Wikipedia

Minutemen (band)

Minutemenwere an Americanpunk rockband formed inSan Pedro, California,in 1980. Composed of guitarist/vocalistD. Boon,bassist/vocalistMike Watt,and drummerGeorge Hurley,Minutemen recorded four albums and eightEPsbefore Boon's death in an automobile accident in 1985; the band broke up shortly thereafter. They were noted in theCalifornia punkcommunity for a philosophy of "jamming econo" —a sense of thriftiness reflected in their touring and short, tight songs, and for their eclectic style, drawing onhardcore punk,funk,jazz,and other sources.

Minutemen
The band posing and smiling
Minutemen posing in 1982; left to right: Watt, Boon and Hurley
Background information
OriginSan Pedro,California,U.S.
Genres
DiscographyMinutemen discography
Years active1980–1985
Labels
Spinoffs
Spinoff ofThe Reactionaries
Past membersD. Boon
Mike Watt
George Hurley
Frank Tonche

The group's early recordings (up until their 198512 "EPProject: Mersh) were recorded as "econo" (Pedroslangfor inexpensive, short for "economical" ) as possible—the group would book studio time after midnight at cut rates, tech their own shows, practice the songs before going into the studio, record on less-expensive used tape, and record the songs in the order they intended to have them on the record rather than waste time editing the master tape during the sequencing phase. In fact, contrary to standard practice even in indie rock, Minutemen sometimes saw records as a way to promote their tours, not the other way around. Minutemen toured frequently, but usually for only a few weeks at a time—they all held down day jobs. Their "econo" practices helped ensure that their tours were generally profitable.[citation needed]

History

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Formation

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Minutemen began whenD. BoonandMike Wattmet at age 13. Watt was walking through a park in their hometown ofSan Pedro, California,when Boon, playing a game of "army" with other boys, fell out of a tree right next to him and found that his friends, one named Eskimo, must have ditched him.[3]Both boys shared a passion for music; Boon's mother taught D. to play the guitar and suggested Watt learn to play bass. At first, Watt did not know the difference between bass and standard guitars.[4]The pair eventually started playing music together, mostly covering songs from artists they admired. In the summer of 1973 Watt and Boon formed the Bright Orange Band, with Boon's brother Joe on drums. In 1976 they discovered punk, Boon's mother died, and the Bright Orange Band disbanded shortly thereafter. The next year, the two joined a short-lived band called Starstruck.[5]Following Starstruck's disbandment, Boon and Watt met drummerGeorge Hurleyand formedThe Reactionarieswith vocalistMartin Tamburovich.[5]

After the Reactionaries disbanded, Boon and Watt formed Minutemen in January 1980. Watt has said their name had nothing at all to do with the brevity of their songs; rather, it was derived partly from the fabledminutemen militiaof colonial times and partly to lampoon a right-wingreactionarygroup of the 1960sthat went by that name.In the documentaryWe Jam Econo,Watt also states that the name was a play on "minute" (/maɪˈnjuːt/my-NEWT), meaning very small. After a month with no drummer, during which Boon and Watt wrote their first songs, the band rehearsed and played a couple of early gigs with local welderFrank Toncheon drums. The group had originally wanted George Hurley to join, but he had joined a hardcore punk band called Hey Taxi! with Michael Ely and Spider Taylor after the Reactionaries disbanded. Tonche quit the group, citing a dislike of the audience the band initially drew, and Hurley took over as drummer in June 1980. (Early rehearsal recordings with Tonche on drums later became thegeorgelessEP.) Their first live gig was as an opening band forBlack Flag.[6]

Early days

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Greg Ginnof Black Flag andSST Recordsproduced Minutemen's first 7 "EP,Paranoid Time(1980), which solidified their eclectic style. As with many punk rock bands of the time, the band distributed the EP at their shows and at a few local record stores. Through word of mouth, the EP became a modest hit within thehardcorescene.[1]

