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OK, these images may not mean much to most, but they mean a huge amount to me! Amanda and I were in DC for the Kennedy Center Honors, and coincidentally, my friends Glen E. Friedman and Ian MacKaye were doing a talk about Glen’s Black Flag book, “What I See,” at the MLK Library. The talk was great, and though friends and fans surrounded him, I got a minute to say hello to Ian, one of my idols as a teenager (unintentional Teen Idles reference, but I’m lettin’ it ride) and still an idol to this day. Ian is a musician who has created powerful and thoughtful music with his many bands, including Minor Threat, Fugazi, Evens, and Corky. All that said, I most admire his integrity and commitment to fierce independence and scene-building through Dischord records, the label he and Jeff Nelson founded in 1980. No other label has defined and manifested DIY ideals as powerfully as Dischord has. Ian generously invited Amanda and me to tour Dischord to have a look at and listen to the archives. Ian has meticulously preserved the art and recordings, including original album art, flyers, EVERY Fugazi show recording, and many practice sessions. I was able to see original art and 7” sleeves for Minor Threat, as well as the original art for the sole Rites of Spring album. The black roses from the Rites of Spring cover are my wife Amanda’s only tattoo, and she held the original art in her hands! These photos on the front steps are a homage to the Minor Threat “Salad Days” 7” EP, the cover of which was shot by Glen E. Friedman (last slide in the sequence). I bought that record the year it came out in 1985. Amanda shot me with Ian, and Ian shot me with Amanda on the steps of what endures Dischord House over 40 years later. You can see the wheel of the same lawnmower from the Salad Days cover in the lower left of my shot with Ian! It was a very emotional visit for me. Thank you, Ian, for the hospitality, the decades of music and inspiration, and for being such a truly relatable role-model!
–Shepard
