Version 1.2
CONTENTS
A. Internet Resources
B. The Band
C. Merchandise
D. Concerts
E. Albums
F. Rumors
G. Personal and Political Issues
H. Credits
Version 1.2
CONTENTS
A. Internet Resources
B. The Band
C. Merchandise
D. Concerts
E. Albums
F. Rumors
G. Personal and Political Issues
H. Credits
Original release date- September 1, 2000
Last revised- November 2001
Changes made during last revision-
Added information about songs Fugazi don't play (section
D)
Added information about the Argument (section E-9)
Previous revision- May 11, 2001
Changes made during that revision-
Updated Links to new site for the world of fugazi
B.5.b. Added question
B.7. Took out snide remark about Ted Nugent.
B.8. Added a link to a complete history of Dischord Records.
E.8. Added a link to a Q&A with Guy about the Instrument
Video.
F.5. Added Daniel Johns to the list and a Daniel Johns
quote.
This F.A.Q. was checked by Guy from Fugazi.
1. Where can I get Fugazi info on the web?
What are the main Fugazi webpages?
| There are a few Fugazi pages on the internet. First of all, the
official site:
http://www.southern.com/southern/band/FUGAZ/index.html Next, there is our page, the World of Fugazi at:
Another great page, with lots of multimedia, bootlegs, pics, etc, can
be found at:
|
2. Is there an up-to-date discography somewhere?
| Yes, there is a discography on the official Fugazi page. You
can find it at:
http://www.southern.com/southern/band/FUGAZ/disc.html We also have one on our homepage at:
|
3. Is there a mailing list?
| Although there is no official mailing list, there is one Fugazi-related
mailing list run by Kris Mestdag. You can sign up for that here:.
http://users.pandora.be/fugazi/fugazimail.htm |
4. Is there a Fugazi newsgroup?
| There is no official Fugazi newsgroup.
There is however a Fugazi Message Board that 'attempts' to serves as an unofficial newsgroup. You can find that at: http://www.delphi.com/fugaziforum/start/ |
5. Where can I get Fugazi music (MP3's) on the net?
| As far as getting songs from the studio released albums, you will have
to find those yourself. The band lives off of the money they make
through their music, so buy the albums.
But if you are looking for live or rare stuff, here are a few links that might help you. There is a live show (Fugazi live at Irving Plaza) located here:
Great collection of Fugazi Live Recordings:
|
6. How can I contact the members of Fugazi?
Where can I e-mail them?
| You can e-mail the band at:
Or you can reach them via snail mail:
c/o Dischord Records
Or in the UK:
|
1. Who is Fugazi?
| Brendan Canty- Drums
Joe Lally- Bass Ian MacKaye- Vocals and Guitar Guy Picciotto- Vocals and Guitar |
2. When did the band Fugazi form? Are the members
still the same?
| The band Fugazi formed in Washington D.C. in 1987. The band started
out with Ian MacKaye and Joe Lally on the bass, playing with a variety
of different drummers. Eventually Brendan Canty of Happy Go Licky
joined with Joe and Ian, and the three-piece actually played a show together
in 1987. In 1988, Guy Picciotto, who had been serving as a
glorified roadie (singing backups on certains songs), joined the band and
Fugazi as we know it today was formed.
Recently, in 1998, a new 'fifth-member', Jerry Busher (also in the All Scars) has been playing off and on with the band. He provides addional drumming and plays the trumpet on a few songs. However, he is still not considered a full-member of the band (if that really matters). |
2b. Is it true that Guy was a roadie for Fugazi before
he joined the band?
| It seems that Guy was in fact a roadie, but only for a show or two.
He had just left 'Happy Go Licky', and he toured with Fugazi, singing back-up
vocals on a couple of songs.
In the Instrument video, Joe says that Guy was 'in the crowd for the first couple of shows". In 1988, he joined the band for good. |
2c. With a name like Guy Picciotto, what can
you tell me about Guy's ethnic background?
| Guy says that he is "a mixed bag - my first name is french, the last name is sicilian. just a typical american background - usual european mixture. and my dad's an italian citizen". |
3. How old are all of the band members?
| Instead of me having to change this every year, I will give you their
birthdates, and you can do the math.
