How the Minutemen changed punk music

[@soundofhistory_]

No idea why I wanted to call everyone Mike in this video

[@adderon]

Watt are you doing

[@noverguy]

Nothing wrong with saying Mike over and over. Better than if everyone was Jethro. Well, nothing wrong with Jethro either.

[@rich50ful]

Hi, my name is Richard Bonney. I can tell you got some information from the Documentary We Jam Econo, I am from Pedro and met George when I was 12, and Watt at 16 they were 2 years older than me. I was literally in that backyard shed when they first played. Besides the miss pronunciations and a few stores that are out of place, I am happy with this. Oh, and its called Peeedro, not Pedro. I was also with them on the last tour with REM.

[@hanskloss1331]

"double nickels on the dime" absolutely CLASSIC

[@Maldoror200]

💀..@johankloss..Absofcknginlutely..!!!

[@chadgrov]

Got it on vinyl. You can really feel Mike’s bass and George’s drums

[@jameswatt4694]

"Meat Puppies" LOL. Minutemen were a great band - thanks for the video. I saw them on their tour with Black Flag and the Stains from ELA at the 10th Street Hall in SF (still there - still a church) Most of us hardcore punk kids loved the Minutemen and they really opened our ears to nonstandard ways of musical thinking. RIP D.BOON but not General George A Custer. I still sometime 'sing' the 2 verses to their classic song Punch Line out loud in public much to the embarrassment of my family.

[@Whytedebil]

Came to the comments to ensure someone besides myself caught the meat puppies comment. 😂

[@soundofhistory_]

😬 Recording is very mentally exhausting, that's my only excuse.

[@Whytedebil]

No reason necessary was just amusing. 👍🏻

[@johnchedsey1306]

@@soundofhistory_ It's all good! If you're going to misspeak, "Meat Puppies" is as adorable as it gets.

[@danielloomis7972]

Puppies is one thing, but San "Paydro" is more egregious. It's "Peedro". It shouldn't be, but it is.

[@stuartfishman1044]

The Minutemen were special, one of my favorite bands of all time. The documentary We Jam Econo is a really good summation of the band and it's history, with a number of notable interviews.

[@nevereverville]

Saw their last show ever (Charlotte NC/REM tour) D Boon died just a few weeks later. I saw Firehose a few years later and had the opportunity to meet Mike Watt. He confirmed that was in fact the minutemen’s last show. Thanks for this video, they deserve to be remembered! Plus…George Hurley is one the best drummers ever. Criminally underrated!

[@D3XTRO]

So glad you did this one The Minutemen are my favorite punk band ever there is a really good documentary about The Minutemen that anybody interested should check out

[@13_13k]

Thanks for doing this video about The Minutemen. I am from L.A. and graduated high school in 1983. I went to school with a couple of guys who played in Suicidal Tendencies. I was always a fan of the Minutemen and have a couple of their records. I have a demo 45 rpm that I got from one of the DJs at KXLU radio (Loyola Marymount University) station. One of my friend's mom was the school nurse on campus so we got to cruise around and I also played baseball in a league that used LMU'S baseball field for our games so if the radio station was playing the punk/college radio stuff I'd go and hang out with the DJs and listen to music and I would get some demos a couple of times. Some years later a friend was driving a delivery freight truck and he delivered cases of albums for SST records and he would kick down albums that were extra on his truck. I got to see The Minutemen open for Black Flag and another punk rock show back in high school. They are a big part of punk history in Los Angeles.

[@michaeljemal]

It’s great to hear KXLU was ahead of the curve even back in the day 🔥

[@13_13k]

