FUGAZI

Interview & Photography by Jason Garnett

There is one word to describe Fugazi, integrity. What other band, after selling hundreds of thousands of records, still plays all-ages shows for a $5 door price? What other band has put out their own records for over ten years without succumbing to the lures of major labels? The following interview with Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto provides a look at the workings of this vital and dedicated band.

What were some of your influences in recording this new record?
Guy: Basically, the way we work is to feed off each other to try and find the creative intersection between the four of us. As ever, though, we are inspired by our friends and fellow musicians here in dc whom we consider the context for what we do.

How is Brendan entering the world of fatherhood going to affect the band?
Ian: It's going to be a challenge because so much of our economy is dependent on long tours. We'll reorganize. We'll find creative ways to deal with the situation.

How long has the Fugazi film been in the works and what all is it going to contain?
Guy: The film we're working on is a collaboration with Jem Cohen who has been filming the band since it started in 1987. Over the years he has collected insane amounts of footage on video/Super 8/16mm/ 35mm etc. Basically we're doing kind of a dub collage of footageŠ jamming all of this mismatched footage side by side. Some of it will have live sound and others will have unique soundtrack stuff we recorded separately. It's still a ways off from completion but the hope is to make video versions that people can buy as well as a film print we can show in theaters. The editing has been ultra time consuming and technically difficult but with fingers crossed it should be done by spring.

How do you manage to stay friends and keep it together after all this time?
Ian: We've been friends for over 15 years, the band came well after we got to know each other. I think we all recognize the importance of the band in our lives, and realize that each of us are necessary pieces.

How do you come up with new songs?
Guy: We just gnaw on parts like wild animals, tearing and pulling at something till it's digested or discarded. It's a very democratic process as everyone in the band is a writer of parts. Mainly it involves the four of us descending to whatever basement we happen to be practicing at and just hashing it out. How would you describe your new record compared to your previous releases?
Ian: I see each record as a document of the band as they were at the time of the recording.

What do you guys do on your off-time?
Guy: Ian runs the label and basically manages the band. Brendan plays guitar in a band called the All-Scars, plus he does soundtrack work for a company that makes CD-roms for children. Joe has his own label called Tollata, he just released a 7" by a band called Shine. As for me, I record a lot of groups at a small 8 track studio in my house called Pirate House Studios. I also run a label called Peterbilt which is putting out a 12" by the Black Light Panthers (me & Brendan) this winter.