Anchor dragging behind

Download: MINUTEMEN "The Red and the Black (live)"
Download: MINUTEMEN "The Product (live)"
Download: MINUTEMEN "Political Song for Michael Jackson to Sing (live)"

You probably already know that there's a Minutemen documentary called "We Jam Econo" premiering this Friday in Pedro. These here MP3s were procured from the awesome Corndogs site which has a judicious selection of live Minutemen stuff as well as more recent Watt projects -- lots of it as flac files, and there's video, too -- easy way to lose an afternoon. The first tune sounds like a board tape, and it's labelled from December 1st in San Francisco, opening up for P.I.L. at the Stone.

The second and third tunes are from the Minutemen's gig at Flynn's on Miami Beach on August 2, 1984, which was broadcast live on the radio. I used to have a cassette copy much closer to the original master than these MP3s -- in my first year at NYU, I lent the tape to my pal Greggg who was so blown away by it he said "Man, I'd be more careful with that tape than I would be in getting a girl pregnant!" I've since lost that tape, and never gotten anyone pregnant. That I know of anyway.

So, I was at that show at Flynn's, and, as it was the best show I'd ever seen (and perhaps since!) I snuck out to the one the next night even though it meant I got grounded for two months afterward. I'd gotten in the first night at 4AM; it was summer vacation time but my folks were not happy about their delinquent stoner almost-tenth grader getting in so late after being out with people in their twenties all night!

The only time I ever shaved my head is when Dennes Dale Boon passed away -- a friend from SST called to tell me that the Minutemen's van had flipped. Fuck, I must have cried for days! They were my favorite band and that guy had such a warmth of spirit -- we corresponded really briefly around the time of this show. I still think about D. Boon all the time. I even wonder if there is any truth to Glenn Branca's assertion that the FBI had D. killed. Probably not, but who knows?

PS: In case you were wondering, I do not look good as a skin, as my scalp is kind of blue.