Brendan- March 9, 1966
|
3b. Where were the members of the band born?
| Brendan- Teaneck, NJ
Joe- Rockville, MD Ian- Washington, DC Guy- Washington, DC |
3c. Where do the band members currently live?
| All of the members currently live in the Washington, D.C. area.
Ian moved to
Arlington, Virginia for a while, into a home that now serves as an office for Dischord Records. |
3d. Why did Ian move to Arlington?
| Ian says: "I moved out of DC and into Arlington in October of 1981. Initially it was 5 punk kids moving out of our parent's houses and we needed to find a place that we could practice in, as well as set up the label, that was affordable. I actually only intended to stay out of the city for 6 months, but ended up staying in Arlington for over 16 years. At one point more than half of the house was built into offices for Dischord, but now only I still work there. I live in the DC area because this is where I was born. This is my home." |
4. What other bands have the members of Fugazi been
in?
| Brendan- Rites
of Spring, Dead
Line, One Last
Wish, Happy
Go Licky, Insurrection, and Brief Weeds.
Ian- Embrace, Minor Threat, Skewbald/Grand Union, Pailhead, The Teen Idles, Slinkees and Egghunt. Guy- Brief Weeds, Rites of Spring, Insurrection, One Last Wish, and Happy Go Licky. Joe- Lunchbox and Pitbull. |
4b. What can you tell me about the band 'Insurrection'?
| Guy says this about his time with the band 'Insurrection': "[In the early '80s] Insurrection played eight or 10 shows around Washington, D.C. We made one demo tape with Ian [MacKaye of Fugazi] -- but it got buried by the wishes of the band because it was so terrible. We definitely weren't ready. We tried to do it and it was a complete disaster. We asked not to receive copies." |
5. What does the name FUGAZI mean?
| The name 'Fugazi' comes from a book that Ian read called "Nam" by Mark
Baker. Ian says: "It's a book of reflections of Vietnam veterans and at
one point, this guy said everything was Fugazi. I looked it up in the glossary
and it said, 'fucked up situation'. It was right at the point
when we were getting ready to do our first shw and I was desperately trying to come up with a name, anything other than Ian's New Band. It was really important for me and the band to not be 'Ian's New Band'. We all have an equal sharing part." The actual acronmym FUGAZI means:
|
5b. How do you pronounce the name of the Band?
| The members of the band say it 'Foogähzee'. |
6. Are any of the members of Fugazi involved in other
projects besides Fugazi?
| You betcha. All of the members are heavily involved with other
bands and other projects. The list is quite impressive, and this
is by no means a complete list of all of their projects:
Ian
|
7. Who do the members of Fugazi cite as influences
musically?
| Brendan- Jazz
Joe- "the people in my band, Arthur Lee, Scott (Wino) Weinrich of the Obsessed and now Shine, Louis Armstrong, Joy Division, the list is endless I suppose". Ian- He has said that his influences are Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Beatles, Ted Nugent (apparently Ian finds it interesting that Ted hunts and kills all of his own food), Queen, and Cheap Trick. Guy- we will ask him As a band- Guy: "we don't really have any set influences that we all share as a band per say, mainly because we all listen to so much different stuff that it would be kind of impossible to cover the full range. that said, i would say the most obvious source of inspiration for us has always been other bands from DC - from bands like the Bad Brains and Void in the early 80's to bands like Dead Meadow, Quixotic and the All Scars now. It may not always show up in strictly musical terms but we feel most tied into other bands from DC as a matter of community. |
8. What does Fugazi have to do with Dischord Records?
| Ian MacKaye started the company in 1980 with his bandmate at the time,
Jeff Nelson. The company started out as a small company only created to
put out their own records, and records of their friends. But over time,
it has grown into a fairly large independent label and has spawned groups
like Shudder to Think and Fugazi. Ian says: "The thing about Dischord,
as a label, it's gotten bigger and bigger. We've been around for so long,
primarily because of the Fugazi stuff, and also Minor Threat, and a lot
more people have become kind of involved with the label as a sort of family.
They work there, and there's a lot of activity, and a lot of stuff that
Dischord is involved with that most people have no idea about. Particularly
within
distribution. We lend an awful lot of money out to a lot of local labels to help them get stuff done. I think that the label's sort of gotten bigger than itself at this point. So, when I think about stopping the label, it really means it's gonna stop an awful lot of things and people. And Ihave to be very, very thoughtful about it before I do something like that." |
1. Where can I find Fugazi's music?
| You can buy Fugazi C.D.'s online at various different places. The Dischord
site is probably the cheapest.
