August 15, 2005

We Jam Econo. The Minutemen were a punk band out of San Pedro, California in the early 1980s... but that's not the half of it. Think punk is about safety pins and dyed hair? These guys will show you differently. Here's the trailer. Or listen to stuff here.

The film is also the story of a great friendship between D. Boon and Mike Watt. Lead singer D. Boon died in a car accident in 1985. Mike Watt, the bassist, continues to do his own music. George Hurley, the drummer for most of the band's existence, also played with Watt in fIREHOSE.

posted by patita 19 years ago
  • ))) patita! Phew, just in time to catch a screening in a couple weeks! Wow, I would have surely been kicking myself had I missed it. Based on the trailer, this looks to be a great docu (and that Thurston Moore has a wall of vinyl , Henry Rollins a wall of VHS)! This month is already *taking me back* with all of the bands playing CBGB benefit shows in NYC. *starts rifling through my old SST cassettes*
  • Thanks, patita, for some great memories. Minutemen and Meat Puppets were a staple for me in the early 80s. I had really just begun to appreciate the minutemen when Boon died. When I think of these bands, it makes me puzzled when Green Day gets called "punk." Sheee-it.
  • I caught the film last week and it was really sweet. Lots of footage from live shows, some of it is much higher quality that you'd expect. It was one of the first documentaries where the "talking heads" were always relevant. Richard Hell has a wall of books, too :)
  • This is very cool. I haven't listened to the Minutemen in ages, wtf has been wrong with my head? Richard Hell and the Voidoids!! One of the first "punk" albums I ever bought. Ah.
  • Wow I can't wait to see this! I got to see the Minutemen in a tiny venue back in 1984. One of the best shows I've ever seen!
  • Richard Hell has an archive. Double Nickles on the Dime is one of my all time favorite albums. My best friend in college had an 18lb cat named Boon -- he passed away a few years ago and is well missed.
  • I never got to see the Minutemen, but I have seen Watt a few times, and it's always a great show.
  • Thanks for this post -- I loved the Minutemen and used to make the trek over to New Jersey to catch them at Maxwell's. I still remember the thrill of dashing down to the Village to buy Double Nickles on the Dime as soon as it came out -- and it didn't disappoint my high expectations. I can't wait to see the movie.
  • Can't believe I missed this until languagehat's comment put it in the sidebar. I loved these lads - I'll enjoy picking through this lot. Thanks patita.
  • Mike Watt's Message Board is a fun read. It appears that he moderates it himself.
  • Thanks for the link patita! Nice stuff to dig through... He's got some great pics posted as well! ♫I keep thinking of world war three...I don't even worry about crime anymore... So many goddamn scared faces! I keep thinking of Russia, Russia...!!! Paranoid! Scared shitless!♫ *hears that bass* *smiles* The Minutemen's stuff always made me feel good inside...