In D.C., politics are inescapable—even in music. But when the founding luminaries of Washington’s famously close-knit, activist music scene came together in Georgetown last Friday, it was to praise, not preach.
Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi, Evens), Henry Rollins (S.O.A, Black Flag, Rollins Band) and Ian Svenonius (Nation of Ulysses, Make-Up, Weird War) all celebrated the photography of Susie Horgan, the unofficial historian of early D.C. punk. Her new book and exhibit, both entitled Punk Love, are a thoroughly unpretentious look at the influential Washington, D.C. scene from 1980 to 1981.
Punk rock bands all over the country started up in the early 1980s as teenagers started making noise on their first guitars and drum sets, but D.C. has always been different. From the beginning, Washington independent music has been more political and community-conscious than its counterparts in New York or Los Angeles. Minor Threat in particular espoused a straightedge philosophy of abstaining from smoking and drinking. As the decade went on, do-it-yourself ethics defined D.C. music through Dischord Records, the record label MacKaye and his band mate Jeff Nelson created while in high school. Dischord later released Fugazi and Q and not U.
One of the striking aspects of Horgan’s exhibition is that it shows that our city’s unfairly maligned music scene is not as uptight as people think. Earnestness and playfulness go hand in hand in her iconic black-and-white shots, whose amateur qualities belie the eye for detail and authenticity that led her to become a professional. They shine a light on the nascent activist instincts in the scene, but more surprisingly, they highlight the exuberance of what was in essence a positive youth movement.
Horgan’s photos range from shots of live shows, with masses of kids shouting along with the equally youthful band members, to more personal portraits. She met MacKaye and Rollins, the future legends of D.C. hardcore, when all three worked at the decidedly un-legendary Haagen-Däzs in Georgetown. Her down-to-earth viewpoint comes through clearly when the subjects are goofing around—Rollins is shown with plastic spoons in his eyes and MacKaye skateboards through several photos.
It’s no accident that the most iconic photographs feature the intensity and the symbols of the scene, most notably in the black X’s that became synonymous with the straight-edge movement of the time. The music’s breakneck pace and the musicians’ physical performances are expressed through chaotic images of live shows. A stand-out photo features the intimidatingly built Rollins, not yet tattooed, already adopting his trademark shirtlessness.
The scene’s un-selfconscious and communal identity exposes the book’s eponymous “love.” Its cover features a neck-down photo of Alec MacKaye (Untouchables, Warmers) sporting a spiked bracelet and black X. He’s holding the stem of a flower, offering it to the viewer. It’s a simple reminder of the politics and love that still define the D.C. music scene.
“Punk Love” is at the Govinda Gallery on 34th and Prospect St. until until March 3.
