I am not sure why I wrote that, I fully support bands and individuals making choices like that and sticking to their personal morals. While I don't always agree with Fugazi's politics I love the band and I love their dedication.

[@sigit666]

i wish i was a straightedge, i'll be much healthier.

[@robbiepeterh]

So basically they’re complete snobs?

[@scott7521]

I wish people had a 10th of MacKaye's integrity.

[@grufzar]

its a fair question but ultimately this has nothing to do with the free market. fugazi just didnt want to promote alcohol or tobacco in any way.

[@DemiseCatastrophic]

If they don't want to, how is it telling you to not do it?

[@WillowbeeJim]

Straight edge without the X and preachy lyrics. Pioneers of SE

[@CelestialWoodway]

Liquor and tobacco rock.

[@SaltyGrub1475]

I guess I don't care about all of that social engineering telling people how to act . That silent pause in the vocals during "Waiting Room" while the bass is thumping.... and then ""I plan a big surprise ...I'm gonna wait...." That's all I cared about.. Don't smoke. Smoke and overdose.. Good for you.. Music was awesome.

[@frankdiscussion2069]

as if Rolling Stone Magazine even knows who Fugazi is...lol

[@nickw6617]

its not really cool for henry to comment on Fugazi. totally different mindsets

[@iluv2h869]

@andyvglnt Man, you sound like you give awesome lectures...

[@sniffableandirresistble]

Seems doom ridden and pretentious but of course those interviews are all horrible anyways

[@KommentarSpaltenKrieger]

I'm a fan of their music, but I'm intrigued by their ethics. Someone "preaching" non-drug use always seemed fundamentalist or at least very conservative and closed-minded to me but the fact that there was something like straight-edge in a scene like punk and generally this whole emphasis on morals with Fugazi (and other MacKaye bands) interests me. It seems to go against much else, without necessarily coming off as corny. I don't agree with it, but here we go, it is interesting.

[@lascrud]

i LOVE liquor and tobacco!!!

[@5645-l3s]

We have better things to do than fuck our heads like you.

[@Johann757]

that is seriously fantastic :d

[@_devik]

and thats why they stayed underground folks.

[@mattasticmattattack8546]

Fugazi is the band Nirvana wished they were

[@djwolf12]

So what is Henry Rollins saying? He is himself a sellout.

[@MEdalFan26]

is"nt it "fuNGAsi?/ spalling?// D:

[@The_Ballo]

Dammit, I crave bourbon now

[@notintohandles]

That's it. That's all. SO RARE.

[@pabloisusi6097]

Best band ever.

[@Biboche23]

Fuckin right❤🙏🏾

[@SpiritusBythos]

Watch out for Earth Crisis

[@matteframe]

they never sold t-shirts either

[@David_Downs]

I'll drink to that

[@realsinisterminister]

vegetarian music

[@1wicked2008]

``fuck that !!!!

[@georgescaggs8602]

Waiting Room…

[@stoneyneff8555]

Minor threat

[@Femicidal]

Apparently not.

[@NishadSD]

@andook Fugazi never cared about "sales". They never made any merchandise or teeshirts or anything. When they toured, they only sold records. If they saw their music as some money-making strategy, I'm sure they'd have rethought their approach. It's not the fact that corporations are being advertised, it's the fact that they are corporations that are inherently evil because their products kill people. They did not want to endorse or be associated with those companies.

[@joejones8009]

I smoke and drink.. fugazi,is one of the most,, disciplined bands ever! I fucking love allof their music. I will never be straight edge.. but, I will always understand it. And will always have a distance, between junkies, and humans. Lol.. and I don't hate. People have different backgrounds. If you weren't in a big fuckhole, of poverty, I dont ever expect you to understand, the possof drugs??

[@joejones8009]

Pressure * im not high. Lol

[@AnarchoPie92]

so apparently Fugazi/Ian and others aren't allowed to express their PERSONAL opinions on the tobacco and liquor industry? that makes no sense... there are clearly people who are adversely affected by the marketing tactics of these companies and straight edge was about creating an alternative to that. It wasn't even about destroying it until SSD and others got involved.

[@taylorbortnerathing]

@andook he's not telling people what is immoral, he is (probably) finding out what he thinks is immoral and making decisions based on that. although i think morality is objective, what he's doing is a very personal thing. he's not bothering anyone about it, he's just doing his thing. if it costs him fame, it's not hurting anyone else. and anyway, i bet that those magazines could find other sponsors. and if they need to rely on big business to exist, then fuck it. they shouldn't exist then

[@andook]

@NishadSD I enjoyed their music a lot. I'm sure that many other people could have "discovered" them also if they'd been less puritannical in their choice of media outlet. Surely, if you're in a band and you're making good music, you'd want that out there to as many people as possible..? All or nothing. Otherwise, why even fucking bother?

[@paulparanoid]

seeing as i am not a liberal, it's hard to take offense. other than at being mistaken for a liberal! :) in any event, whether you're an anarchist or what, do you think anything i said above about power and heirarchy and how its deployed in the real -- as oppossed to the theoretical -- world untrue?