Pictures have a meaning. Some more, some less, and some are like a pillar of your life. For me, such a picture is the cover of the 1985s Salad Days EP by Minor Threat. It was the final EP by this iconic band.
I was 15, when I discovered it at a local record store in 1986. Before that, I had never heard anything by this band, even though I was deeply into punk rock music — mostly from Germany and the UK — at this time. The title track immediately hooked me up. It was so different from all the stuff I heard at the time. Refreshing. Different.
I bought two albums on this day — the Salad Days EP, of course, and Out of Step.
And I knew these lyrics had a meaning — a positive message. Did I get what Ian McKaye was singing about back then? No, not at all. I would have saved me some time if I had. But it took me years to understand straight edge and all the rest he was singing about.
But this day marks more or less the start of my journey into hardcore punk music, New York hardcore and all that followed afterward. I believe every person has a selection of music that forms their thinking and also is its safe spot. Besides all the other things I love and hear, hardcore punk is my safe spot. Bands like Minor Threat, 7 Seconds, H2O, and Agnostic Front established my thinking and believes.
Why do I tell you this and write about?
I did myself a favor today and framed a collage of the iconic cover from 1985 and the reprise from 2018 and put it on the wall in my room.
The dialog between these two images is strong for me. For me, it tells a story about being innovative, being true, relationships, and continuity.