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JULIA: It's all right.
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Hi, George.
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That's a big Barnabas dog.
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[WINDOW WHIRRING]
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We're scared
to get out of the car.
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Negatives.
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Mark.
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WOMAN: We had no idea what was there.
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I mean, when we opened
the door to that barn,
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what was inside every single
one of those LP boxes
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and filing cabinets
and garbage bags,
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it didn't belong there.
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0:1:41,13 --> 0:1:42,754
It would've disappeared.
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It would've never been seen.
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The only place for it to be
was back here in Chicago,
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where it started.
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Period.
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[ROCK MUSIC PLAYING]
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♪ Stainless steel providers
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♪ Another tire
Let it catch on fire
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♪ A metal motor mantra
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0:2:7,562 --> 0:2:11,740
♪ Makes you waste
The time of day
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♪ You'll sit on a timebomb
Forever and ever
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♪ Now breathe breathe breathe
Breathe!
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♪ Breathe!
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♪ Quick locate and detonate
Your public enemy
27
0:2:30,541 --> 0:2:32,108
♪ Stainless steel
Believe it's real
28
0:2:32,152 --> 0:2:34,197
♪ It's all you mean to me
29
0:2:34,241 --> 0:2:36,112
♪ What's that sound
What's that sound
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♪ It bleeds efficiency
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♪ The way I feel
On stainless steel
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♪ And all it means to me ♪
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JELLO: I guess I first went
to the original Wax Trax!
store on Ogden Street
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in Denver, maybe a week
or two after it opened.
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0:3:8,57 --> 0:3:10,59
And this was the time
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0:3:10,102 --> 0:3:12,322
when mid '70s
was supposed to be
37
0:3:12,366 --> 0:3:16,805
all about adult rock, soft
rock and Denver and Boulder,
38
0:3:16,848 --> 0:3:20,200
where I was growing up
were kind of the
ground-zero testing grounds
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0:3:20,243 --> 0:3:22,637
for who was going to be
the next Eagles.
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0:3:22,680 --> 0:3:25,161
So imagine
my pleasant surprise
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0:3:25,205 --> 0:3:27,207
when I get to
the Wax Trax! store
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0:3:27,250 --> 0:3:29,339
at that original location
on Ogden.
43
0:3:29,383 --> 0:3:32,603
And there on the front door
is John Denver's greatest hits
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with nails through his eyes
45
0:3:34,562 --> 0:3:37,304
and blood painted coming down.
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STEVE: The first Wax Trax!
store was on Ogden street
in Denver,
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0:3:39,784 --> 0:3:41,917
which was a rough part
of Capitol Hill
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down the street
from the Bluebird Theater
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and Sid King's show lounge,
50
0:3:47,96 --> 0:3:48,967
which is a famous strip joint.
51
0:3:58,412 --> 0:4:1,153
PATTY: When Jim and Dannie
opened the first Wax Trax!
52
0:4:1,197 --> 0:4:2,894
on Ogden street,
53
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it's like they moved
everything from their
apartment into the store.
54
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They'd been
working as carpenters
and cabinet makers.
55
0:4:10,424 --> 0:4:12,77
They had this
huge record collection
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0:4:12,121 --> 0:4:14,819
and their house was full
of all these cool things,
and everything.
57
0:4:14,863 --> 0:4:17,82
I was like, "Okay,
this is really great."
58
0:4:17,126 --> 0:4:20,999
Yeah, Jim and Dannie
were an amazing couple.
59
0:4:21,43 --> 0:4:22,653
I mean, they fit together
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0:4:22,697 --> 0:4:25,221
like... glue.
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What Jim had, Dannie didn't.
62
0:4:28,311 --> 0:4:30,705
And what Dannie had,
Jim didn't.
63
0:4:30,748 --> 0:4:34,317
You definitely got
the sense that they
really loved each other.
64
0:4:34,361 --> 0:4:37,233
But they had some
amazing ways of showing it.
65
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It was including like beating
the shit out of each other.
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0:4:40,802 --> 0:4:43,544
STEVE KNUTSON:
Being out, gay,
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0:4:43,587 --> 0:4:46,677
couple, at that time
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0:4:46,721 --> 0:4:50,28
in where they lived,
in Kansas and Denver
was a big deal.
69
0:4:50,72 --> 0:4:53,75
And they didn't
apologize for it.
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0:4:53,118 --> 0:4:55,773
They didn't hide from it.
They didn't give a shit.
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0:4:55,817 --> 0:4:57,819
You know, they didn't care
what anybody thought.
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0:5:2,84 --> 0:5:3,433
STEVE: When I met
Jim and Dannie,
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0:5:3,477 --> 0:5:6,1
we were all really obsessed
with David Bowie.
74
0:5:6,44 --> 0:5:7,916
They'd seen him
on the Ziggy Tour.
75
0:5:7,959 --> 0:5:10,440
We were also as obsessed
76
0:5:10,484 --> 0:5:11,876
with Roxy Music.
77
0:5:11,920 --> 0:5:14,314
And we love the New York
Dolls and T-Rex.
78
0:5:14,357 --> 0:5:16,533
We liked all of this
because it connected back
to Rock and roll.
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0:5:16,577 --> 0:5:17,795
But it was sort of new.
80
0:5:17,839 --> 0:5:20,320
I found this
community of people
81
0:5:20,363 --> 0:5:22,583
with David Bowie
and Lou Reed and all that.
82
0:5:22,626 --> 0:5:24,498
That's when
really things changed.
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0:5:24,541 --> 0:5:25,847
They were selling Rockabilly.
84
0:5:25,890 --> 0:5:28,632
They were selling
girl groups, garage rock,
85
0:5:28,676 --> 0:5:30,982
glam rock, psyche music,
86
0:5:31,26 --> 0:5:34,334
space rock, old RnB
and soul records.
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0:5:34,377 --> 0:5:37,554
Here is a place
that sold in 1975,
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and going into 1976,
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everything that became
the Punk cannon
two years later.
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0:5:43,908 --> 0:5:46,476
JELLO: Spring of '77,
the whisper goes around,
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0:5:46,520 --> 0:5:49,218
"The Ramones are
coming to Denver, the Ramones
are coming to Denver."
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0:5:49,261 --> 0:5:52,264
When the first record came out,
I wrote a fan letter to them.
93
0:5:52,308 --> 0:5:56,7
And their manager,
Danny Fields,
wrote me back immediately.
94
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So they come to town,
95
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and I, through Danny,
96
0:6:0,185 --> 0:6:1,709
I picked them
up at the airport.
97
0:6:1,752 --> 0:6:4,364
And me and my friend,
we borrowed his mom's car.
98
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And first thing we did
was go to Wax Trax!
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And they loved it.
100
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So, the Ramones
were coming to Denver.
101
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Yeah. We're all going.
102
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This place called
Ebbets Field,
where you couldn't dance.
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You had to sit down in rows,
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all the way to this
little stage, and stuff.
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The Ramones came in,
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just raving about Wax Trax!
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0:6:22,338 --> 0:6:25,689
saying it was the best record
store they had ever seen.
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And this is still
the little Ogden location.
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But they were
that impressed with it.
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Man, they blew
the roof off the place.
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0:6:35,917 --> 0:6:39,7
STEVE: All of these things
that they kind of provoked
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and kind of made
a subculture out of,
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and just sort of attitude,
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0:6:43,751 --> 0:6:45,622
in that little scene
that we had
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became punk rock.
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We felt very validated
after punk rock happened.
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It's like,
"See? We were right."
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Jim was kind of getting
into all of these
different areas
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0:7:0,245 --> 0:7:3,74
of putting out the kind
of music that he likes.
120
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He was a really passionate fan.
121
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And he wanted
everybody to see this
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and love it as much as he did.
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0:7:12,432 --> 0:7:14,782
JELLO: Jim and Dannie
brought out
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a new-wave band from LA
called The Nerves.
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STEVE: The Nerves are famous
for having written
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Hanging on the Telephone
that Blondie used later.
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0:7:23,138 --> 0:7:25,532
Anyway, they performed
128
0:7:25,575 --> 0:7:27,708
and it was a complete
drunken mess.
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0:7:29,449 --> 0:7:32,234
MAN: We opened,
my band in front.
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0:7:32,277 --> 0:7:33,453
It was too loud,
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and the cops
just came upstairs.
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It was like Andy Griffith
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0:7:38,283 --> 0:7:40,460
and Barney Fife showed up.
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0:7:40,503 --> 0:7:42,853
STEVE: Jim was so belligerent
that he got arrested.
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0:7:42,897 --> 0:7:45,116
Jim was standing at the door,
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0:7:45,160 --> 0:7:47,336
he's got his arms
behind his back,
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0:7:47,379 --> 0:7:48,946
he's been cuffed,
138
0:7:48,990 --> 0:7:50,992
and he's yelling at Dannie,
139
0:7:51,35 --> 0:7:53,385
who's yelling at the cops
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0:7:53,429 --> 0:7:55,518
because he wants
to get arrested, too,
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0:7:55,562 --> 0:7:58,434
'cause he's not
gonna leave Jim
alone to be arrested.
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0:7:58,478 --> 0:8:1,2
At the same time Jim
is yelling at him,
143
0:8:1,45 --> 0:8:5,93
something about,
he didn't turn off
the coffee maker at home.
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0:8:5,136 --> 0:8:8,836
It was just that kind
of madness, you know?
All the time.
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0:8:8,879 --> 0:8:12,13
♪ It's good to hear
your voice, you know
it's been so long
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0:8:12,56 --> 0:8:15,146
♪ If I don't get your calls
then everything goes wrong
147
0:8:15,190 --> 0:8:17,975
♪ I want to tell you something you've known all along... ♪
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0:8:18,19 --> 0:8:19,716
PATTY: Parties
were a big part of it.
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0:8:19,760 --> 0:8:22,23
Parties, dress-ups,
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0:8:22,66 --> 0:8:24,373
a lot of parties,
a lot of dressing-ups,
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0:8:24,416 --> 0:8:26,418
a lot of kind of
edgy dressing up.
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It was just normal.
It was just what you did.
153
0:8:28,464 --> 0:8:29,944
You're young, you know?
154
0:8:29,987 --> 0:8:32,250
You like music.
You're into subculture.
155
0:8:32,294 --> 0:8:34,992
You are the subculture.
156
0:8:35,36 --> 0:8:37,299
You know, the music,
the record store,
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was all about misfits.
158
0:8:39,83 --> 0:8:42,86
The whole scene,
from David Bowie on,
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was about misfits.
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0:8:43,740 --> 0:8:45,612
People that didn't belong
anywhere else.
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0:8:45,655 --> 0:8:49,529
And they all ended up
at Wax Trax! Records,
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0:8:49,572 --> 0:8:52,749
going to the shows
and going to the parties.
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And that really,
I have to say,
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was one of the most
important things was that,
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because of Wax Trax!,
166
0:8:58,973 --> 0:9:2,106
there was actually a place
to meet like-minded people.
167
0:9:2,150 --> 0:9:4,848
Otherwise, we may never
have found each other.
168
0:9:7,851 --> 0:9:9,157
STEVE KNUTSON: One time,
169
0:9:10,637 --> 0:9:13,248
I don't know, we were hanging out at the store late,
170
0:9:13,291 --> 0:9:15,119
and they were like,
"Let's go to the bar."
171
0:9:15,163 --> 0:9:17,600
He told me this story
about how he met Dannie
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and, you know, how they
got together pretty quickly.
173
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And how he left his wife,
174
0:9:26,43 --> 0:9:28,698
and he said, "Yeah,
I told her I'm leaving you
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0:9:28,742 --> 0:9:30,178
"'cause you don't have a dick."
176
0:9:32,93 --> 0:9:35,487
And I couldn't believe
that he said that.
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0:9:35,531 --> 0:9:38,12
I was in high school,
he was out of high school.
178
0:9:38,55 --> 0:9:41,929
And we met and fell in love
and got married
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0:9:41,972 --> 0:9:46,455
and had two great children,
beautiful children.
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0:9:46,498 --> 0:9:50,241
We kind of just
synced with the way
we thought about things
181
0:9:50,285 --> 0:9:51,721
and laughed about things.
182
0:9:51,765 --> 0:9:53,593
Sarcasm was always
a part of it, too,
183
0:9:53,636 --> 0:9:55,943
but he was just really funny.
184
0:9:55,986 --> 0:9:57,727
You know, we just connected.
185
0:9:59,511 --> 0:10:2,384
In hindsight,
there were things
186
0:10:2,427 --> 0:10:3,907
that I could've
picked up on that I didn't.
187
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He came home from work
188
0:10:7,824 --> 0:10:9,783
and just said, "I don't
love you anymore.
189
0:10:9,826 --> 0:10:10,914
"I want a divorce."
190
0:10:11,480 --> 0:10:12,612
And I'm going,
191
0:10:14,396 --> 0:10:15,876
"You loved me yesterday.
192
0:10:15,919 --> 0:10:18,313
"You loved me last week,
you know?
193
0:10:18,356 --> 0:10:19,706
"What was it?"
194
0:10:19,749 --> 0:10:22,230
And he said, "Well,
I don't know, but I just...
195
0:10:22,273 --> 0:10:25,146
We just need to not be this.
196
0:10:26,364 --> 0:10:29,19
We talked again.
197
0:10:29,63 --> 0:10:32,980
And we sat down
and it all came out.
198
0:10:33,23 --> 0:10:35,504
He started to cry. He...
199
0:10:35,547 --> 0:10:38,768
'Cause I really thought
maybe he was having an
affair with this girl
200
0:10:38,812 --> 0:10:40,596
that was hanging around
all the time.
201
0:10:40,640 --> 0:10:43,643
But he was having an affair.
It just went
a little differently.
202
0:11:0,964 --> 0:11:4,185
PATTY: Jim and Dannie
met in a cruising park.
203
0:11:4,968 --> 0:11:7,188
And Jim was there
204
0:11:7,231 --> 0:11:10,17
with his son, Aaron.
205
0:11:10,60 --> 0:11:11,583
And Dannie came by.
206
0:11:15,65 --> 0:11:17,807
Where we lived
was very close
to my mother's,
207
0:11:17,851 --> 0:11:20,70
where I would
take the kids every day.
208
0:11:20,114 --> 0:11:22,29
And so I'd drop the kids off
209
0:11:22,72 --> 0:11:25,32
and as I drive up the street,
210
0:11:25,75 --> 0:11:27,687
I could see the front
of our apartment
211
0:11:27,730 --> 0:11:29,689
and Dannie's car was there.
212
0:11:31,168 --> 0:11:33,518
He was truly in pain.
213
0:11:33,562 --> 0:11:38,88
He was acknowledging
something in himself
214
0:11:38,132 --> 0:11:42,789
that he had a difficult
time accepting
215
0:11:42,832 --> 0:11:45,269
and didn't want
it to change his life...
216
0:11:46,314 --> 0:11:48,446
...because of the life he had.
217
0:11:48,490 --> 0:11:52,189
'Cause we were happy.
We had a happy life.
He loved his kids.
218
0:11:52,233 --> 0:11:54,148
You know,
but the two of them
fell in love
219
0:11:54,191 --> 0:11:57,760
and you can't choose
who you fall in love with.
220
0:11:57,804 --> 0:12:2,243
And, you know,
we remained friends
221
0:12:2,286 --> 0:12:3,592
until the end, really.
222
0:12:6,160 --> 0:12:10,555
DANNIE: Well, we started out
in Denver, Colorado,
in 1974 as a record store.
223
0:12:10,599 --> 0:12:15,82
And then, like I said,
everything sort
of flew past Denver
224
0:12:15,125 --> 0:12:16,736
and we were going
to Kansas City,
225
0:12:16,779 --> 0:12:19,260
or Chicago
or New York
to see shows.
226
0:12:19,303 --> 0:12:21,915
And sold that to a couple
of good friends of ours
227
0:12:21,958 --> 0:12:26,789
and moved to Chicago in 1978.
228
0:12:26,833 --> 0:12:30,488
STEVE: He was sick of Denver,
and he wanted to move
the store to Chicago.
229
0:12:30,532 --> 0:12:32,926
And they wanted
to come out and look around,
230
0:12:32,969 --> 0:12:35,58
so they came
and stayed with me.
231
0:12:35,102 --> 0:12:39,497
And I remember, the third day
that we were together,
232
0:12:39,541 --> 0:12:42,22
they came back that night,
said, "We found a place.
233
0:12:42,65 --> 0:12:43,937
"We found an amazing place.
234
0:12:43,980 --> 0:12:45,329
"It's over on Lincoln.
235
0:12:45,373 --> 0:12:48,593
"And it's right next
to the Biograph Theater."
236
0:12:48,637 --> 0:12:50,813
They left all the furniture
in Denver.
237
0:12:50,857 --> 0:12:52,119
We just took the records.
238
0:12:52,162 --> 0:12:54,382
We just took the records
of Roxy Music table
239
0:12:54,425 --> 0:12:55,775
and maybe some personal stuff.
240
0:12:55,818 --> 0:12:58,603
They'd already built or had
241
0:12:58,647 --> 0:13:2,259
all the bins made in the shop.
242
0:13:2,303 --> 0:13:3,652
And it was painted.
243
0:13:3,695 --> 0:13:5,697
So when we got
up there, basically,
244
0:13:5,741 --> 0:13:8,439
we just put the records
in the bins
and opened the store.
245
0:13:8,483 --> 0:13:11,312
♪ Everybody plays a game
246
0:13:12,487 --> 0:13:15,533
♪ We don't have to say the name
247
0:13:16,708 --> 0:13:19,842
♪ If we take a summary
248
0:13:21,278 --> 0:13:25,195
♪ Boys and girls
Just ain't the same
249
0:13:25,239 --> 0:13:30,244
♪ I don't have to say no more
You know what... ♪
250
0:13:30,287 --> 0:13:34,639
STEVE ALBINI: It was literally the first day that I came to Chicago.
