OVERVIEW :
Hüsker Dü first gained notice as a hardcore punk band with thrashing tempos and screamed vocals, but also with a melodic, soulful edge that became more pronounced in the band's mid-career, as they drifted away from their early sound. They were also a striking trio on stage — far different from the typical hardcore band of the time — with Mould's hulking, doughy presence shouting angrily at stage left, offset by the generally unkempt, long-haired Hart flailing on the drums, and the lanky, good-natured Norton, who sported a waxed handlebar mustache for most of the band's career.
Hüsker Dü broke with the anti-traditionalist ethos of most early hardcore bands. Their early songwriting shows the influence of folk, 1960s pop music, blues, and other forms (although often buried under a thick layer of angst and aggression), and has a strong melodic sense. The lyrics made astute, sharp personal and social commentary, showing a great deal of vulnerability and sympathy for their subjects. Hüsker Dü's songwriting was widely admired, and their live shows were often a venue for brilliant improvisational playing. (A feedback-laden solo guitar performance from an early-'80s soundcheck tape merited release via the avant-garde Telus Magazine.) Hüsker Dü was also, however, widely regarded as somewhat unusual-sounding in their early prime, due to the instruments' non-standard tones: Mould's guitar is described below, while Hart's drums were considered 'thumpy' (and he consistently played slightly behind the beat); Norton played bass fairly laconically even at fast tempos, using his fingers rather than a pick. The band's sound can be considered an organic synthesis of these elements -- a unit that was quite powerful in combination, yet perhaps difficult to parse singly.
A particular strength of the group was the two powerhouse singer/songwriters, Mould and Hart. The tension between their musical styles (Mould was generally the angrier songwriter, Hart the more melodic one), and their willingness to collaborate, made the sum of their contributions greater than their parts. Another strength was Mould's unique, resonant guitar sound, described by a critic at the time as "molten metal pouring from the speakers." Mid-period Hüsker Dü songs are immediately recognizable via Mould's incandescent guitar tone, achieved by splitting the signal in the studio between amplified and direct tones and adding a light stereo chorus effect. Mould's technique involved playing resonant drone notes on the high strings. Although a trio, Hüsker Dü generally sounded extremely large on record and live.
The group is also notable as one of the first 1980s American underground rock bands to contract with a major record label, a move that blazed the trail for the rise of so-called alternative rock a few years later. Another key Minneapolis band who served as an alternative-rock icebreaker was The Replacements, who had a friendly rivalry with Hüsker Dü.
CAREER :
In a 1984 interview, Hart reports that Hüsker Dü had their origins in a group called Three Guys With Skinny Ties (presumably a new wave ensemble, given that music's fondness for slender neckties). Hart and Norton's tone throughout the interview seems tongue in cheek; they offer slightly absurd, gently antagonistic replies, perhaps calling into question the honesty of their statements. According to Michael Azerrad's exhaustively-interviewed Our Band Could Be Your Life, the group that became Hüsker Dü formed when Mould, Hart, Norton and keyboardist Charlie Pine began playing together in 1978. They were soon gigging, playing mostly cover songs, some classic rock, and frequent Ramones tunes. Unbeknownst to Pine, the remaining bandmembers disliked their sound, and began practicing without him, writing a few originals.
They owed their new name to a sloppy rehearsal of the Talking Heads' "Psycho Killer". Unable to recall the French portions sung in the original ("qu'est-ce que c'est..."), they began shouting any foreign-language terms they could remember, when someone said "Husker Du", a board game from Denmark that had been popular in the 1960s (the phrase means "do you remember?"). The group added Heavy metal umlauts, and had their new name. Mould reports that they liked Hüsker Dü's somewhat mysterious qualities, which set them apart from other hardcore punk groups with names like "Social Red Youth Dynasty Brigade Distortion" (Azerrad, 162). Mould also reported that while Hüsker Dü enjoyed much hardcore punk in general, they never thought of themselves as exclusively a hardcore group, and that their name was an attempt to avoid being pigeonholed.
The newly-monikered group had their first official performance in early 1979. A short way into the show, one of Hart's friends unplugged Pine's keyboards and gave him the finger. The remaining musicians made no objection, and Hüsker Dü formally became a trio.
By 1980 they were writing lots of original songs, and their music evolved into a fast, ferocious, primal sound, making them one of the original hardcore punk bands. Also in 1980, punk trailblazers
SIGNED :
The band started releasing singles on Terry Katzman's Reflex Records in 1981. Their first two albums, "Land Speed Record" (a live recording) and "Everything Falls Apart" , brought much critical praise. Determined touring brought them to the attention of The Minutemen, who released their debut and the "In A Free Land" single on their label, New Alliance Records. This, in turn, led to the band signing with Greg Ginn's SST Records.
