A day to remember a lost friend: D Boon

[substitute]

Dennes Dale Boon died on this day in 1985. Some people like to remember John Lennon on his death day, for me it's D. Boon and the end of the Minutemen.

D. Boon was a fat guy in a uniquely weird punk band. He was a working class guy with a great mind and a huge heart. I went to countless Minutemen shows for the two years I had the privilege of being his fan. To me he meant a whole world view: resistance to Reaganism, the DIY ethic, punk rock that was passionate for change, and just plain old big sweaty fun.

I saw the Minutemen at colleges, in bars, on big stages, in record stores, on the street, in the middle of nowhere, anywhere they played. I jumped up and down and shouted and sang the lyrics with them, dived for the set list after shows, yelled out requests and got them played. Double Nickels on the Dime was a life-changing record for me.

I want to thank D. Boon for teaching me that resistance is possible, that art is for everyone to make, and that you can dance your ass off and make your point at the same time. I've missed him for 20 years now, but he gave me that.

Here's the first of their songs I ever heard, in 1983 on KPFK:

Little Man with a Gun in his Hand (MP3, 4.5M)

Comments

[jodymeme.livejournal.com]

Double Nickels on the Dime was a life-changing record for me.

me, too, it was one of those albums that opened new doors for me in terms of how i heard music. they were revolutionary. i have the same vinyl copy i bought fifteen years ago, in excellent shape despite repeated plays. thanks for the tribute.

[substitute.livejournal.com]

I got Zen Arcade at the same time after hearing Husker Du's version of "8 Miles High". Between them, those two SST double albums framed my life perfectly.

[jodymeme.livejournal.com]

yeah, i got Zen Arcade around the same time, too, but due to my age, like with the Minutemen, i was a few years late to it so the first Husker Du album i bought was Candy Apple Grey, a pretty nice sonic blast. for some reason i was never able to get into Zen Arcade in a huge way.

[godforesaken.livejournal.com]

i've listened to "pink turns to blue" a number of times in the past week. the 4th side of zen arcade was very instructive when i first heard it and it still is. bob mould makes dance music now...?

i got into the minutemen through an old skate video (bones brigade?) that featured 'i felt like a gringo' (also inexplicably included on our wedding mix).