@@michaeljemal ---- I discovered KXLU from growing up in Westchester at a pretty young age but thought they only played classical and sometimes Latin music. Then someone told me they had a 3 hour time slot where student DJs got to play whatever they wanted and you could call the station and request songs. This was in like '77 or '78 I was 12 in '77. So I, being of that era was requesting stuff like Black Sabbath and other rock bands, and sometimes they'd get played. Then I realized that they were playing some really wild shit and I didn't know any of it but some sounded cool. I heard the Violent Femmes for the first time listening to KXLU. That got me more interested in non commercial radio music. By high school '79-'83, most of my friends, not most, but a few, were into punk rock and my friend Amery was drumming for a local neighborhood band that just recorded their first album, Suicidal Tendencies and he thought I was weird listening to what was considered serious alternative and hardcore music, this coming from the drummer of ST. But he was into Rush, King Crimson and progressive rock which I listened to also but I liked being ahead of everyone and marching to my own beat. KXLU fulfilled that void I needed to fill by playing punk, reggae, Ska, electronic, etc... . New bands use college radio stations to play their music all the time. Then the first time seeing Elvis Costello was at LMU at a free show on the campus Quad right when his first album came out. I was always surprised that the DJs got to play the stuff they played because LMU is a Catholic Jesuit University. To this day, I still have in my vinyl collection a stack of 45s, probably 30 or so and about 8 are demos that I got from KXLU including The Minutemen, Black Flag, The Foams, and some other obscure bands. It was great having a college station in my neighborhood. Their signal isn't very strong. KCRW from Santa Monica College and USC's stations had stronger signals but didn't play as much edgy music.

[@michaeljemal]

@@13_13k that’s amazing, thanks for sharing! I lived in LA for many years..(late ‘90s-2018) ..Exactly as you described, they were cutting edge. I’ve discovered many bands from listening to KXLU & waiting for the DJ to do a mic & list the songs. Such an important cultural radio station..and much like you, was surprised to discover Loyola Marymount of all schools has such a cultural impact. -*jealous of the Elvis Costello gig ..wow!

[@13_13k]

@@michaeljemal --- fun times back in those days. What's funny about that Elvis show was he had Watching the Detectives getting a little airplay on one of the rock stations, KMET, KLOS, KWST and it was summertime and living in Westchester, its only a mile or so from the beach. So as usual there's a hundred people from jr high and high school, it must have been late summer, because LMU was in session, but at that time and age we were at the beach and hoping to hear of a house party or whatever you and your friends would do that night and a friend's older brother comes by our group hanging out on the sand and says to me, Elvis Costello is playing a show at Loyola, and it starts at 5 o'clock. It was about 2pm then so a bunch of took off and went home to clean up and then we rode our bikes to LMU and left them at a friend's house who lived across the street from campus and there was maybe 200 people, all college kids and teenagers. It was a great show. A once in a lifetime thing. A couple years before that when Hall and Oates were just starting out, they played a show at Westchester High Auditorium. They didn't even fill the seats. But it is a prety big auditorium. Probably 800 seats or more I think. Growing up in that era in LA was like nowhere else. I shouldn't be alive from all the crazy shit my friends and I were doing. We should be in prison or a grave and some are in one or the other.

[@pinverarity]

Last time I saw them was on an insane SST tour: SWA/Saccharine Trust/Meat Puppets/Minutemen/Hüsker Dü, at a club in Palo Alto IIRC. After the show we walked past their famous van (with the Three Stooges picture in the window) and they were just hanging out, chatting amiably with fans. It was crazy because it was quite clear to anybody with ears that Zen Arcade and Double Nickels were absolute masterpieces, and here were both of the bands for about $7-8, and you could just chat with them after the show.

[@Soberdrummer321]

I just met Watt last year on tour, he's very cool and happy to talk with fans, best documentary of the Minutemen is called " We jam econo"

[@EarleMonroe]

I have We Jam Econo on DVD!

[@underfakelights]

It’s such a beautiful documentary, agreed, defo the best doc on Minutemen 💛

[@abick8725]

I always felt the Minutemen, in addition to fireHOSE and Mike Watt himself as well as all the individual musicians themselves, were terribly underrated. These guys pushed boundaries in the punk scene, musically and intellectually speaking, that really needed to be pushed at the time (IMO). Mike Watt, D. Boon, and George raised the bar for musicianship within the entire genre of punk itself. And to this day, it is criminal how many fans of this type of music don’t even know who they are or have no appreciation for what they did and the role they played in the evolution of punk in the 80s.

[@jamesrohrbacher2128]

Saw them at Goin Bananas in Richmond, VA…changed my life..4/16/85….punk rock changed my life..