You can also get most of their C.D.'s from any decent record store. If they don't have any in stock, they will likely be able to order one for you. Fugazi have always attempted to keep the cost of their C.D.'s low and accessible to all fans. Most of their C.D's are less than $12 US, postage paid. If you would rather support a major corporation, you can get any Fugazi release at CDNOW or Amazon.com as well. |
1b. Where can I find the song "In Defense of Humans"
and where can I buy it?
| 'In Defense of Humans' can be found on a compilation entitled 'State
of the Union'. You can buy it here:
http://www.southern.com/southern/shop/release-info.cgi?stock=073082 |
2. Where can I get Fugazi shirts and stickers?
| Fugazi aren't too terribly interested in making t-shirts and stickers.
Check your local record store if you desperately need one, although if
you do find one, keep in mind that they aren't sponsored or supported by
the band.
There are no official Fugazi t-shirts. |
2b. Why are there no Fugazi t-shirts?
| According to Ian: "We just want to put out records. The rest
seems somewhat empty."
If you are still confused, see lyrics to 'Merchandise'. |
2c. I once saw a "This is Not a Fugazi" T-shirt.
Was that an official Fugazi t-shirt? Where can I get one?
| There was a T-shirt made that said "This is not a Fugazi T-shirt",
but it was in fact, not a Fugazi t-shirt. Apparently the band had nothing
to do with the making of that shirt. It was a bootleg. In fact, at
one point, CDNOW wanted to interview Guy, but he refused to do it because
they were selling the bootlegged shirt (for over $20). He told them
that if they got rid of the shirt, he would do an interview with them.
CDNOW claimed that they were unaware that the shirt was a bootleg, and
to their credit, they dropped the shirt. Guy did the interview.
As far as where you can get one, who knows...who cares. |
1. Where does Fugazi play and how can I get tickets?
| Fugazi only play at all age venues. They mostly play in smaller clubs.
You can get tickets usually through local indie record stores. If you are
feeling really lucky, you can wait and try to get some at the door of the
concert, but most Fugazi shows sell out long before that happens. Keep
checking the official Fugazi tour page at:
http://www.southern.com/southern/tour/tour.cgi?band=FUGAZ |
1b. Is it true that during the last Fugazi tour,
some of the shows were at age-restricted venues? If so, why?
| According to Guy: "there was one show on the last tour in savannah,
georgia where we showed up to play and the venue pulled a fast one on us
and told us right before
showtime that the gig was not all ages. it was the first time in our 13 years of being a band that we found ourselves in that position - we were able to manage a compromise situation whereby we got the club to open up the side doors of the venue next to the stage and under agers were able to watch the gig from that vantage point but the situation was still a real drag for us. our policy in terms of only playing all ages shows has not changed in any respect and this one incident only reinforced our conviction that we need to be ultra-diligent in terms of making sure that all venues we work with respect that policy." |
1c. Why were tickets for the last Fugazi tour available
through Ticketmaster?
| According to Guy: "I think the basic answer is that since our
shows
sell out so fast and we don't tour that much, we wanted to make sure that kids who live a bit outside of the towns we play would have an equal chance to get tickets to see the shows. We also always make sure a bunch of tickets are made available through local indie record shops and at the clubs themselves so people who don't want to deal with Ticketmaster's extra charges don't have to. we also have been able to get Ticketmaster to respect the issue of our low door price and to moderate their charges on occasion." |
2. How much are tickets?
| Fugazi have always attempted to keep prices low for their tickets.
In most cases, they are sold for five or six bucks. In Europe and Canada,
they will obviously be a little bit more, but they are still way less than
most competitors. In Washington D.C., they only play benefit concerts.
Every year, Fugazi play a free concert at Fort Reno park in Washington D.C. |
2b. Why are tickets so cheap?
| Because Fugazi are not like many other bands that tour in order to
make a fortune off of their fans.
