Editing Ian MacKaye

{{Short description|American singer and record label owner (born 1962)}}
{{for|the album by Poison Idea|Ian MacKaye (album)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist|<!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| name              = Ian MacKaye
| image             = Ian MacKaye at the Brooklyn Book Festival.jpg
| caption           = MacKaye in 2008
| background        = solo_singer
| birth_name        = Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1962|04|16|mf=yes}}
| birth_place       = [[Washington, D.C.]], U.S.
| instrument        = {{flatlist|
* Vocals
* guitar
<!-- only instruments commonly used -->
}}
| genre             = {{flatlist|
* [[Hardcore punk]]
* [[punk rock]]
* [[alternative rock]]
* [[post-hardcore]]
* [[experimental rock]]
* [[indie rock]]
* [[emo]]
|}}
| occupation        = {{flatlist|
* Singer
* songwriter
* musician
* record producer
* record label owner
* archivist
|}}
| years_active      = 1979–present
| label             = [[Dischord Records|Dischord]]
| current_member_of = {{flatlist|
* [[The Evens]]
}}
| past_member_of    = {{flatlist|
* [[Fugazi]]
* [[Minor Threat]]
* [[Teen Idles]]
* [[Embrace (American band)|Embrace]]
* [[Egg Hunt]]
* [[Skewbald/Grand Union (band)|Skewbald/Grand Union]]
* [[Pailhead]]
* [[The Nig-Heist]]
* [[Coriky]]
|}}
| website           = 
}}

'''Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye''' ({{IPAc-en|m|ə|ˈ|k|aɪ}};<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5IYGLYvnZo | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100805093207/http://www.youtube.com//watch?v=t5IYGLYvnZo| archive-date=2010-08-05 | url-status=dead|title=Nardwuar vs. Ian MacKaye |publisher=YouTube |date=February 25, 2008 |access-date=2011-07-17}}</ref> born April 16, 1962) is an American musician. Active since 1979, he is best known as the co-founder and owner of [[Dischord Records]], a [[Washington, D.C.]]–based [[independent record label]], and the frontman of [[hardcore punk]] band [[Minor Threat]] and [[post-hardcore]] band [[Fugazi]]. MacKaye was also the bassist for the short-lived band [[the Teen Idles]], and frontman for [[Embrace (American band)|Embrace]], and [[Pailhead]], a collaboration with the band [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]]. MacKaye is a member of [[The Evens]], a two-piece [[indie rock]] group he formed with his wife [[Amy Farina]] in 2001.<ref name="Perlah, Jeff 2002">Perlah, Jeff. "The Independent". Guitar World. March 2002.</ref> In 2015 he formed the band [[Coriky]] with Farina and his Fugazi band mate [[Joe Lally]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Strauss |first1=Matthew |title=Coriky (Ian Mackaye, Joe Lally, and Amy Farina) Announce Debut Album, Share New Song: Listen |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/coriky-ian-mackaye-joe-lally-and-amy-farina-announce-debut-album-share-new-song-listen/ |website=Pitchfork |date=11 February 2020 |publisher=Pitchfork Media |access-date=29 Jan 2025}}</ref>

Along with his seminal band Minor Threat, he is credited with coining the term "[[straight edge]]"<ref name="Perlah, Jeff 2002"/> a philosophy that promotes abstinence from [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]] and other [[psychoactive drug|drug]]s, though MacKaye has stated that he did not intend to turn it into a movement.

A key figure in the development of hardcore punk and an independent-minded, [[DIY punk ethic|do-it-yourself punk ethic]], MacKaye has produced releases by [[Q and Not U]], [[John Frusciante]], [[7 Seconds (band)|7 Seconds]], [[Nation of Ulysses]], [[Bikini Kill]], [[Rites of Spring]], [[Dag Nasty]] and [[Rollins Band]].

==Biography==

===Youth===
Ian MacKaye was born in Washington, D.C., on April 16, 1962, and grew up in the [[Glover Park]] neighborhood of Washington, D.C. His father was a writer for the ''[[Washington Post]]'', first as a [[White House]] reporter, then as a religion specialist; the senior MacKaye remains active with the socially progressive St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.<ref>Azerrad, Michael (2002). ''Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981–1991''. Back Bay Books. {{ISBN|0-316-78753-1}}</ref> In his capacities as a journalist in the White House Press Corps, MacKaye's father was in the presidential motorcade when [[John F. Kennedy]] was killed in 1963.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Nardwuar|title=Nardwuar The Human Serviette Vs. Ian MacKaye|url=http://www.razorcake.org/interviews/nardwuar-the-human-serviette-vs-ian-mackaye-this-interview-originally-ran-in-razorcake-04-2001|website=Razorcake|access-date=21 June 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821044628/http://www.razorcake.org/interviews/nardwuar-the-human-serviette-vs-ian-mackaye-this-interview-originally-ran-in-razorcake-04-2001|archive-date=August 21, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref> MacKaye's paternal grandmother was Dorothy Cameron Disney MacKaye. She worked with [[Paul Popenoe]] on marriage advice columns and was a member of the [[Cosmopolitan Club (New York)|Cosmopolitan Club]].  His grandfather was Milton MacKaye, also a magazine writer as well as an executive with the [[United States Office of War Information|Office of War Information]].<ref name="Washington Post">{{cite news |title=Dorothy Disney MacKaye, marriage columnist, dies |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1992/09/07/dorothy-disney-mackaye-marriage-columnist-dies/dab65095-936a-4ae4-a0d6-8273bb23d9ae/ |date=September 7, 1992 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=March 19, 2017 |archive-date=April 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409203538/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1992/09/07/dorothy-disney-mackaye-marriage-columnist-dies/dab65095-936a-4ae4-a0d6-8273bb23d9ae/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to MacKaye's longtime friend, singer [[Henry Rollins]], MacKaye's parents "raised their kids in a tolerant, super-intellectual, open-minded atmosphere."<ref name="Azerrad, 2002">Azerrad, 2002</ref>