251
0:13:34,683 --> 0:13:37,77
Somebody at the dorm,
I can't remember who,
252
0:13:37,120 --> 0:13:40,123
saw me loading my records
into the dorm room
253
0:13:40,167 --> 0:13:42,909
and saw that they were
a bunch of oddball records
there...
254
0:13:42,952 --> 0:13:45,737
...and said, "Oh, there's a
record store in town you
really should go to.
255
0:13:45,781 --> 0:13:46,826
"It's called Wax Trax!."
256
0:13:50,525 --> 0:13:54,572
I mean, we had heard, our
friends here in Chicago,
about a record store
257
0:13:54,616 --> 0:13:56,661
that was in Denver
258
0:13:56,705 --> 0:14:0,840
that was into sort
of this new wave
259
0:14:0,883 --> 0:14:3,364
of, you know, punk rock.
260
0:14:3,407 --> 0:14:6,236
Certainly the Roxy Music,
David Bowie,
261
0:14:6,280 --> 0:14:8,630
Brian Eno, T.Rex...
262
0:14:15,71 --> 0:14:18,509
When my roommate,
John Sulek, and I
263
0:14:18,553 --> 0:14:23,253
had heard that Wax Trax!
was coming to Chicago,
264
0:14:23,297 --> 0:14:26,604
we began camp out
in front of that address
265
0:14:26,648 --> 0:14:29,825
on Lincoln Avenue
hoping to bump into them.
266
0:14:29,869 --> 0:14:32,959
To me, your store
stands for excitement.
267
0:14:33,2 --> 0:14:35,744
FRANKIE: I knew this girl
named Marty.
268
0:14:35,787 --> 0:14:40,53
And she also lives
in the same neighborhood I did,
269
0:14:40,96 --> 0:14:41,576
which was Newtown.
270
0:14:41,619 --> 0:14:43,578
I got to know them
271
0:14:43,621 --> 0:14:47,887
and they knew I liked Glam
Rock and, you know, Roxy Music
and David Bowie.
272
0:14:47,930 --> 0:14:49,845
And they were like,
"Oh, you know,
273
0:14:49,889 --> 0:14:53,980
"there's these guys
that are gonna move here
and open up a record store.
274
0:14:54,23 --> 0:14:55,720
"That's really cool, you know.
275
0:14:55,764 --> 0:14:59,681
"And they have all this kind
of stuff that we like."
276
0:14:59,724 --> 0:15:3,424
You know, "Oh, really?"
"Bootleg." "Bowie." "Wow!"
277
0:15:3,467 --> 0:15:4,991
STEVE ALBINI:
What was great about it
278
0:15:5,34 --> 0:15:8,298
was that it was like a chaotic sort of overwhelming thing.
279
0:15:8,342 --> 0:15:10,910
But everything in it was
all part of the same story.
280
0:15:10,953 --> 0:15:13,216
And it's like,
it was really weird
281
0:15:13,260 --> 0:15:17,873
to see a place
that was literally built
for people like me.
282
0:15:17,917 --> 0:15:19,831
And it was magical.
283
0:15:19,875 --> 0:15:22,399
LARRY: You know, talk about
falling down the rabbit hole,
284
0:15:22,443 --> 0:15:24,967
just going into this
alternate reality,
285
0:15:25,11 --> 0:15:28,14
'cause record stores
didn't look like that
where I came from.
286
0:15:28,57 --> 0:15:29,363
And they didn't
sound like that.
287
0:15:29,406 --> 0:15:32,235
They didn't have girls
with two-toned hair
288
0:15:32,279 --> 0:15:34,759
and people smoking
behind the counter
289
0:15:34,803 --> 0:15:36,544
and all this sort of thing.
290
0:15:36,587 --> 0:15:40,852
And it was, you know,
quite an eye-opener.
291
0:15:40,896 --> 0:15:44,813
FRANKIE: Bright,
big colors. Colorful.
292
0:15:44,856 --> 0:15:47,816
You know,
tons of promo everywhere.
293
0:15:48,643 --> 0:15:50,558
They'd do displays
294
0:15:50,601 --> 0:15:53,213
and put stuff up
on the walls and...
295
0:15:53,256 --> 0:15:54,866
You know, it was like jumping
296
0:15:54,910 --> 0:15:57,695
into the center of a collage
297
0:15:57,739 --> 0:15:59,697
with music playing.
298
0:16:0,481 --> 0:16:2,178
It's like, "Oh, my God.
299
0:16:2,222 --> 0:16:5,660
"I'm distracted,
for some reason."
300
0:16:5,703 --> 0:16:7,444
DAVE: Well, one year,
we come up,
301
0:16:7,488 --> 0:16:10,273
I think it was 1982 or 1983,
302
0:16:10,317 --> 0:16:12,841
we took the L down to Wax Trax!
303
0:16:12,884 --> 0:16:14,756
And it was the first time I'd
ever been to a record store
304
0:16:14,799 --> 0:16:17,585
that had... everything.
305
0:16:17,628 --> 0:16:20,457
I was so blown away
that this...
306
0:16:21,850 --> 0:16:24,461
entire genre of music existed
307
0:16:24,505 --> 0:16:27,334
without anybody really knowing.
308
0:16:27,377 --> 0:16:29,249
Like, this was underground shit.
309
0:16:29,292 --> 0:16:31,599
And there was
this network of bands
310
0:16:31,642 --> 0:16:33,905
and labels and fan scenes
311
0:16:33,949 --> 0:16:36,299
that communicated
with each other
312
0:16:36,343 --> 0:16:41,217
off the radar of any
sort of commercial scene.
313
0:16:41,261 --> 0:16:42,871
Like nobody knew
this was happening.
314
0:16:42,914 --> 0:16:44,46
I had no idea
this was happening.
315
0:16:45,352 --> 0:16:46,527
I loved Rock music
316
0:16:46,570 --> 0:16:49,617
and I was a shitty
little vandal kid.
317
0:16:49,660 --> 0:16:53,186
But I had never heard
something that made me
want to fucking break shit.
318
0:16:56,450 --> 0:16:57,755
MAN: Very nice.
319
0:16:58,713 --> 0:17:0,671
WOMAN: Wax Trax!
320
0:17:0,715 --> 0:17:4,980
You walk into 1980,
321
0:17:5,24 --> 0:17:7,635
our city was, you know,
322
0:17:7,678 --> 0:17:9,637
it was in shambles.
323
0:17:9,680 --> 0:17:12,509
The neighborhoods
that we now all live in
324
0:17:12,553 --> 0:17:16,339
were just derelict,
crime-ridden...
325
0:17:16,383 --> 0:17:18,254
So there were like these,
326
0:17:18,298 --> 0:17:21,475
I would have to say almost
like, misfits of, like,
327
0:17:21,518 --> 0:17:23,303
you know, kind of punk rock,
328
0:17:23,346 --> 0:17:25,870
kind of new wave,
kind of gay, kind of disco.
329
0:17:25,914 --> 0:17:29,439
You know, there was
this really interesting
sort of time
330
0:17:29,483 --> 0:17:33,52
where people just really
wanted something
331
0:17:33,95 --> 0:17:36,403
to release the pressure
of how hard it was.
332
0:17:36,446 --> 0:17:39,362
And the scene begins to grow.
333
0:17:39,406 --> 0:17:41,538
People were looking
for something real.
334
0:17:41,582 --> 0:17:45,847
And Chicago was a great place
to be at that time.
335
0:17:45,890 --> 0:17:48,241
When Jim and Dannie
moved the store to Chicago,
336
0:17:48,284 --> 0:17:51,505
what happened after that,
is that Jim and Dannie
started doing other shows,
337
0:17:51,548 --> 0:17:55,726
bringing in
ex-famously-Bauhaus show.
338
0:17:56,988 --> 0:18:0,470
Jim and Dannie
were in touch with our label
339
0:18:0,514 --> 0:18:2,994
at the time,
which was 4AD Records.
340
0:18:3,38 --> 0:18:4,822
We were going to play
in New York.
341
0:18:4,866 --> 0:18:7,825
So, we thought,
"Well, New York is
not that far from Chicago.
342
0:18:7,869 --> 0:18:11,481
"So perhaps
we can set up a gig
via Wax Trax!, you know?"
343
0:18:11,525 --> 0:18:12,830
And that's what we did.
344
0:18:15,224 --> 0:18:20,577
♪ Stigmata
345
0:18:22,666 --> 0:18:28,759
♪ Martyr ♪
346
0:18:28,803 --> 0:18:30,674
DAVID: And they were
most personable.
347
0:18:30,718 --> 0:18:33,764
And they took us
to their apartment building.
348
0:18:33,808 --> 0:18:35,853
We were made to feel
very welcome.
349
0:18:35,897 --> 0:18:38,247
In fact, for all of us,
the impression
350
0:18:38,291 --> 0:18:41,424
was that we had entered
into some kind of
351
0:18:41,468 --> 0:18:45,733
a very camp,
very gay enclave
352
0:18:46,821 --> 0:18:50,303
in the middle
of this tough city.
353
0:18:50,346 --> 0:18:51,956
Now we're entering Wax Trax!
354
0:18:52,914 --> 0:18:55,482
We're seeing Gary here.
355
0:18:59,703 --> 0:19:2,445
JULIA: It was almost like,
"Yeah." We just...
356
0:19:2,489 --> 0:19:4,708
This is where Dad lives now.
357
0:19:4,752 --> 0:19:6,580
We went there.
358
0:19:6,623 --> 0:19:9,104
And we hung out
in a record store.
359
0:19:9,148 --> 0:19:12,281
Like, it was not like,
"What is this place.
Interesting."
360
0:19:12,325 --> 0:19:14,65
-No.
-JULIA: We were just there.
361
0:19:14,109 --> 0:19:15,632
AARON:
That was your way of life.
That's all you knew.
362
0:19:15,676 --> 0:19:16,894
JULIA: Yeah.
363
0:19:20,942 --> 0:19:22,770
JULIA: They had this
penthouse apartment
364
0:19:22,813 --> 0:19:24,859
on Surf in Broadway,
365
0:19:24,902 --> 0:19:27,383
Queen Wilhelmina's ballroom.
366
0:19:27,427 --> 0:19:29,777
Massive, massive living room.
367
0:19:29,820 --> 0:19:32,258
We would roller skate in there,
368
0:19:32,301 --> 0:19:34,173
dad had a wheelchair.
369
0:19:34,216 --> 0:19:36,305
Like wheel around the place.
370
0:19:53,61 --> 0:19:56,107
Dannie was
371
0:19:56,151 --> 0:19:59,894
probably one
of the kindest, gentlest
372
0:20:1,287 --> 0:20:2,679
people I have ever met.
373
0:20:2,723 --> 0:20:5,595
And it was quite
a juxtaposition to my dad...
374
0:20:5,639 --> 0:20:7,31
Yeah, yeah.
375
0:20:7,75 --> 0:20:11,253
...who would, you know,
he could like tear you on.
376
0:20:11,297 --> 0:20:14,125
And he could like
rip on people.
377
0:20:14,169 --> 0:20:17,172
And just fuck with people.
378
0:20:17,216 --> 0:20:20,131
We were driving
in Chicago at one point,
379
0:20:20,175 --> 0:20:23,657
and Dad said, "Dannie!
Slow down, slow down,
slow down!"
380
0:20:23,700 --> 0:20:27,95
So this lady of the night
is walking around, you know?
381
0:20:27,138 --> 0:20:30,11
He's like, "When she
starts to move over
to the van, you guys,"
382
0:20:30,54 --> 0:20:32,100
"open the door, right?"
383
0:20:32,143 --> 0:20:36,365
So he calls this prostitute
over to the van
384
0:20:36,409 --> 0:20:39,499
and they come like,
"Hey, big boy" kind of thing.
385
0:20:39,542 --> 0:20:41,544
And so Dad's like,
"Open the door, open the door."
386
0:20:41,588 --> 0:20:43,938
So we opened the door, and
there's these two little kids
387
0:20:43,981 --> 0:20:46,723
in the van,
and this woman was like...
388
0:20:46,767 --> 0:20:49,422
I don't know what she did.
We were laughing so hard.
389
0:20:49,465 --> 0:20:52,425
But she backed off
pretty quickly.
390
0:20:52,468 --> 0:20:54,165
Yeah, that's Dad.
391
0:20:54,209 --> 0:20:56,80
Dannie, Southern gentleman.
392
0:20:56,124 --> 0:20:59,736
I mean, in someways, Jim and
Dannie did seem like the old
married couple
393
0:20:59,780 --> 0:21:1,564
'cause they balanced
each other really well.
394
0:21:1,608 --> 0:21:4,306
Jim was the manic
bouncing off the walls,
395
0:21:5,394 --> 0:21:7,701
kind of prone
to hysteria sometimes,
396
0:21:7,744 --> 0:21:9,616
and Dannie was always
very even-keeled.
397
0:21:9,659 --> 0:21:11,792
Just kind of mellowed him out
and balanced him.
398
0:21:11,835 --> 0:21:13,272
FRANKIE: It's a team.
399
0:21:13,315 --> 0:21:15,491
Dannie was Jim's backbone.
400
0:21:15,535 --> 0:21:17,667
So, Jim could be Jim.
401
0:21:17,711 --> 0:21:19,887
He was behind him.
402
0:21:19,930 --> 0:21:23,282
He embellished Jim.
403
0:21:24,457 --> 0:21:26,328
And that's why
they were a team.
404
0:21:40,777 --> 0:21:44,346
JULIA: I saw 'em kiss in the reflection of a mirror,
405
0:21:44,390 --> 0:21:45,652
in their apartment.
406
0:21:46,305 --> 0:21:48,45
And I was like...
407
0:21:48,89 --> 0:21:51,222
It was one of those things
like, "Holy shit."
408
0:21:51,266 --> 0:21:52,920
And I wanted to look away,
409
0:21:52,963 --> 0:21:55,531
but I was like,
"This is crazy!
410
0:21:55,575 --> 0:21:58,578
"These guys aren't friends.
They're more than friends.
411
0:21:58,621 --> 0:22:1,668
You know, I was
completely blown-away,
412
0:22:1,711 --> 0:22:4,453
confused, had no idea.
413
0:22:5,236 --> 0:22:7,195
And that was that.
414
0:22:7,238 --> 0:22:9,850
I kept it in,
didn't say anything
415
0:22:9,893 --> 0:22:12,200
and told my brother
416
0:22:13,288 --> 0:22:14,681
on the way to school one day.
417
0:22:19,250 --> 0:22:21,209
JOE: There were some bands
that Jim and Dannie
418
0:22:21,252 --> 0:22:23,298
just were really
in love with
419
0:22:23,907 --> 0:22:25,256
in Europe.
420
0:22:25,300 --> 0:22:27,650
Things like, as I remember,
421
0:22:27,694 --> 0:22:29,696
a lot of the 4AD.
422
0:22:29,739 --> 0:22:33,482
The 4AD catalog was something
that they really loved.
423
0:22:33,526 --> 0:22:36,442
They loved the way it felt,
the way it looked,
424
0:22:36,485 --> 0:22:38,574
Factory was another one,
of course.
425
0:22:39,270 --> 0:22:40,750
SEAN: In the store,
426
0:22:40,794 --> 0:22:44,972
it was usually New Order, Joy Division, A Certain Ratio,
427
0:22:45,15 --> 0:22:48,367
Cabaret Voltaire,
Portion Control.
428
0:22:48,410 --> 0:22:50,934
Each person
that I worked with
429
0:22:50,978 --> 0:22:53,372
had their own taste,
430
0:22:53,415 --> 0:22:56,810
and then had the taste
of the store,
431
0:22:56,853 --> 0:22:58,986
I guess, as it were.
432
0:23:0,553 --> 0:23:5,384
Everybody shared
Jim and Dannie's passion
for the same music.
433
0:23:17,700 --> 0:23:19,833
I mean, he had been
a bit of a record label,
434
0:23:19,876 --> 0:23:22,9
you know, sort of
surreptitiously,
435
0:23:22,52 --> 0:23:24,794
for grey market,
black market records.
436
0:23:24,838 --> 0:23:27,406
But just to throw yourself
into it like that...
437
0:23:27,449 --> 0:23:29,799
I got the impression
that it was just
a one-off thing.
438
0:23:29,843 --> 0:23:31,758
We're just gonna do this...
439
0:23:31,801 --> 0:23:34,717
I mean, we have a ton
of customers who
come in for this stuff,
440
0:23:34,761 --> 0:23:38,112
and it's like,
"Hey, let's put out a record..."
441
0:23:38,155 --> 0:23:40,244
And then I think
it was kind of fun.
442
0:23:40,288 --> 0:23:43,552
That Strike Under, twelve-inch',
which is just
an astonishing record.
443
0:23:43,596 --> 0:23:47,251
I mean, that's like
a brilliant snapshot
444
0:23:47,295 --> 0:23:48,949
of the Chicago Punk scene.
445
0:23:48,992 --> 0:23:51,952
There was like a dance number
on there,
446
0:23:51,995 --> 0:23:55,695
which sort of like owned up
to the fact that in Chicago,
447
0:23:55,738 --> 0:23:58,349
punks would go to the dance
clubs and dance, you know?
448
0:23:58,393 --> 0:24:0,439
I didn't get the impression
that that was true in LA
449
0:24:0,482 --> 0:24:3,529
or like, you know,
in other Punk scenes.
450
0:24:3,572 --> 0:24:7,271
I didn't get the impression
that dyed-in-the-wool
Punk Rockers
451
0:24:7,315 --> 0:24:9,926
were into going to night
clubs to dance.
452
0:24:9,970 --> 0:24:12,929
But you know, Wax Trax!
was a fulcrum for that.
453
0:24:12,973 --> 0:24:16,411
So I used my introduction
to the whole sort of
"How do you get a record?"
454
0:24:16,455 --> 0:24:18,979
Because that was just out of...
455
0:24:19,22 --> 0:24:21,503
That's not what
people didn't do that.
Companies did that.