[@TrueMithrandir]

Thank you for doing this, RIP D. Boon, Minutemen forever! ✌

[@seanwhite1104]

Minutemen is one of my favorite bands ever, from their music to their politics, they had a huge impact on me (and plenty of others). And one small correction, they're just "Minutemen". Not "the" Minutemen, but otherwise, great video, thanks for making it!

[@johnmc67]

The summer after I graduated HS, I went to Freshman orientation at WMU. That weekend I first listened to WIDR & the 1st song I heard was Shit From An Old Notebook. The first time I heard that opening line, my life was changed.

[@SlightHeadache]

I met the Minutemen in Minneapolis when they were on tour in 84. Just the nicest most generous guys you’d ever meet. Martin was there too!

[@johnchedsey1306]

One of the greatest bands ever and one I've loved for over 30 years. There can never be enough videos and retrospectives about them. Double Nickels is one of the best albums of the 80s, period. As for Linda Kite, I absolutely believe her, especially given that D's dad did the investigative work to find out what had gone wrong with the van. In fact, it was supposed to go in for maintenance before the trip, but D's illness kept him from getting to it. The whole chain of events leading up to the accident is just bewildering. It should also be noted Kite and Boon were engaged by that point, which is even more heartbreaking. Linda later did a lot of tours with the Meat Puppets as their merch person (not the Meat Puppies, haha!). The You Don't Know Mojack podcast, which is covering each and every SST release one by one, did a fantastic interview with her in Episode 32 (My First Bells). It gives more insight into the Minutemen than most other interviews out there. That podcast also has interviews with Watt and Hurley at different points, so it's great to hear their reflections on the band. And the best part about fIREHOSE is that Ed Crawford traveled out to LA erroneously thinking Watt was auditioning guitar players. Ultimately he stayed at Watt's house for awhile and eventually wore him down enough to start the band. Ed recounts his story on that podcast as well. (No, I'm not affiliated with Mojack, but dammit, I love that podcast) These are fun videos! Hope to see some more of my old favorites on here, such as the aforementioned Meat Puppets and perhaps my all time favorite, Nomeansno!

[@Jason_Quinn]

Wow, I might have met Linda if she was still running the merch table during the Monster tour. I’ve seen a lot of shows and for some reason she’s the /only/ merch person who has ever stuck in my memory. I remember more about buying that t-shirt than I do about the show. lol

[@malloid]

An excellent recounting of the Minutemen. The accident was covered tactfully and with grace, so I was pleased about that. I read Linda's full blog post many years ago and I believe her. No one should doubt her; she's been through enough. Double Nickels is definitely their best work. I'd put it in my top ten albums of all-time (maybe even top five). I have their entire output on SST CDs, and the sale prices on Discogs are crazy high. Doubt I'll ever sell them, though.

[@tdmcgregor5322]

Great video, I still think D Boone's passing is a tragic loss. They had a great sound.

[@troygaspard6732]

Had the luck to see them open for Public Image Limited.

[@rich50ful]

Sacramento? I was with them that night. Then we drove to San Francisco to the Mubuhay

[@StrongBad-r5c]

Once met Mike Watt in Tokyo. Without doubt one of the nicest people I've ever met in my life including all friends and family. The guy is a legend and humble as pie.

[@andydotorg]

When I was young and discovered the Minutemen it felt like I had unearthed punk with a manifesto. It had brains, heart and direction.

[@matthewschiffer4649]

That was great! Thank you for the upload!

[@ultimadum7785]

I love that you cover important underground bands and explore their histories in depth! Much more interesting than hearing the same classic rock stories I've already heard over and over again. (No hate to those channels tho.) Subbed.

[@underfakelights]

Santa Cruz skateboarding videos brought me Minutemen. Jason Jesse, paranoid chant. Such videos were an entry into this world for many folk. I’m from Liverpool UK and US west coast punk and DC hardcore culture flourished among our community here in the mid 80’s to the early 2000’s. It’s all perhaps more relevant today than ever before so hats off for making this video. 👍

[@Autojones]

In 1982 I worked at the same place as D Boon and someone told him I played Guitar and he asked me. " Auto, do you play guitar? " and I said " well, I'm just starting but it's a struggle for me right now, I don't know if I can do it." at lunch time he pulled a blue note pad out, wrote D Boon then his phone number. and he said "call me wednesday or tuesday around 10 AM and you can come over and I'll show you some exercises that will help allot." But I was a lazy teen and I'll regret to the here-after not taking him up on that. The only reason I still play Guitar now is the Guitarist from Pennywise "Fletcher" (who lived up the street from me) asked me the same thing in 83 And I told him the same thing I told D Boon and he said " Dude, anybody can play guitar." He came over to my house and showed me bar cords and how to integrate them with scales etc.