MacKaye first learned to play piano as a child. He eventually took lessons, but quit when his mother placed him in a more academic environment. He first attempted guitar at around ten due to inspirations such as [[Jimi Hendrix]], but again he quit when he was unable to understand the connection between piano and guitar.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bogosian|first=Daniel|title=Ian MacKaye: 'It Took Me Some Time To Figure Out How Punk Was Music'|url=http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/interviews/ian_mackaye_it_took_me_some_time_to_figure_out_how_punk_was_music.html|publisher=Ultimate Guitar|access-date=October 11, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006003518/http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/interviews/interviews/ian_mackaye_it_took_me_some_time_to_figure_out_how_punk_was_music.html|archive-date=October 6, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

MacKaye listened to many types of music, but was especially fond of mainstream [[hard rock]] such as [[Ted Nugent]] and [[Queen (band)|Queen]].<ref>[http://www.loyno.la/ianmackayetalk.mp3 Ian MacKaye speaking at Loyola University; Nov 14, 2006]  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203040024/http://www.loyno.la/ianmackayetalk.mp3 |date=December 3, 2007 }}</ref> MacKaye was introduced to [[punk rock]] in November of 1978 when a group of his friends, including future filmmaker [[Jem Cohen]], lent him early British punk records such as [[Sex Pistols]]' ''[[Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols]]'' and [[Generation X (band)|Generation X]]'s [[Generation X (album)|''Generation X'']].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brannigan |first=Paul |title=April 16, 2014 |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/ian-mackaye-on-minor-threat-fugazi-and-the-power-of-punk-rock |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240615100015/https://www.loudersound.com/features/ian-mackaye-on-minor-threat-fugazi-and-the-power-of-punk-rock |archive-date=June 15, 2024 |access-date=November 13, 2024 |website=Louder Sound|date=April 16, 2014 }}</ref> On February 4th, 1979, MacKaye attended his first punk concert, watching [[The Cramps]] perform at nearby [[Georgetown University]].<ref name="wamu">{{cite web|last=Schweitzer|first=Ally|title=Ian MacKaye: 'If You Want To Rebel Against Society, Don't Dull The Blade'|url=http://bandwidth.wamu.org/ian-mackaye-if-you-want-to-rebel-against-society-dont-dull-the-blade/|publisher=[[WAMU]]|date=August 19, 2014|access-date=April 3, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Prindle |first=Mark |date=March 18, 2009 |title=Interview with Ian MacKaye |url=https://www.rebelnoise.com/interviews/ian-mackaye-2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240719175613/https://www.rebelnoise.com/interviews/ian-mackaye-2009 |archive-date=July 19, 2024 |access-date=May 23, 2025 |website=Rebel Noise}}</ref> He was particularly influenced by the California hardcore scene. MacKaye looked up to hardcore bands like [[Bad Brains]]<ref name="wamu"/> and [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]] and was childhood friends with Henry Garfield (who later changed his name to [[Henry Rollins]]).<ref name="wamu"/>

===Early bands===
MacKaye's first band consisted of one performance as the Slinkees in the summer of 1979, performing a song titled "I Drink Milk."<ref name="HistPunkRock">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.slowcode.com/published/2006/05/the_ap_history_of_punk_part_x.html |title=The AP History of Punk Rock X: Washington, D.C. |access-date=2007-06-10 |year=1996 |magazine=Alternative Press |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202152119/http://www.slowcode.com/published/2006/05/the_ap_history_of_punk_part_x.html |archive-date=February 2, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The band also recorded two demo tapes of covers as well as songs that would later be recorded by [[the Teen Idles]].

The Slinkees evolved into the Teen Idles, in which MacKaye played bass guitar and sang back up vocals. The band was short-lived, breaking up in 1980, but released an EP, ''[[Minor Disturbance]]'', the first record from MacKaye and bandmate [[Jeff Nelson (musician)|Jeff Nelson]]'s newly-founded label, [[Dischord Records]].

