4. Husker DuFlip Your Wig
I heard Zen Arcade when I worked in a record store. And then I saw the New Day Rising tour at The Jockey Club in Newport, Kentucky. They opened with the song ‘New Day Rising’ and it reminded me of what it must’ve been like for a young person to have seen The Who when they were at their zenith. I chose Flip Your Wig and I think they put those records out the same year, New Day Rising and Flip Your Wig were released about nine months apart. They were cranking ’em out then. I really loved the band and Flip Your Wig has my favourite Bob Mould song, ‘Divide And Conquer’. And it’s got my two favourite Grant Hart songs on there, which are ‘Green Eyes’ and ‘Keep Hanging On’. ‘Keep Hanging On’ is just one of the most emotional songs that I had ever heard. The screaming that he does at the end of that, I felt it in my bones.
I saw Hüsker Dü numerous times in concert and they were always just absolutely compelling. Until I finally saw them right as they were breaking up and it made me sad. I could tell, they did not wanna be there. And that was a shock because they were like a perfect band to me. And to watch them just be absolutely very human and know that was the end. They’re a huge influence on me. When I started playing guitar I really loved the sound that they got. The guitar sound was specific and special, it was a wall of sound. As they kept going they were writing pop songs underneath all of that noise. On New Day Rising, ‘Books About UFOs’ was like a 60s girl group song, with silly lyrics, but it’s still incredibly catchy and a fun song to listen to.
I really do think they are one of the greatest rock & roll bands that has ever existed. When I see all these groups getting put in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, I’m like how are they not? I don’t understand the politics of all that stuff, but absolutely one of the greatest rock & roll bands I ever saw in my life.