[@collinrust2641]

Amazing.

[@Brokenface]

Cool story

[@brewstergallery]

Ned from Spain here to say thank you so much for this. Minutemen were and always will be one of my top 5 favorite bands. I was part of the Punk/Hardcore scene in NYC in the early 1980s and did tour several times in a van full of equipment and people. It broke my brain and heart when D Boon died. As a drummer I loved their music and George's powerful playing. Mike Watt is a bass God too. BTW why didn't you mention Buzz or Howl ?? In any case a great video and solid history lesson of a legendary band.

[@joho765]

They did a major US tour with Black Flag in 82, which got them instant fans. Also, their live sets were nonstop- every song back to back with no countoffs.

[@hanskloss1331]

and all near a minute long

[@coreyphillips6153]

So glad you did this band. I'd love to see vids on Wipers, Pere Ubu, Wire, Swell Maps, Mission of Burma just to suggest a few 😅

[@chrisold97]

What makes a man start fires and punch line are absolutely underrated

[@ministerofdarkness]

Truly one of the greatest bands of all time. They touched on all genres of music.PLAY LOUD.

[@mangybones]

Man, this is an incredible channel... You do such a good job of storytelling, combined with accurate information. I've learned so much more about some of my favorite bands from these videos. Thanks again!

[@soundofhistory_]

Thank you!

[@BIZARBIES]

I've met Mike Watt and talked to him several times over the years. What a wonderful human. Ed From Ohio is a stand up guy as well. I have always thought that D. Boon would have been the same way. Good people.

[@ZiggaRats]

Watt is the man, and so talented!

[@BIZARBIES]

@@ZiggaRats he's such a great musician.

[@hanskloss1331]

If'n is phenomenal

[@jimlarson777ify]

Thanks for the story! I'll be looking for4ward to more.

[@batekush5352]

that was fantastic, thank you. One of my favourite bands ever

[@SpendLoudNite]

Mike also played in The Stooges, joined in 2003

[@NoCoverCharge]

One of the best show I’ve ever seen was at the 40watt in Athens ga a very small venue/ bar .. mike watt on bass Eddie Vedder singing and on guitar and Dave Grohl on drums !! It was amazing

[@soundofhistory_]

That's incredible!

[@isaakrivera2554]

SICK glad I subscribed right before you dropped this one. maybe the algorithm knew you’d cover my favorite band.

[@yukefort8402]

Short and to the point. This was fitting. I was thirteen when I played in my first band with two of my brothers and a close friend in the very early 90s. We played Minutemen, Minor Threat and Dinosaur covers at local clubs in Fort Myers. Childhood was rough, but damn was it amazing.

[@josephhancook8287]

I was very lucky to see them at the Ritz in NY, oddly on Bomber zee. Incredible show, still a pic of two somewhere. I year later I heard the news on the radio and cried like a child. I loved all those bands from that era but the Minutemen were one of my go to important bands. Thanks for this retrospective. Well done.

[@danielpirone8028]

Thank you for this - they are still one of my favorites bands

[@soundofhistory_]

Glad you liked it! They are fantastic

[@marleywarrior]

I got to see Mike as my birthday present from my dad in October of 2023 at the Spacebar in Columbus with mssv. Mike was adamant about carrying his own gear in, after the show rolling his bass cab out to his van and saying to the person trying to help him load it "it doubles as a walker". When the person trying to help him tried taking it away to load it up he said again, almost punctuating, "It Doubles As A Walker". I knew then he meant what he said. Mike is the epitome of do it yourself to this day. My dad was lucky enough to get Mike's setlist from that show that has his imprint from his Converse after fanboying next to him all night

[@soundofhistory_]

That’s awesome!