===Minor Threat===
{{main|Minor Threat}}
[[File:Minor-threat-malcolm-riviera.jpg|thumb|MacKaye (bottom right, with microphone) performing with Minor Threat in 1981]]
After feeling creatively limited in the Teen Idles, MacKaye was determined to be the frontman and primary lyricist for his own band. He founded [[Minor Threat]] (1980–1983) with Nelson after the break up of their previous band. MacKaye cited the dynamic performance of singer [[Joe Cocker]] in ''[[Woodstock (film)|Woodstock]]'' as a major influence on his own animated stage persona.<ref name="Azerrad, 2002"/> The Teen Idles and Minor Threat were modestly successful in and around Washington, D.C., but would later be cited as two of the earliest and most influential [[hardcore punk]] groups, and as pioneers of the [[straight edge]] philosophy that rejects use of drugs (including alcohol), tobacco, and sex. In his early teens, MacKaye saw the negative effects of drug abuse on several close friends and one immediate family member, and he vowed to never use tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs. During their existence Minor Threat were inactive for several months due to [[Lyle Preslar]] being at college; during this hiatus MacKaye and Nelson briefly formed a new band which dissolved when Minor Threat reunited, [[Skewbald/Grand Union (band)|Skewbald/Grand Union]] (1981–1982).

After Minor Threat broke up, MacKaye was active with several relatively short-lived groups, including [[Embrace (American band)|Embrace]] (1985–1986) and [[Egg Hunt]] (1986). [[Pailhead]] (1987–1988), a collaboration between MacKaye and the [[industrial metal]] band [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]], then consisting of [[Al Jourgensen]], [[Paul Barker]], and [[William Rieflin]], featured MacKaye on lead vocals.

===Fugazi===
{{main|Fugazi}}
In 1987, MacKaye founded [[Fugazi]], a band that has been cited as one of the most important post-hardcore groups.<ref name="Perlah, Jeff 2002"/> Fugazi set itself apart from most other bands by never playing a show with high-priced tickets. They would often turn down venue options for this very rule, and the band would go so far as to stop a show and have unruly concert goers escorted out of the venue – complete with a refund of their ticket money. The band famously turned down at least one offer to headline Lollapalooza because festival organizers refused to price tickets cheaply; MacKaye objected to the $30 ticket price. MacKaye also has never conducted an interview with ''Rolling Stone'' magazine or any other similar publication, stating he would only do so if the magazine agreed to not advertise cigarettes or alcohol.<ref>{{cite web|last=S.|first=George|title=Long distance runner: The private and public evolution of Ian Mackaye|url=http://leoweekly.com/music/sight-unsound/long-distance-runner-the-private-and-public-evolution-ian-mackaye|publisher=Leo Weekly|access-date=October 11, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114124642/http://leoweekly.com/music/sight-unsound/long-distance-runner-the-private-and-public-evolution-ian-mackaye|archive-date=January 14, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

===The Evens===
{{main|The Evens}}
[[File:TheEvens.jpg|upright|thumb|[[The Evens]], featuring MacKaye and [[Amy Farina]]]]
MacKaye currently sings and plays [[baritone guitar]] in [[The Evens]] with drummer and vocalist [[Amy Farina]] of [[the Warmers]]. The band pride themselves on playing in non-standard locations, such as community centres, bookshops, or other atypical spaces.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://crasierfrane.com/interviews/ian-mackaye |title=Ian MacKaye |publisher=Crasier Frane |date=June 14, 2010 |access-date=2011-07-17 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708203133/http://crasierfrane.com/interviews/ian-mackaye |archive-date=July 8, 2011 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The Evens released their self-titled album in early 2005, breaking a three-year silence by MacKaye. Their second album, ''[[Get Evens]]'', was released in November 2006. Their last album, titled ''[[The Odds (album)|The Odds]]'', was released 2012.<ref>{{cite web|title=Evens – The Odds|url=http://www.dischord.com/release/180/odds|access-date=November 5, 2012|archive-date=November 27, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121127182113/http://www.dischord.com/release/180/odds|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Coriky===
{{main|Coriky}}
In 2018, MacKaye, along with [[Amy Farina|Farina]] and [[Joe Lally]] (Fugazi, [[the Messthetics]]), debuted a new band.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ian MacKaye, Joe Lally & Amy Farina's band played their first show (pics)|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/ian-mackaye-joe-lally-amy-farinas-band-played-their-first-show-pics/|work=[[Brooklyn Vegan]]|date=November 12, 2018|access-date=February 11, 2020}}</ref> In February 2020, it was announced that the band, now called Coriky,<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Grow|first=Kory|title=Coriky — Featuring Fugazi, Evens Members — Tease Album With 'Clean Kill'|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/coriky-fugazi-evens-clean-kill-950511/|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=February 11, 2020|access-date=February 11, 2020|archive-date=February 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212144722/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/coriky-fugazi-evens-clean-kill-950511/|url-status=live}}</ref> would release their first album on March 27, 2020, however due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], the album was pushed back to May 29, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sacher|first=Andrew|title=Ian MacKaye's new band Coriky announce debut album, share "Clean Kill"|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/ian-mackayes-new-band-coriky-announce-debut-album-share-clean-kill/|work=[[Brooklyn Vegan]]|date=February 11, 2020|access-date=February 11, 2020|archive-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213053201/http://www.brooklynvegan.com/ian-mackayes-new-band-coriky-announce-debut-album-share-clean-kill/|url-status=live}}</ref> The debut single, "Clean Kill", was released on February 11, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gotrich|first=Lars|title=Coriky, Ian MacKaye's New Band With Joe Lally And Amy Farina, Announces Debut Album|url=https://www.npr.org/2020/02/11/804719772/coriky-ian-mackayes-new-band-with-joe-lally-and-amy-farina-announces-debut-album|work=[[NPR]]|date=February 11, 2020|access-date=February 11, 2020}}</ref>