They settled on their music style on their first LP,The Punch Line(1981), and toured constantly around America promoting the album. Their third EP and fourth overall release wasBean-Spill(1982). Their second LP,What Makes a Man Start Fires?(1983), gained attention from the alternative and underground press.[citation needed]They continued touring extensively, which included a double bill with Black Flag in Europe. This tour strengthened their place as one of the most well-known acts in the hardcore scene.[citation needed]In November 1983, they released their third LP,Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat.[7]

Minutemen's anti-rockisteclecticism was perhaps best exemplified on the 1984 double album,Double Nickels on the Dime.[original research?]Though still somewhat obscure to mainstream audiences,Double Nickelshas been cited as one of the more innovative and enduring albums of the 1980s American rock underground.[citation needed]OnDouble Nickels,they co-wrote some songs with other musicians, notablyHenry Rollins,Chuck Dukowski,andJoe Baiza.In 1985, they released their most commercial-sounding recording,Project: Mersh.Though the album sounded more mainstream, it sold poorly compared toDouble Nickelsdue largely to the negative reaction to such a commercial album from within the underground community.[citation needed]They continued touring, and by the time of their final album,3-Way Tie (For Last),they decided to take a small break. They played their last tour withR.E.M.Their final concert was inCharlotte, North Carolinaon December 13, 1985.[8]

Death of D. Boon

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On December 22, 1985, Boon was killed in a van accident, putting an end to Minutemen. Watt fell into a deepdepressionafter his friend's death, but was convinced to continue performing bySonic Youth.[9]In fact, theCiccone Youthproject was conceived in an effort to get Watt making music again.[10]

Boon's death put an end to the band's plans to record a half studio/half live triple album with the working title3 Dudes, 6 Sides, Half Studio, Half Live.The live tracks were to be based on the ballots that they handed out and as a way to counteractbootlegging.A year later, however, Watt and Hurley compiled various live recordings, based on the ballots, which were released asBallot Resultin 1985.[11]

In addition,Richard Meltzerhad sent Watt lyrics for ten songs for an album on which he was going to collaborate. This project, eventually titledSpielgusher,was completed (by Watt, Meltzer, Yuko Araki, and Hirotaka Shimizu) and released in January 2012 onclenchedwrench.[12]

Post-breakup activities

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See also:George Hurley,Mike Watt,andUnknown Instructors

Following Boon's death, Watt and Hurley originally intended to quit music altogether. But encouraged by Minutemen fanEd Crawford,they formedFirehosein 1986 and have both formed solo projects since Minutemen disbanded.[citation needed]

Watt has created four acclaimed solo albums, recorded four with now-former-wifeKira Roessleras the duodos,recorded three others as part of thepunk jazzjam bandBanyanwithStephen Perkins(Jane's Addiction),Nels Cline(Wilco), andMoney Mark Nishita(Beastie Boys), contributed on "Providence" offSonic Youth's albumDaydream Nationand "In the Kingdom No. 19" and "Bubblegum" offEVOL,toured briefly as a member ofPorno for Pyrosin 1996 andJ Mascis and the Fogin 2000 and 2001, and became the bassist forThe Stoogesin 2003. He founded his own label, Clenchedwrench, in 2011, to release many of his own projects, including his fourth solo albumHyphenated-man.George Hurley has produced work with Vida,Mayo Thompson,andRed Crayola,further indulging the free-form and off-the-wall leanings showcased onDouble Nickels.Hurley and Watt have also continued to make music together both live and in the studio since Firehose's splitting in 1994, starting with a track, along withPetra HadenandStephen Perkins,for theNORMLbenefit albumHempilation IIin 1998.[13]

On rare occasions since 2001, and usually in the Los Angeles area (two December 2004 performances in England being a notable exception), George Hurley and Mike Watt, who have remained friends since Firehose's disbanding in 1994, reunite to play a set list of all Minutemen songs as a duet.[14]

They refuse to have a substitute guitarist play late Minutemen guitaristD. Boon's parts; instead the songs are arranged for bass and drums. They insist that they not be billed as Minutemen for these shows or referred to as a Minutemen reunion,[14]as they do not want to cheapen or "vampire" the Minutemen name. Instead, they insist on being billed under their real names and that the advertisements state that they will be "playing Minutemen songs as a duet."[citation needed]They were chosen byJeff MangumofNeutral Milk Hotelto perform one of these shows at theAll Tomorrow's Partiesfestival that he curated in March 2012 inMinehead,England.[15]

