Should Words Serve The Truth?

In 1984 Minutemen, from San Pedro, released one of US punk's set texts, Double Nickels On The Dime, a 45 song double album (out on SST in the same year as Husker Du's double Zen Arcade). Minutemen came from the punk rock scene but Double Nickels... contains much more- country, jazz, spoken word stuff, funk. The songs are short, really short, so if you didn't like one, no need to jump up and flip the needle on- another song will be coming along any second now.

Their lyrics weren't standard punk stuff either...

'A word war
Will set off the keg
"My words are war!"
Should a word have two meanings?
What the fuck for?
Should words serve the truth?

I stand for language
I speak the truth
I shout for history
I am the cesspool
For all the shit
To run down in'

Do You Want New Wave Or Do You Want The Truth?

By the time singer and guitarist D. Boon died in a van crash, out on tour, the band had put out four albums and eight e.p.s, criss-crossed the States, and converted thousands, one-by-one. Their story, beautifully told, is here...



As D. Boon sang in History Lesson Part II 'our band could be your life'.