Ian has said that the cheaper concert ticket price allows the band to be more honest at their concerts: "For five bucks we could suck. Because we are human and we do suck sometimes". Also, there aren't any extravagant light shows or crap like that. It is just the four (sometimes five) guys with their instruments. This is not to say that Fugazi put on a poor live show. In fact, the band has been known to play for well over two hours. They are well known for their live intensity. |
3. Is it true that Fugazi has played in all
of the fifty states?
| During the tour in support of Red Medicine, the band played many first-time
stops such as
Alabama, and New Hampshire. With these two stops in the U.S., that meant that the band had indeed played in every one of the 50 states at least once. The band has travelled all over the world. Many of these shows can be found in a Concert Chronology found at http://www.worldoffugazi.org click on gig-list |
4. I heard that there is no moshing allowed
at Fugazi concerts? Is this true?
| The band has taken a stand against moshing. This is because the
band doesn't want to see anyone carried away from their shows on a backboard.
Ian has said that it has a lot to do with the macho image that moshing
has taken on. It is an unfair concert where the biggest and the strongest
are the ones with the best seats because they push everyone else out of
the way. Ian says this about it: "We play loud, electric guitar music, and you'd hope that that doesn't mean you have to act like an asshole". So dance, jump up and down and enjoy yourself, but don't push forward, and show a bit of concern for those around you. That is all they ask. |
5. What is the band's policy on bootlegs and on recording
of shows?
| Guy says:
"our bootleg policy is really pretty straight forward. we are completely into people taping our shows and trading those tapes. we are also basically cool with people posting shows on the internet as long as its for free. where we draw the line is when people turn our music into a saleable product without our permission. even if people are selling tapes or CDR's for nominal amounts we are not into it and we are definitely against people marketing vinyl or CD's and selling them for stupid large amounts of money. we feel when we play live the music is open and available to everyone and we're not into people capitalizing off that access". |
6. What kind of equipment does the band use?
| This applies only to their live shows:
Ian plays a white or cream Gibson SG Standard. I remember
seeing in the video
Guy mostly plays a white and black Rickenbacker. I'm completely
in the dark
As far as amplification goes, they both use Marshall half
stacks. I don't really
-Thanks to 'Normal Guy' According to Guy: "Here is our basic set up: brendan plays a 4
piece Gretsch drum set with
|
7. Why doesn't the band play 'In Defense of Humans'
live?
| Here is the probable explanation from a frequent visitor to our message
board, RedMartin:
"i once spent a whole show shouting for them to play "in defense..", to the point where Brendan burst out laughing, and said that i could ask as many time as i could manage but there was no way they were gonna play it. so after the show i spoke to Jerry (the highy secret fifth Fugazi-ite) and he said that he believes the reason they dont play it is because it was written before Guy joined and had no parts for him to play live. i guess this reinforces the "fugazi as a unit" ideal that they push. anyways..i also asked Brendan the following night and he said pretty much the same thing. what was nice, was that he was really pleased that someone had been calling for a different song, instead of the usual faves." |
8. What other songs do Fugazi not play anymore?
| RedMartin writes: After a discussion on the Fugazi Forum I emailed
Guy and asked him about the songs they don't play. Here is his reply.
There are really only a very few songs that we don't play anymore - here's a brief rundown as best as i can recall: 1. Polish - this is a song we may have played once or twice but probably no more than that. At this point none of us have any idea how to play it and none of us really like it much so i think that it is fair to say that of all the songs we don't do, this one stands the least chance of resurrection. 2. In Defense of Humans/ Turn off Your Guns/ the Word - these are songs we played alot when the band first started ( both on tours in Europe and the US) but they kind of dropped out of circulation after i started playing guitar. Some of the earliest songs like Furniture, Merchandise and Keep Your Eyes Open got revamped with the second guitar and re-entered the fold but these 3 have yet to be re-visited for whatever reason. 3. Latest Disgrace - this is a song we know how to play and often practice but for some reason we never have had it fit in with the shows that well. Its a bit of a mystery - can't say we'll never play it again but it would probably be a rare thing. 4. Long Distance Runner - we actively play this song. Maybe not as much as some of the others but it is definitely in rotation. Not sure how it ended up on your list. 5. Steady Diet ( instrumental) - we played this for a long time but haven't really had the urge in the last few years. Rarely practiced at this point and kind of sitting around in the wings. 6. stuff of the Instrument soundtrack - things like LITTLE DEBBIE and I'M SO TIRED were just done at practice as one-offs and have never been played live to this point. Everything else is part of the standard repertoire. Some songs we favor more than others live just because we like them and they work in the set but they all get their number called at some point. Anything on the above list always has the potential to be revisisted - we are always going back and pulling songs or parts out of the scrap heap and resuscitating them. |
1. What's the story behind '13 Songs'?
1. Waiting Room
|
1b. Did everyone contribute equally to the making
of the first album, or was it mostly Ian?