Artistry

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Musical style

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Billboarddescribed the group as "provocativeart-punkminimalists ".[16]Tyler Golsen of Far Out Magazine called them "a punk band who did everything except play straight-forward punk" and said that they "almost single-handedly broadened the scope of what could be considered 'punk'. That included playing jazz, soft rock, funk, bossa nova, R&B, blues, and especially bare-bones experimental music that couldn’t fit into any specific genre tag."[17]

Nearly all of their early songs had unusual structures and were less than a minute long—even later, when Minutemen's music became slightly more conventional, their songs rarely passed the three-minute mark. Though Minutemen were members of thehardcore punkcommunity and were somewhat influenced by the speed, brevity, and intensity of hardcore punk, they were known for hybridizing punk rock and hardcore with various forms of music (likejazz,funk,acid rock,andR&B), separating them from most hardcore bands of that era. CriticSimon Reynoldscompared their "nimblepunk-funk"to Gang of Four.[18]In a 1984 Trouser Press article, John Leland wrote, "[t]he Minutemen make anti-fusion music. They use particles of jazz, noise and especially funk to split apart the sluggish nucleus of rock. The songs are necessarily fragmented, but quality musicianship creates an overall unity. The band rearranges fragments so adroitly and thoughtfully that even 30-second songs are fully satisfying compositions."[19]

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 playedcover versionsofclassic rocksongs by bands such asCreedence Clearwater Revival,[20]Steely Dan,[21]andBlue Öyster Cult.[22]

Lyrical themes

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Boon and Watt split songwriting fairly evenly (and Hurley made many contributions as well), though Watt rarely sang and Hurley even less so. 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 humor, as in "Bob DylanWrote Propaganda Songs "and" One Reporter's Opinion ", to the frustrations ofblue collarlife in California, as in the enduring "This Ain't No Picnic".While many contemporaries rarely displayed a sense of humor, Minutemen were generally more light-hearted and whimsical. One example of this can be found in the title of their albumDouble Nickels on the Dime,which poked fun atSammy Hagar's "I Can't Drive 55"by implying that the Minutemen preferred to take risks with their music rather than behind the wheel of a car.[23]

Influences

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Minutemen were influenced heavily by bands such asWire,[24]Gang Of Four,The Pop Group,[24]Richard Hell & The Voidoids,andThe Urinals.They were also fans ofCaptain Beefheart,[25]and echoes of his distinctive, disjointed, avant-blues music can be heard in their songs, especially their early output. "Boon's kind of noise was all treble, and punishingly loud. He played very few chords, sticking to scratchy, aggressive picking and a constant weirdo barrage of notes, and essentially skipped distortion entirely. Watt's answer was complex, mashing together skronky funk with thunderous chords and countermelodies. Hurley attacked his toms and lurched from rhythm to rhythm. They were always separate, but always together."[26]"[T]he Minutemen...[compress] the music into brief bonsai songs packed with complex sound and lyrics. Any given Minutemen song is bursting at the seams with riffs and words all arranged in tight, precise patterns. There is a rigid, implosive order, as though the Minutemen are trying to develop a microchip music in which each song is freighted with more and more information in an ever diminishing space."[27]

Album artwork

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Several Minutemen album sleeves and covers, such as theParanoid TimeEP andWhat Makes a Man Start Fires?LP and the innergatefoldjacket forDouble Nickels on the Dime,feature drawings by noted artistRaymond Pettibon,who was at the time associated with the SST label. Other album covers, like onThe Punch Line,Project: Mersh,and3-Way Tie (For Last),featured paintings by Boon.[citation needed]

Legacy

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Many of the band's peers credit Minutemen.Dave AlvinofThe Blasterscalled Minutemen "one of the finest combos to ever step on to a beer soaked stage".[28]Joe StrummerofThe Clashlisted Minutemen as one of the ultimate punk bands along withRamones,Television Personalities,andBuzzcocks.[29]

