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The Teen Idles

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The Teen Idles

The Teen Idles were an American hardcore punk band that formed in Washington, D.C. in August 1979.[1] Teenagers Nathan Strejcek, Geordie Grindle, Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson were the band's continual members. The Teen Idles recorded two demo sessions and one extended play, Minor Disturbance, before their breakup in November 1980. The first band on Dischord Records, The Teen Idles were an early landmark in the straight edge and the D.C. hardcore movement, as bassist MacKaye would later form Minor Threat.

Inspired by American punk bands such as Bad Brains and Black Flag, The Teen Idles' music was an early version of hardcore punk, and was an attempt to, in the words of MacKaye, "to get away from a really corrupted music".[2] Their appearance, lyrics and musical style aimed to revive a punk movement that they felt had lost its original zeal, an attitude typical of many hardcore bands.

History

Formation

The Teen Idles history began when Washingtonian Ian MacKaye discovered punk rock through the local college radio station, Georgetown University's WGTB. He met Jeff Nelson, a classmate of his, after Nelson set off a pipe bomb outside their school and MacKaye went to investigate. The two became friends and quickly discovered their shared interest in punk. MacKaye and Nelson saw their first punk show in January 1979; a benefit concert by The Cramps for WGTB. The pair were inspired by the concert: MacKaye later commented that "it blew my mind because I saw for the first time this huge, totally invisible community that had gathered together for this tribal event. [...] I thought, 'This appeals to me. This is the world I think I can breathe in. This is what I need.'"[3]

After seeing a Bad Brains concert, MacKaye and Nelson began playing in a high school punk band, The Slinkees, with school friends George Grindle and Mark Sullivan.[4] The Slinkees played a single show before Sullivan went to college; the band then tried to recruit Henry Garfield, a friend of MacKaye. However, Garfield turned down the offer, so Nathan Strejcek was recruited as a vocalist; The Slinkees then renamed themselves The Teen Idles.[2] After touring and practicing for several months, the band performed two demo sessions at a local studio in February and April 1980, despite the engineer and a visting band openly laughing as they recorded. They also began playing at house parties and pizza houses, as well as an art gallery called Madam's Organ, opening for Bad Brains.[5]

California tour and recording

After about a dozen gigs opening for bands such as the Untouchables, The Teen Idles decided to tour the West Coast in August 1980.[5][6] Along with roadies Garfield (later Rollins) and Sullivan, the band set off for California, but were immediately hassled by police upon their arrival. After challenging the police, Nelson was handcuffed for an hour. The Teen Idles eventually began their tour, however, they were refused entry at Los Angeles' Hong Kong Cafe due to their age. Originally due to open for the Dead Kennedys and the Circle Jerks, they settled for playing the next night, opening for The Mentors and a band called Puke, Spit and Guts in exchange for just $15. The Teen Idles impressed those at the venue; MacKaye later commented: "People were freaked out by how fast we were."[7]

Upon returning to Washington D.C., The Teen Idles were taken by Skip Groff, who owned the Washington record store Yesterday and Today, to Inner Ear, a small recording studio in Arlington, Virginia. They were introduced to engineer and owner Don Zientara; Inner Ear was merely Zientara's house where he owned a four-track recorder. The Teen Idles played in the basement while Zientara engineered and Groff produced. Seven tracks were recorded in total. However, the band had not thought about what they would do with the tapes, and shelved them.[8]

Breakup and Minor Disturbance

By late 1980, The Teen Idles had decided to part, mostly due to Grindle's disillusionment with the band. Their last show, opening for SVT at the 9:30 Club on November 61980, was a key event for all-ages shows. Before playing at the Mabuhay Gardens in California, the band were only allowed once big Xs, to show that they were under the legal drinking age, were drawn on their hands. They suggested this idea to the 9:30 club management, and vowed that if youths were caught drinking, the club could ban them all forever. The management agreed; The Teen Idles' final show passed without incident.[9]