| Ian says: "The first record is primarily songs that I wrote myself,
both lyrics and music-not all of it, obviously-like Guy wrote the lyrics
for the songs he sang. The beginning of
the band before we were playing live was just stuff I wrote." |
1c. What can you tell me about the song 'Furniture'?
Where can I find it?
| It isn't available on any of the officially released c.d's.
The band does play it live occasionally and it is on the Instrument video. You can find the lyrics here |
1d. What can you tell me about the song 'In Defense
of Humans'?
| You can find it on the 'State of the Union' compilation. (See Section
C.1.b.)
For the lyrics, click here |
2. What's the story behind 'Repeater + 3 Songs'?
1. Turnover
|
2b. What's with Reprovisional? That seems like
it's the same song as Provisional from 13 Songs?
| Here's Guy again: "It is. We recorded the song twice - once for
the Margin Walker album and once for Repeater. the only difference is that
i am playing guitar on the
2nd version (Reprovisional). we decide to reprise it cos that was the first song i started playing guitar on (before that i only used to sing with the band) so we thought it would be interesting to try it again. I guess the 2 versions do kind of sound more or less the same, but at the time it made sense to us." |
3. What's the story behind 'Steady Diet of
Nothing'?
1. Exit Only
|
4. What's the story behind 'In on the Kill
Taker'?
1. Facet Squared
|
4b. Where does the title 'In on the Kill Taker' come
from? What does it mean?
| Actually the title comes from a mysterious letter that the band found
while recording the album. In a response to a letter that I wrote to the
band, Guy Picciotto said this about
the title: "the title was cribbed from the weird handwritten text we used on the back cover. it was found in the street and we have no idea who wrote it or what they were inspired by". |
4c. I heard that 'In on the Kill Taker' was originally
recorded with Steve Albini. Is this true?
| This from Arthurkill, a frequent visitor to the message board:
"I read well (heard) an interview, in which Ian was talking about these sessions. Originally the band went up to albini's to record some kind of a single, but when they got there they found they were having such a great time w/ albini, that they decided to go ahead and record a full album. And at the time they thought it was the greatest piece of music ever laid to tape. But Ian says that has they were driving back to D.C. (from Chicago)Ian and Joe in one car and Guy and Brendan in the other, each car somewhere along the line listeined to the tape, and all four agreed that it sucked. Then when Ian got home steve called and told him that he listeined to the tape after they had left and that it sucked. So both parties agreed to hide the tapes and make sure they never saw the light of day. This tape is for the most part Killtaker, all the songs were reworked and one song was later added. And now you know the rest of the story..." |
4d. What is that on the cover of the c.d.?
| The yellow part on the left is a picture of the Washington Monument. The blue part on the right is the 'strange' letter mentioned in answer 4b. |
5. What's the story behind 'Red Medicine'?
1. Do You Like Me
|
5b. What does the title 'Red Medicine' refer to?
| According to Guy: "Its the name of the album."
I guess he didn't want to answer that one! |
5c. What is that on the c.d. cover?
| The top half is a picture of the band's amp. The bottom half is an upside-down picture of the four band members in water. |
5d. Is this album really as experimental as everyone
says?
| That is subjective of course, but it definitely is different than their
previous albums (although every album was different than the previous albums).