According to Huw Baines ofGuitar.com:

Minutemen's legacy is ethical as much as it is musical, for a couple of reasons. On one hand, the idea behind jamming econo remains a foundational tenet of DIY. On the other, no band could hope to sound like Minutemen. You just have to accept that they were a one-off: a bassist who couldn't sit still, a drummer who wouldn't sit still, and a guitarist with a tone designed to slice clean through the front two rows. J. Mascis once said they were the most punishing live band he ever saw.[26]

In the early 2000s, the instrumental portions of the Minutemen song "Corona"was the main theme song of theMTVreality stunt showJackass.[30][31]

In 2000, Watt (as administrator of the band's publishing) allowed the automakerVolvoto use the Boon instrumental "Love Dance" in a car ad. Boon's royalties were paid to his father, who was suffering fromemphysema.Watt simply refers to the decision as a way for Boon to help his father from beyond the grave.[32]

Watt and Hurley have done occasional gigs since 2001 (mainly in the L.A. area except for two December 2004 shows inEngland) playing Minutemen songs as a duo with no guitarist. At some of these gigs, Watt would set up one of Boon's old guitars and amps on the side of the stage where Boon used to stand. These performances, at Watt's insistence, are to be billed strictly as "George Hurley and Mike Watt". They are also now involved in an improvisational music group,Unknown Instructors,with members ofSaccharine TrustandPere Ubu.[citation needed]

The group's career is chronicled in the bookOur Band Could Be Your Life,a study of 13 important Americanundergroundrock groups by veteran music journalistMichael Azerrad.The title is taken from the lyrics to theDouble Nickelstrack "History Lesson – Part II."[33]

The documentary filmWe Jam Econocharts the band's history through interviews with Watt, Hurley, Henry Rollins,FleaofRed Hot Chili Peppers,and other California punk rock contemporaries.[34]The film premiered at theWarner Grand Theatrein the Minutemen's hometown of San Pedro in February 2005. The film was released on DVD in June 2006. In the spring of 2007 the documentary went into a heavy rotation cycle on variousSundancecable television channels.[citation needed]

In 2003 Watt released his own book on Minutemen,Spiels of a Minuteman,which contains all of Watt's song lyrics from the Minutemen era as well as the tour journal he wrote during Minutemen's onlyEuropeantour with Black Flag, essays by formerSSTco-ownerJoe Carducci,Sonic Youth'sThurston Moore,Blue Öyster Cultlyricist and longtime Watt heroRichard Meltzer,and illustrations byRaymond Pettibonthat had been used in all of Minutemen's album artwork. The book, released byQuebec-based publisherL'Oie de Cravan,is published inEnglishandFrench.[35]In June 2015, Watt went onWTF with Marc Maronto discuss the legacy of the Minutemen.[36]

Covers and tributes

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Watt has dedicated all of Firehose's releases and his solo albums to the memory of Boon.[37][38][39][40][41][42]"Disciples of the 3-Way" on Firehose's final studio albumMr. Machinery Operatoris about Minutemen,[42]and "The Boilerman" from Watt's second solo albumContemplating The Engine Room(which parallels the stories of Minutemen, Watt's father, and the novelThe Sand Pebbles) is about Boon;[43]Watt had guitaristNels Clineplay one of Boon's oldFender Telecasterguitars on the track.[44]

Sublime(whose lead singerBradley Nowellalso died prematurely) sampled Boon saying "Punk rock changed our lives" on "History Lesson Part II" fromDouble Nickelsas part of their song "Waiting For My Ruca" from 1992's40 Oz. to Freedom.On the final track from the same album titled "Thanx", all three Minutemen are mentioned. Watt repaid this salute by appearing in Sublime's video for "Wrong Way"in 1996. Sublime also sampled George Hurley's drum intro from" It's Expected I'm Gone "for their" Get Out! (remix) "on their posthumous releaseSecond Hand Smoke,as didSan Diego–based indie rockersPinbackon theireponymous debut LP.[citation needed]TheUnknown Instructorstrack "Punk Is Whatever We Make It To Be" from their first albumThe Way Things Workcontains interpolations by vocalistDan McGuireof several lyrics fromDouble Nickels on the Dime.[45]

