We Jam Econo -- The Minutemen

http://www.theminutemen.com/

I just watched the new Tim Irwin documentary on the early 80's punk band The Minutemen called "We Jam Econo" and wanted to encourage people to see it. The film is very straightforward and almost raw, just telling it like it was without too much fanfare. They use as much live concert footage as they can, and the rest of the film consists of "talking heads" mostly, including Henry Rollins, Flea, and the two remaining former band members--Mike Watt and George Hurley. Watt steals the show and deservedly so.

D. Boon, the lead singer and guitar player for the band, died in a van accident in late December of 1985. I saw The Minutemen perform at the Mosque in Richmond on December 5, 1985 because they opened for R.E.M. I had heard about The Minutemen prior to that show, but wasn't really very familiar with them. However, they gave a great, frenetic performance and were pretty memorable that night for their tremendous energy on stage.

What I recall being told at the time was that they were called The Minutemen because they covered other band's songs, like The Who and CCR, but played those songs in a minute or less, super fast. Having now seen the documentary, I realize they were much more than that. Mike Watt says in the film that they were a very misunderstood band at the time, and I am positive he was right.

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