456
0:24:21,547 --> 0:24:25,202
But Jim and Dannie did this.
They got this record made.
457
0:24:25,246 --> 0:24:29,119
FRANKIE: The Divine single
was sort of a novelty thing
458
0:24:29,163 --> 0:24:32,340
that pulled people in more
459
0:24:32,383 --> 0:24:36,475
to like, "How weird," you know?
460
0:24:36,518 --> 0:24:39,347
Like, Divine, that crazy,
bizarre drag queen,
461
0:24:39,390 --> 0:24:42,872
who was already
a legend with the films,
and everything.
462
0:24:42,916 --> 0:24:44,831
There was interest there.
463
0:24:44,874 --> 0:24:47,355
STEVE ALBINI:
Totally hilarious.
Totally camp. You know?
464
0:24:47,398 --> 0:24:49,183
How could you not be
rooting for Divine?
465
0:24:49,226 --> 0:24:52,708
Like, such a likable persona,
you know?
466
0:24:52,752 --> 0:24:55,363
And that was the only place
in town that was like that.
467
0:24:55,406 --> 0:24:59,802
That had that sort
of camp, trashy sensibilities.
468
0:24:59,846 --> 0:25:4,415
And my very special thanks
to Jim and Dan
of Wax Trax! Records.
469
0:25:12,119 --> 0:25:15,644
JELLO: Jim or Dannie,
or somebody, introduced me
to a friend of theirs
470
0:25:15,688 --> 0:25:18,995
they were starting to work
with named Al Jourgenson.
471
0:25:19,39 --> 0:25:22,521
And were just like, "Hi, Hi."
"Like your stuff." Whatever.
472
0:25:22,564 --> 0:25:25,785
Although I hadn't really
heard his yet.
473
0:25:25,828 --> 0:25:30,833
Jim and Dannie decided
to put out this demo
I did in my...
474
0:25:30,877 --> 0:25:33,357
I was living
right off Southport.
475
0:25:34,620 --> 0:25:36,709
Just a demo
on a four-track machine,
476
0:25:36,752 --> 0:25:40,582
which later turned out to be
Cold Lifeand I'm Falling.
477
0:25:40,626 --> 0:25:43,324
And I played it for 'em
in the store.
478
0:25:43,367 --> 0:25:46,240
And he heard it and was like,
"Whoa, we gotta do this."
479
0:25:46,283 --> 0:25:49,548
He'd just released
the Divine single.
480
0:25:49,591 --> 0:25:51,811
And so, he put this record out.
481
0:25:51,854 --> 0:25:54,640
I wasn't planning on putting it out, or even having a band.
482
0:25:54,683 --> 0:25:57,251
As a matter of fact, I didn't even have a name for the band.
483
0:25:57,294 --> 0:25:59,558
Jim always had someone
484
0:25:59,601 --> 0:26:1,995
that he thought was
the greatest thing in the world.
485
0:26:2,952 --> 0:26:4,40
Now, it's Al.
486
0:26:8,218 --> 0:26:9,742
♪ Cold
487
0:26:11,918 --> 0:26:13,528
♪ Cold
488
0:26:15,965 --> 0:26:17,97
♪ Cold
489
0:26:19,882 --> 0:26:21,580
♪ Your body's
In the hands of fools
490
0:26:21,623 --> 0:26:23,538
♪ With swimming pools
And low IQ's...♪
491
0:26:23,582 --> 0:26:25,845
AL: I mean, it wasn't like
this well-thought-out
thing from Ministry,
492
0:26:25,888 --> 0:26:28,369
but what happened was that,
493
0:26:28,412 --> 0:26:32,591
that record
and the subsequent, like...
494
0:26:32,634 --> 0:26:35,245
Everyday is Halloween
and Nature of Love,
495
0:26:35,289 --> 0:26:37,421
started really taking off.
496
0:26:37,465 --> 0:26:39,685
LARRY: I don't think
it became real
497
0:26:39,728 --> 0:26:43,732
until probably
the Ministry record.
498
0:26:43,776 --> 0:26:46,343
Because that started
to get some club play
499
0:26:46,387 --> 0:26:48,432
and started to get
some attention.
500
0:26:48,476 --> 0:26:51,392
It was catchy
and it sold a shit
load of records.
501
0:26:51,435 --> 0:26:54,90
That was really nice.
That helped the label a lot.
502
0:26:59,966 --> 0:27:3,839
JOE: What Jim and Dannie
did on Lincoln Avenue,
503
0:27:3,883 --> 0:27:9,410
was create sort of this,
um, meet-up.
504
0:27:9,453 --> 0:27:12,21
One of the first sort of ideas
505
0:27:12,65 --> 0:27:16,678
that a retail and/or
a record store, was a meet-up.
506
0:27:16,722 --> 0:27:19,376
You'd go and you'd
see your friends
507
0:27:19,420 --> 0:27:22,249
on a Saturday afternoon.
508
0:27:22,292 --> 0:27:24,991
LARRY: Before I even worked
there, Wax Trax!,
it was a gathering place
509
0:27:25,34 --> 0:27:28,37
for my friends,
our little group.
510
0:27:28,81 --> 0:27:30,910
It was just somewhat
of a clubhouse.
511
0:27:30,953 --> 0:27:33,86
You could go in there,
you could drink,
you could smoke,
512
0:27:33,129 --> 0:27:34,304
you could listen to music.
513
0:27:34,348 --> 0:27:35,828
But, also, you know,
what else can you do?
514
0:27:35,871 --> 0:27:37,307
What else do you want to do?
515
0:27:37,351 --> 0:27:40,6
Cool social shit was going on
516
0:27:40,49 --> 0:27:42,878
that they weren't necessarily
getting any other way.
517
0:27:42,922 --> 0:27:44,880
It was more than just a place
to go and buy records.
518
0:27:44,924 --> 0:27:48,536
It was a place
to hang out and meet up
519
0:27:48,579 --> 0:27:50,973
with, you know,
like-minded individuals
520
0:27:51,17 --> 0:27:54,281
and bands would form
in record stores, you know.
521
0:27:54,324 --> 0:27:56,65
It was like a social hub.
522
0:28:0,853 --> 0:28:3,203
LARRY: You'd see
regular people
coming in.
523
0:28:3,246 --> 0:28:5,74
You know, same people
come in at a regular time
524
0:28:5,118 --> 0:28:7,337
on Friday night,
Saturday night.
525
0:28:7,381 --> 0:28:10,471
It was just
sort of a gathering place
526
0:28:10,514 --> 0:28:13,909
for that sort of, you know,
527
0:28:13,953 --> 0:28:15,998
the disenfranchised
or misfit kids.
528
0:28:16,42 --> 0:28:17,478
Whatever you want to call 'em.
529
0:28:20,307 --> 0:28:22,309
STEVE ALBINI: The staff there
were really knowledgeable
530
0:28:22,352 --> 0:28:26,52
and really, you know,
really forthcoming
531
0:28:26,95 --> 0:28:28,489
if you showed
an interest in something.
532
0:28:28,532 --> 0:28:31,579
Somebody there knew
the backstory
533
0:28:31,622 --> 0:28:34,495
of every piece of vinyl
in that record store.
534
0:28:34,538 --> 0:28:38,325
Like somebody there
decided to buy that record
535
0:28:38,368 --> 0:28:40,327
and put it in the store
for a reason.
536
0:28:40,370 --> 0:28:42,895
And if you found that person,
they would let you in
on that reason.
537
0:28:49,640 --> 0:28:53,35
♪ To hell with poverty
538
0:28:53,79 --> 0:28:57,387
♪ The check will arrive
We'll turn the boast again ♪
539
0:29:0,129 --> 0:29:3,567
You would get an education
as well as a record.
540
0:29:3,611 --> 0:29:5,613
You learned about
the interrelationship
541
0:29:5,656 --> 0:29:7,571
of all the different members
of the different groups.
542
0:29:7,615 --> 0:29:11,140
Like how, "That guy came
from this band
and started this band."
543
0:29:11,184 --> 0:29:13,577
Or, "This band came
through here on tour,
544
0:29:13,621 --> 0:29:15,14
"and they were really terrific,
545
0:29:15,57 --> 0:29:16,406
"but this guy is in another
band, and they sucked.
546
0:29:16,450 --> 0:29:18,60
"Don't bother with that one."
547
0:29:18,104 --> 0:29:21,368
You hear all this stuff
that was really great,
548
0:29:21,411 --> 0:29:23,892
and, you know, really
fleshed out your appreciation
549
0:29:23,936 --> 0:29:25,589
of all the records
that you're buying, you know.
550
0:29:27,200 --> 0:29:30,769
JOE:
There was talk about, like,
551
0:29:30,812 --> 0:29:36,252
there were a lot of records that
weren't available in America.
552
0:29:36,296 --> 0:29:38,777
And why couldn't there be
553
0:29:40,300 --> 0:29:44,217
a distribution or a platform
554
0:29:44,260 --> 0:29:46,306
for some of
the European labels?
555
0:29:46,349 --> 0:29:49,526
And that it would be produced
here in Chicago.
556
0:30:9,808 --> 0:30:14,900
The endless Riddance 12-inch
was imported by a label
557
0:30:14,943 --> 0:30:17,467
or a shop in the streets
called Wax Trax!
558
0:30:19,382 --> 0:30:21,36
But we didn't know that,
of course.
559
0:30:21,80 --> 0:30:24,431
I didn't even know
that 12 inches
weren't imported in America.
560
0:30:30,872 --> 0:30:33,353
Until we received
one day a fax
561
0:30:33,396 --> 0:30:37,966
from the label saying,
"Hey, we love your 12-inch
Endless Riddance. Take One."
562
0:30:38,10 --> 0:30:41,143
"We'd like to license it
for the States.
"I was like, "What?"
563
0:30:47,715 --> 0:30:50,587
LARRY: The Front 242 record
was taking it
to a whole other level.
564
0:30:50,631 --> 0:30:54,287
Ministry was a local act
Jim and Dannie supported now.
565
0:30:54,330 --> 0:30:57,899
But to go internationally,
and reach out once again,
566
0:30:57,943 --> 0:31:1,685
reach out to this band
they got the Front 242
single into the store.
567
0:31:1,729 --> 0:31:3,862
Jim and Dannie loved it.
568
0:31:3,905 --> 0:31:9,650
PATRICK: At the time,
we were kind of
in sort of a post-punk area.
569
0:31:9,693 --> 0:31:12,479
So those bands were trying
something else.
570
0:31:12,522 --> 0:31:15,874
Like getting out of the punk
but with the same philosophy,
in a way.
571
0:31:15,917 --> 0:31:19,94
Like small equipment.
572
0:31:19,138 --> 0:31:21,880
Not trying to have like
big contracts with labels.
573
0:31:21,923 --> 0:31:23,577
Trying to do stuff on their own.
574
0:31:23,620 --> 0:31:25,13
Buying recording machine,
575
0:31:25,57 --> 0:31:27,581
trying to produce stuff
on their own.
576
0:31:27,624 --> 0:31:30,671
And the history of Front 242
577
0:31:30,714 --> 0:31:32,891
is very much linked
with technology.
578
0:31:32,934 --> 0:31:36,111
We realized that if we
were buying synthesizers,
579
0:31:36,155 --> 0:31:37,852
drum boxes,
and stuff like that,
580
0:31:37,896 --> 0:31:41,203
we could create something
without being really musicians.
581
0:31:41,247 --> 0:31:42,552
And that's how we started.
582
0:31:42,596 --> 0:31:43,945
In the studio, I tell you,
583
0:31:43,989 --> 0:31:46,600
we worked a lot
with exchange of cassettes.
584
0:31:46,643 --> 0:31:49,298
We have to take home,
we try sound,
have fun with this sound,
585
0:31:49,342 --> 0:31:51,735
and then it's more
like a collage.
586
0:31:51,779 --> 0:31:53,259
It's never like...
587
0:31:53,302 --> 0:31:56,697
We're not musicians.
So, we don't really know
what we do.
588
0:31:56,740 --> 0:31:59,221
RICHARD: We were, I guess,
back then, really influenced
589
0:31:59,265 --> 0:32:1,876
by people like
Throbbing Gristle,
Cabaret Voltaire.
590
0:32:1,920 --> 0:32:5,532
They also had a concert,
I think, that was not only
about the music,
591
0:32:5,575 --> 0:32:10,189
but a way to behave
versus the industry.
592
0:32:10,232 --> 0:32:13,932
You know, to be on your own,
to produce and create
the music by yourself.
593
0:32:13,975 --> 0:32:17,283
To have your own label,
your own industrial label,
594
0:32:17,326 --> 0:32:19,981
it was proving to me
that not being a musician,
595
0:32:20,25 --> 0:32:24,290
not being part of a scene
or the industry,
596
0:32:24,333 --> 0:32:27,641
you could make something
very strong and efficient.
597
0:32:27,684 --> 0:32:31,253
So, the first idea of image
of the band was to have
something physical.
598
0:32:31,297 --> 0:32:32,907
Maybe aggressive, as well,
599
0:32:32,951 --> 0:32:35,431
like, you know,
to try to break the rules
600
0:32:35,475 --> 0:32:38,173
and break the way
electronic music was back then
601
0:32:38,217 --> 0:32:40,610
presented on stage.
602
0:32:40,654 --> 0:32:42,612
PATRICK: I think
it was also a challenge
603
0:32:42,656 --> 0:32:47,530
to try to avoid that sort of
cold, away feeling
604
0:32:47,574 --> 0:32:49,924
about electronic music
that people would say,
605
0:32:49,968 --> 0:32:53,101
"It's just like stiff guys
behind computers."
606
0:32:53,145 --> 0:32:56,931
And we believe
that there was maybe an era
607
0:32:56,975 --> 0:32:59,716
where we could go
that no one was not really...
608
0:32:59,760 --> 0:33:2,981
There were maybe DAF
that was kind of in this era,
609
0:33:3,24 --> 0:33:5,592
it was a bit more
like muscles and sweat.
610
0:33:5,635 --> 0:33:8,290
And I guess that's
when we started
611
0:33:8,334 --> 0:33:11,380
to use the term while
we're doing electronic music,
612
0:33:11,424 --> 0:33:13,339
but it's also talking
to the body.
613
0:33:13,382 --> 0:33:15,645
And naturally it became
electronic body music.
614
0:33:22,174 --> 0:33:24,567
JIM: There is a lot
of people out there
615
0:33:24,611 --> 0:33:26,787
that will respond to this music
616
0:33:26,830 --> 0:33:29,7
but there's no exposure for it.
617
0:33:29,50 --> 0:33:31,792
A major label is
not interested in a record
618
0:33:31,835 --> 0:33:34,621
unless it's going to sell
at least 50,000 copies.
619
0:33:34,664 --> 0:33:37,841
They wouldn't even consider
signing them.
620
0:33:37,885 --> 0:33:39,800
That sort of thing. But...
621
0:33:39,843 --> 0:33:43,325
You know, we feel that
there is a big market
out there
622
0:33:43,369 --> 0:33:45,327
for that type of stuff.
623
0:33:45,371 --> 0:33:48,417
LARRY:
Thing about Jim and Dannie,
Jim, in particular was
624
0:33:49,897 --> 0:33:53,379
his obsession with
turning people onto music.
625
0:33:53,422 --> 0:33:56,512
He used to love these records
and thought, you know,
626
0:33:56,556 --> 0:33:58,253
that more people
should be hearing these.
627
0:33:58,297 --> 0:34:0,429
I mean, they like music
and they wanted to have a shop
628
0:34:0,473 --> 0:34:4,346
where people could find records
that you could not find in
another place.
629
0:34:4,390 --> 0:34:5,652
That's the start of it.
630
0:34:5,695 --> 0:34:7,871
And then, they realized
that sometimes,
631
0:34:7,915 --> 0:34:10,961
you know, there was music that
had no chance to be on a record,
632
0:34:11,5 --> 0:34:13,268
so, "Why don't we produce it
ourselves and create a label?"
633
0:34:13,312 --> 0:34:14,748
I think that's the way it came.
634
0:34:14,791 --> 0:34:16,576
Because maybe
they were a bit frustrated
635
0:34:16,619 --> 0:34:19,361
not to find what
they really liked on a record.
636
0:34:19,405 --> 0:34:20,797
"So, let's do it ourselves."
637
0:34:25,237 --> 0:34:26,499
♪ Love
638
0:34:27,674 --> 0:34:29,719
♪ Love
639
0:34:32,722 --> 0:34:34,28
♪ Love
640
0:34:36,465 --> 0:34:37,553
♪ Love
641
0:34:40,339 --> 0:34:41,470
♪ Love
642
0:34:44,125 --> 0:34:45,257
♪ Hey ♪
643
0:34:55,876 --> 0:34:58,618
RICHARD:
I think around '84, '85,
644
0:34:58,661 --> 0:35:2,143
when we started to tour
with Ministry
at a support band.
645
0:35:5,451 --> 0:35:6,887
I knew Ministry.
646
0:35:6,930 --> 0:35:9,585
I had the 12-inch gold live.
647
0:35:9,629 --> 0:35:11,979
So when they told us that we'd go touring the stage,
648
0:35:12,22 --> 0:35:13,198
and open for Ministry,
649
0:35:13,241 --> 0:35:15,243
I was like, "Wow."
I had a connection.
650
0:35:15,287 --> 0:35:17,71
I knew the band.
But only this track.
651
0:35:20,944 --> 0:35:23,208
There was a very cool
interaction,
652
0:35:23,251 --> 0:35:26,689
even if the music back
then of Ministry was
completely different,
653
0:35:26,733 --> 0:35:28,822
but there was a connection.
654
0:35:28,865 --> 0:35:31,825
And the fact that Jim and
Dannie were there, too,
all the time, you know.
655
0:35:40,703 --> 0:35:43,489
AL: The initial contact
with Front 242
656
0:35:43,532 --> 0:35:47,536
is because Wax Trax!
record label
657
0:35:47,580 --> 0:35:51,497
is also a record store
to retail outlet.
