Bob Mold was born on October 16, 1960 in Malone, New York. Together with Grant Hart and Greg Norton, he founded Hüsker Dü in 1978, which until 1987 developed from a hardcore band into one of the most formative US formations and had a sustainable influence, such as indie rock, grunge and alternative. Moulder has been active as a soloist since the end of the 80s, with his band Sugar he released successful records on the creation label in the 90s. His autobiography “See A Little Light” (2011) is also worth reading.
To publish his new album here here we go crazy, we confronted Bob Mould with a handful of songs.
The Byrds – “Eight Miles High”
Bob Mould: Of course, this is an absolute classic. As a child I had a lot of Jukebox singles from the 60s. That was my earliest musical character, Beatles, The Who, The Hollies, Petula Clark. I knew “Mr Tambourine Man”, later Peter Buck recommended that I deal with the albums. I started with Younger Than Yesterday, that really made me a fan.
You partially adapted the sound with Hüsker Dü, at that time rather unusual in punk.
The first punk wave was over, the sixties long ago, with Hüsker Dü we wanted to invent something new, we combined this style.
Was it difficult to cover the song?
No! (laughs) To be honest, it happened by chance. We played cover songs at the sound check for the studio recordings for Zen Arcade. One of them was “Eight Miles High”, we recorded it in the first take.
Sex pistols – “Anarchy in the UK”
The first single of the Pistols. Super!
How big was the influence of the UK?
Very large! I lived in a small town, north of New York, there wasn’t much going on. I had read about the sex pistols. Then there was a report on NBC, “this music shocks the British kingdom”. I was sitting in front of the TV with my cassette recorder and cut along. One of the bands was the sex pistols. I was completely ripped off. It’s such a cool stuff, I thought.
How do you look at Never Mind the Bollocks today?
A fantastic sounding plate, the production is compact, so tight. The guitar sound by Steve Jones is terrific, this classic British compression, the whole thing comes into the stereomix in the end and simply pops. You can say what you want, but the Pistols voted timing and content. Sure, Malcolm McLaren had brought a few ideas from the USA to London as a manager of the New York Dolls, but the station wagon did it. That was the birth of an entire political and cultural movement.
Did you ever meet John Lydon?
I published my solo debut workbook in 1989 at Virgin, Pil were on the same label. When I played in San Francisco, he came to the show. Jello Biafra was there too, we talked to three for a while, I can remember that. John is a really superstill guy, even if he naturally does a lot for his weird image in public.
Garbage – “Vow”
Garbage! Then as now a fantastic band. Butch and I know each other forever. We produced the band Tar Babies together in the mid -80s and have met again and again over the years. On the one hand you have these fantastic musicians and producers with Garbage, plus a personality like Shirley Manson on singing.
Gloss (Girls Living Outside Society’s Shit) – “Give Violence A Chance”
Oh yes, that’s cool.
I read from you in one of your interviews, the band had me directly on the hook. What energy.
You can say that. I no longer know how to get them, but they packed me immediately. With topics such as transgender, queerness and feminism, this is more current than ever, even if the band no longer exists, but their sound, their whole concept knocks you over. It’s like a manual for crazy, committed hardcore punk. Politically like crass, plus these songs with hints of Discharge and Motörhead, crazy. Have you ever looked at a live clip?
Yes, I sat in front of the computer with a grin.
I wish I had seen her live. This dynamic and how they interact with the audience is so good.
In the meantime, the new old US president dances to this song …
Village People – “Ymca”
You can’t imagine that. The big troll and the Village People.
Hardly any song is connoted as “gay” as this. At the same time, Trump is already digging the water with his first decrees of the LGBTQ+Community, where he can do.
Yes, the irony is incredible. Although his audience under 40 has no idea. They just find it funny.
How do you feel about the second Trump administration in these first months?
I have felt it in the past three years how all this bad energy has built up with the Republicans. Now everything discharges. In the 80s I warned of my shows, today it happens everywhere that trans-people are persecuted and disenfranchised. It doesn’t look good at all. People who storm the capitol are pardoned, science is undermined, grants canceled.
How optimistic are you still?
Hard to say. The situation is catastrophic, there is so much good to do. In the end, it’s all about filling Trump and his gang.
Grant Hart – “Old Empire”
I know the title myself, but not yet the song. I really like that.
Do you hear Grant’s music?
Not often. I’ve heard old things from Hüsker Dü lately, but my solo things just as little as that of Grant. I knew he was Busy that he was doing great records. I have to get this album.
Before his death in 2017, you were back in contact.
Yes, we had to do a lot of business business and tolerated ourselves in the course of this. I am glad that we spent time together again, I saw him two months before his death. We often laughed that everyone thinks we’d blow ourselves, which was no longer the case. I just emailed Greg, everything is okay. I am very happy about that. We experienced a lot together. Hüsker Dü were a wild band in wild times.