Wrapping up with IAN MACKAYE and GUY PICCIOTTO

The Alphabetical Fugazi

Ian MacKaye with some working titles https://i.imgur.com/kDaV4Xi.jpg

"Survival" by Prince Far I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNlMvVR93i0

My Korg DT-1 tuner https://i.imgur.com/hjEFR0k.jpg

Guy Picciotto's "guitanjo" https://i.imgur.com/jemecjC.jpg

A few addenda from Guy:

1. "I’m pretty sure the working title 'Na Na Na' was the song Target. The 'na na na' would have been the opening note sequence that Ian and Joe played and I seem to recall when we were writing it / rehearsing there was some singing along of 'na na na na na na .. na na na na na' which made us all laugh."
2. "The demo for INSTRUMENT and REND IT from Inner Ear that I mentioned was also significant in terms of writing the song INSTRUMENT. When we tracked it originally the guitars played thick chords all through the song with no dynamics – it was basically just a wall of guitars the whole way through. I think we even played it live that way for a while – where it was a more grungy noise thing. While doing the demo we struggled mixing it and couldn’t get it to work – it was just too monolithic and muddy. At some point I just started playing the mute buttons on the mixing desk to drop the guitars out during the verses so the bass part could be revealed and that was the key to making that song work and from there we totally re-arranged it to allow all that air back into the song that wasn’t there before. I feel like that was a significant stage for us in terms of changing the way we thought about our music and our mixes in terms of carving space.'
3. "I need to confirm this with Ian but after listening I’m pretty sure the computer in COMBINATION LOCK is saying 'Wait a minute…. I forgot my combination'. Because of the janky algorithm it sounds like 'Wait a min-oot …. I forgot my combination'. That seems to match my memory of it but if Ian has a different take I’ll let you know."

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