658
0:35:51,540 --> 0:35:54,282
And what happens
is that a lot of these bands
659
0:35:54,326 --> 0:35:56,154
from Europe
that we're big fans of...
660
0:35:57,155 --> 0:35:58,721
The distributors in America,
661
0:35:58,765 --> 0:36:1,71
it's very difficult sometimes
for the American distributors
662
0:36:1,115 --> 0:36:3,73
to get independent product
663
0:36:3,117 --> 0:36:5,293
from Belgium,
from Amsterdam, and things.
664
0:36:5,337 --> 0:36:8,340
So, we said, "Why not just
go direct and get them
from the band
665
0:36:8,383 --> 0:36:10,168
"license them
over here and do that?"
666
0:36:10,211 --> 0:36:12,648
That's how the whole concept
of Wax Trax! started.
667
0:36:12,692 --> 0:36:14,737
And that's how we
got together with Front 242.
668
0:36:14,781 --> 0:36:16,391
It's just because we're fans.
669
0:36:17,653 --> 0:36:19,177
RICHARD: Right after the tour, he called me.
670
0:36:19,220 --> 0:36:21,570
He said, listen, you know,
I got this deal with Sire.
671
0:36:21,614 --> 0:36:23,877
And before I start working
on my album for Sire,
672
0:36:23,920 --> 0:36:26,140
why don't you come over
and we try to do something
673
0:36:26,184 --> 0:36:28,664
and do something for Wax Trax!?
674
0:36:28,708 --> 0:36:30,623
And that's how it started.
675
0:36:33,930 --> 0:36:36,759
LUC VAN: And Richard
just came back from
an American Tour
676
0:36:36,803 --> 0:36:38,500
and was overexcited
677
0:36:38,544 --> 0:36:40,546
and said, "I'm going back,
you know.
678
0:36:40,589 --> 0:36:43,723
"I'm gonna do
a studio project with Al.
679
0:36:43,766 --> 0:36:46,465
"And it's gonna be
one or two songs.
680
0:36:46,508 --> 0:36:47,944
"Do you want to join me
681
0:36:47,988 --> 0:36:50,33
"and come with me to Chicago?"
682
0:36:50,77 --> 0:36:51,600
I said, "Sure. Why not?"
683
0:36:51,644 --> 0:36:53,559
Next thing I knew,
I was on a plane
684
0:36:53,602 --> 0:36:55,125
with Richard to Chicago.
685
0:36:55,169 --> 0:36:57,215
And I met Jim and Dannie,
of course.
686
0:36:57,258 --> 0:36:59,347
They picked us up
at the airport with Al.
687
0:36:59,391 --> 0:37:2,437
And the first thing
I ever saw of Al
688
0:37:2,481 --> 0:37:5,135
was Al at the airport
showing his ass to us,
689
0:37:5,179 --> 0:37:8,95
like even before I
went over that red line.
690
0:37:8,138 --> 0:37:10,402
I saw Al's ass, you know,
691
0:37:10,445 --> 0:37:12,578
and only a few hours later,
I saw his dick, you know.
692
0:37:12,621 --> 0:37:15,755
So, it's like,
"Nice meeting you,
Al Jourgenson.
693
0:37:15,798 --> 0:37:18,497
Yeah.
694
0:37:18,540 --> 0:37:21,326
This week, Australia's biggest
ever computer exhibition
695
0:37:21,369 --> 0:37:22,936
was held in Sydney.
696
0:37:22,979 --> 0:37:25,852
For three days, the display
center at Cedar Point
697
0:37:25,895 --> 0:37:29,29
was filled with silicon chips
and floppy disks
698
0:37:29,72 --> 0:37:31,901
and liquid crystal
display units.
699
0:37:31,945 --> 0:37:34,643
Now, for my money,
the star of the show was this,
700
0:37:34,687 --> 0:37:38,81
the Fairlight Computer
Musical Instrument. It's...
701
0:37:38,125 --> 0:37:40,40
RICHARD: He called me, I don't remember exactly when,
702
0:37:40,83 --> 0:37:42,912
but we played September,
October and I was in January
in Chicago.
703
0:37:42,956 --> 0:37:45,306
So, in between,
he called me and said,
704
0:37:45,350 --> 0:37:47,352
"Listen, you know,
I got this deal with Sire.
705
0:37:47,395 --> 0:37:48,962
"You know,
I got a big amount of money.
706
0:37:49,5 --> 0:37:50,790
"I'm gonna buy a Fairlight."
707
0:37:50,833 --> 0:37:54,446
AL: This Fairlight, when
it originally came out,
708
0:37:54,489 --> 0:37:56,578
the record label
bought it for me.
709
0:37:56,622 --> 0:38:1,714
And it was like $60,000
in 1982 money.
710
0:38:1,757 --> 0:38:3,759
RICHARD: Fairlight, then was
a very expensive machine.
711
0:38:3,803 --> 0:38:7,328
It was a machine that would
give you the possibility
712
0:38:7,372 --> 0:38:11,463
to make samples,
digital samples, and put
them in a sequencer.
713
0:38:11,506 --> 0:38:14,30
Peter Gabriel was using
that kind of machine.
714
0:38:14,74 --> 0:38:16,642
Peter Gabriel
was like a world star
715
0:38:16,685 --> 0:38:20,646
and he had the money
to afford a Fairlight.
716
0:38:20,689 --> 0:38:23,779
We went to the music store
and we opened the box.
717
0:38:23,823 --> 0:38:27,783
And it's such an expensive
piece of gear, you know.
718
0:38:27,827 --> 0:38:31,961
There's a bottle of champagne
in the box when you open it.
719
0:38:32,5 --> 0:38:35,313
And plastic champagne glasses.
720
0:38:35,356 --> 0:38:36,879
So, we're in the shop, you know,
721
0:38:36,923 --> 0:38:38,881
and we're drinking
warm champagne
722
0:38:38,925 --> 0:38:41,841
because it was
in the box, and we...
723
0:38:41,884 --> 0:38:45,366
I'll never forget, you know.
I was like, "Whoa."
724
0:38:45,410 --> 0:38:50,632
To me that was the Walhalla
of sampling.
725
0:38:50,676 --> 0:38:52,591
We thought the stuff
sounded pretty cool.
726
0:38:52,634 --> 0:38:54,723
We didn't know what we
were doing on the Fairlight,
727
0:38:54,767 --> 0:38:57,30
and it's just real
repetitive and drony
728
0:38:57,73 --> 0:39:0,294
because nobody
knew how to edit
beats and all that on it yet.
729
0:39:0,338 --> 0:39:1,948
We were really naive.
730
0:39:1,991 --> 0:39:3,732
But, we thought,
"Wow, we're onto something.
731
0:39:3,776 --> 0:39:5,604
"This kind of sounds cool."
732
0:39:5,647 --> 0:39:9,259
The problem we had is that we
could use the Fairlight.
733
0:39:9,303 --> 0:39:11,305
Turn it on, make a page
of sequence,
734
0:39:11,349 --> 0:39:13,307
but we could not
make a second page,
735
0:39:13,351 --> 0:39:17,311
so we had like 16 or 24 bars
of music that was turning.
736
0:39:17,355 --> 0:39:20,488
But we could not figure out
how to do a second one
737
0:39:20,532 --> 0:39:22,98
to stick them together.
738
0:39:22,142 --> 0:39:25,406
Because that was
only eight bars,
or something, of music.
739
0:39:25,450 --> 0:39:28,627
We always came up
with this hypnotic...
740
0:39:30,498 --> 0:39:31,934
grooves, you know.
741
0:39:31,978 --> 0:39:36,417
And that's how
the Revolting Cocks'
sound developed.
742
0:39:36,461 --> 0:39:38,854
But the flavor of the music
of Revolting Cocks
743
0:39:38,898 --> 0:39:40,334
was something very repetitive.
744
0:39:40,378 --> 0:39:41,814
Because that's all we could do.
745
0:39:54,914 --> 0:39:57,786
LARRY: Big Sexy Land
was the first
full-length record
746
0:39:57,830 --> 0:39:59,397
by a Wax Trax! band.
747
0:39:59,440 --> 0:40:2,965
It wasn't a licensed act.
it was a homegrown act.
748
0:40:3,9 --> 0:40:6,752
The Revolting Cocks covers
with the original three guys.
749
0:40:6,795 --> 0:40:8,406
Those are Dannie's relatives
750
0:40:8,449 --> 0:40:12,105
taken on a bridge in the '40s
or '50s in Arkansas.
751
0:40:12,148 --> 0:40:14,324
Those were the three guys.
Me, Richard and Luc.
752
0:40:14,368 --> 0:40:16,370
We're instead
just Dannie's relatives.
753
0:40:16,414 --> 0:40:19,286
Because we didn't want it
to be like a fashion contest.
754
0:40:19,329 --> 0:40:23,638
We were just like,
"Put up those
old crazy miner guys."
755
0:40:23,682 --> 0:40:25,684
BILL LEEB: To me, that was
one of the first times
756
0:40:25,727 --> 0:40:28,77
where a true collaboration
757
0:40:28,121 --> 0:40:32,38
of a bunch of guys from
different big bands
getting together
758
0:40:32,81 --> 0:40:35,171
like an industrial super group.
759
0:40:35,215 --> 0:40:38,131
Everybody came from
a different band that
was incredibly successful.
760
0:40:38,174 --> 0:40:40,307
And I think that's spurned
761
0:40:40,350 --> 0:40:42,831
a lot of other bands
to do that, you know.
762
0:40:42,875 --> 0:40:45,94
What do you think of the impact
763
0:40:45,138 --> 0:40:47,183
of Wax Trax!, you know?
764
0:40:47,227 --> 0:40:51,57
Well, basically, you know,
being a regional store
765
0:40:51,100 --> 0:40:55,61
for so many years,
we're able to, in Chicago,
766
0:40:55,104 --> 0:40:57,324
influence musical tastes
767
0:40:57,367 --> 0:41:0,980
by what we feel is good music.
768
0:41:1,23 --> 0:41:4,26
Just like the radio plays crap,
769
0:41:4,70 --> 0:41:5,985
we do the opposite.
770
0:41:7,987 --> 0:41:9,771
[ROCK SONG PLAYING]
771
0:41:33,839 --> 0:41:36,581
MAN: You have reached
Wax Trax! records label.
772
0:41:36,624 --> 0:41:39,235
MAN 1: Hi, this is
the Record Gallery
in Dallas, Texas.
773
0:41:39,279 --> 0:41:42,151
WOMAN:
This is Constance Jackson.
774
0:41:42,195 --> 0:41:46,895
I'd like to know
if we could get Front 242,
The Revolting Cocks...
775
0:41:46,939 --> 0:41:49,245
MAN: I have to talk
to you tonight.
It's Monday night.
776
0:41:49,289 --> 0:41:51,639
We have to do a reader ad
for tomorrow.
777
0:41:55,556 --> 0:41:57,471
ANDY: I mean, at the same time
778
0:41:57,515 --> 0:42:1,562
that Jim was rapidly signing
new bands like KMFDM and Pig,
779
0:42:1,606 --> 0:42:4,86
and Front 242
was hitting their peak,
780
0:42:4,130 --> 0:42:5,958
that was when Al and Paul
781
0:42:6,1 --> 0:42:9,439
unleashed the Luxa/Pan
explosion on us.
782
0:42:9,483 --> 0:42:13,226
PAUL: My brother was in the band, Blackouts, with Erich Werner and Bill Rieflin.
783
0:42:13,269 --> 0:42:15,184
I started playing
with the band.
784
0:42:15,228 --> 0:42:17,883
I don't know, eventually
we met Al, or he came
to one of our shows,
785
0:42:17,926 --> 0:42:21,930
He asked me if The Blackouts
wanted to join him
786
0:42:22,670 --> 0:42:25,20
and tour as Ministry.
787
0:42:25,64 --> 0:42:27,153
AL: I had no band,
they had no singer,
788
0:42:27,196 --> 0:42:28,807
so, it was like, "Okay.
789
0:42:29,764 --> 0:42:31,200
"Join forces."
790
0:42:31,244 --> 0:42:32,985
PAUL: He really liked
what we were doing.
791
0:42:33,28 --> 0:42:35,553
And I think he wanted his sound
792
0:42:35,596 --> 0:42:37,337
to be harder than it was.
793
0:42:38,425 --> 0:42:40,79
Maybe a year later,
794
0:42:40,122 --> 0:42:42,603
Al asked me to go to England
795
0:42:42,647 --> 0:42:44,779
to work on some new material.
796
0:42:44,823 --> 0:42:47,913
Al and I stayed there
straight for six months
797
0:42:47,956 --> 0:42:50,916
and we worked
with Southern Studios.
798
0:42:50,959 --> 0:42:53,5
We were in there
whenever it wasn't booked.
799
0:42:53,48 --> 0:42:55,442
The Jesus and Mary Chain did
their first record at Southern.
800
0:42:55,485 --> 0:42:58,314
And so, they were wrapping up
when we got there.
801
0:42:58,358 --> 0:43:0,926
And I really think that
that first Jesus and Mary
Chain record
802
0:43:0,969 --> 0:43:4,190
really sprouted that whole
803
0:43:5,191 --> 0:43:7,106
whatever the fuck scene is.
804
0:43:7,149 --> 0:43:10,588
It's like, "Just be as
obnoxiously as loud as you
fucking possibly can be.
805
0:43:10,631 --> 0:43:12,894
"And just fuck you."
It's so badass.
806
0:43:17,333 --> 0:43:19,118
We also went to see Big Black
807
0:43:19,161 --> 0:43:21,773
somewhere in
London at that time
808
0:43:21,816 --> 0:43:24,950
and were really thrilled
about how aggressive it was.
809
0:43:24,993 --> 0:43:28,388
We would go back to the studio
and go, "All right,
what do we got?
810
0:43:28,431 --> 0:43:30,85
"Let's listen to what we got."
811
0:43:30,129 --> 0:43:33,480
You know, like,
"this isn't cutting it."
You know what I mean?
812
0:43:33,523 --> 0:43:35,3
Look, we gotta fucking
run this thing
813
0:43:35,47 --> 0:43:37,832
through a bunch of mic pre's
so that it's just like...
814
0:43:37,876 --> 0:43:41,531
You know, like, we gotta
toughen it up more and more.
815
0:43:50,845 --> 0:43:53,935
AL: So I just
got so pissed off
with keyboards
816
0:43:53,979 --> 0:43:58,331
that I just went back to
doing guitar, which is
what I grew up on.
817
0:43:58,374 --> 0:44:1,160
That's Rape and Honey.
That was on both fronts.
818
0:44:1,203 --> 0:44:3,205
I found a way to like
keyboards again
819
0:44:3,249 --> 0:44:6,687
and I found my stroke back
with the old guitar days.
820
0:44:6,731 --> 0:44:9,690
So, there was a nice
convergence there, too.
821
0:44:9,734 --> 0:44:12,824
At the time, we weren't
dividing our projects.
822
0:44:12,867 --> 0:44:15,130
You know, at the time,
we were just writing music
823
0:44:15,174 --> 0:44:18,960
that ostensibly
was gonna go to Ministry,
824
0:44:19,4 --> 0:44:20,440
to a new Ministry record.
825
0:44:20,483 --> 0:44:23,95
Sire was paying the bills,
826
0:44:23,138 --> 0:44:25,663
so, you know, we could just
go in there and just do it.
827
0:44:28,970 --> 0:44:33,975
In 1987, I think
January '87, I think it was,
828
0:44:34,19 --> 0:44:37,152
I was in London
at Southern Studios.
829
0:44:37,196 --> 0:44:39,154
And we were in the kitchen
making tea.
830
0:44:39,198 --> 0:44:43,637
And the door opened
and this guy
comes in and said,
831
0:44:43,681 --> 0:44:45,813
"This is Al from Ministry."
832
0:44:45,857 --> 0:44:48,860
You know, I had heard of
Ministry 'cause I had worked at
a record store
833
0:44:48,903 --> 0:44:50,775
and I knew them from Arista.
834
0:44:50,818 --> 0:44:52,994
So, I was like,
"Okay, like, that's weird."
835
0:44:53,38 --> 0:44:55,475
Ministry? 'Cause I think
it was really kind of
836
0:44:55,518 --> 0:44:59,174
lightweight kind of dense
electronic band thing.
837
0:44:59,218 --> 0:45:1,481
You know, the thing about him
838
0:45:1,524 --> 0:45:3,918
is that he was
a very charismatic,
839
0:45:3,962 --> 0:45:6,94
very charming, sweet guy
840
0:45:6,138 --> 0:45:9,707
who had a pretty over-the-top facade, you know?
841
0:45:9,750 --> 0:45:13,449
He was very...
He came off like this lunatic.
842
0:45:13,493 --> 0:45:15,974
So, he said,
"I have this one song
I want you to check out."
843
0:45:16,17 --> 0:45:19,64
He gave me a cassette.
I had found a spot to sit down.
844
0:45:19,107 --> 0:45:22,23
I listened to the cassette,
and I mean,
it was a good fucking song.
845
0:45:22,67 --> 0:45:25,113
And then towards the end,
I thought, "Man, let's do this."
846
0:45:25,157 --> 0:45:27,115
So, I just wrote lyrics,
you know.
847
0:45:27,159 --> 0:45:30,292
I wrote this song is called
I Will Refuse.
848
0:45:30,336 --> 0:45:33,121
♪ I will refuse♪
849
0:45:39,867 --> 0:45:43,305
This song that
was largely predicated
850
0:45:43,349 --> 0:45:45,830
on the conversations
that he and I were having
851
0:45:45,873 --> 0:45:48,658
about his frustration
of being in a major label.
852
0:45:48,702 --> 0:45:51,357
You know? He was so frustrated.
853
0:45:51,400 --> 0:45:53,489
He was just furious about it.
854
0:45:53,533 --> 0:45:55,665
And I was saying,
"I will refuse."
855
0:45:55,709 --> 0:45:59,278
Like fucking, you know,
I won't get involved.
