Were (are) Minutemen very well known / loved in Europe? My personal experience seems to point to "no". Curious. Same with The Replacements...everytime I would tell a European we were from Minneapolis, I would rattle off some band names just to maybe get a glimmer, and I noticed The Replacements were virtually unknown to everyone I talked to. I kinda lump Minutemen in that near-"Americana" vein as Replacements.
Then again...I didn't get much sleep last night....

This is so obviously NOT CRAP. Even more so considering the San Pedro / South Bay scene the Minutemen inspired and that Mike Watt has been central in sustaining. All those people and bands make some of the consistently most interesting music in a town otherwise wayyyy too preoccupied with music fads. Also, the fact that Boon looked like a second-string center on a high-school football team is absolutely dreamy.

O H Lee wrote:One amazing thing about the Minutemen was that while much of their popularity came from being part of the mid 80's "American Sound" "movement" along with bands like the Replacements, R.E.M. etc, the men's influencs were defintely more esoteric(BOC covers notwithstanding). I doubt a majority of those who have Minutemen records in 1985-86 also had Wire, Gang of 4 or Pop Group records.

I don't think of the typical Minutemen fan (even by 1986) was into REM or the Replacements for the most part.

Most of the people I knew at that point, myself included, became fans of the Minutemen through either:

1. A live show they played at a punk rock club – the same clubs that those English punk bands had played, while your REMs/Replacements played the college rock venue.

2. Buying one of their records randomly from the SST catalog, which was mostly punk rock stuff at the time, compared to the IRS or Twintone rosters.

3. By word of mouth from someone who lived Step 1 or 2.

Now, who voted crap?

I voted CRAP.

Their degree of self-mythologizing is second only to Too $hort or something.

Boon's gtr sound alone should have made every Fender jizzcaster out there throw his/her axe into the pooper. He and Big Black made me wish amps came without treble knobs.

How about the snare sound on "3-Way Tie For Last"?

That "hip-hop" song "No One" is maybe the world's worst song.

In between speilin', hollerin', pluckin', blazin', hankerin', puckerin', knuckerin', suckerin', buckerin', and fuckerin', try mixin' in a salad!

With a straight face, Boon wrote lyrics like "there are no parades for these heroes" and "the scars that never heal" and equally smelly cliches. Before emo, even!

Okay, I can't keep this up. But I'd like it if someone actually hated them. Nothing's worse than a fucking sacred cow. Seems like the Minutemen themselves would agree.

everytime I would tell a European we were from Minneapolis, I would rattle off some band names just to maybe get a glimmer, and I noticed The Replacements were virtually unknown to everyone I talked to.

Having grown up in the 80s (for the most part), and having Minneapolis as the city I identified with (lived in South Dakota and we didn't have a 'city'), I had always assumed that the Replacements were sort of huge. I mean, they were in Rolling Stone occasionally n' shit.

But I have a good friend who grew up in the Bronx (and is queer for all that semi-indie 80s rock), and she never got into the 'Mats, in fact had never heard them at all until recently (and then it was too late!).

i voted crap, because i seek to frustrate

Angus Jung wrote:But I'd like it if someone actually hated them. Nothing's worse than a fucking sacred cow. Seems like the Minutemen themselves would agree.

While I don't agree with the CRAP vote, huzzah to the tipping of sacred cows.

shagboy wrote:i voted crap, because i seek to frustrate

While I don't agree with the CRAP vote, huzzah to the contrarian nature.

Okay
There are Now 4 CRAP votes.
Who is responsible for this that hasn't admitted to it yet?
I am displeased.
In fact, that doesn't even do it justice to how I feel about this.
I am unpleased.
I had to make up a word just desbribe my feelings.

I really, really, really wish I could change my vote.

Angus Jung wrote:With a straight face, Boon wrote lyrics like "there are no parades for these heroes" and "the scars that never heal" and equally smelly cliches. Before emo, even!

I would never accuse The Minutemen of taking themselves too seriously. Their lyrics are, to me, a really powerful and original blend of sincerity and lightheartedness. Not Crap.