Guy says this: "It's not really an experimental album - we just wanted
to feel free to do
|
6. What is the story behind 'End Hits'?
1. Break
|
6b. What does the title 'End Hits' mean? Does
it mean the band is going to break up?
| As far as what it means, here is what Ian has to say:
"Ah, but we knew that (people would misinterpret the title to mean that
the band was going to break up). It wasn't like it was a surprise to us,
because we talked about it. It's more about the end of the century and
the slow-moving apocalypse, so it was sort of like, "Here are some last
words from the world." But whatever. We were aware of the fact that people
would
|
6c. What is that on the cover of the c.d.?
| It is believed that the cityscape on the cover of 'End Hits' is from Hong Kong. The top part of the picture seems to be a satellite image. |
7. Where can I find the Lyrics to songs off of any
of these albums?
| Well, if you own the c.d.'s, you can look in the liner notes. But if for some reason, that isn't possible, you can go here. |
7b. Have any other bands done any cover versions
of Fugazi songs?
| Yep. These are the ones that we have heard of:
Red Hot Chili Peppers- Waiting Room
|
8. What's the story with the 'Instrument' soundtrack?
1. pink frosty demo
|
8b. What's the story with the 'Instrument' Video?
Here is the official press release regarding the film: "A collaboration between filmmaker Jem Cohen and the Washington DC band, the project covers the ten-year period from the band's inception in 1987. Far from a traditional documentary, the project is a musical document: a portrait of musicians at work. Says Cohen: "With no desire on my part or the band's to create a factual career survey or any kind of promotional vehicle, the project presented an opportunity to cut things loose. Mixing sync-sound 16mm, Super-8, video, and a wide range of archival formats, the piece includes concert footage, studio sessions, practice, touring, interviews and portraits of audience members from around the country. Piecing it together over the course of about 5 years, I thought of bringing "dub" to documentary -- of a project where unadulterated real-time performances, abstract, rough-hewn Super 8 collages and archival artifacts would collide and conjoin in a way that honestly represented musical experience. The project was edited with band members and extensively uses soundtrack elements provided by Fugazi specifically for the film." |
8c. Is the Instrument video available on DVD?
| According to Guy: "we are working on a DVD of INSTRUMENT which
will have some extra stuff on it but we are still working our way through
the production process on that."
The extra stuff is apparently "about 30 minutes of extra footage. there
will be 3 full songs from
It will be available sometime in 2001, so we will keep you posted on that one. |
8c. Who is Jem Cohen, and what is his relation
to Fugazi?
| Jem
Cohen is a long time friend of the band.
Filmography INSTRUMENT
LOST BOOK FOUND.
LUCKY 3.
BURIED IN LIGHT
DRINK DEEP.
BLACK HOLE RADIO.
JUST HOLD STILL.
THIS IS A HISTORY OF NEW YORK.
WITNESS BUTTHOLE SURFERS.
Cohen has also done film/music collaborations with musicians including R.E.M., Jonathan Richman, Miracle Legion, Flat Duo Jets, Gil Shaham and the Orpheus Orchestra, Vic Chesnutt and Blonde Redhead. Ian says this about their relationship: "Jem Cohen and I went to Woodrow Wilson High School together here in
Washington. He's been quite close to the band since the very beginning.
He actually co-wrote the song 'Glue Man,' and he's been filming us, really,
since the beginning of the band, in one form or
|
9. What is the story behind 'The Argument' and 'Furniture + 2 Songs'?
1. (intro)
Furniture + 2 Songs contains the following songs:
|
9b. Why did the band decide to have 2 separate releases this time around?
| Here is what Guy had to say when I asked him:
"the reason we decided to do an album and a single is that when we were done recording we realized that we had too much material to fit time-wise on a single 12" vinyl album (alot of the songs are fairly long). there are physical limits to the amount of material you can put on a vinyl record without losing sound quality and we didn't want to be forced into putting out a double album with just 13 songs total. thinking about it we realized that it made sense to split the material up so that the album (called "The Argument") would be composed of all brand new compositions, distinct from the single, which is made up of 2 songs that we had written a long time ago but never recorded (like "Furniture") plus a new instrumental "Number 5" which seemed to fit better on there mood-wise. ultimately it aesthetically, sonically and practically made more sense to us. artwise: the graphics on both releases were done in collaboration with Jem Cohen." |
9c. Isn't Furniture an old song?
| Yes. It has been played live for years, and it also appears on the Instrument Video. Hello Morning is also an older song. |
9d. I heard some other song names. Why aren't the following songs on
either c.d.?
| This Little Piggy- this song is called Cashout
Amble- now called Stragelight Link Wray- now called Ex-spectator |
1. Is it true that Fugazi turned down the headlining
spot at Lollapalooza?
| This seems to be the case. It seems as though the band felt that the ticket prices were too high, and they didn't want to be associated with that. Although there were probably a million other reasons as well. But as of now, this is only a rumor. |
2. What is the band's stance on doing interviews?
| There is no 'official' position on doing interviews. In fact,
the guys have done countless interviews for small webzines and such.
