How do I love the Minutemen? Let me count the ways. Suffice it to say that on the insanely long train-and-night-bus journey home from Brighton yesterday, I listened to double nickels on the dime twice, all the way through.
So it was with some excitement that I greeted the discovery, on Friday night, of a fresh new copy of We Jam Econo (Disc 1), from Amazon rentals, on the welcome mat at O’Donnell Mansions. Tim Irwin’s documentary is a work of love about a great band – three blokes who formed a punk band out of a love of making music and because they had something they wanted to say. And yes, the Minutemen were a punk band, even if they did do Blue Oyster Cult and CCR covers. In fact, maybe because they did Blue Oyster Cult and CCR covers.
Anyway, my excitement was not unwarranted. This is a great music documentary, about a band that still sounds like nothing else I’ve ever heard. Live film of the band is interspersed with interviews – Greg Ginn, Henry Rollins, Chuck Dukowski, Kira, ed fROMOHIO and Mike Watt’s mum among others. Much of the story is told by Mike Watt, with occasional stories from George Hurley. The DVD includes 222 minutes of extras, on two discs. I may have to buy myself a copy.
Such a shame that they’ll be mostly remembered as the band that did the theme tune for Jackass.
History Lesson Part II
Our band could be your life real names’ll be proof. me and Mike Watt we played for years. punk rock changed our lives. We learned punk rock in Hollywood drove up from Pedro we were fucking corndogs we’d go drink and pogo. Mr. Narrator! This is Bob Dylan to me my story could be his songs I’m his soldier child our band is scientist rock. but I was E Bloom then Richard Hell Joe Strummer and John Doe. me and Mike Watt playing guitar.