===Other projects===
In 1982, MacKaye sang lead vocals on one version of a [[Government Issue]] song titled "Asshole". The previously unreleased track was featured on the ''[[20 Years of Dischord]]'' collection released in 2002. Backing vocals and collaborations – as, for example, with brother Alec MacKaye's former band Ignition – are numerous.

MacKaye contributed an extra guitar track to "[[Youth Against Fascism]]", the second single from [[Sonic Youth]]'s 1992 album ''[[Dirty (Sonic Youth album)|Dirty]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/sy/song104.html |title=Sonic Youth Site Menu |publisher=Sonicyouth.com |access-date=2011-07-17 |archive-date=April 4, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404080215/http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/sy/song104.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1988, he recorded vocals with [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]]'s [[Al Jourgensen]], [[Paul Barker]], and [[Bill Rieflin]] for the band [[Pailhead]]'s EP titled "Trait". He also co-wrote the song "I Will Refuse" which was also released by the [[Wax Trax!]] record label.

In February 2004, MacKaye produced the recording sessions for [[John Frusciante]]'s solo album titled ''[[DC EP]]''. After working with MacKaye, Frusciante states "Ian is one of the only living people who I really respect and look up to, so it was an honor and a pleasure as well as a great learning experience to hear his perspective."<ref>[http://www.johnfrusciante.com/music/dc_ep.php]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015113027/http://www.johnfrusciante.com/music/dc_ep.php|date=October 15, 2007}}</ref>

MacKaye has also contributed guitar and backing vocals to [[Joe Lally]]'s solo albums ''[[There to Here]]'', released in October 2006, and ''[[Nothing Is Underrated]]'', released in November 2007.<ref>{{cite web|title=Joe Lally|url=http://www.dischord.com/band/joelally|work=Dischord Records|access-date=April 27, 2013|year=2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705225708/http://dischord.com/band/joelally|archive-date=July 5, 2008|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Throughout his music career MacKaye has engineered and produced releases by a number of bands primarily on his Dischord label including [[7 Seconds (band)|7 Seconds]], Antelope, [[Bikini Kill]], [[Black Eyes (band)|Black Eyes]], [[Lungfish (band)|Lungfish]], [[Nation of Ulysses]], [[One Last Wish]], [[Q and Not U]], [[Rites of Spring]], [[Rollins Band]], and others.

===Dischord Records===
{{main|Dischord Records}}
MacKaye co-founded [[Dischord Records]] with [[Jeff Nelson (musician)|Jeff Nelson]] in 1980 and it continued as a [[DIY ethic|DIY]] project, whereby those involved learned how to produce records – MacKaye claims that they crafted 10,000 singles by hand for a Teen Idles release.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kot|first=Greg|title=Ian MacKaye Walks the Walk|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-may-07-et-kot7-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref>

== Career ==

===Campaigning, business and activism===
[[File:Mackaye.jpg|thumb|upright|MacKaye in 2007]]
Throughout his career, MacKaye has opted to advertise in independent and underground media and perform in unconventional venues. Such practices keep admission prices low (in the US$5–US$15 range) and allow fans of all ages to attend performances. Maintaining a low overhead and protecting monetary assets are also important ideals for MacKaye, who in the summer of 1990 formed the corporation Lunar Atrocities Ltd<ref>[http://mblr.dc.gov/corp/lookup/status.asp?id=170568 "Lunar Atrocities Limited"] mblr.dc.gov. Retrieved on February 23, 2009.  {{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> in order to shield his own and his bandmates' personal assets from the threat of lawsuits. As Seth Martin, MacKaye's financial adviser explained to the ''Washington Post'' in a 1993 interview: "protection from liability is the main reason to form a corporation, and for these guys it makes sense. If someone got hurt stage-diving and decided to sue, it would be a little harder to go after their personal assets."<ref>{{cite news|title=PUNK LIVES! Washington's Fugazi Claims It's Just a Band. So Why Do So Many Kids Think It's God?|url=http://www.geocities.com/drawcamp/wp93.htm|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=April 27, 2013|author=Eric Brace|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240524145636/https://www.webcitation.org/5knitPwPx?url=http://www.geocities.com/drawcamp/wp93.htm|archive-date=May 24, 2024|date=August 1, 1993|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