However, as should be expected, the band members usually refuse to talk about their personal lives in interviews. Interviews with major publications do seem to be a bit more of a sticky
issue.
|
3. Is it true that Fugazi have been offered
spots on major labels and turned them all down?
| Yeah, this is definitely true.
Ian says it best: "There are some major labels who are suddenly enamored
of us because our name is on a list in some trade publication. Those people
I don't really have much time for because they really don't have time for
me. We're just not interested. There's nothing the
Fugazi will never sign to a major label. |
4. Why don't Fugazi make videos for their songs?
| Ian has said in the past: "We aren't interested in that form of advertising". |
5. Who are some of the artists/bands that cite Fugazi
as an influence?
| We are sure that there are hundreds of artists that do, but here is
a list of some 'well-known' Fugazi lovers.
Eddie Vedder- Pearl Jam
Here's a quote from Daniel Johns: ""Fugazi is the only band where I like every single song, including the B-sides. The music is stripped back and very raw and very experimental. I've always liked Ian MacKaye and his approach to life and his approach to music. I admire someone who has ideals and beliefs and integrity and doesn't give in to them for the sake of being cool. On both these albums the songs are really simple and they're arranged in creative ways. Fugazi have the attitude of punk rock but the experimentation of arty rock music. I think they have something special and they know it, so they don't want to fuck with the formula too much." |
6. I heard that the band refused to play at the Tibetan
Freedom Concert in Washington D.C.. Why?
| Ian said that the band prefers to do things on a more grassroots level. |
G. POLITICAL AND PERSONAL ISSUES
1. What did Ian MacKaye have to do with the starting
of the straight edge movement?
| Ian wrote a song called 'Straight Edge' for Minor Threat, and the straight
edge movement was basically started from there. Ian says that he really
did not intend to start the movement:
"I'm interested in the phenomenom of youth movements, so it's pretty amazing to have written a song that has apparently launched one, but it was never my intention and I cringe when I am associated with the more violent or fundamentalist elements of 'straight edge'. Having said that, I also want to be clear that by far most of the people I've met who identify themselves as part of the S.E. movement strike me as good and constructive". |
1b. Do Fugazi consider themselves a straight
edge band?
| Joe answers this question bluntly: "We're not a political straight-edge
band!!!!!"
Ian says: "When I wrote the song (and coined the phrase) I was celebrating the individual's right to choose their own way. I think people should take responsibility for their actions, but I'm not interested in joining a club to force the issue". |
1c. Okay, then what are the members personal stances
on the issues of straight edge? Do they drink or do drugs?
| All Ian says about this is: "I respect people's decisions about what
they do or how they live."
As should we. |
1d. What about vegetarianism?
| Here is what Guy says about the issue:
"everyone in the band falls somewhere along the vegetarian/vegan continuum with different diet variations between the 4 of us. its sometimes a bit funny when people assume that the group has a "group" opinion on things that are really matters of individual behavior and opinion. we don't really monitor each other in that way". |
2. What is the marital/family status of all of the
band members?
| Even though we aren't really sure that this is any of our business,
there has been some info posted about this on the official Fugazi page,
so we feel okay at least giving you that much.
Brendan is married and has two kids.
|
3. What are some of the political causes that the
band supports?
| Amnesty International
Positive Force Fort Reno The Washington Free Clinic Campaign for Tibet Emmaus Services Food Not Bombs and many many many more! For more info about the causes that Fugazi supports, go here. |
| Thanks to anyone that has helped out in any way with the making of
this monstrosity. Hopefully I am not forgetting anyone. Below
are those that I would like to thank for their contributions:
Normal Guy, PICKL,
Arthurkill,
RedMartin,
Vince
Maskeeper, Kris Mestdag, Caree,
|
| If you want to use something from this FAQ, that's fine. Just
let me know, or at least post a link to one of our sites:
The World of Fugazi @
http://www.worldoffugazi.org If you have any additions, revisions, hate-mail, etc, you can e-mail me here. |
Copyright © 2000 Lockheed Martin Inc. Animal Rights Reserved
