Indie Music 1980's

There is still indie/alternative music today but the 1980’s was when it was introduced. The music was DIY because the musicians did what they wanted and had control over their music. “If punk was rebellious and DIY was rebellious, then doing it yourself was punk,” the bands in this book wanted to be different than the previous genre of music . The bands were not worried about being successful, instead they wanted to make a difference. “People got this idea that ultimately what mattered was the quality of what you were doing and how much importance you gave to it regardless of how widespread it became or how many records it sold.” The indie music was a way to bring back what rock was supposed to be about.

MTV had started aired August 1, 1981

“Their hard work and relentless, uncompromising pursuit of their unique artistic vision have inspired countless bands.” They just wanted to inspire fans and other bands and more importantly be respected. Black Flag was another example of working hard and inspired other bands as well. Their work ethic was inspiring, “overcoming indifference, lack of venues, poverty, even police harassment.” They had long rehearsals, constant touring, and during performances they were fully engaged. According Joe Carducci in Our Band Could Be Your Life, the band once played straight for over two hours. They had to try to be the best they could be because they were struggling financially. “[It] signified the frustration of toiling in the face of poverty and

They made up their songs during rehearsals and they were not based on structure. The songs were “more on mood and texture.” But like other bands, such as Black Flag, they worked hard. Lee Ranaldo said, “We rehearsed diligently and regularly.” The band had many cheap guitars because they only sounded good in a certain tuning or with a drumstick jammed under the strings. In 1984, Sonic Youth was playing once a week in New York and the places they played at were getting violent and physical. Therefore, they thought they would change all the tuning on the guitar so they could not ever play their songs again. So they starting working on new music that was not so violent. Other bands did not completely change the direction they were going from where they started. Sonic Youth took guts to change what they were and become another