MacKaye has also been known to rebuke concert violence and to confront crowd surfers and other unruly concert attendees who start fights. This is especially true of his days with [[Fugazi]]. When audience members became belligerent or violent at a Fugazi show, the band would cease to play (sometimes right in the middle of a song) and MacKaye would tell them to stop. If those people continued their deviant behavior, he would have their admission price refunded and have them ejected from the concert venue.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kellman |first=Andy |url={{AllMusic|class=artist |id=p4319/biography |pure_url=yes}} |title=Fugazi |website=AllMusic |date=November 30, 2000 |access-date=2011-07-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title='Rear Window' with Ian MacKaye – Vol. X|url=http://paradigmmagazine.com/site/2013/03/11/rear-window-with-ian-mackaye-vol-x/|work=Paradigm Magazine|publisher=the Paradigm Magazine|access-date=April 27, 2013|author=Ed Templeton|date=March 11, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530223445/http://paradigmmagazine.com/site/2013/03/11/rear-window-with-ian-mackaye-vol-x|archive-date=May 30, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In 2007 MacKaye provided technical audio assistance to [[Alan Canfora]], a former [[Kent State University]] student who, in 1970, was [[Kent State Shootings|injured by a gunshot]] while protesting the [[Cambodian campaign|U.S. invasion of Cambodia]]. MacKaye cleaned up a field recording of the incident made by another student. According to Canfora, a voice can be heard on the tape yelling, "Right here! Get set! Point! Fire!" before a 13-second volley of gunfire commences.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ian MacKaye helping with Kent State shooting investigation|url=http://www.punknews.org/article/23611|work=Punknews.org|access-date=April 27, 2013|date=May 8, 2007}}</ref>

==Impact==
===Straight edge philosophy===
{{Main|Straight edge}}
The song "Straight Edge" was written by MacKaye for his band [[Minor Threat]] and was released in 1981 on Minor Threat's self-titled EP. It was a song that described his personal life free of drugs, alcohol and "sex as a conquest", though claimed he was not attempting to force the lifestyle on others.<ref name="MRR">{{cite web |title=Minor Threat Interview |url=https://www.maximumrocknroll.com/article/minor-threat-interview/ |website=[[Maximum Rocknroll]] |access-date=November 12, 2024 |date=August 30, 1982 |archive-date=April 14, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240414170717/https://www.maximumrocknroll.com/article/minor-threat-interview/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The song came about through MacKaye moving away from DC as a teenager, briefly to [[Palo Alto, California]], and returning to find friends addicted to alcohol & drugs.<ref name="MRR"/> 

His decision to abstain from substances began to influence youth culture as Minor Threat gained popularity through numerous live shows and sales of their EP. Although to MacKaye the song did not represent a philosophy or a movement, over time people adopted the philosophy of the song and many bands began to label themselves "straight edge", founding the [[straight edge]] movement. Although straight edge is not explicitly supportive of vegetarianism, MacKaye has stated that he is a vegetarian because he regards it as a logical progression of his views.<ref>{{cite web|title=Famous Vegetarians – Ian MacKaye|url=http://www.ivu.org/people/music/mccaye.html|work=International Vegetarian Union|access-date=April 27, 2013|date=April 2, 2010|archive-date=April 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130411171414/http://www.ivu.org/people/music/mccaye.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He follows a strict [[Veganism|vegan]] diet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ian MacKaye on vegetarianism|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1K5lWESm20| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111118033313/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1K5lWESm20&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2011-11-18 | url-status=dead|work=YouTube|publisher=Google, Inc|access-date=April 27, 2013|format=Video upload|date=March 15, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=interview with ian mackaye|url=http://rockproper.com/blog/interview-with-ian-mackaye.html|work=rock proper|access-date=April 27, 2013|author=casey|date=November 25, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130125093708/http://rockproper.com/blog/interview-with-ian-mackaye.html|archive-date=January 25, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In interviews especially in his later life, MacKaye has often become annoyed with questions about being the founding father of a movement he never intended to start:

{{blockquote|"I'm credited because I coined a phrase and wrote a song about it. I'm not going to spend any more energy than I already have explaining that. From the very beginning I've tried to say that this is not my opinion. That whole thing just makes me realize I don't have any control over what people think of me. And I don't really give a fuck. I think that the idea of straight edge, the song that I wrote, and the way people have related it, there's some people who have abused it, they've allowed their fundamentalism to interfere with the real message, which in my mind, was that people should be allowed to live their lives the way they want to. It was just the title of a song that I wrote but certainly never intended to start a movement."<ref>{{cite web|title=A Conversation with Ian MacKaye|url=http://www.unomas.com/features/ianmackaye.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000303075714/http://www.unomas.com/features/ianmackaye.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 3, 2000|work=Uno Mas|access-date=January 15, 2020|author=Jim Saah|date=March 5, 1996|df=mdy-all}}</ref>}}

