Ian MacKaye
Ian MacKaye
Ian Thomas Garner MacKayeis an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, label owner, and producer. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the co-founder and owner of Dischord Records, a Washington, D.C.-based independent record label and the frontman of the influential hardcore punk bands Minor Threat and the post-hardcore band Fugazi, who have been on hiatus since 2003. MacKaye was also the frontman for the short lived bands The Teen Idles, Embrace and Pailhead, a collaboration with the band...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPunk Singer
Date of Birth16 April 1962
CountryUnited States of America
The first time I ever recorded, which was into my boom-box, I was like, 'Wow, check that out.' It sounded great. The narcotic of it was so intense - it was pleasurable. I was like, 'You sound like a band.' Then I ended up spending the rest of my life trying to chase that initial high again.
As hard as you try and create narratives about sports, once the ball is in the air, there's not a damn thing you can do about it, it's just very real.
I was into Ted Nugent, I was a Nugent guy. I was a skateboarder listening to Ted Nugent.
I stand behind all the lyrics I've ever written; I don't have a problem with that.
It's just hard to have a nuanced discussion with like a thousand people, 30 of which are white-power skinheads.
When children start to speak they find their own voice by imitating the sounds around them. It would follow that bands do the same. Bands will find their own voice at some point.
I have thousands of tapes, and photos and fliers, letters, posters, artwork - basically everything that ever happened, I kept. I'm not a hoarder, though. I'm sort of a librarian.
My humor is very dry. To me it doesn't make sense.
At every election, my vote goes to the candidate less likely to declare war. You're dropping hugely expensive pieces of exploding metal on a population. America deserves the president it gets, whether the country votes for them or allows their vote to be stolen, and the least we can do is to elect someone who won't do that to other people.
I'm really anti-option, so computers have been my nightmare with recording. I don't want endless tracks; I want less tracks. I want decisions to be made.
To me, music is no joke and it's not for sale.
I've always been a bit of a documentarian.
When someone writes a really nasty piece about me. I think they're generally untrue because I think I'm a nice person.
I never imagine myself as anything. I've never had a goal or any future vision at all. I just do what's in front of me.