In 1994, Little Brother Records released the Minutemen tribute CD and LPOur Band Could Be Your Life.The CD version included 33 tracks by artists covering Minutemen songs, plus a track with a Boon interview and a live version of the Minutemen song "Badges". The LP version had 23 tracks, including the interview and Minutemen items.[46]Tribute songs have been written by several acts, includingThe Ergs!,The Fad, andUncle Tupelo.[citation needed]Bargain Music,Hot Club de Paris,Karate,Brutal Truth,Jeff Mangum,Yonder Mountain String BandandRed Hot Chili Peppershave all covered Minutemen songs.[citation needed]

In 2015, the bandEL VY,an Americanindie rockcollaboration betweenMatt Berninger(lead vocalist ofthe National) andBrent Knopf(founding member ofRamona FallsandMenomena), inspired by bothGreaseandWe Jam Econo,imagined "as a sort of punk rock musical following the adventures of Didi and Michael—named after the Minutemen'sD. BoonandMike Watt.Their song, "It's a Game", is about the band.[relevant?]

Discography

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Main article:Minutemen discography

Studio albums

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Extended plays

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Compilations

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See also

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References

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  • Michael Azerrad,Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes From the American Indie Underground 1981–1991(USA: Little Brown, 2001).ISBN0-316-78753-1
  • Michael T. Fournier,Double Nickels On The Dime – 331⁄3Series(USA: [Continuum], 2007)ISBN0-8264-2787-1
  • Guardian, August 17, 2009[47]