856
0:45:59,321 --> 0:46:2,107
So I was thinking it was gonna
be just a track on this record.
857
0:46:2,150 --> 0:46:4,196
And then,
a couple of months later,
858
0:46:4,239 --> 0:46:7,155
I get a call and Al was like,
"We wanna do another song.
859
0:46:7,199 --> 0:46:9,157
"We love this thing so much,
860
0:46:9,201 --> 0:46:10,724
"we don't want to put it
on the Revco record.
861
0:46:10,768 --> 0:46:12,726
"We want to do
something separate."
862
0:46:12,770 --> 0:46:14,467
I go in there
863
0:46:14,510 --> 0:46:16,469
and there's no set limitations.
864
0:46:16,512 --> 0:46:18,732
Like, "Okay, this has
to be a Ministry song.
865
0:46:18,776 --> 0:46:20,473
"Or this has to be for radio.
866
0:46:20,516 --> 0:46:22,736
"Or this has to be for that,
or this has..."
867
0:46:22,780 --> 0:46:26,479
We'll just record
with whoever happens
to be there at the time.
868
0:46:26,522 --> 0:46:28,89
[punk rock music playing]
869
0:46:40,667 --> 0:46:46,107
It developed into a successful
870
0:46:46,151 --> 0:46:49,197
fantastic world, you know,
871
0:46:49,241 --> 0:46:51,678
that they ruled.
872
0:46:51,721 --> 0:46:53,636
And it wasn't anywhere else.
873
0:46:53,680 --> 0:46:56,988
It was like the burning
center of America.
874
0:46:57,31 --> 0:47:0,295
It wasn't New York,
it wasn't LA.
875
0:47:0,339 --> 0:47:4,996
You know, it was like
in the center of America,
876
0:47:5,39 --> 0:47:8,913
where all the hillbillies
and the losers
and the dorks live,
877
0:47:8,956 --> 0:47:12,438
accordingly to the East
and the West.
878
0:47:14,353 --> 0:47:17,138
♪ I hope no one
can find me
879
0:47:20,446 --> 0:47:25,625
♪ Set in his ways
crying alone ♪
880
0:47:25,668 --> 0:47:29,63
People knew that
we're flying in from Europe,
knew to do, just...
881
0:47:29,107 --> 0:47:31,457
go by the studio,
go by the store.
882
0:47:31,500 --> 0:47:34,25
And then, you know, like,
883
0:47:34,68 --> 0:47:36,375
art came out of it,
just music came out.
884
0:47:36,418 --> 0:47:38,420
We bought a DAT player
so that we could actually
885
0:47:38,464 --> 0:47:41,946
play the Wax Trax!
releases that were
being made that week.
886
0:47:41,989 --> 0:47:47,386
We would, you know,
have artists that would
come and actually
887
0:47:47,429 --> 0:47:52,565
test out a... Either a test
pressing and/or a DAT
888
0:47:52,608 --> 0:47:55,89
on a live dance crowd
in Smartbar.
889
0:47:55,133 --> 0:47:57,222
It really touched on me that
890
0:47:58,788 --> 0:48:0,703
it felt like a community,
you know?
891
0:48:0,747 --> 0:48:2,836
It made me think, "I gotta get the fuck out of Cleveland,
892
0:48:2,880 --> 0:48:5,883
because there's more
like-minded people here
in Chicago,
893
0:48:5,926 --> 0:48:8,146
and I'd like to be a part
of some scene."
894
0:48:11,149 --> 0:48:15,980
That trip to Chicago
collectively made me
leave the city feeling like,
895
0:48:16,23 --> 0:48:18,199
"All right, there's really
something happening here."
896
0:48:26,642 --> 0:48:30,168
ANDY: '87 was when things
really were taking off.
897
0:48:30,211 --> 0:48:32,910
I don't think any of us,
including Jim and Dannie,
898
0:48:32,953 --> 0:48:35,564
were aware of it
at that moment.
899
0:48:35,608 --> 0:48:38,306
And, really,
that was the explosion
of Wax Trax!
900
0:48:38,350 --> 0:48:43,659
So it's true that
between '86 and the late '80s,
before the '90s,
901
0:48:43,703 --> 0:48:48,490
there was... It was the
beginning of the scene,
like, it was concrete.
902
0:48:48,534 --> 0:48:51,319
It was not one or two bands,
it was more bands,
903
0:48:51,363 --> 0:48:54,496
playing live, in America,
"Wax Trax!" above it.
904
0:49:0,938 --> 0:49:2,548
[SINGING in FRENCH]
905
0:49:28,617 --> 0:49:30,402
BILL LEEB: All of it was good.
906
0:49:30,445 --> 0:49:33,840
I can't think of any of that
stuff that wasn't really
good or viable
907
0:49:33,883 --> 0:49:37,409
or edgy or didn't
have a purpose.
908
0:49:37,452 --> 0:49:39,672
I'd never heard anything
like that before, you know?
909
0:49:39,715 --> 0:49:42,327
Fetus or Laibach, I mean,
910
0:49:42,370 --> 0:49:45,591
other artists,
Greater Than One,
Cosey Fanni Tutti.
911
0:49:45,634 --> 0:49:49,203
You couldn't pin it down
somehow, you just knew that...
912
0:49:49,247 --> 0:49:52,990
Sort of, outrageous,
I think, would be the word.
913
0:49:53,33 --> 0:49:56,558
It was just like unapologetic,
was their style.
914
0:49:56,602 --> 0:50:0,867
It was like experimental music,
white noise.
915
0:50:0,910 --> 0:50:4,697
They were deep
and dark elements.
916
0:50:4,740 --> 0:50:7,613
They were not
like anyone heard.
917
0:50:7,656 --> 0:50:10,181
They were not commercial.
918
0:50:10,224 --> 0:50:11,878
JOE: Pushing the envelope.
919
0:50:11,921 --> 0:50:19,16
Pushing the political and comedic aspects of things, and sort of,
920
0:50:19,59 --> 0:50:21,801
what could they get away with? You know?
921
0:50:21,844 --> 0:50:24,325
There's no such thing
as bad press, you know?
922
0:50:24,369 --> 0:50:27,459
Just keep throwing gas
on the fire.
923
0:50:53,485 --> 0:50:57,97
I got a letter in the mail
from Wax Trax!,
924
0:50:57,141 --> 0:51:2,755
inviting KMFDM to open
for the entire Ministry tour
925
0:51:2,798 --> 0:51:9,805
starting in late '89,
during its "The Mind
is a Terrible Thing" tour.
926
0:51:9,849 --> 0:51:14,245
EN ESCH: And it was the time when Wax Trax! was interested in all those European artists.
927
0:51:14,288 --> 0:51:17,335
And so that was totally,
coincidental, yeah?
And obviously...
928
0:51:19,815 --> 0:51:23,254
It was Al Jourgenson,
basically,
929
0:51:23,297 --> 0:51:28,781
who wanted to have a weird
European band on his tour
back in the days.
930
0:51:28,824 --> 0:51:31,914
And so he made it possible
that we come over there
and tour with them.
931
0:51:31,958 --> 0:51:35,266
We were realizing
what a potential there is.
932
0:51:35,309 --> 0:51:38,573
US as a country, a big market,
933
0:51:38,617 --> 0:51:41,576
long tour, second tour,
all that exciting,
934
0:51:41,620 --> 0:51:44,753
totally nuts people everywhere
and they were totally into it.
935
0:51:44,797 --> 0:51:46,973
And they said, "Well, you know,
936
0:51:47,16 --> 0:51:49,802
we actually really want...
We want to sign KMFDM.
937
0:51:49,845 --> 0:51:52,500
We're gonna give you like
a three-album deal."
938
0:51:52,544 --> 0:51:54,415
I said,
"Why would you do that?
939
0:51:54,459 --> 0:51:58,637
How many records of these two
licensed ones have you sold?"
940
0:51:58,680 --> 0:52:1,770
They were like, "I dunno,
maybe 60, 70, 80,000."
941
0:52:1,814 --> 0:52:4,512
I was like, "Holy cow."
942
0:52:4,556 --> 0:52:8,603
♪ Black man, white man,
Rip the system
943
0:52:8,647 --> 0:52:12,85
♪ Black man, white man,
Rip the system
944
0:52:12,694 --> 0:52:14,479
[VOCALIZING]
945
0:52:23,836 --> 0:52:26,534
EN ESCH: They turned
into a band,
just like over time...
946
0:52:26,578 --> 0:52:29,276
KMFDM performances
were more like
947
0:52:29,320 --> 0:52:32,366
in the art circles, like,
948
0:52:32,410 --> 0:52:37,763
soundscapes, and in galleries doing readings and exhibitions.
949
0:52:37,806 --> 0:52:40,983
It was basically
industrial noises,
950
0:52:41,27 --> 0:52:43,986
it was vacuum cleaners
and feedbacking bass guitar,
951
0:52:44,857 --> 0:52:47,33
and hammers on steel.
952
0:52:47,76 --> 0:52:48,513
We call them in Germany...
953
0:52:48,556 --> 0:52:50,906
[SPEAKING GERMAN]
954
0:52:50,950 --> 0:52:55,433
Genius amateurs.
Cause that was very, like,
kind of a move, you know,
955
0:52:55,476 --> 0:52:59,132
certain people didn't want to
make normal music anymore.
956
0:52:59,176 --> 0:53:2,962
They wanted to be fucked up,
and dissonant, and stupid.
957
0:53:4,181 --> 0:53:6,139
It was about the attitude.
958
0:53:8,924 --> 0:53:12,493
ANDY: Some of the early
KMFDM records,
there were a lot of samples,
959
0:53:12,537 --> 0:53:17,977
but on later records,
they would, Gunter
from the band would
960
0:53:18,20 --> 0:53:23,461
play, like, endless guitar
solos and Sascha would
sample them and chop it up.
961
0:53:23,504 --> 0:53:27,421
That became the backbone
to later KMFDM releases.
962
0:53:27,465 --> 0:53:31,425
EN ESCH: He was a friend
from mine from Hamburg,
and we hired him to be, like,
963
0:53:31,469 --> 0:53:33,471
a metal-style guitar player,
964
0:53:33,514 --> 0:53:39,216
and double up our
other samples we had
from metal guitars.
965
0:53:39,259 --> 0:53:42,349
Gunter's playing these crazy
custom-made guitars, like,
966
0:53:42,393 --> 0:53:45,352
like something you'd see from
Gene Simmons, you know?
967
0:53:45,396 --> 0:53:49,835
And he's like a guitar player's
guitar player.
968
0:53:49,878 --> 0:53:53,142
EN ESCH: So we got a little
harder, we were kinda
influenced by Ministry.
969
0:53:53,186 --> 0:53:55,188
But also Gunter Schulz
came into the picture.
970
0:53:55,232 --> 0:53:59,279
It developed from
maybe stealing
someone's riffs,
971
0:53:59,323 --> 0:54:2,500
and then it's a very short way
972
0:54:2,543 --> 0:54:6,895
to the point where
you start playing your own
riffs all of a sudden.
973
0:54:16,601 --> 0:54:19,821
JIM: Most independent labels,
I find, that've been
really successful,
974
0:54:19,865 --> 0:54:25,610
or somewhat successful, have had
a vision of a particular sound
maybe, you know?
975
0:54:25,653 --> 0:54:29,309
Pretty much what
we wanna do now
is work with
976
0:54:29,353 --> 0:54:33,661
self-produced projects
and the people we've met.
977
0:54:35,620 --> 0:54:40,320
FRANKIE: I remember Jim had interest in what we were doing, naturally,
978
0:54:40,364 --> 0:54:46,65
because he knew me,
and, you know, Mars from
Ministry, and all that shit.
979
0:54:46,108 --> 0:54:48,23
And he was interested.
980
0:54:48,67 --> 0:54:50,852
I think he was sort of like,
"Well, what can you do?"
981
0:54:50,896 --> 0:54:53,333
All right, this is goodnight
from Thrill Kill Kult.
982
0:54:53,377 --> 0:54:55,814
-I'm Jacky. He's...
-Groovie.
983
0:54:55,857 --> 0:54:57,206
-And you are?
-Buzz.
984
0:54:57,250 --> 0:54:58,382
I'm Buck.
985
0:54:58,425 --> 0:55:1,385
-And we're...
-The...
986
0:55:1,428 --> 0:55:4,605
The Thrill Kill Kult.
987
0:55:4,649 --> 0:55:8,479
We put together, like,
three songs, on a cassette,
and were like,
988
0:55:8,522 --> 0:55:11,264
"All right, here's what
we're working on."
989
0:55:11,308 --> 0:55:14,6
They were like,
"This is really weird,
this is really different.
990
0:55:14,49 --> 0:55:15,181
"We wanna put it out!"
991
0:55:15,224 --> 0:55:18,837
He sorta said, you know,
"Go, go with it."
992
0:55:18,880 --> 0:55:21,709
And so we did
993
0:55:21,753 --> 0:55:25,365
compose our first EP.
994
0:55:36,724 --> 0:55:42,600
And I suppose some people
saw us initially as a very
serious band, you know?
995
0:55:42,643 --> 0:55:47,213
They really took out those
dark elements out of us,
996
0:55:47,256 --> 0:55:51,217
the Satanic overtones
and things.
997
0:55:51,260 --> 0:55:56,440
They really thought of us as,
like, ooh, ominous scary
band, you know?
998
0:55:56,483 --> 0:56:0,748
And I had people that were
Satanic people that were like,
999
0:56:0,792 --> 0:56:6,841
"We have your name on the altar,
and we all, you know..."
1000
0:56:9,975 --> 0:56:13,805
♪ I was raised in Mississippi
1001
0:56:13,848 --> 0:56:17,635
♪ I was raised in Mississippi
1002
0:56:17,678 --> 0:56:21,508
♪ I was raised in Mississippi
1003
0:56:21,552 --> 0:56:24,685
♪ I was raised in Mississippi ♪
1004
0:56:27,79 --> 0:56:32,84
It wasn't about
"Worship Satan,
kill for Satan."
1005
0:56:32,127 --> 0:56:34,739
All the people that
take things the wrong way,
1006
0:56:34,782 --> 0:56:39,526
that come out
around some idea like this,
1007
0:56:39,570 --> 0:56:43,443
"Oh, you're anti-religious,"
or "You love Satan."
1008
0:56:43,487 --> 0:56:47,969
It was blasphemous.
I did draw on holy cards
that I'd xeroxed,
1009
0:56:48,13 --> 0:56:52,60
and made silly faces on them.
It was a doodle.
1010
0:56:52,104 --> 0:56:56,500
I wasn't really trying to rebel.
It was like
I really didn't care.
1011
0:57:1,592 --> 0:57:4,682
ANDY: You knew about Wax Trax! from the outside, and you'd hear this
1012
0:57:4,725 --> 0:57:8,990
brutal, aggressive music,
you don't think that
there's humor to it.
1013
0:57:9,34 --> 0:57:12,124
But really,
it's there in the music.
It's in plain sight.
1014
0:57:12,167 --> 0:57:14,561
I mean, Revolting Cocks...
1015
0:57:14,605 --> 0:57:19,653
I... I just don't know how
you cannot get the wink.
1016
0:57:26,878 --> 0:57:31,709
Even with so much Wax Trax!
music, I think people
missed the sense of humor,
1017
0:57:31,752 --> 0:57:34,320
much like they missed
Jim and Dannie's
sense of humor.
1018
0:57:37,149 --> 0:57:41,806
I mean, the music
is seriously good.
It's not novelty music.
1019
0:57:41,849 --> 0:57:45,984
But there's this wry sense of
humor that runs through it.
1020
0:57:52,164 --> 0:57:56,429
MARSTON: Jim and Dannie loved Laibach, but they loved Laibach because
1021
0:57:56,473 --> 0:58:0,520
it was so, like, over the top, and ridiculous, almost,
1022
0:58:0,564 --> 0:58:3,828
even though I don't know
whether they take themselves
really seriously,
1023
0:58:3,871 --> 0:58:6,352
or not so much.
I don't really think they do.
1024
0:58:7,571 --> 0:58:9,790
♪ Es gibt ein Leben
1025
0:58:9,834 --> 0:58:12,271
♪ Es gibt ein Leben
1026
0:58:12,314 --> 0:58:14,99
♪ Es gibt ein Leben
1027
0:58:15,143 --> 0:58:17,58
I'm not sure I get it.
1028
0:58:17,102 --> 0:58:20,235
I don't know
what's going on with them.
1029
0:58:20,279 --> 0:58:22,760
I could be wrong,
but I think it was a joke.
1030
0:58:22,803 --> 0:58:25,545
I'm pretty sure it was a joke
and a lot of people missed it,
1031
0:58:25,589 --> 0:58:29,506
but maybe I missed it.
I didn't take it seriously.
1032
0:58:29,549 --> 0:58:32,204
LUC VAN:
Perfect Wax Trax! band,
you know?
1033
0:58:32,247 --> 0:58:34,598
How provocative can you be,
you know?
1034
0:58:34,641 --> 0:58:36,730
It takes intelligent people
to understand that,
1035
0:58:36,774 --> 0:58:38,689
and I don't think...
1036
0:58:38,732 --> 0:58:43,345
that everybody's intelligent
enough to get humor
of Wax Trax!, you know?
1037
0:58:43,389 --> 0:58:46,610
It's like, very... it's very...
1038
0:58:46,653 --> 0:58:48,46
This is what it's all about.
1039
0:58:49,221 --> 0:58:51,136
Okay? Get it?
1040
0:58:56,184 --> 0:59:0,14
I mean, it's quite hard to
pinpoint a sound of Wax Trax!
1041
0:59:0,58 --> 0:59:2,930
'Cause the bands were very
different, and what they did,
you know.
1042
0:59:2,974 --> 0:59:5,672
Some of it was quite
rock 'n' roll, some of it
was electronic,
1043
0:59:5,716 --> 0:59:9,284
some of it was
"industrial," I guess-ish.
