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Michael Azerrad

Michael Azerrad Biography

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“To begin with, the key principle of American indie rock wasn't a circumscribed musical style; it was the punk ethos of DIY, or do-it-yourself. The equation was simple: If punk was rebellious and DIY was rebellious, then doing it yourself was punk. 'Punk was about more than just starting a band,' former Minutemen bassist Mike Watt once said, 'it was about starting a label, it was about touring, it was about taking control. It was like songwriting; you just do it. You want a record, you pay the pressing plant. That's what it was all about.'”

IfsWantSaidSimplePayPrinciplesRecordsRocksStyleKeysBandPlantMusicalStartingFormerLabelsSongwritingPunkEquationsMikeRebelliousTouringJust Do ItDo It YourselfEthosDiyIndie RockBassistsMusical StyleMinutemen
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“In eras past, mainstream culture was blandly, blindly complacent, so underground music was angry and dissatisfied. But now, mainstream culture isn’t complacent, it’s stupid and angry; underground culture reacts by becoming smarter, more serene. That’s not wimpy—it’s powerful and productive.”

PastCulturePowerfulStupidBecomingAngryErasProductiveMainstreamSmarterSereneComplacentDissatisfiedMainstream CultureUnderground Music
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“The online musical universe has become Balkanized, with many sites focusing on minute niches. That works well for reaching very specific demographics, which is wonderful for advertising, but it flies in the face of the common wisdom that people's tastes have become more diverse as music of any description has become a mouse-click away.”

PeopleWellsWisdomFacesUniverseCommonWonderfulMinutesTasteMusicalAdvertisingReachingDescriptionOnlineDiverseSiteMiceNicheClicksDemographics
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“A lot of music fans are still interested in insightful perspectives on music - maybe even more interested than ever, since everyone needs help making sense of the incredible variety of sounds that have sprung up in the wake of the Internet revolution. There's a lot of room for unique, qualified voices who can provide good reads.”

NeedsStillsHelpingSoundVoiceRoomsFansRevolutionPerspectiveInternetUniqueIncrediblesVarietyMake SenseInsightfulQualifiedSprungMusic FansGood ReadsSprung UpInternet Revolution
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“Back in the day, in '91 or so, I tried to interview Fugazi for Rolling Stone, which the band felt stood for everything they detested about corporate infiltration of music. They said, 'We'll do the interview if you give us a million dollars of cash in a suitcase.' Which was their way of saying no.”

IfsWayGivingSaidFeltMillionsBandStonesDollarsCorporateInterviewsCashRollingThey SaidMillion DollarsSaying NoRolling StonesSuitcasesBack In The DayInfiltration
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