[@jameskoebel7816]

Nice! I'm from Columbus,and I work there, but I live North of there, now

[@robertcook2680]

The Minutemen TOWER over all their peers in the California "hard core" or punk communtity, and they remain one of the few punk bands from anywhere whose records reward continued listening these several decades later. I was fortunate them live three times, the last time at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ about six weeks before the accident that killed D. Boon. TRAGIC.

[@johnnyscifi]

George is highly underrated!!! Watt, is also stupidly talented, but i think thats mostly understood Rest in peace, D

[@cocoygranada9403]

Me neat! That's how I feel and entertained everytime I get the catch up on hearing the tracks from their two essential albums "What Makes...." & "Double Nickels...". God, they're clean, secure and atheistic. To borrow Joe Strummer's accolades - S_H_I-T-E !!

[@r.w.bottorff7735]

Wire and the Minutemen are my favorites. Great video!

[@tomallen5837]

I missed the Minuteman but then again, I was East Coast. Eventually, caught Mike Watt one time playing with Ed from Ohio. Firehose. Very cool, but not the energy of the Minutemen. btw, George, if you're ever reading this, I saw Max Roach play as well. He was warm up for his daughter's quartet. He went out on stage with a snare drum and a hi-hat ...and that was it... He literally blew away the audience. I've never seen anybody create a groove the way he did....jaws were dropping. Best warm-up band you could ever have.

[@gregoryclift2439]

I saw Secondmen at SLO Brewery in, um SLO. Mike Watt is such a good bass player.

[@xvariabledesign]

Great doc and insight into band. I had no idea of their origins.

[@seanm3226]

I saw The Minutemen open for R.E.M. in Miami. Less than month later the band was no longer.

[@Mrpsblobsoflowendmung]

To me the greatest and most inspiring Bass Player of all time . And my good friend now ! Legend

[@ianstewart8301]

Glad to to see early punk live on!

[@elainecoll7868]

Dead on Guys!!! Incredible music...

[@xp7575]

Been waitin for this one, let's gooooo!!

[@frederickthorne2496]

great work - thanks for making this

[@soundofhistory_]

Glad you liked it!

[@markiglesias2078]

George Hurley plays in suburban John now as well

[@nancyspungenxx]

Trouser Press magazine. Loved it.

[@TimFloodmusic]

Beautiful!

[@jackspraker3542]

I went to see REM. And I got to see the Minutemen. Norfolk 1985.

[@noverguy]

Excellent presentation. Like the Minutemen tracks - not a dull moment! THANK YOU!

[@wannabecarguy]

I saw " meatmen" and I was excited to hear about Tesco vee .

[@ashtraydekay6624]

I’m new to your channel, and I’ve seen most of your videos already, I never really listened to Janis Joplin, but I watched your video on her, great job

[@monk3ysmuggler]

Ball Hog or Tug Boat is an excellent collection of songs

[@ScottM5.0]

Can’t go wrong with Mascis ripping the hell out of “Maggot Brain”.

[@lioneldm5130]

And very well produced!

[@nixpix44]

I saw Mike watt at the trocadero in 1995 opening for the foo fighters, Dave played drums on a couple of his songs

[@bigcheese2128]

You need more subscribers dude keep going !!!

[@soundofhistory_]

Thank you!

[@Whytedebil]

Def need a video on the Meat Puppies next. 😂

[@soundofhistory_]

Guess I got a name if I ever decide to start a band

[@Whytedebil]

Hell yeah. And you got a story for when you’re asked how the band got its name. 👍🏻

[@gregordiezemann-io6zd]

Our band could be your life❤😊

[@ellarson1]

Meat Puppies??? Skinny Puppy Meat Puppets…

[@ben-yg5jj]

Go see Mike Watt live, he’s always touring. Absolute legend

[@felixmarvin1199]

You can even book him for your own gig, if the gig is in southern California. I did that, and it was a great show. That's how I got invited to be a guest on his podcast the watt from Pedro show. You can do it too! Send him your email pitch and book your own gig!

[@Mrpsblobsoflowendmung]

I got him to play in Liverpool UK. He loves to travel and will arrange gigs into tours ! He just loves meeting people and playing with new musicians from all over the world

[@christopherwebb3517]

I became aware of fIREHOSE first, then learned about the Minutemen later. So I have a stronger connection to fIREHOSE, but I'm really starting to get into the Minutemen through the Pandora shuffle.