1044
0:59:9,328 --> 0:59:14,681
But that's what I liked about
Wax Trax!, it didn't have a
house style, did it?
1045
0:59:14,725 --> 0:59:19,904
Cause you put us next to
Revolting Cocks, we don't sound
anything alike, you know?
1046
0:59:19,947 --> 0:59:21,470
Yet we're on the same label.
1047
0:59:21,514 --> 0:59:24,169
And that's what
I think was part
of its strength,
1048
0:59:24,212 --> 0:59:28,826
was that it had this...
such diversity
of sound and artists.
1049
0:59:28,869 --> 0:59:32,960
I'd love to say that Wax Trax!
records was doing Wax Trax!
music, you know,
1050
0:59:33,4 --> 0:59:37,95
not necessarily industrial,
or metal, or whatever.
1051
0:59:37,138 --> 0:59:40,185
There was a...
dare spirit, you know?
1052
0:59:40,228 --> 0:59:43,405
You could have bands
like Lead Into Gold,
1053
0:59:43,449 --> 0:59:47,366
or Front 242, which were
quite different in a way.
1054
0:59:47,409 --> 0:59:49,586
But it all matched.
1055
0:59:51,239 --> 0:59:53,154
BILL LEEB:
We were like a big family.
1056
0:59:53,198 --> 0:59:59,596
When we went out on tour,
we had friends who'd help
us out and do stuff.
1057
0:59:59,639 --> 1:0:2,860
I think that's what kept it
going and made it fun.
1058
1:0:2,903 --> 1:0:7,342
The thing is, they created a
space for all of us, you know?
1059
1:0:7,386 --> 1:0:11,651
All the Wax Trax! people,
you know? Where we could
do whatever we wanted.
1060
1:0:14,262 --> 1:0:17,918
♪ One you lock the target
1061
1:0:17,962 --> 1:0:21,618
♪ Two you bait the line
1062
1:0:21,661 --> 1:0:25,360
♪ Three you slow
spread the net
1063
1:0:25,404 --> 1:0:28,276
♪ And four you catch the man ♪
1064
1:0:28,320 --> 1:0:30,931
LUC VAN:
They would support you.
They'd be like,
1065
1:0:30,975 --> 1:0:33,630
"Oh, that's really brilliant.
Go and do that.
1066
1:0:33,673 --> 1:0:35,675
"Go to a studio, record that."
1067
1:0:35,719 --> 1:0:38,199
They would push you.
You didn't have to ask, like,
1068
1:0:38,243 --> 1:0:41,550
"Can I do a new recording?"
No, no, you were
already in the studio,
1069
1:0:41,594 --> 1:0:43,378
you were recording.
1070
1:0:43,422 --> 1:0:46,294
CHRIS: You know,
when you talked to Al,
he was doing everything.
1071
1:0:46,338 --> 1:0:48,122
You know, you talk to Al,
he'd say,
1072
1:0:48,166 --> 1:0:50,37
it was just like,
"I'm gonna do this,
and we're gonna do this,
1073
1:0:50,81 --> 1:0:51,909
we're gonna tour this,
I'm gonna do that,"
1074
1:0:51,952 --> 1:0:53,650
and you know it was just like,
okay, all right,
we're gonna do it all.
1075
1:0:53,693 --> 1:0:57,610
And he did. I mean, in a sense,
he was in the studio 24/7.
1076
1:0:57,654 --> 1:1:2,702
He called me up, and he was
playing "Stigmata"
down the phone to me.
1077
1:1:2,746 --> 1:1:7,315
And... what was it? I can't remember the turn of phrase...
1078
1:1:7,359 --> 1:1:10,362
"Man, this shit is hard
as nails. Hard..."
1079
1:1:12,277 --> 1:1:14,627
Then he held the phone up
to the speaker...
1080
1:1:14,671 --> 1:1:16,542
[IMITATES STATIC]
...down the phone.
1081
1:1:16,585 --> 1:1:19,153
And he just started going
into this, "We're going
to be enormous!
1082
1:1:19,197 --> 1:1:21,721
You should be the singer
for Revolting Cocks!"
1083
1:1:21,765 --> 1:1:25,72
So it was at that point that
I just, sort of, you know...
1084
1:1:25,116 --> 1:1:28,554
That's when Jim Nash stepped in,
and sort of got me a ticket.
1085
1:1:31,252 --> 1:1:32,906
♪ Yeah
1086
1:1:34,473 --> 1:1:36,83
♪ Yeah
1087
1:1:38,346 --> 1:1:40,697
[UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING]
1088
1:1:46,964 --> 1:1:50,402
♪ Suck it and see, salute me
1089
1:1:54,145 --> 1:1:57,278
♪ Suck it and see, salute me
1090
1:2:1,369 --> 1:2:4,764
♪ Suck it and see, salute me ♪
1091
1:2:8,725 --> 1:2:13,338
JOE: Really,
one of the classic,
metro Wax Trax! moments,
1092
1:2:13,381 --> 1:2:15,819
is the RevCo show.
1093
1:2:15,862 --> 1:2:17,777
I mean, you goddamn
son of a bitch.
1094
1:2:22,869 --> 1:2:26,960
MAN: The band comes on stage
with the Revolting
Pussies dancing in front,
1095
1:2:27,4 --> 1:2:30,137
who're immediately
the spectacle,
and taking off their tops.
1096
1:2:33,793 --> 1:2:39,320
LUC VAN: Al got a razor blade
and cut his arm open to have
real blood stuff on stage.
1097
1:2:39,364 --> 1:2:43,934
The Fairlight
was covered in blood.
And I remember, just like...
1098
1:2:45,22 --> 1:2:47,633
That's real blood!
1099
1:2:47,676 --> 1:2:52,203
CHRIS: That was really nuts.
And that's when I realized
that Al
1100
1:2:52,246 --> 1:2:54,161
thrived on chaos.
1101
1:2:55,989 --> 1:3:2,953
LUC VAN: Al always gets, like, the completely whacko side of things.
1102
1:3:2,996 --> 1:3:6,695
ANDY: And I really thought,
this would answer
those critics,
1103
1:3:6,739 --> 1:3:11,91
who say that Wax Trax! bands
don't play live, they don't
know how to play instruments.
1104
1:3:11,135 --> 1:3:13,267
I'm like, this is it.
We're gonna show 'em.
1105
1:3:13,311 --> 1:3:16,53
And, we proved
the exact opposite.
1106
1:3:16,96 --> 1:3:21,667
All that was re-recorded,
you know, before
the "live" album came out.
1107
1:3:21,710 --> 1:3:23,887
It was still a fantastic show,
and the record sounds great,
1108
1:3:23,930 --> 1:3:26,890
but, yeah, not that live.
1109
1:3:26,933 --> 1:3:30,632
-MAN: Okay.
-WOMAN: Okay. Indie label profile questions.
1110
1:3:30,676 --> 1:3:32,417
for mister...
1111
1:3:32,460 --> 1:3:35,899
-...that is a lot of work.
-MAN: A lot of money.
1112
1:3:35,942 --> 1:3:38,423
You know, as far as I can,
it's such...
1113
1:3:38,466 --> 1:3:43,428
The cash flow problems
of doing an indie label
are unbelievable.
1114
1:3:43,471 --> 1:3:46,518
And if I didn't have a store
to go to rip off,
1115
1:3:46,561 --> 1:3:51,871
you know, run into the ground
practically every month,
you know what I mean?
1116
1:3:51,915 --> 1:3:56,484
SEAN: There were two different businesses and they were constantly
1117
1:3:56,528 --> 1:3:59,879
taking money out of one
for the other and the other...
1118
1:3:59,923 --> 1:4:2,229
I didn't know
what the hell was
going on, half the time,
1119
1:4:2,273 --> 1:4:3,927
with the label and the store.
1120
1:4:8,932 --> 1:4:13,66
The Wax Trax! name, by then,
had a cache to it,
1121
1:4:13,110 --> 1:4:18,28
and there were people
who would buy anything
with the Wax Trax! name on it.
1122
1:4:18,71 --> 1:4:22,554
And there seemed to be
enough of them that...
1123
1:4:22,597 --> 1:4:24,208
that there were no risks.
1124
1:4:24,251 --> 1:4:26,906
With Jim's business acumen,
1125
1:4:26,950 --> 1:4:31,171
and the way they built Wax Trax!
into such a strong brand,
1126
1:4:31,215 --> 1:4:36,46
with a certain sound,
there was even a venue
or two in San Francisco
1127
1:4:36,89 --> 1:4:39,92
that would hold
"Wax Trax! parties."
1128
1:4:39,136 --> 1:4:42,269
First time I went on
a business trip
when I worked for the label,
1129
1:4:42,313 --> 1:4:46,317
was, I went to
the Winter Music Conference
in Florida.
1130
1:4:46,360 --> 1:4:49,233
And they wanted
to have a Wax Trax! night
at their club.
1131
1:4:49,276 --> 1:4:54,934
And it was filled to the brim
with kids just losing
their shit
1132
1:4:54,978 --> 1:4:57,502
to Wax Trax! record
after Wax Trax! record.
1133
1:4:57,545 --> 1:5:0,897
DJs were playing
only Wax Trax! records.
1134
1:5:11,298 --> 1:5:14,867
Wax Trax! always had a really
good market in the Bible Belt.
1135
1:5:14,911 --> 1:5:16,347
We always knew that.
1136
1:5:16,390 --> 1:5:19,480
Retail was really good
to Wax Trax! in the Bible Belt.
1137
1:5:19,524 --> 1:5:22,701
It almost seemed,
the more conservative
a small town you were in,
1138
1:5:22,744 --> 1:5:25,269
the more you needed
a Revolting Cocks record.
1139
1:5:25,312 --> 1:5:27,662
There were kids
who were stuck
in small towns
1140
1:5:27,706 --> 1:5:30,535
that, you know, didn't have
access to any of this.
1141
1:5:30,578 --> 1:5:33,886
There wasn't a record store
that sold Wax Trax!
or industrial music.
1142
1:5:33,930 --> 1:5:38,717
They didn't have connections
with friends that, you know,
had the same interests.
1143
1:5:38,760 --> 1:5:42,677
And so, by receiving
those packages,
1144
1:5:42,721 --> 1:5:45,115
they didn't feel like
they were on a desert island.
1145
1:5:56,256 --> 1:5:59,868
ANDY: There's an aspect
to Wax Trax! music
that's a little pretentious.
1146
1:5:59,912 --> 1:6:4,90
And so you would expect the guys
behind it to be that, but...
1147
1:6:4,134 --> 1:6:8,877
But they weren't.
Jim and Dannie were hillbillies.
They were just
1148
1:6:8,921 --> 1:6:11,315
normal, normal guys.
1149
1:6:11,358 --> 1:6:14,579
There, you could go in on any
Saturday, when they open,
1150
1:6:14,622 --> 1:6:18,191
you've got the owner
of Wax Trax!
1151
1:6:18,235 --> 1:6:20,933
and the record label,
vacuuming or something,
1152
1:6:20,977 --> 1:6:24,197
and talking to you about
the new music
and everything...
1153
1:6:24,241 --> 1:6:27,200
Again, I don't know about other
places but they were
approachable by everybody.
1154
1:6:27,244 --> 1:6:29,811
You know, I wanted to talk to
people who ran record companies
1155
1:6:29,855 --> 1:6:31,291
because I wanted
to make records.
1156
1:6:31,335 --> 1:6:34,947
Having them
listen to your idea,
1157
1:6:34,991 --> 1:6:38,385
and coming up with solutions
to make these ideas happen
1158
1:6:38,429 --> 1:6:41,171
was a big change for me.
1159
1:6:41,214 --> 1:6:48,221
The fact that those guys
wanted to support artists
who have no idea
1160
1:6:48,265 --> 1:6:52,8
what the fuck they were doing,
was the charm of Wax Trax!
1161
1:6:52,51 --> 1:6:54,227
There's no separating that.
1162
1:6:54,271 --> 1:6:58,927
It's like... Yeah, let's talk
about business people and what
they would do.
1163
1:6:58,971 --> 1:7:0,538
Who gives a fuck?
You know? Like,
1164
1:7:0,581 --> 1:7:6,718
that has zero, you know,
to do with this business,
you know.
1165
1:7:6,761 --> 1:7:8,459
It's... it's crazy.
1166
1:7:10,635 --> 1:7:15,248
LARRY: I think it was around
1990s, when
1167
1:7:15,292 --> 1:7:20,253
the business aspects
of it started to really
rear their ugly heads,
1168
1:7:20,297 --> 1:7:25,258
and it became apparent that
the model was not sustainable.
1169
1:7:25,302 --> 1:7:30,176
Things were unraveling,
and to keep at that level...
1170
1:7:30,220 --> 1:7:31,786
Like, wait.
1171
1:7:31,830 --> 1:7:35,790
You have this much money,
you haven't sold
a damn record yet.
1172
1:7:35,834 --> 1:7:38,402
Wait, how much
is this gonna cost?
We need that...
1173
1:7:38,445 --> 1:7:41,57
And I hate math,
and I hate all that stuff.
1174
1:7:41,100 --> 1:7:43,276
I'm like, "We have to be
sensible here."
1175
1:7:43,320 --> 1:7:45,670
They were not into figures.
They didn't...
1176
1:7:45,713 --> 1:7:48,977
I'm not saying they didn't care,
but they didn't realize.
1177
1:7:49,21 --> 1:7:53,417
They had the money coming in,
they would spend it on products,
or whatsoever.
1178
1:7:53,460 --> 1:7:56,681
Jim let the artists spend
as much as they wanted
in the studio.
1179
1:7:56,724 --> 1:8:0,728
He didn't care how much
the artwork would cost,
or you know...
1180
1:8:0,772 --> 1:8:3,818
It was really
throwing it at the wall.
1181
1:8:3,862 --> 1:8:7,474
We didn't have a focus
at that point in time.
1182
1:8:7,518 --> 1:8:12,44
We kinda put every release
through the same machinery.
1183
1:8:12,88 --> 1:8:14,699
Jim had set up a lot of
partnerships around
the world.
1184
1:8:14,742 --> 1:8:17,223
We had a close relationship
with Southern Records
in England,
1185
1:8:17,267 --> 1:8:20,139
and we had a close relationship with Play It Again Sam in Brussels.
1186
1:8:20,183 --> 1:8:24,12
At a certain point in time,
it seemed to make sense
1187
1:8:24,56 --> 1:8:25,666
for us to partner more
officially.
1188
1:8:25,710 --> 1:8:29,453
And we became
Play It Again Sam's
home in the US.
1189
1:8:29,496 --> 1:8:36,155
MATT: There were a lot of records that that deal required Wax Trax! to put out.
1190
1:8:36,199 --> 1:8:39,463
Even if it came to already...
even if you didn't
have to pay for recording,
1191
1:8:39,506 --> 1:8:43,597
saying yes to a record
was saying yes
to spending $25,000.
1192
1:8:43,641 --> 1:8:45,425
PATRICK: To carry the whole
catalog became...
1193
1:8:45,469 --> 1:8:49,908
made Wax Trax!
have a heavier structure
than they could carry.
1194
1:8:49,951 --> 1:8:52,824
And it kind of made
the boat sink.
1195
1:8:52,867 --> 1:8:57,481
The stuff on Wax Trax!,
the original stuff,
before Play It Again Sam,
1196
1:8:57,524 --> 1:9:1,93
that was because Jim and Dannie
saw a vision, you know?
1197
1:9:1,137 --> 1:9:5,489
There was something in those
bands that was part of them.
1198
1:9:6,751 --> 1:9:8,796
That made Wax Trax!
1199
1:9:8,840 --> 1:9:12,626
When the stuff came shipped in,
and they had to release it,
1200
1:9:12,670 --> 1:9:16,369
that wasn't Jim and Dannie,
that wasn't Wax Trax!
1201
1:9:16,413 --> 1:9:18,893
It was just something
they were obligated to do.
1202
1:9:18,937 --> 1:9:24,334
And I think that kinda
translated, and I think
fans caught on.
1203
1:9:24,377 --> 1:9:28,425
We already were dealing
with DJs and radio stations
1204
1:9:28,468 --> 1:9:31,79
that were only willing
to take a couple of records
from us a month.
1205
1:9:31,123 --> 1:9:33,647
And suddenly, we're sending
them, like, eight at a time.
1206
1:9:33,691 --> 1:9:36,824
We really just cannibalized
the support we had.
1207
1:9:36,868 --> 1:9:38,957
We forced people
to pick and choose.
1208
1:9:39,0 --> 1:9:43,962
And the writing was on the wall
that that relationship couldn't
sustain itself.
1209
1:9:47,270 --> 1:9:50,273
AL: In retrospect, sure,
everything could've been
done better.
1210
1:9:50,316 --> 1:9:53,885
You know, you try and do
something out of just like...
1211
1:9:53,928 --> 1:9:55,974
Just strictly about
the music and positive
1212
1:9:56,17 --> 1:9:57,976
and you're a fan and all that,
1213
1:9:58,19 --> 1:10:1,719
and it just bogs down,
with everyone all
of a sudden realizing, like,
1214
1:10:1,762 --> 1:10:4,809
"Wow! We're like
in the music business."
1215
1:10:4,852 --> 1:10:8,900
And you're being whispered
to by various managers,
and this and that.
1216
1:10:8,943 --> 1:10:11,76
"This is how it's done!
You don't do it like that.
1217
1:10:11,119 --> 1:10:15,428
You don't do it on
positive energy
and a contract on a napkin,
1218
1:10:15,472 --> 1:10:17,213
"or a handshake."
1219
1:10:17,256 --> 1:10:20,781
It becomes successful.
And once you get successful,
1220
1:10:20,825 --> 1:10:23,567
everyone just like,
it's torn apart.
1221
1:10:23,610 --> 1:10:28,136
I had heard that we didn't have
any contracts with our artists.
1222
1:10:28,180 --> 1:10:31,531
And that was weird
and different.
