1983: Hüsker Dü - Metal Circus

Anarchy in punk rock is bullshit. It doesn’t take much to rail against governments, institutions, or even that asshole who roughed you up for looking like a freak when, at then end of the day, you can go home and count the money you got from that fat major label check. Yell, scream, cut yourself onstage; none of it means anything when you don’t follow through on the outrageous shit everyone is so willing to spout for a moment in the spotlight. That’s why I say thank god for Hüsker Dü.

Hüsker Dü, and Bob Mould specifically, just got it. They understood that the people listening to punk and hardcore in the early 80s weren’t looking for someone to tell them to light fires and destroy shit but rather as an outlet for the frustrations faced by millions who just felt stepped on and worthless at every turn. And the brilliant part was they weren’t afraid to call the hardcore purists out for their hypocrisy. The songs from their 1983 EP Metal Circus illustrate this beautifully, with Mould skewering pointless anarchists and overzealous protesters with biting assaults of equal parts wit and sonic mayhem.

But the thing that really makes me respect Hüsker Dü is best encapsulated in the picture at the top of this piece. This was just three guys playing harder and faster than anyone else and not giving a second thought to what others expected of them. Greg Norton spent much of the 80s with the most ridiculous mustache since Ted Nugent and Grant Hart looked more like a chubby stoner than the drummer for one of the most vicious hardcore acts ever. Metal Circus catches that band at a time before major label contracts and infighting stretched them to their limits and shows how punks can be both fierce and reasonable; thought provoking without sacrificing the danger that drew so many in the first place.

DeLorean

There’s a lot of good music out there, and it’s not all being released this year. With DeLorean, we aim to rediscover overlooked artists and genres, to listen to music historically and contextually, to underscore the fluidity of music. While we will cover reissues here, our focus will be on music that’s not being pushed by a PR firm.

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