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Many thanks to Sue Trowbridge for the translation (which I have edited only
very slightly). See the
original Swedish version of the article for a facsimile of the layout. |
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Since I last spoke with Bob Mould and Grant Hart, they have played out
in Great Britain and continental Europe and also signed a contract with
Warner Bros. Records.
Husker Du's guitarist/singer and drummer/singer are really on the move! Since the guys first met in 1979, because they all wore leather jackets and bought records in the same record store, they've never looked back. They released their first single, "Statues," in 1981, and since then they've had time to put out six LPs (one of them a double album) and three singles. All that in four years! Husker Du decided to leave Minneapolis, pack up their van, and tour in order to spread their very own "wall of noise rock and roll." They have toured constantly for four years and have had time to start their own record company, Reflex Records, which has released albums by local artists such as Otto's Chemical Lounge, Soul Asylum and Man-Sized Action. The Eye got a chance to speak with Bob and Grant before they left for their European tour. EYE: Now that the critics have applauded you and you've become better known, what are your overall goals and hopes? BOB: We want to continue to release uncompromising material and keep on touring. We feel we have to work hard in order to make progress! EYE: What has driven you to release so many albums during the past year? (two singles, two LPs and a double LP) BOB: We are musicians, not politicians or rock stars. We simply write new songs all the time, continuously. GRANT: I just don't care about things that don't interest me just because they happen to be "in" right now. We don't write songs about what's happening on the TV news in order to get publicity. EYE: What takes the most time, touring or rehearsing? GRANT & BOB: Touring! BOB: But it is in many ways the same thing. When we play live we can easily throw in a new tune we want to try out. Or we can experiment and change things around a bit, exactly as if we were rehearsing for ourselves. GRANT: When we tour, we do everything by ourselves. Load in and load out the bus, book all the dates, drive the bus, we set up the sound and manage our own publicity...everything. EYE: Are you going to be playing in Europe? BOB: Yes, we're going to London in a week, and we have some dates in Sweden as well. The company that distributes SST in Europe has helped us a lot in setting everything up. EYE: I hate to ask this, but who are your influences? BOB: Dave Pirner (the singer in Soul Asylum), the Who, Stiff Little Fingers...yeah, a lot of different shit. GRANT: Elvis Presley and the Beatles. I can swear to it that Elvis is still alive! He's living in a luxury hotel and laughing at us when we celebrate the anniversary of his death! EYE: Any new bands from Minneapolis that you'd like to recommend? BOB & GRANT: Process Blue, Ground Zero, Bad Trip, Soul Asylum and the Magnolias. EYE: Any last words? BOB: I want to wish all energetic and imaginative bands good luck! Regardless of where they are from. After this interview Husker Du made the jump to a major label. After four years with SST, they signed with Warner Bros. Rumors mention a sum of $250,000, just to sign on the dotted line! Husker Du and the Replacements are the two best bands from Minneapolis (well, really, all of America) who have gone from being underground heroes to the big labels' darlings. Bob Mould has also produced several cuts on the LP "Big Hits Over Mid America vol 4" which will be released by Twin Tone in a few months. |
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