1223
1:10:31,575 --> 1:10:34,621
But we worked
really hard for the artists,
1224
1:10:34,665 --> 1:10:38,930
so I didn't think that
there was gonna be,
that it was an issue.
1225
1:10:38,973 --> 1:10:43,978
Wax Trax! had a really
great thing going on.
1226
1:10:44,22 --> 1:10:47,460
They had a very
unique aesthetic.
They had a very unique sound.
1227
1:10:47,504 --> 1:10:51,72
If people find out,
as with Factory Records,
1228
1:10:51,116 --> 1:10:53,640
that there's no contracts
or anything,
1229
1:10:53,684 --> 1:10:55,947
then, yeah,
business is business.
1230
1:10:55,990 --> 1:10:58,950
People are gonna swoop in
and just snap that stuff up.
1231
1:10:58,993 --> 1:11:4,434
Some independent labels that
operated without contracts
1232
1:11:4,477 --> 1:11:9,874
had verbal agreements
with their artists,
that if the artists left,
1233
1:11:9,917 --> 1:11:13,530
the records they made before
would stay with that label.
1234
1:11:13,573 --> 1:11:17,577
That agreement didn't exist,
verbal or otherwise,
1235
1:11:17,621 --> 1:11:21,233
with Jim and Dannie,
and the bands at Wax Trax!
1236
1:11:21,277 --> 1:11:23,17
Very clearly,
what was about to happen was
1237
1:11:23,61 --> 1:11:26,282
not only were some
of Wax Trax!'s biggest acts
1238
1:11:26,325 --> 1:11:29,110
gonna go begin
to work with other labels,
1239
1:11:29,154 --> 1:11:31,374
but they wanted to take
their records with them.
1240
1:11:33,811 --> 1:11:37,684
RICHARD: Leaving Wax Trax!
was heartbreaking, honestly.
1241
1:11:37,728 --> 1:11:41,949
It's curious to say that
because we decided to go.
1242
1:11:41,993 --> 1:11:46,171
But I think it was a period
where we realized
1243
1:11:46,214 --> 1:11:50,480
that Wax Trax!
had reached their
1244
1:11:50,523 --> 1:11:54,179
maximum in terms
of distribution, promotion.
1245
1:11:54,222 --> 1:11:59,227
It was like the business of it.
It wasn't the friendship of it.
1246
1:11:59,271 --> 1:12:6,496
We reached our point, you know?
And unfortunately, at that time,
1247
1:12:6,539 --> 1:12:10,151
things were going through
their transitions, too.
1248
1:12:10,195 --> 1:12:14,504
And as big as a lot of
the Wax Trax! records seemed,
1249
1:12:14,547 --> 1:12:19,117
a lot of those guys and gals
who were insanely talented,
1250
1:12:19,160 --> 1:12:21,293
they all still had other jobs.
1251
1:12:21,337 --> 1:12:23,991
You know? They weren't...
This was... you know...
1252
1:12:24,35 --> 1:12:27,343
So if you have
an opportunity, major label
comes along and says,
1253
1:12:27,386 --> 1:12:30,781
"This can be your only job.
You don't have to work
in the warehouse anymore.
1254
1:12:30,824 --> 1:12:33,131
"You don't have
to be a barback
at shelter anymore."
1255
1:12:34,393 --> 1:12:36,90
Hell yeah, that's what you do.
1256
1:12:36,134 --> 1:12:39,93
You know, I mean,
Jim and Dannie operated
the label on trust,
1257
1:12:39,137 --> 1:12:41,661
and, you know...
1258
1:12:43,10 --> 1:12:47,928
Then, that trust was violated.
1259
1:12:47,972 --> 1:12:51,889
And not by the artists,
but by the sharks that
were circling the artists.
1260
1:12:51,932 --> 1:12:54,370
Not only is the cutting edge
hard to find,
1261
1:12:54,413 --> 1:12:57,590
but once the mainstream
settles on what
the cutting edge is,
1262
1:12:57,634 --> 1:13:0,158
chances are it isn't
the cutting edge anymore.
1263
1:13:0,201 --> 1:13:3,291
And even in a place that's
supposed to be at the
cutting edge,
1264
1:13:3,335 --> 1:13:5,293
music can be a tricky business.
1265
1:13:5,337 --> 1:13:9,36
Wax Trax!, which was one of
Chicago's strongest
independent labels,
1266
1:13:9,80 --> 1:13:13,345
made a few wrong moves,
and has been in Chapter 11
since last year.
1267
1:13:13,389 --> 1:13:17,1
ANDY: Most of the big bands
had left the label.
We'd lost Front 242,
1268
1:13:17,44 --> 1:13:22,528
we'd lost Thrill Kill Kult,
we'd lost all the Ministry
side projects.
1269
1:13:22,572 --> 1:13:29,13
And it was gonna
be a real uphill battle
to rebuild the label.
1270
1:13:29,56 --> 1:13:32,886
And I think Jim and Dannie,
they needed an easy out.
1271
1:13:32,930 --> 1:13:36,107
They needed relief,
they needed an escape.
1272
1:13:36,150 --> 1:13:39,676
And all the other
opportunities had gone away.
1273
1:13:40,764 --> 1:13:42,635
Nobody would touch the label
1274
1:13:42,679 --> 1:13:46,639
because Wax Trax!
didn't have contracts
with any of its artists.
1275
1:13:46,683 --> 1:13:50,295
Steve Gottlieb from TVT
turned out to be
1276
1:13:50,338 --> 1:13:52,732
that company
that was willing
to do that for them.
1277
1:13:52,776 --> 1:13:56,257
As is often the case
in those kinds of deals,
1278
1:13:56,301 --> 1:14:0,44
Jim and Dannie chose
to put the company
through bankruptcy
1279
1:14:0,87 --> 1:14:5,571
as a way to right the ship
and get this deal done with TVT.
1280
1:14:5,615 --> 1:14:9,270
TRENT: Nine Inch Nails
ended up being a terrible
catalyst in a lot of ways.
1281
1:14:9,314 --> 1:14:12,752
At that time, just like,
somebody big comes
out of Seattle,
1282
1:14:12,796 --> 1:14:15,494
and they sound like this,
okay, sign every band
that's like that.
1283
1:14:15,538 --> 1:14:17,627
Nine Inch Nails started
to break out. "What is it?"
1284
1:14:17,670 --> 1:14:20,368
"Oh, it's industrial music."
"Okay, who else is that?"
1285
1:14:20,412 --> 1:14:23,110
You know, major labels
start coming in.
1286
1:14:23,154 --> 1:14:25,635
TVT would've seen
that as an opportunity of,
1287
1:14:25,678 --> 1:14:28,812
"Oh, lemme just scoop up
all this other shit"
and, you know...
1288
1:14:28,855 --> 1:14:34,121
Without any respect
for what the artistry behind it,
or what it means,
1289
1:14:34,165 --> 1:14:37,560
or what was good about it,
or resonated with culture.
1290
1:14:37,603 --> 1:14:40,127
It was just an asset.
1291
1:14:40,171 --> 1:14:41,955
I mean, they started out
with like...
1292
1:14:43,566 --> 1:14:46,743
Licensing and whatever, like...
1293
1:14:46,786 --> 1:14:50,877
TV series, melodies,
something like that.
1294
1:14:50,921 --> 1:14:54,359
That's why they're
called TVT tunes,
or whatever, TV Tunes.
1295
1:14:54,402 --> 1:14:59,407
There was all of a sudden,
there were bands like
Utah Saints, stuff like that,
1296
1:14:59,451 --> 1:15:5,326
but also like, early stages of people like Korn and, you know, people like that.
1297
1:15:5,370 --> 1:15:7,938
The whole thing
got bigger and bigger.
1298
1:15:7,981 --> 1:15:12,943
JOE: I think that
the scene itself had grown,
and it was tough.
1299
1:15:13,813 --> 1:15:14,988
And then...
1300
1:15:16,207 --> 1:15:17,774
You know, Jim got sick.
1301
1:15:24,171 --> 1:15:27,871
LIZ: You know, he didn't care
about the store, the label,
nothing anymore.
1302
1:15:27,914 --> 1:15:29,916
Why should he?
He's gonna die, he's...
1303
1:15:31,614 --> 1:15:32,658
Family.
1304
1:15:33,267 --> 1:15:34,268
Just...
1305
1:15:37,533 --> 1:15:41,449
Olivia, just...
that was the greatest thing.
1306
1:15:42,799 --> 1:15:45,323
JEANNE: All he wanted
to be was a grandpa.
1307
1:15:45,366 --> 1:15:48,979
And he really kind
of lost interest.
1308
1:15:49,22 --> 1:15:55,507
It was... the record label
and the store were
almost second to him,
1309
1:15:55,551 --> 1:15:57,335
that was his whole life then.
1310
1:15:57,378 --> 1:15:59,642
He had a granddaughter,
1311
1:15:59,685 --> 1:16:3,341
and he left work early
to be with her.
1312
1:16:3,384 --> 1:16:7,780
BILL: When I went
into the record store,
it was... I was...
1313
1:16:9,782 --> 1:16:12,916
I was really saddened
by what I saw
cause it was just,
1314
1:16:12,959 --> 1:16:15,745
"Wow, this is not Wax Trax!."
1315
1:16:15,788 --> 1:16:21,359
This isn't even
the first store on...
1316
1:16:21,402 --> 1:16:26,538
Ogden Avenue
and Denver's Wax Trax!
This was just a shell.
1317
1:16:26,582 --> 1:16:28,758
It was a place
to put some records
1318
1:16:28,801 --> 1:16:32,457
so that you still had a record
store, I guess. I don't know.
1319
1:16:32,500 --> 1:16:35,852
You know, things changed
when it moved to Damen,
okay, we know that.
1320
1:16:35,895 --> 1:16:37,854
That's just a fact.
1321
1:16:37,897 --> 1:16:43,163
I mean, the store
was such a presence to me
on Lincoln Avenue.
1322
1:16:43,207 --> 1:16:46,340
Walking into the Damen store
was just like...
1323
1:16:46,384 --> 1:16:49,387
was like, "Well,
we have a store
'cause we have to."
1324
1:16:49,430 --> 1:16:53,260
Basically, it just seemed like
it was made up of Wax Trax!
records,
1325
1:16:53,304 --> 1:16:56,960
inventory from our label,
Wax Trax! label,
1326
1:16:57,3 --> 1:17:1,94
and then some random records
left over from the store on
Lincoln Avenue.
1327
1:17:1,138 --> 1:17:3,401
The record store was
basically non-existent,
1328
1:17:3,444 --> 1:17:5,577
but, yeah, at that time,
I don't think...
1329
1:17:5,621 --> 1:17:8,58
I don't even know if Jim cared
whether he had a record store,
1330
1:17:8,101 --> 1:17:9,494
I think he just put it there.
1331
1:17:12,715 --> 1:17:15,848
Walking into the label,
it was...
1332
1:17:15,892 --> 1:17:19,635
Again, just this amazing
feeling, but there
was a lot of tension.
1333
1:17:19,678 --> 1:17:23,290
There was a lot
of stuff going on
at that time.
1334
1:17:24,596 --> 1:17:26,903
You know, Jim was sick.
1335
1:17:26,946 --> 1:17:29,383
Dannie was running around,
and...
1336
1:17:29,427 --> 1:17:32,691
they had just formed
this alliance with TVT.
1337
1:17:32,735 --> 1:17:36,564
And there were a lot of people
that weren't really into it.
1338
1:17:36,608 --> 1:17:40,656
So a lot of the staff
that were there,
1339
1:17:40,699 --> 1:17:47,358
was not all that happy that
TVT was now calling the shots.
1340
1:17:47,401 --> 1:17:51,492
JULIA: Sometimes he'd
be feeling like shit, and he
was sick, and he'd be in bed.
1341
1:17:51,536 --> 1:17:56,19
And that was that.
But every day,
I was over there,
1342
1:17:56,62 --> 1:17:59,239
I mean, he'd either
be attached to an IV pole
running around the apartment.
1343
1:17:59,283 --> 1:18:2,982
But he didn't...
He wasn't really any different.
1344
1:18:6,159 --> 1:18:10,337
There were a couple of times
when he was... really sick.
1345
1:18:10,381 --> 1:18:16,169
I feel like it was like
March of '95, maybe.
1346
1:18:16,213 --> 1:18:20,391
March, April, and it was like,
okay, he is dying.
1347
1:18:22,785 --> 1:18:25,744
JEANNE: He asked me
to come up. He said,
"I'll buy you a ticket.
1348
1:18:25,788 --> 1:18:27,877
"I just want you
to come up here."
1349
1:18:27,920 --> 1:18:30,140
And so I did.
1350
1:18:30,183 --> 1:18:33,839
And we all kinda
stayed together
at the apartment.
1351
1:18:33,883 --> 1:18:38,17
So I went in and I got him
a soda cracker
and I brought it back.
1352
1:18:38,61 --> 1:18:41,238
And he started to eat it,
and he said,
1353
1:18:41,281 --> 1:18:43,936
"Do you think you
could give me some water?
1354
1:18:43,980 --> 1:18:46,852
"Something to drink
with this?" And I said, "No."
1355
1:18:49,115 --> 1:18:53,467
He said, and it was almost
too good to be true,
1356
1:18:53,511 --> 1:18:56,427
"What did I ever do to you?"
1357
1:18:56,470 --> 1:18:59,473
And I said, "Well,
where should we begin?"
1358
1:18:59,517 --> 1:19:2,433
And we always had
that kind of relationship.
1359
1:19:4,522 --> 1:19:6,959
He had humor till the end.
He really did.
1360
1:19:7,743 --> 1:19:10,528
Somewhere.
1361
1:19:10,571 --> 1:19:14,97
We're in the front room saying
goodbye to Dannie, had already
said goodbye to Dad.
1362
1:19:14,140 --> 1:19:16,969
And he got up out of bed
and walked into the kitchen,
1363
1:19:17,13 --> 1:19:19,624
which he wasn't doing
on his own.
1364
1:19:19,667 --> 1:19:23,367
And stood in the doorway of
the kitchen and his bedroom,
and just stood there,
1365
1:19:23,410 --> 1:19:26,544
and Dannie and I
were looking at him, like,
"What're you doing?"
1366
1:19:26,587 --> 1:19:30,983
He's like, "I just wanted
to say goodbye again,"
with a huge smile.
1367
1:19:31,27 --> 1:19:35,335
I'm like. "Okay, Dad. Goodbye.
I'll see you tomorrow."
1368
1:19:35,379 --> 1:19:40,297
And he turned around and went
back to bed, and that morning,
the next morning,
1369
1:19:40,340 --> 1:19:41,515
I got the call from Dannie.
1370
1:19:43,126 --> 1:19:44,823
MAN: A sad note to report.
1371
1:19:44,867 --> 1:19:49,262
Jim Nash, president
and co-founder
of Wax Trax! Records,
1372
1:19:49,306 --> 1:19:53,92
died from AIDS on Tuesday
at the age of 47.
1373
1:19:53,136 --> 1:19:56,139
Based here in Chicago,
Wax Trax! is credited with
1374
1:19:56,182 --> 1:20:1,622
pioneering the industrial
music genre, with artists
such as Ministry, RevCo,
1375
1:20:1,666 --> 1:20:3,537
KMFDM and Front 242.
1376
1:20:3,581 --> 1:20:6,192
GINA: We were trying
to get a game plan
for the next morning,
1377
1:20:6,236 --> 1:20:8,891
because we knew it was
gonna be pandemonium.
1378
1:20:8,934 --> 1:20:11,937
We knew the phones
were gonna be crazy.
1379
1:20:11,981 --> 1:20:15,201
So the next morning,
we came to work,
business as usual,
1380
1:20:15,245 --> 1:20:18,944
but just ready for the circus
that was about to happen.
1381
1:20:18,988 --> 1:20:24,602
And our phones were
very, very busy, and it was...
1382
1:20:24,645 --> 1:20:30,738
people we didn't know,
just fans, and of course,
friends and family calling,
1383
1:20:32,610 --> 1:20:35,787
just to make sure that
what they had heard was real,
1384
1:20:35,831 --> 1:20:38,224
trying to get in touch
with Julia or Dannie.
1385
1:20:39,747 --> 1:20:42,794
So, it was a crazy day.
1386
1:20:42,838 --> 1:20:45,841
DANNIE:
In just about two seconds,
we're going to be done.
1387
1:20:45,884 --> 1:20:49,540
MAN: I was wondering
if I could ask you a couple
of questions about your partner,
1388
1:20:49,583 --> 1:20:51,368
about Jim?
1389
1:20:51,411 --> 1:20:56,155
I was just wondering
if you could just,
you know, tell me...
1390
1:20:56,199 --> 1:21:1,334
how you decided to get together,
and what're your
memories of him?
1391
1:21:1,378 --> 1:21:7,775
We met in 1972 at a...
in Topeka, Kansas,
1392
1:21:7,819 --> 1:21:10,430
and we went
to a David Bowie concert.
1393
1:21:15,174 --> 1:21:16,349
And...
1394
1:21:19,222 --> 1:21:20,223
Wait a minute.
1395
1:21:23,313 --> 1:21:26,272
I don't know
what to say about Jim.
He's... It's like...
1396
1:21:26,316 --> 1:21:30,102
Once he passed away, it just
took half of me, you know?
1397
1:21:30,146 --> 1:21:34,63
Half of the company,
half of the excitement.
1398
1:21:34,106 --> 1:21:36,369
I'm totally getting
back into this...
1399
1:21:36,413 --> 1:21:41,157
JULIA: It made a lot of sense
why Dannie was so,
kind of, just like...
1400
1:21:41,200 --> 1:21:45,726
...spinning, and not grounded
at all, and just like...
1401
1:21:47,250 --> 1:21:50,775
...was just lost,
because I felt that way.
1402
1:21:50,818 --> 1:21:54,779
In a sense, we were kind of,
like, controlled by my Dad,
1403
1:21:54,822 --> 1:21:57,738
who controlled a lot of shit,
what was going on.
