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Because I've seen Minor Threat pop up there a tiny bit there in "SLC Punk." There's a little bit of Minor Threat in that movie.
Yeah. Henry had nothing to do with that, though.
How about yourself, though? Have you ever listened to the Jim Rome sports show?
No. I know what it is. They play our music.
Yeah. I thought that was pretty cool. Jim Rome.
Jim Rome.
Jim Rome, the sportscaster.
The Washington Redskins football team, last year, apparently, during the third down they would play "Waiting Room" in the stadium. I didn't hear it myself, I was told that by many people, though.
So that's what's probably influenced Limp Bizkit then, eh?
Perhaps. I don't know what to make of this Limp Bizkit thing. [There is a rumour floating that Limp Bizkit is going to cover Fugazi's "Waiting Room"] I don't know what to make of that.
Ian, what do you think of that Poison Idea record, where it's "[makes throat slitting sound] Ian MacKaye"?
I don't think that's what it's called. I think it's just called "Ian MacKaye" and the cover is a big, spread asshole. I think you're getting two different records mixed up again. But, what do I think about it? Um, huh. It hurts my feelings, but I don't really care.
Had you known those guys or done any gigs with them?
I don't know them, but their point of view - and a lot of people who assail my name or image or whatever - their point of view is that "There are people that consider him a god, so we're just trying to show he's just a human." But my position is that you don't throw rocks at human beings. So if you're going to be cruel to me, then you're making me into something that's apparently larger than life. If they're going to be ugly about my name or ugly about me, then all they're doing is reinforcing the idea that I'm not a human being, that I am some weird god. I'm comfortable with myself being a human being. I don't know why they have to waste their time writing about me. But that's twelve years ago, or eleven years ago. Let's get topical here.
Well, how about your pockets? Do you carry five dollar bills in your pockets in case you have to kick somebody out and give them their money back?
No, I don't. But if I need to escort somebody out of the room and give them their money back, I'm sure I can borrow the money from somebody in the room, but I wouldn't carry it in my pocket. I have done so in the past, but we don't have that many problems any more. We don't really have to ask many people to leave. You'd be surprised, though, if you just give one person's money back, how much enjoyable an evening can be. Because usually it's just one or two people that are causing most of the problems.
Have you ever planted anybody in the audience, just for a joke, and pretended to kick them out, just for fun?
No.
Ian MacKaye of Fugazi, how about stuff that's been chucked at you? What kind of stuff's been chucked at you when you guys have been up on stage?
It's been quite a while. Recently, actually, on our last tour, we had three nights in a row where people threw beer on stage. Huge, full glasses of beer. Generally speaking, people don't usually throw that much stuff. I guess we have a t-shirt now and then. Last night [in Victoria, BC], someone threw a spiked wrist band and - oh - an Indian necklace. It wasn't chucked at us. It was just dropped on the floor and tossed up on stage. And, oh, in Kelowna, BC, people were in the front row with their fingers in their ears so we gave them some ear plugs and about a song or two later, some ear plugs came on stage.
Did Allison of Bratmobile inadvertently chuck a tampon at you guys?
You'll have to ask Allison about that.
Do you remember the story at all or perhaps what I'm alluding to?
Oh yeah, but you'll still have to ask Allison about that.
Well, what's your take on that story, Ian?
My take is that you'll have to ask Allison about that.
How about your take on this story: Calvin Johnson, glass ashtray.
I didn't throw it.
What happened there? It's kind of dangerous if you open for Fugazi, isn't it?
No.
Wasn't it for Beat Happening that night? Calvin got a glass ashtray in his forehead or something like that?
It was 1991. Is it dangerous to open for Fugazi now? No, it's not. In 1991, we were playing Los Angeles. It was a different time and people there were very aggressive and when they were playing, someone threw an ashtray. It was not glass, however, but it was hard enough to split his nose open, but he didn't miss a beat because he immediately said, and you may actually get the reference, "Somebody broke my nose. Dump the whole balcony," which is a reference. Do you know the reference?
[head shake]
Oh, I'm so disappointed in you, Nardwuar.
Help me Ian, help me. Teach me, Ian.
It's a Germs live album where Darby says, "Somebody broke my nose. Dump the whole balcony." So, in other words, somebody broke his nose and he immediately quotes Darby, who is, of course a quintessential LA punk rock guy. I think that was Beat Happening's first punk rock experience. They'd played smaller shows, but I don't think they'd ever been in front of something like that. The crowds have been - they've gone through quite a cycle. I've been involved with music for twenty-one years now, so I've seen this scene go through all sorts of weird conniptions and that particular era was weird. When we first started playing, the music we played was so bizarre. That's what I find so funny, people talking about our old record being so classic, but when we first started playing "Waiting Room," at that time, contextually, with the music that was being played, people thought, "What is this weird, reggae crap?" They hated that song. They hated that song. So that goes to show that there's always room for growth and change and if you don't take advantage of that, you're just going to keep beating on the same drum.
Ian, how about some crazy stuff from doing your own gigs and doing your own stuff, like a stage collapsing on you in Phoenix and helicopters overhead? Do you remember that? Didn't you go through the stage?
Yeah, I fell through the stage. It was a water-logged stage. I was jumping up and down and it went up to my knees and actually managed to cut my shins fairly severely, but meanwhile the police helicopter going around with a spotlight on us and skinhead kids rioting out in the street there.
Ian, do you still have your bass from The Teen Idles?
Yes.
When the Teen Idles flew out to LA to do a gig, did you play with The Mentors?
We took a Greyhound bus out to LA. We didn't fly.
Sorry, I correct myself.
I'm so disappointed with you. We played at the Hong Kong Café with Vox Pop, who ended up being 45 Grave, The Mentors, and a band called Puke, Spit, and Guts. We borrowed Vox Pop's bass amp. We borrowed Paul Cutler's bass. We actually took this Greyhound bus out there carrying a guitar, a bass, and a pair of drum sticks. We just assumed we'd be able to borrow equipment. We did, actually, end up borrowing equipment, but they were not pleased about it and we were paid for that gig.
Fifteen dollars.
That's absolutely right.
And eleven dollars in San Francisco.
That's correct. At the Mabuhay Gardens. You know who we played with? We played with The Wrong Brothers there. That's new wave. The Wrong Brothers, instead of The Wright Brothers, you see?
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