The Minutemen (band)

The Minutemen were a punk rock band from San Pedro, California comprising singer/guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley. They recorded in the late 1970s and early 1980s, ending when Boon died in a car accident in December 1985.

Related Topics:
Punk rock - San Pedro - California - D. Boon - Mike Watt - George Hurley - 1970s - 1980s - 1985

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They were influenced heavily by bands such as Wire, The Pop Group, and The Urinals, and nearly all of their early songs had unusual structures and were less than a minute long — even later when the Minutemen's music became slightly more conventional, their songs rarely passed the three-minute mark.

Related Topics:
Wire - The Pop Group - The Urinals

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Boon and Watt split songwriting fairly evenly, though Watt rarely sang. Boon's songs were typically more direct and progressively political in nature, while Watt's were often abstract, self-referential "spiels". Lyrics and themes would thus often veer from surreal humour, as in "Bob Dylan Wrote Propaganda Songs" and "One Reporter's Opinion", to the frustrations of blue collar life in California, as in the enduring "This Aint No Picnic". While many contemporaries displayed a sense of humor, the Minutemen were generally more light-hearted and whimsical. One example of this can be found in the title of their legendary album Double Nickels on the Dime, which poked fun at Sammy Hagar's "I Can't Drive 55" by implying that the Minutemen obeyed the speed limit on the Santa Monica Freeway (I-10, known to truckers as "The Dime").

Related Topics:
Bob Dylan - Blue collar - Sammy Hagar - Santa Monica Freeway - I-10

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The Minutemen were fans of Captain Beefheart, and echoes of his distinctive music can be heard in their songs, especially their early output. Through most of their career they ignored standard verse-chorus-verse song structures, in favor of experimenting with musical dynamics, rhythm and noise. Later in their career they blended in more traditional song elements they had initially avoided. They also played covers of classic rock songs by bands such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Steely Dan and Blue Öyster Cult. Their covers were done out of appreciation for those bands' work rather than to be ironic, thereby diverging dramatically from hardcore punk orthodoxy of the 1980s.

Related Topics:
Captain Beefheart - Classic rock - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Steely Dan - Blue Öyster Cult - Ironic - Hardcore punk

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They originally called themselves The Reactionaries, with additional band member and singer Martin Tamburovich; according to Watt, the name came from a Mao Tse-Tung quote about how all reactionaries are actually "paper tigers". After the Reactionaries disbanded, Boon changed the name to Minutemen partly because of the fabled minutemen militia of colonial times, and partly to take the name back from a right-wing reactionary group of the 1960s that used to harass figures like Angela Davis through the mail.

Related Topics:
The Reactionaries - Martin Tamburovich - Mao Tse-Tung - Minutemen militia - 1960s - Angela Davis

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Greg Ginn of Black Flag and SST Records produced the Minutemen's first 7" EP, Paranoid Time, which solidified their eclectic style. At first, they completely avoided guitar solos, choruses, and fade-outs. Later, they were known for hybridizing punk rock with forms of jazz, funk, acid rock, and R&B in novel ways, perhaps best exemplified on 1984's double-album, Double Nickels on the Dime. This paved the way for later bands such as Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Related Topics:
Greg Ginn - Black Flag - SST Records - EP - Jazz - Funk - R&B - 1984 - Double Nickels on the Dime - Red Hot Chili Peppers

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Several Minutemen album sleeves and covers, such as the Paranoid Time EP and What Makes a Man Start Fires? LP and the inlay for Double Nickels, feature drawings by noted artist Raymond Pettibon, who was at the time associated with the SST label, providing sleeves for Black Flag. Other album covers, like on The Punch Line and 3-Way Tie For Last, featured paintings by D. Boon.

Related Topics:
Raymond Pettibon - Black Flag - The Punch Line - 3-Way Tie For Last

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On Double Nickels, they co-wrote some songs with other musicians, notably Henry Rollins, Chuck Dukowski and Joe Baiza. Surviving members Watt and George Hurley (drums) later played in fIREHOSE and have had solo projects since the Minutemen disbanded. Watt has done three acclaimed solo albums, toured briefly as a member of Porno for Pyros in 1996 and J Mascis and The Fog in 2000 and 2001, and became the bassist for the reformed Iggy Pop & The Stooges in 2003. George Hurley has produced work with Mayo Thompson and The Red Krayola (Red Crayola), further indulging the free-form and off-the-wall leanings showcased on Double Nickels.

Related Topics:
Henry Rollins - Chuck Dukowski - Joe Baiza - FIREHOSE - Porno for Pyros - 1996 - J Mascis and The Fog - 2000 - 2001 - Iggy Pop & The Stooges - 2003 - Mayo Thompson - Red Crayola

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