Notes

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  1. ^abcdefCalvert, John (January 11, 2012)."An Econo History Of The Minutemen".The Quietus.RetrievedAugust 30,2015.
  2. ^Goldberg, Michael (July 18, 1985)."Black Flag, Husker Du and the Replacements Lead Punk's New Wave".Rolling Stone.RetrievedDecember 3,2022.
  3. ^Craig Young."Contemplating Mike Watt".Ear Pollution.RetrievedJune 11,2007.
  4. ^Karen Schoemer."Watt Bio".Mike Watt's Hoot Page.RetrievedJune 11,2007.
  5. ^abMike Watt & Kira Roessler."Dos Bio".Mike Watt's Hoot Page. Archived fromthe originalon September 24, 2005.RetrievedJune 11,2007.
  6. ^Azerrad, Michael (2001).Our Band Could Be Your Life.Little, Brown.ISBN9780316063791.
  7. ^"Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat - Min... | AllMusic".AllMusic.
  8. ^Fred Mills (September 10, 2005)."The Minutemen: Men At Work".Harp Magazine. Archived from the original on April 19, 2007.RetrievedJune 11,2007.
  9. ^"Down The Highway: Mike Watt Interview".YouTube.April 12, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2021.RetrievedMarch 28,2019.
  10. ^Azerrad, Michael(July 2, 2002).Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991(First Back Bay paperback ed.). Boston. p. 94.ISBN9780316787536.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ^"Ballot Result - Minutemen | Album | AllMusic".AllMusic.
  12. ^Watt, Mike."spielgusher".Mike Watt's Hoot Page.Mike Watt.RetrievedFebruary 3,2012.
  13. ^"Hempilation, Vol. 2: Free the Weed - Various A... | AllMusic".AllMusic.
  14. ^ab"All Tomorrow's Parties - Minutemen Duet (Mike Watt and George Hurley)".Dusted Magazine.Archived fromthe originalon July 17, 2014.RetrievedAugust 31,2015.
  15. ^"ATP curated by Jeff Mangum".Atpfestival.com.RetrievedSeptember 15,2011.
  16. ^Allen, Mike (January 8 – March 26, 2011)."FH QUESTIONS with MIKE WATT".Billboard.Vol. 123, no. 1.RetrievedMay 22,2022.
  17. ^"How 'Jackass' placed Minutemen into pop culture history".April 5, 2022.
  18. ^Reynolds, Simon (2010).Totally Wired Postpunk Interviews and Overviews.Soft Skull.
  19. ^Leland, John (April 1984)."Minutemen".Trouser Press.Vol. 11, no. 2. New York. p. 12.RetrievedDecember 18,2021.
  20. ^Masters, Marc (November 13, 2016)."Double Nickels on the Dime".Pitchfork.RetrievedMarch 18,2019.
  21. ^Metcalf, Stephen (November 4, 2005)."The Rock Snob".Slate.RetrievedMarch 18,2019.
  22. ^'Enthal, Andrea (April 1986). "Underground".Spin.2(1): 47.
  23. ^Sound Opinions (May 25, 2011)."Sound Opinions May 25, 2011".PRX.RetrievedSeptember 1,2011.
  24. ^abManchester, Guy (April 22, 2014)."Mike Watt On… Brother Mike Shares Words of Wisdom About Punk, The Minutemen, The Stooges and much more…".Louder Than War.RetrievedMarch 18,2019.
  25. ^McCall, Tris (December 17, 2010)."Captain Beefheart dies at 69".NJ.com.RetrievedMarch 18,2019.
  26. ^abBaines, Huw."The Genius Of… What Makes a Man Start Fires? by Minutemen".guitar.com.RetrievedMarch 5,2023.
  27. ^Davis, Duane (July 25, 1984)."Speed Demons".Westworld.RetrievedMay 18,2024.
  28. ^Alvin, Dave(April 29, 2014)."fIREHOSE - Song for Dave Alvin".Facebook.RetrievedMarch 28,2019.
  29. ^Weisbard, Eric (May 2001)."Joe Stummer: The word on punk past and present from the former Clash frontman".Spin.17(5): 90.
  30. ^"How Minutemen accidentally wrote the Jackass theme tune".January 28, 2022.
  31. ^"How 'Jackass' placed Minutemen into pop culture history".April 5, 2022.
  32. ^CJ Marsicano (August 7, 2001)."A Conversation with Mike Watt, Pt. 2".Project X Webzine. Archived fromthe originalon April 4, 2005.RetrievedJune 11,2007.
  33. ^Michael Azerrad (December 1, 2012).Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991.Hachette Digital, Inc. pp. 13–.ISBN978-0-316-24718-4.RetrievedJanuary 22,2013.
  34. ^Greg Prato (February 16, 2005)."Minutemen Remembered In New Documentary".Billboard.com.RetrievedJune 11,2007.
  35. ^"Spiels d'un minuteman / Spiels of a minuteman".oiedecravan.com.RetrievedAugust 31,2015.
  36. ^"Episode 610 - Mike Watt".WTF with Marc Maron.June 11, 2015.RetrievedJune 12,2015.
  37. ^Mike Watt, liner notes ofRagin' Full-On,SST Records, 1986
  38. ^Mike Watt, liner notes ofif'n,SST Records, 1987
  39. ^Mike Watt, liner notes offROMOHIO,SST Records, 1989
  40. ^Mike Watt, liner notes ofFlyin' The Flannel,Columbia Records, 1991
  41. ^Mike Watt, liner notes ofLive Totem Pole EP,Columbia Records, 1992
  42. ^abMike Watt, liner notes ofMr. Machinery Operator,Columbia Records, 1993
  43. ^Mike Watt, interviewed by Jay Babcock (August 23, 2000)."Talkin' The Opera".Mike Watt's Hoot Page.RetrievedJune 11,2007.
  44. ^Nels Cline, interview segment from the bonus features of the DVDWe Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen,Plexifilm, 2006
  45. ^Joe Baiza, D. Boon, Jack Brewer, Chuck Dukowski, George Hurley & Mike Watt (composers), The Unknown instructors (artist), "Punk Is Whatever We Make It To Be",The Way Things Work,Smog Veil Records, 2005.
  46. ^"Various - Our Band Could Be Your Life - A Tribute To D Boon And The Minutemen".Discogs.October 16, 1994.RetrievedMay 30,2019.
  47. ^Simon, Paul; Rogers, Jude (August 17, 2009)."The hidden gems that have pop stars hooked".The Guardian.London.

Further reading

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