Although "Straight Edge" gets the most attention, MacKaye wrote other songs with Minor Threat describing his clean lifestyle as well, most notably "Out of Step (With the World)," in which he said "I don't smoke. I don't drink. I don't fuck. At least I can fucking think." "In My Eyes" is also at least partially about his philosophies, with lines such as "You tell me it calms your nerves; you just think it looks cool."{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

==Discography==

===The Teen Idles===
* ''[[Minor Disturbance]]'', 7-inch EP (1981)
* 3 songs on ''[[Flex Your Head]]'', compilation LP (1982)
* First EP reissued as part of ''Four Old 7″s on a 12″'' (1984)
* First EP reissued on ''Dischord 1981: The Year in 7″s'' (1995)
* ''[[Teen Idles (EP)|Teen Idles]]'', 7-inch and CD EP (1980 demos) (1996)
* ''[[20 Years of Dischord]]'' (2002)

===Minor Threat===
* ''Minor Threat'' (1981)
* ''In My Eyes'' (1981)
* ''[[Flex Your Head]]'' (1982)
* ''[[Out of Step (album)|Out of Step]]'' (1983)
* ''[[Minor Threat (album)|Minor Threat]]'' (1984)
* ''Dischord 1981: The Year in 7″s'' (1985)
* ''[[Salad Days (EP)|Salad Days]]'' (1985)
* ''[[Complete Discography]]'' (1989)
* ''[[20 Years of Dischord]]'' (2002)
* ''[[First Demo Tape]]'' (2003)
* ''[[Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground]]'' (2004)
* ''[[American Hardcore (film)#Soundtrack|American Hardcore: The History of American Punk Rock 1980–1986]]'' (2006)

===Skewbald/Grand Union===
* ''[[Skewbald/Grand Union (EP)|Skewbald/Grand Union]]'', 7-inch EP (recorded in 1981) (1991)
* ''[[20 Years of Dischord]]'' (2002)

===Egg Hunt===
* "[[Me and You (Egg Hunt song)|Me and You]] " b/w "We All Fall Down", 7-inch single (1986)

===Embrace===
* ''[[Embrace (American band Embrace album)|Embrace]]'' (1987)
* ''[[20 Years of Dischord]]'' (2002)

===Pailhead===
* "I Will Refuse" [[b/w]] "No Bunny", 7-inch and 12-inch single (1987)
* "Man Should Surrender" b/w "Anthem", 7-inch single (1988)
* "Don't Stand in Line" b/w "Ballad", 7-inch single (1988)
* ''[[Trait (album)|Trait]]'', 12-inch EP (comprising Pailhead's last two singles) and CD (made up of all 3 singles) (1988)

===Fugazi===
* ''[[Fugazi (EP)|Fugazi]]'' (1988)
* ''[[Margin Walker]]'' (1989)
* ''[[State of the Union (album)|State of the Union]]'' (1989)
* ''[[13 Songs (Fugazi album)|13 Songs]]'' (1989)
* ''[[3 Songs (Fugazi EP)|3 Songs]]'' (1990)
* ''[[Repeater (album)|Repeater]]'' (1990)
* ''[[International Pop Underground Convention (album)|International Pop Underground Convention]]'' (1991)
* ''[[Steady Diet of Nothing]]'' (1991)
* ''[[In on the Kill Taker]]'' (1993)
* ''[[Red Medicine]]'' (1995)
* ''[[End Hits]]'' (1998)
* ''[[Instrument Soundtrack]]'' (1999)
* ''[[The Argument (Fugazi album)|The Argument]]'' (2001)
* ''[[Furniture (EP)|Furniture]]'' (2001)
* ''[[20 Years of Dischord]]'' (2002)
* ''[[Fugazi Live Series]]'' (2004)
* ''[[First Demo]]'' (2014)

===The Evens===
* ''[[The Evens (album)|The Evens]]'' (2005)
* ''[[Get Evens]]'' (2006)
* ''[[The Odds (album)|The Odds]]'' (2012)

===Coriky===
*''[[Coriky (album)|Coriky]]'' (2020)

==Equipment==

===Guitars===
*[[Gibson SG]]&nbsp;– MacKaye's main guitar with [[Fugazi]] was a white mid 1970's [[Gibson SG]]. He also frequently used another mid 1970s brown SG. Both guitars are fitted with [[DiMarzio]] Super Distortion humbuckers in the bridge position.<ref name="FUGAZI: A guitar gear summary.">{{cite web|title=FUGAZI: A guitar gear summary (Guest Post)|url=http://www.effectsbay.com/2010/09/fugazi-a-guitar-gear-summary-guest-post/|work=Effects Bay|access-date=April 27, 2013|author=Jack Broughan|date=September 21, 2010|archive-date=July 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110710172511/http://www.effectsbay.com/2010/09/fugazi-a-guitar-gear-summary-guest-post/|url-status=live}}</ref> 
*[[Creston Electric Instruments]] Baritone&nbsp;– MacKaye uses a Danelectro baritone guitar with [[The Evens]].<ref>{{cite web|title=IAN MACKAYE'S STRAIGHT-6 BARITONE|url=http://www.crestonguitars.com/guitars/other/ian_mackayes_straight6_baritone/|work=Creston Electric Instruments|publisher=Creston Electric Instruments, LLC|access-date=April 27, 2013|author=Isaac Wasuck|date=October 31, 2007}}</ref>