1404
1:21:57,782 --> 1:22:1,525
And so to have that person
not there, controlling
you every
1405
1:22:1,568 --> 1:22:5,398
kind of what was going on,
what was happening, you know,
1406
1:22:5,442 --> 1:22:8,314
you're just kind of like,
"What now?"
1407
1:22:8,358 --> 1:22:12,666
And, so I can't even imagine
how Dannie felt
after 27 years of that.
1408
1:22:12,710 --> 1:22:15,756
I felt terribly for Dannie.
1409
1:22:15,800 --> 1:22:18,368
You know? I just, I couldn't...
1410
1:22:18,411 --> 1:22:24,504
imagine what that was like
for him. I mean, He really
lost more than his partner.
1411
1:22:24,548 --> 1:22:29,727
He lost his whole life.
He lost such a big chunk
of his life.
1412
1:22:29,770 --> 1:22:32,686
Personally, obviously,
but professionally, too.
1413
1:22:32,730 --> 1:22:37,735
I don't think he wanted to be
in a position to run a label.
1414
1:22:37,778 --> 1:22:42,305
I think at that point,
he was just a figurehead,
it was a name.
1415
1:22:42,348 --> 1:22:47,963
He wasn't running it, you know.
TVT was obviously in charge.
1416
1:22:48,6 --> 1:22:50,661
You know, Dannie just...
1417
1:22:50,704 --> 1:22:55,144
...was a name on a piece of
paper that had, you know...
1418
1:22:55,187 --> 1:22:58,974
But I don't think he cared about
any of those bands or anything.
1419
1:22:59,17 --> 1:23:1,411
I don't think he cared
about a lot after that.
1420
1:23:1,454 --> 1:23:6,111
Wax Trax! I think was pretty
much... dead to him.
1421
1:23:6,155 --> 1:23:12,596
TVT was a great, big, unfocused
monster, that didn't really know
what it wanted.
1422
1:23:12,639 --> 1:23:17,253
Which kind of made that whole
thing an impossible situation
for Dannie.
1423
1:23:18,602 --> 1:23:21,300
GINA: I don't think
that Dannie was...
1424
1:23:21,344 --> 1:23:26,697
a willing participant anymore
in their arrangement.
1425
1:23:26,740 --> 1:23:29,917
I don't think they wanted to
pay Dannie anymore, either.
1426
1:23:29,961 --> 1:23:33,921
They severed the ties, and...
1427
1:23:33,965 --> 1:23:37,360
paid off whatever
obligations they had,
1428
1:23:37,403 --> 1:23:40,189
and they had come to me
and said,
1429
1:23:40,232 --> 1:23:43,61
"We're going to close
the Chicago office."
1430
1:23:43,105 --> 1:23:46,499
JULIA: Right away,
there was definitely...
1431
1:23:46,543 --> 1:23:48,762
Dannie had a lot of sadness.
1432
1:23:48,806 --> 1:23:52,766
He was a lot quieter.
You know, that was the only
change in the beginning,
1433
1:23:52,810 --> 1:23:54,812
and that was expected.
1434
1:23:54,855 --> 1:23:58,729
Then it gradually started
to become, he was going
out all the time,
1435
1:23:58,772 --> 1:24:1,775
and never around, and...
I think when...
1436
1:24:1,819 --> 1:24:6,345
I noticed things really
kind of getting weird
was when I had to tell him,
1437
1:24:6,389 --> 1:24:9,392
"You can't take this
kind of money
out of the ATM every day,
1438
1:24:9,435 --> 1:24:12,308
"because you're not bringing
that kind of money in.
1439
1:24:12,351 --> 1:24:15,398
"And you're maxing out
what you can take.
1440
1:24:16,703 --> 1:24:18,966
"It's gone."
1441
1:24:19,10 --> 1:24:23,884
JEANNE: Dannie
was on drugs for his AIDS.
1442
1:24:23,928 --> 1:24:28,759
And I think he was probably
doing a few other things
along with it.
1443
1:24:29,499 --> 1:24:31,66
And he really wasn't...
1444
1:24:33,416 --> 1:24:38,377
Not the Dannie we knew.
He was not himself
at that point in time.
1445
1:24:38,421 --> 1:24:41,467
I know there were several times
after the office closed,
1446
1:24:41,511 --> 1:24:46,255
where we were in the city
doing stuff, and I
would swing by just to say hi,
1447
1:24:46,298 --> 1:24:52,304
and there were times when he
didn't want any company at all.
1448
1:24:52,348 --> 1:24:57,179
That was unlike him.
Usually, he'd be like,
"Oh, come on up and have a beer!
1449
1:24:57,222 --> 1:24:59,94
"Smoke a joint, whatever!"
1450
1:25:0,704 --> 1:25:6,536
But he became
a little reclusive.
1451
1:25:6,579 --> 1:25:11,18
FRANKIE: That period
was another twist
for all of us.
1452
1:25:11,62 --> 1:25:17,677
Leaving town, and going and living at his mom's house.
1453
1:25:17,721 --> 1:25:24,293
GINA: I'd heard he was
spending a lot of time
in Arkansas with his family.
1454
1:25:24,336 --> 1:25:29,298
I know that we would
drive by the office,
and the first floor had been
1455
1:25:29,341 --> 1:25:34,433
turned into retail,
and the garage
was a pizza place.
1456
1:25:35,956 --> 1:25:38,655
You know, it was just,
so bizarre.
1457
1:25:38,698 --> 1:25:42,485
I'd get little snippets
of what was going on,
1458
1:25:42,528 --> 1:25:46,619
that he'd moved to Arkansas,
all this sort of stuff.
1459
1:25:46,663 --> 1:25:48,404
So I knew that he was there.
1460
1:25:48,447 --> 1:25:52,799
And then I'd heard that no one
could get a hold of him.
1461
1:25:52,843 --> 1:25:57,239
I don't think I spoke to him
once after he moved to Arkansas.
1462
1:25:59,589 --> 1:26:2,505
Dannie just disconnected...
1463
1:26:2,548 --> 1:26:6,30
and it's kind of a blur
what happened.
We've heard stories.
1464
1:26:7,597 --> 1:26:8,685
But we don't really know.
1465
1:26:11,644 --> 1:26:14,517
GINA: But it's almost like he
didn't want anyone's help.
He just...
1466
1:26:14,560 --> 1:26:19,652
I think he just wanted to die,
and... and that's it.
1467
1:26:19,696 --> 1:26:22,612
JULIA: And, you know,
I'd promised him,
1468
1:26:22,655 --> 1:26:25,963
when my dad was at his sickest, and after he'd passed away,
1469
1:26:26,6 --> 1:26:27,878
I'm like, "You know, Dannie,
1470
1:26:27,921 --> 1:26:33,579
"you have nothing
to worry about.
If you ever get sick,
1471
1:26:33,623 --> 1:26:37,104
"you're living with us.
We're taking care of you.
1472
1:26:37,148 --> 1:26:39,324
"This is where
you're gonna be."
1473
1:26:40,543 --> 1:26:45,287
He... There was never,
for one second,
1474
1:26:45,330 --> 1:26:49,465
that he wasn't gonna be...
He was my parent.
1475
1:26:49,508 --> 1:26:51,510
You know? He was another parent.
1476
1:26:55,297 --> 1:26:58,38
CHRIS: He'd kinda disappeared, not off my radar,
1477
1:26:58,82 --> 1:27:0,519
it wasn't like I wasn't
thinking about him,
I just wasn't there anymore.
1478
1:27:0,563 --> 1:27:4,480
I had seen him
a couple of times,
and then I didn't... see him.
1479
1:27:4,523 --> 1:27:6,90
And...
1480
1:27:8,135 --> 1:27:9,572
Then I got...
1481
1:27:11,965 --> 1:27:13,924
A few phone calls.
1482
1:27:14,707 --> 1:27:16,492
You know...
1483
1:27:16,535 --> 1:27:19,582
'Cause we didn't know.
And then I found out.
1484
1:27:49,655 --> 1:27:51,266
WOMAN: We've got some guests
here with us
1485
1:27:51,309 --> 1:27:53,746
talking about something
happening on Chicago's
north side.
1486
1:27:53,790 --> 1:27:57,10
MAN: Metro Theater in the north side will hold a three-night multimedia concert
1487
1:27:57,54 --> 1:27:59,404
in honor of the legendary
Wax Trax! Records,
1488
1:27:59,448 --> 1:28:3,278
appropriately called
the Wax Trax! 33
and a third year anniversary.
1489
1:28:3,321 --> 1:28:5,280
WOMAN: Metro owner
Joe Shanahan is here
1490
1:28:5,323 --> 1:28:8,805
and Julia Nash, whose
father was one
of the founders of Wax Trax!
1491
1:28:8,848 --> 1:28:11,24
-Thanks for being here, guys.
-JOE: Good morning.
1492
1:28:11,68 --> 1:28:13,70
MAN: Tell us about the music
we will hear.
1493
1:28:13,113 --> 1:28:16,552
I mean, you're putting
the bands back together
in some form or fashion.
1494
1:28:19,337 --> 1:28:22,906
JOE: I think there was
a ten-year breather
where people were...
1495
1:28:22,949 --> 1:28:25,691
Yeah, nobody cares, you know?
1496
1:28:25,735 --> 1:28:29,434
People like me?
Yeah, my Wax Trax!
CDs were in boxes, you know.
1497
1:28:29,478 --> 1:28:31,784
They weren't out and open,
you know.
1498
1:28:31,828 --> 1:28:34,961
They were in storage!
They were in storage
in my apartment.
1499
1:28:37,660 --> 1:28:40,184
JULIA: I was saying,
"Are you sure, three days?"
1500
1:28:40,227 --> 1:28:42,142
Are you sure people
are going to come to this?"
1501
1:28:42,186 --> 1:28:45,145
I still... I was
questioning, like,
1502
1:28:45,189 --> 1:28:49,106
Really? This may
not be a good idea.
1503
1:28:49,149 --> 1:28:53,763
I thought it was just
like a little local
good-time shop, you know?
1504
1:28:53,806 --> 1:28:58,158
I didn't know that
it reached so far and wide,
1505
1:28:58,202 --> 1:29:2,337
that people traveled
from all over to come
to that store. I had no clue.
1506
1:29:5,252 --> 1:29:9,648
PATTY: And it was
the first time
that I recognized...
1507
1:29:9,692 --> 1:29:14,784
that power.
Because I was friends
with them since 1974.
1508
1:29:14,827 --> 1:29:19,136
But it didn't occur to me
what they had done.
1509
1:29:19,179 --> 1:29:21,965
AL: Turned the fucking
world on its ear
for a while, man.
1510
1:29:22,8 --> 1:29:27,623
It gave so many people
encouragement, hope, drive,
to do what we were doing.
1511
1:29:27,666 --> 1:29:32,18
It was inspiration to a lot
of people that I can see
now in retrospect.
1512
1:29:32,62 --> 1:29:34,934
You don't know that's going on while it's happening.
1513
1:29:34,978 --> 1:29:39,69
BILL LEEB: I look at Wax Trax! You can't separate Wax Trax! from Jim and Dannie.
1514
1:29:39,112 --> 1:29:43,552
And then all of the people
that embraced that,
1515
1:29:43,595 --> 1:29:50,602
and sort of followed
their madcap adventure.
1516
1:29:50,646 --> 1:29:57,217
LUC VAN: It was a celebration
of people who loved
being part of this group,
1517
1:29:57,261 --> 1:29:59,394
you know, like this scene.
1518
1:29:59,437 --> 1:30:2,832
If you've never been part
of a scene or community,
1519
1:30:2,875 --> 1:30:6,836
that's impossible to explain,
you know?
1520
1:30:6,879 --> 1:30:9,316
JULIA: People were coming up
to me the entire time.
1521
1:30:9,360 --> 1:30:13,712
Every single minute,
I was grabbed
by someone else,
1522
1:30:13,756 --> 1:30:15,975
that I'd never met
before in my life,
1523
1:30:16,19 --> 1:30:21,894
that was telling me how...
how their life has
been changed forever
1524
1:30:21,938 --> 1:30:25,158
because of the music
they put out on that label.
1525
1:30:25,202 --> 1:30:27,291
And that's what made
me think like,
1526
1:30:29,424 --> 1:30:31,469
this is an important story.
1527
1:30:31,513 --> 1:30:35,778
Because what I thought was
just these two guys
and their love for music,
1528
1:30:35,821 --> 1:30:39,85
and their excitement
for it all.
1529
1:30:39,129 --> 1:30:42,437
To have that kind
of an impact on
people and their lives,
1530
1:30:42,480 --> 1:30:46,745
and people around the world,
for that matter,
that's a huge thing.
1531
1:30:46,789 --> 1:30:50,749
PATRICK: I think a lot of
people realize how important
Wax Trax! was for them.
1532
1:30:50,793 --> 1:30:54,405
Not only musicians, bands,
but the audience.
1533
1:30:54,449 --> 1:30:57,843
How many times did I read,
"Wax Trax! changed my life"?
1534
1:30:57,887 --> 1:31:0,716
How many times did I read it?
And I can tell you,
1535
1:31:0,759 --> 1:31:3,370
even for me, Wax Trax!
changed my life.
1536
1:31:3,414 --> 1:31:7,984
PATTY: I saw, like, the love...
1537
1:31:8,27 --> 1:31:12,902
in the music that
they had developed,
it was... profound to me.
1538
1:31:15,470 --> 1:31:21,301
BILL LEEB: It's a live,
thriving, great thing
that will always be there.
1539
1:31:22,389 --> 1:31:24,130
LUC VAN: It's not nostalgia.
1540
1:31:24,174 --> 1:31:28,352
It's a continuation.
And I think that's
what I wanna say,
1541
1:31:28,395 --> 1:31:33,836
It's something
Jim and Dannie started,
and which is still going.
1542
1:31:34,706 --> 1:31:37,13
FRANKIE: Nothing ends...
1543
1:31:37,56 --> 1:31:39,842
Unless you say it's over.
You know?
1544
1:31:45,456 --> 1:31:48,459
[INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PLAYING]
1545
1:31:50,635 --> 1:31:53,682
[VOCALIZING]
1546
1:32:2,255 --> 1:32:4,388
♪ Minds are empty,
heads are hollow
1547
1:32:4,431 --> 1:32:6,477
♪ You might find out
The truth is hard to swallow
1548
1:32:6,521 --> 1:32:8,653
♪ There's a place down there,
Where heads are square
1549
1:32:8,697 --> 1:32:10,742
♪ Laws are tough,
and you are bare
1550
1:32:10,786 --> 1:32:12,788
♪ There is a law
And there is a lawman
1551
1:32:12,831 --> 1:32:15,399
♪ Who is the right
And who is the wrong man
1552
1:32:18,968 --> 1:32:21,448
♪ It doesn't take much
To kill that guy
1553
1:32:21,492 --> 1:32:23,929
♪ Don't get in my face
And ask me why
1554
1:32:26,18 --> 1:32:28,107
♪ Texas is the place
1555
1:32:28,151 --> 1:32:30,327
♪ Hang 'em high
1556
1:32:32,416 --> 1:32:35,550
♪ Beers, steers, and queers
1557
1:32:35,593 --> 1:32:36,594
♪ Cowboy
1558
1:32:41,207 --> 1:32:44,297
♪ Beers, steers, and queers
1559
1:32:54,3 --> 1:32:56,266
♪ Texas is full of women
And willing
1560
1:32:56,309 --> 1:32:58,137
♪ Eyes too close
Billy hillbillies
1561
1:32:58,181 --> 1:33:1,488
♪ Who are these people
Raised in bars...
1562
1:33:1,532 --> 1:33:2,751
♪ Sex on farms
1563
1:33:2,794 --> 1:33:4,840
♪ Texas hoedown
This is the lowdown
1564
1:33:4,883 --> 1:33:7,494
♪ You're full of shit
Destined to go down
1565
1:33:10,889 --> 1:33:13,326
♪ Let's go down, herd 'em up
1566
1:33:13,370 --> 1:33:15,415
♪ If you agree
Then let's word 'em up
1567
1:33:15,459 --> 1:33:16,808
♪ And if you don't
1568
1:33:17,635 --> 1:33:19,419
♪ Then shut the fuck up
1569
1:33:24,424 --> 1:33:27,514
♪ Beers, steers, and queers
1570
1:33:32,955 --> 1:33:36,219
♪ Beers, steers, and queers
1571
1:33:36,262 --> 1:33:38,351
[VOCALIZING]
1572
1:33:45,576 --> 1:33:47,839
♪ I've spent my life
Go kicking shit
1573
1:33:47,883 --> 1:33:49,928
♪ Not gonna give up
Ain't about to quit
1574
1:33:49,972 --> 1:33:52,409
♪ Life is a bucket of...
1575
1:33:52,452 --> 1:33:55,281
♪ Gettin' rough
feeding stock
1576
1:33:55,325 --> 1:33:57,370
♪ Get in my way
1577
1:33:57,414 --> 1:33:59,198
♪ I'll knock you off
1578
1:34:3,202 --> 1:34:6,205
♪ Beers, steers, and queers
1579
1:34:6,249 --> 1:34:7,250
♪ Cowboy
1580
1:34:11,907 --> 1:34:15,258
♪ Beers, steers, and queers
1581
1:34:15,301 --> 1:34:17,869
[VOCALIZING]
1582
1:34:20,524 --> 1:34:23,570
♪ Beers, steers, and queers
1583
1:34:23,614 --> 1:34:24,876
♪ Cowboy
1584
1:34:29,185 --> 1:34:32,231
♪ Beers, steers, and queers
1585
1:34:37,802 --> 1:34:39,543
♪ I'm a crazy mother
In a drunken state
1586
1:34:39,586 --> 1:34:41,980
♪ A redneck asswipe
Who thinks he's great
1587
1:34:42,24 --> 1:34:43,982
♪ So full of shit
Diarrhea for fingers... ♪
122229
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