The "Metal Circus" mini-album was released in 1983, and is regarded by some fans as their best effort. The next year saw the release of "Zen Arcade", a double album, regarded by most as their crowning achievement. Zen Arcade is a concept album following a boy who leaves home to face a harsh and unforgiving world. Its artistic and conceptual ambitions were a great stretch, given the purist sentiment then prevalent in U.S. punk rock.
"Zen Arcade" received signifigant mainstream attenion (including a glowing Rolling Stone review by Mikal Gilmore, who compared the record to landmark albums like "London Calling" and "Exile on Main Street"), and appeared on many magazines' year-end best-of lists. In fact, the album was so well-received that SST - a small, nearly shoestring operation - had problems pressing enough copies to keep in stock for stores.
Follow-up's "New Day Rising" and "Flip Your Wig" continued musical exploration, while tempering the speed and volume. Opinions differ widely as to their comparative importance and quality.
Although by this time the band had an international appeal, they continued to play in and support the local Twin Cities music scene. In a nod to the band's Minneapolis roots, 1985's "Makes No Sense At All" EP featured the theme song to the Mary Tyler Moore, which was set in Minneapolis.
Also by the mid-1980s, rumors had begun to circulate that one of Hüsker Dü's members was homosexual. Many assumed it was Norton, due in part to his handlebar mustache. Mould reports that Norton took the whispers and occasional taunts in stride: "I have never encountered anybody who was so patient with that kind of bullshit." (Azerrad, 179). In fact, both Mould and Hart were homosexual - Azerrad described both men's sexual orientation as something of an open secret among their peers - but despite continued rumors to the contrary, Mould and Hart were never lovers. According to Hart, both he and Mould occasionally took partners on tour, but Azerrad also quotes Hart's flat denial of claims that he and Mould were ever romantically involved: "It would have been fuckin' bullshit." (Azerrad, 179)
MAJOR LABEL ERA :
In 1986 the band signed to Warner Brothers Records. Many of Hüsker Dü's peers saw the band's deal with Warner Brothers as a sell out. Others did not : Thurston Moore sought Mould's advice when his own group, Sonic Youth, was being courted by major labels. The young Warners executives who forged the deal saw Hüsker Dü as a 'prestige signing,' never expecting to make much money on the band, but backing them as a statement against the mainstream rock climate of the time, in which exciting new artists were typically excluded from major distribution, MTV visibility, and major press coverage. Their goal was to make a statement that Warner Brothers was willing to put its money where its mouth was, signing a band that many industry professionals admired, but were reluctant to sign.
Their two albums on Warner Brothers, "Candy Apple Grey" and "Warehouse: Songs and Stories" (a double album), show the band as more mature psychologically and musically, though, again, opinions among fans differ as to whether these changes were worthwhile. Both albums scored a few modest hits (primarily on college radio) and appeared briefly on the low end of the Billboard charts.
BREAK UP :
Creative and personal tensions between Mould and Hart had become irresoluble by the release of "Warehouse", which amplified when Mould began overseeing most of the band's managerial duties following the suicide of manager David Savoy. To make matters worse, drug problems (mainly Hart's heroin use) were hurting the band, while Mould was trying to overcome his own alcoholism and amphetamine use. By 1988 they were no longer able to work together; Hart either quit or was ejected from the band (recollections differ), which promptly collapsed. "The Living End", a live collection taken from the band's final tour, was released after the band's demise.
Mould and Hart have continued making music, albeit separately; this work has included solo albums and forming the successful alternative bands, Sugar and Nova Mob, respectively. Norton became a chef. Norton and his wife, Sarah own restaurant called The Nortons, located in Red Wing, Minnesota.
SURPRISE REUNION :
Mould and Hart did a brief, unannounced reunion in 2004 at a benefit concert for Soul Asylum bassist Karl Mueller, who had been receiving treatment for cancer. At the end of what had been scheduled as a Bob Mould solo set, he brought Hart out and the duo played two almost ironic selections from the Hüsker Dü repertoire, "Hardly Getting Over It" and "Never Talking To You Again".
THE NAME :
The group's name is a modified version of "Husker Du?", which means "Do You Remember?" in Danish and Norwegian, inspired by the name of a board game which was first distributed in the 1950s by Pressman. The game has macrons instead of umlauts ("Hûsker Dû?"). The board game proclaimed itself a game "in which the child can outwit the adult." The game caused an uproar in 1973 when it was discovered that the phrase "Get It" was flashed subliminally on the television ads promoting the product.