===Amplification===
*[[Marshall Amplification|Marshall]] JCM 800 100 watt 2203 [Horizontal Input] (also seen with footage of late 70's era [[Marshall Amplification|Marshall]] JMP 100 watt 2203 Master Volume Model.)
*[[Marshall Amplification|Marshall]] JCM 800 4×12 cabinets fitted with 65-watt celestion speakers.
*Note: Guitars were plugged directly into the high gain input in his JCM 800s, his presence and treble were set very low and the bass and mids cranked on the amp.
*[[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender]] Tweed Deluxe, used when performing with [[The Evens]].

===Effects===
Contrary to popular belief, he has never used any effects.<ref name="FUGAZI: A guitar gear summary."/>

==Personal life==
MacKaye currently lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife Amy Farina and their son Carmine Francis Farina MacKaye, who was born on May 24, 2008.<ref>{{cite web|title=This Is a Birthday Pony|url=http://dcist.com/2008/05/27/this_is_a_birth.php|work=DCist|publisher=Gothamist LLC|access-date=April 27, 2013|date=May 27, 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212230514/http://dcist.com/2008/05/27/this_is_a_birth.php|archive-date=February 12, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

In 2012, MacKaye's wife threw him a surprise 50th birthday party which included many guests from the late 1970s and early 1980s DC punk/hardcore scene, many of whom had not seen each other in 20 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wtop.com/news/2012/04/inside-dc-punk-legend-ian-mackayes-surprise-50th-birthday-party/slide/8/|title=Inside D.C. punk legend Ian MacKaye's surprise 50th birthday party|date=April 29, 2012|website=Wtop.com|access-date=January 6, 2018}}</ref>

MacKaye's younger brother [[Alec MacKaye]] has also been active in several notable bands, such as [[Untouchables (D.C. band)|Untouchables]], [[The Faith (American band)|the Faith]], Ignition and [[The Warmers]], which included Ian's wife Amy.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mark Andersen & |first=Mark Jenkins|title=Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital|year=2003|publisher=Akashic Books|isbn=1-888451-44-0|pages=44}}</ref> His musical collaborations with Ian are limited but he is known for appearing in the iconic photograph used for many [[Minor Threat]] releases including ''[[Complete Discography (Minor Threat album)|Complete Discography]]''.

He has been close friends with [[Henry Rollins]] since childhood<ref>{{cite web | url=http://welcometoflavorcountry.com/2011/06/27/interview-with-ian-mackaye/ | title=Interview with Ian Mackaye | publisher=welcometoflavorcountry.com | date=June 27, 2011 | access-date=2011-12-09 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121095151/http://welcometoflavorcountry.com/2011/06/27/interview-with-ian-mackaye/ | archive-date=January 21, 2012 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> and was the first person to take the stage at Rollins' 50th birthday performance at the [[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]] Explorers' Hall in Washington DC on February 13, 2011.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/14/AR2011021406090.html | title=Punk and politics: Henry Rollins toasts to his 50th | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=February 15, 2011 | access-date=March 20, 2014 | author=Jenkins, Mark}}</ref>  They speak to each other every week by phone, usually on Sundays.<ref name = JRE>{{cite episode | title = Henry Rollins | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpaX2j75UKk | series = Joe Rogan Experience | series-link = Joe Rogan Experience | number = 906 | access-date = April 9, 2018 | archive-date = March 10, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180310215629/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpaX2j75UKk&gl=US&hl=en | url-status = live }}</ref>

Despite persistently voting [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]], MacKaye does not explicitly consider himself a Democrat. He has explained that he votes solely for the politician he believes is least likely to engage in war. He also noted that he had voted for [[Barack Obama]] in the 2008 presidential election.<ref>{{cite news|last=Calle|first=Jacob|title=Interview: Ian MacKaye|url=http://www.freepresshouston.com/music/interview-ian-mackaye/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924015639/http://www.freepresshouston.com/music/interview-ian-mackaye/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2015|newspaper=Free Press Houston|access-date=October 11, 2012}}</ref> When further probed for a summation of his political views, he explained: <blockquote>My rule of thumb in terms of voting for presidential elections always boils down to one thing. Whoever becomes the president of this country is what the people of this country deserve, because it was either they voted for that person or they allowed that election to be rigged, or they didn't put enough of a fight about it. However, the rest of the world does not deserve whoever our president is. It shouldn't be their problem at all. It's our problem. Our country has an enormous impression on the rest of the world. In my opinion at least, the most visceral effect on the rest of the world is war, essentially murder. This country has excelled in murdering people in other places, certainly in the last 10 years. So my rule of thumb in terms for voting is voting for the person who is electable and is least likely to engage in war. And that is it. It's a very simple equation.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.onesmallseed.com/2013/09/issue-25-full-interview-ian-mackaye-the-political-is-personal/| title=Ian MacKaye: The Political is Personal| publisher=One Small Seed| date=September 3, 2013| access-date=July 22, 2014| archive-date=July 28, 2014| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728042401/http://www.onesmallseed.com/2013/09/issue-25-full-interview-ian-mackaye-the-political-is-personal/| url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

