Ian MacKaye Quotes

A collection of quotes by Ian MacKaye.

Ian MacKaye is an American musician, record label owner, and producer, best known for his influential role in the punk and hardcore music scenes. Born on April 16, 1962, in Washington, D.C., MacKaye developed an early passion for music and formed his first band, The Teen Idles, in the late 1970s, while still in high school. In 1980, he co-founded the highly influential punk band Minor Threat, which quickly gained recognition for their aggressive and intensely honest lyrics.

Throughout his career, MacKaye remained an outspoken advocate for the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) ethic, promoting independent music, self-reliance, and alternative subcultures. In 1981, he co-founded Dischord Records, an independent record label that played a crucial role in shaping the D.C. punk scene and continues to release music in a variety of genres.

Alongside his musical endeavors, MacKaye became an emblematic figure of the straight edge movement, advocating abstinence from alcohol, drugs, and promiscuous behavior. He also explored various musical projects, including Embrace and Fugazi, the latter of which gained international acclaim and became known for their innovative sound.

Ian MacKaye's impactful contributions to the punk and hardcore scenes have left an enduring legacy. His unwavering commitment to authenticity, integrity, and artistic autonomy solidifies his status as one of punk rock's most revered and influential figures.

I don't dismiss the music that I was involved with, I don't

I don't dismiss the music that I was involved with, I don't think it was a joke, I don't think it was funny or a phase, I don't think it was just something I was doing back then, to me it was who I am. It connects all the way through. I don't distance myself from any of it.

Music is a language and different people who come along are

Music is a language and different people who come along are each using that language to do something different, but all coming at it in a similar vein inasmuch as it's always community based and for the most part nonprofit. Most bands don't ever come within a mile of profit - clearly these people are not playing music to make money.

I'm not a religious person, and I'm not too interested in be

I'm not a religious person, and I'm not too interested in being a part of a religion, but I do like having some sort of communal gathering, and having some sense of peoples.

Major labels didn't start showing up really until they smell

Major labels didn't start showing up really until they smelled money, and that's all they're ever going to be attracted to is money-that's the business they're in- making money.

I'm always happy when I hear about people selling records or

I'm always happy when I hear about people selling records or selling books or selling movies. It makes me proud of them.

With Napster and the sharing of music, of course, there are

With Napster and the sharing of music, of course, there are going to be people who exploit it. Greed has no end. But there's a lot of good that could happen. We shouldn't let the economic concerns of the major labels infringe on our freedom to share music.

My focus is always on the day. What I've done behind me, I t

My focus is always on the day. What I've done behind me, I try to have respect for it, and keep an eye on it, and make sure it isn't abused, and obviously be thoughtful about it, because it's all real to me. I'm basically in every band I ever was in, and the songs, I still mean them all.

I think sometimes my humor is extremely dry, and a lot of ti

I think sometimes my humor is extremely dry, and a lot of times I would say things that I thought were very funny but... I have a reputation of - people think of me as a very fundamentalist, humorless fellow.

There are many things that people do happily that I can't im

There are many things that people do happily that I can't imagine why they would do it... But I have to say that even though I am critical or judgmental of society at large, I'm not critical of people individually. We are who we are.

I'm really anti-option, so computers have been my nightmare

I'm really anti-option, so computers have been my nightmare with recording. I don't want endless tracks I want less tracks. I want decisions to be made.

I do feel like I have always, in my life, been inclined to b

I do feel like I have always, in my life, been inclined to be on the outside, walk a different path or something. Because of that, and increasingly over the years, my sense of distance from mainstream society or from the way culture works, I have a different kind of perception of it.