In their year of touring, The Teen Idles had earned a total of $900. The band had two options: to divide the money between each member or press the recordings they had done with Don Zientara at Inner Ear. Choosing the latter, Nelson, Strejcek and MacKaye formed Dischord Records with Groff's help to release the recordings.[10] Released in January 1981 with an initial pressing of one thousand copies, Minor Disturbance was a local success, receiving radio air-play and reviews from fanzines such as Touch and Go. The EP's success meant that Dischord Records had the money to release records by other bands.[11]

After The Teen Idles, Grindle chose not to pursue a career in music. Nelson and MacKaye had already formed Minor Threat by Minor Disturbance's release; their first show was on December 171980.[12] Strejcek became involved in the running of Dischord Records, until Nelson and MacKaye, disappointed by his lack of effort, "decided to take it back."[13] The Teen Idles appeared on a number of hardcore compilations throughout the 1980s and 1990s: Dischord, to celebrate their one hundredth release, issued Teen Idles in 1996, comprising the two demo sessions the band had recorded in February and April 1980.[14]

Appearance

To revive the previous fury of punk rock, which the band felt had been compromised by New Wave, The Teen Idles tried to appear as intimidating as possible.[2] They shaved their heads, grew Mohawks and wore various punk accessories; Nelson and MacKaye would even drive nails into the soles of their boots so they would make an "ominous clacking" sound. Their appearance was at odds with their demeanor; according to MacKaye, "in our shows and within our own community, we were totally goofy guys. We were painfully honest — we didn't shoplift, we didn't vandalise, we didn't spray-paint. [...] We don't do anything — everybody just hates us because of the way we look."[5]

Their tough appearance brought further aggression from the local jocks and rednecks. MacKaye added, "It was a great way to learn about how much hatred really exists in this world. If you do something as dumb as spray-paint your hair, then next thing you know you have grits from Southern Maryland chasing you down the fuckin' street just because you chose to do something a little different."[5] After meeting several Los Angeles punks on their tour of California, who went by names such as Mugger and Drew Blood, The Teen Idles learned to fight back where possible.[7]

Musical style

According to journalist Michael Azerrad, The Teen Idles "played proto-hardcore tunes that skewed their social milieu". MacKaye later explained in the hardcore documentary Another State of Mind: "When I became a punk, my main fight was against the people who were around me — friends." When MacKaye was thirteen, he moved to Palo Alto, California for nine months. On his return, his friends had begun taking drugs and drinking. MacKaye added: "I said, 'God, I don't want to be like these people, man. I don't fit in at all with them.' So it was an alternative."[2]

Written mostly by MacKaye, the band's lyrics, like their appearance, also railed against New Wave and the complacency of many first wave punk bands, such as The Clash and Damned: in "Fleeting Fury", Strejcek shouts: "The clothes you wear have lost their sting / So's the fury in the songs you sing".[2] The Teen Idles were mainly influenced by punk bands in Washington and California, such as Bad Brains,[15] Black Flag and The Germs,[7] and reflected this in their music; The Teen Idles' songs consisted mostly of Strejcek shouting over a one-two hardcore beat with MacKaye and Grindle provided short and speedy riffs, interspersed with quick guitar solos from Grindle.

Discography

Notes

  1. ^ A number of sources refer to the band as the Teen Idles or Teen Idles, but they are credited on Minor Disturbance as The Teen Idles.
  2. ^ a b c d e Azerrad, 2001. p. 123
  3. ^ Azerrad, 2001. p. 122
  4. ^ "Dischord Records /band/teenidles". Dischord Records. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  5. ^ a b c d Azerrad, 2001. p. 124
  6. ^ "Teen Idles Shows". ThreatBase.com. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  7. ^ a b c Azerrad, 2001. p. 125
  8. ^ Azerrad, 2001. pp. 126-7
  9. ^ Azerrad, 2001. p. 127
  10. ^ Azerrad, 2001. p. 131
  11. ^ Azerrad, 2001. p. 132
  12. ^ Azerrad, 2001. p. 129
  13. ^ Azerrad, 2001. p. 143
  14. ^ Rabid, Jack. "Teen Idles > Overview". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-09-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ Foster, Patrick. "The Teen Idles > Biography". All Music Guide. Retrieved 2007-09-26. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

References

External links

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