23
by Tom Wanderer
Wow. Holy fucking shit, that Hench pile-on is rough reading. Even by "classic" PRF standards. I only made it 2 pages
I can't tell what year that took place, but jesus christ isn't it nice that we can raise the level of discourse? And not immediately shun every newcomer? And not just shun. Not just haze. But really BURN the new blood in such mean and personal ways? You can draw a straight line from the Cold Check It thread to the twitter thread that Steve posted a while back about taking ownership of his role in the rise of edgelord culture. What is wry contrarianism and outspokenness to one person (and I'm not talking about Steve's response to Hench, but his general provocative comments in the 90s) quickly becomes straight out vitriol when attempted by someone with no subtlety, wit or tact.
I've looked up to Steve Albini in a big way since I was a kid in the 90s when I realized the guy in this really cool band Shellac had also recorded a bunch of other records I loved. I got into his other bands. I appreciated his articles on how major labels fuck over the artists. How music becomes the commodity of a bunch of suits. How the breakdown of an advance actually doesn't leave the musicians with much in their pockets. And he was funny. Insightful. Was carving out his own way of doing things that was artist-focused and accessible. Sure there were stories about his provoking people from the engineering room and there was some snotty, opinionated stuff, but I didn't think too hard on that. After all, this guy was getting results and he had the right to these opinions. He had put the work and the years in and was speaking from experience. I wrote a paper in...maybe freshman year of high school?...about contemporary rock music in and outside of the industry and mentioned him a bunch. It probably didn't make any sense, but it was something I was excited about and Steve and what he represented in regards to making music on your own terms really stuck with me. And inspired me. Shellac was my first real show. Probably saw them more than a dozen times since, having had the opportunity to talk to the guys here and there. I've got an Electrical business card from like 98 on my workbench/studio desk. It was so cool to be able to approach someone with such a resume, who had had such a direct impact on my life and my concept of music (which was the most important thing in the world to me).
I continue to be inspired by Steve Albini. Because he would rather grow as a person than die on the hill of something stupid he said 30 years ago. Because he's telling the "community" that you can say the word love without scoffing. That what you stand for is more than a haircut. That it's healthier and more rewarding to be openminded than cynical. I'd like to think Steve is showing old punks that there's another way. That you can still be the same person and hold onto the same things while letting go of the bullshit that seemed so important to your identity when you were younger. When you were more scared and trying to fit in or prove something or vie for acceptance. That there's not only a place for compassion in what we do, but that it is essential to what we do.
I love the sharp wit of the PRF. The repartee, the chiding, the challenging of opinions, the good natured insults. It makes things feel like you're part of the group. But I'm glad it's not as toxic and exclusive.
And, for the record, I like Trent Reznor, too.