==Works outside of music==
===Filmography===
MacKaye was interviewed in the documentary films ''[[Roll Up Your Sleeves]]'', ''[[DIY America]]'', ''[[American Hardcore (film)|American Hardcore]]'', ''930 F'', ''[[Another State of Mind (film)|Another State of Mind]]'', ''[[Instrument (film)|Instrument]]'', ''[[Dogtown and Z-Boys]]'', ''[[D.I.Y. or Die: How to Survive as an Independent Artist]]'', ''Don't Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl'', ''[[Punk's Not Dead (2007 film)|Punk's Not Dead]]'', ''[[We Jam Econo]]'', ''[[I Need That Record!]]'', ''EDGE: Perspectives on Drug Free Culture'', ''[[Salad Days (2014 film)|Salad Days]], Industrial Accident: The Story of Wax Trax! Records'', ''and the [[K Records]] documentary'' [[The Shield Around the K: The Story of K Records|''The Shield Around the K'']]''. ''In 2014, MacKaye was featured in the documentary ''[[Foo Fighters Sonic Highways]]'', which follows and celebrates the [[Foo Fighters]] on their 20th anniversary and the making of their 8th studio album ''[[Sonic Highways]]''. The documentary revisits the band's sources of inspiration, with MacKaye playing a defining role. He was also interviewed in the documentary film ''[[Breadcrumb Trail: The Story of Slint]]'', made about the band [[Slint]].''{{Citation needed|date=April 2020}}''

MacKaye was also featured in professional skateboarder [[Mike Vallely]]'s documentary film ''Drive'' (2002).<ref>{{cite web|title=Drive: Ian Mackaye / Lansdowne|url=https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=6584818732|work=DRIVE on Facebook|publisher=Facebook|access-date=April 27, 2013|author=Mike Vallely|year=2002}}</ref>

In 2024 MacKaye was featured in the documentary ''[[Cover Your Ears]]'' produced by ''[[Prairie Coast Films]]'' and directed by ''[[Sean Patrick Shaul]]'', discussing music censorship.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18296562/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk | title=Cover Your Ears }}</ref>

===Books===
MacKaye has contributed to several books, including ''The Idealist'' by [[Glen E. Friedman]] (Burning Flags Press, 1998, updated 2004, {{ISBN|0-9641916-5-2}}); a foreword to indie-punk band photographer [[Pat Graham (photographer)|Pat Graham]]'s photobook ''Silent Pictures''; an introduction to Susie Horgan's photobook ''Punk Love'', ''Interrobang?! Anthology on Music and Family'', edited by [[Sharon Cheslow]]; and is interviewed in ''American Heretics: Rebel Voices In Music'' by [[Ben Myers]] (Codex Books, 2002). MacKaye is also featured in the Friedman book ''Keep Your Eyes Open'' ({{ISBN|0-9641916-8-7}}), a collection of Fugazi photos taken by Friedman over the course of the band's career.

He also had a conversation with photographer Jim Saah, included in the photozine ''In My Eyes'',({{ISBN|978-987-46715-1-6}}) published by Argentinian publishing house Walden Editora in 2018.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.dischord.com/ Dischord Records]
*{{discogs artist}}
*[http://www.theevens.com/ The Evens official website]
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16259663 2011 BBC article on Fugazi]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20130624072819/http://www.guitargeek.com/ian-mackaye-fugazi-guitar-rig-and-gear-setup-1999/ MacKaye's 1999 Fugazi Guitar Rig]. GuitarGeek.com
{{Minor Threat}}
{{Fugazi}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mackaye, Ian}}
[[Category:American activists]]
[[Category:American pacifists]]
[[Category:American punk rock bass guitarists]]
[[Category:American punk rock guitarists]]
[[Category:American punk rock singers]]
[[Category:Post-hardcore musicians]]
[[Category:Anti-corporate activists]]
[[Category:American indie rock musicians]]
[[Category:Straight edge musicians]]
[[Category:Singers from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Woodrow Wilson High School (Washington, D.C.) alumni]]
[[Category:Guitarists from Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:American male bass guitarists]]
[[Category:Fugazi members]]
[[Category:Minor Threat members]]
[[Category:20th-century American bass guitarists]]
[[Category:Skewbald/Grand Union members]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:The Evens members]]
[[Category:Coriky members]]