[@ph03beuwu]

bro i just came from your minor threat video where ian met jeff because he set off a pipe bomb at school. now these two met when one fell out of a tree lmao. so random!!

[@user-tw5ro3xx2v]

fantastic video, very straight forward and really good. Please change the outro song lol

[@SK-le1gm]

My first bells 🔔👖🔔 cassette

[@vollsticks]

Dave Grohl isn't "the nicest man in rock". It's Mike Watt. And George Hurley too. D.Boon RIP

[@billyzehnal]

Great stuff this story and all the ones you’re doing are entertaining and interesting… How about doing one on Jesus lizard?

[@shruggzdastr8-facedclown]

I have to say that I'm kinda surprised that you didn't mention that, in the late 20-Aughts, Watt joined the reconstituted Stooges with Iggy and the Asheton brothers, recording The Weirdness album and going on a full world tour with them in support of it

[@soundofhistory_]

I chose to focus on the Minutemen or else the video woulda been 2 hours long

[@BillAdams-fb3jm]

Cool video. I'm surprised that you didn't mention Watt's time with The Stooges in it. I mean, Watt works a lot, but even he would tell you that his time with The Stooges was a pretty stand-out event.

[@LividImp]

I'm a former resident of San Pedro and even seen Watt play when I lived there (sadly I moved there after Boon's death). Locals pronounce San Pedro as PEED-droh. Sorry to be pedantic, but hearing PAY-droh kind of drives us nuts. There are dozens of PAY-drohs, but only one PEED-droh. If you listen on History Lesson part 2 Boon pronounces it that way too. And yes, I used to play History Lesson part 2 whenever I would drive to Hollywood to go drink and pogo. Punk rock and the Minutemen indeed changed my life. Other than setting off my pedantic nature, it was a good video. Will have to check out more.

[@JakeBainMusic]

Hey man!! Just came across your channel through the Minor Threat video! And i love it!! Great content, i was wondering you were a fan of Stiff Little Fingers? and whether you’d do a deep dive on them anytime? Keep up the good work man! Love and best wishes from North of Scotland!!

[@goose916]

Double nickels on the dime!

[@israelperez8389]

Desolation Center movie brought me here.

[@mjjames2442]

Thanks

[@Semprini537]

Saw Mike with THE STOOGES

[@Maldoror200]

💀..Pretty comprehensive.(.surprisingly..)

[@chriscoughlin9289]

COULD BE my life? Pretty sure it IS my life - given that I came up in mid-70's Pedro - just like Boon, Watt and Hurley.

[@peterdaigle4772]

Mike is the quintessential punk rock bass player. Friend of the Stooges

[@Shadowbannddiscourse]

Mike also played with the stooges too

[@alexdevisscher6784]

One of those many recent collaborations of Mike Watt is touring as part of The Stooges, with Iggy Pop.

[@SoupkitchenBavaria]

I own the paranoid time ep. 😊

[@miketaylor5141]

Dude! You got me. I’m hooked. New subscriber. You put a ton of work into this and it shows. ❤

[@soundofhistory_]

Thank you - I appreciate that!

[@riverd537]

It’s PEE DRO….ok bro

[@timothylangston3560]

No man is a hero to his valet. (Sp)

[@hypermagicrainbow2786]

LETS GOOOOOO

[@Nobodyimportant696]

Double Nicks. that’s the name of my side band.

[@guancofathereternal760]

Meat Puppies was my fav band... i even got their logo tatted on me.... i was young and dumb....LOL

[@chadgrov]

Our band could be your life

[@GerardGraadmeter]

Well done history lesson by a real fan. This band became my life. Make a doc about NoMeansNo? Thx mate

[@stephenfrancis303]

Harbor area represent san pedro ca ¡

[@giannidcenzo]

Nice

[@kookadams85]

Do a video on FEAR! 🎶 🇺🇸

[@seanwinkel8890]

Do Be-Bop Deluxe!

[@michaelsmyth3935]

Ball Hog?, or Tugboat. Caught him with The Stooges.