588 - Start Today: Minor Threat

Mark Brickey and Biggie of Good Fight Entertainment look at the music that made them the men they are today on the second installment of the Start Today: Music Business Inspiration Podcast. Minor Threat existed for three years out in DC but their impact was immeasurable in not only the music they wrote, but how their lyrical themes shaped the DIY scene to this very day. Whether you've never heard the name Ian MacKaye or you have a black sheep tattooed on your arm, the first part of this episode brings you the history behind the band and how they built such an avid fanbase in a word of mouth only, underground world. With that perspective in mind, Mark and Biggie tackle the lyrics to the song Minor Threat line by line and look at what it meant to them when they first heard the song and how it still effects them now. The themes of holding onto your youth, finding your own path, and standing by your beliefs are what we all strive after everyday in a world that wants you to fall in line and do what your told so let the words of Ian MacKaye inspire you for the first time or all over again on Start Today... and that's a promise.

Talking Points

• Something from nothing in DC, Bad Brains, and the Sex Pistols.
• Iggy Pop, Black Flag, and finding the right attitude.
• The birth of a Minor Threat.
• Post-Threat life.
• Inventing DIY.
• Being a part of something that changed the world from a baseline of zero. 
• Literally looking at lyrics like scripture including looking for loopholes. 
• Three monumental accomplishments in three years. 
• Two Ian anecdotes. 
• You can't fake the funk. 
• Discovering yourself with a larger perspective in mind. 
• Cyclical trends in culture. 
• Defying that adult crash in your mind and not aging out. 
• The ultimate equalizer and deciding how to best utilize your time. 
• Learning to live in the moment. 
• Uncovering the proper promotional schedule based off momentum. 

Circle Of Trust Talking Points

• Learning to lean into your success where you find it.
• Fighting back for your dreams no matter who is looking.
• Run at your opportunities and work within your restrictions to make your best art. 
• Working twice as hard when you live life outside the rails. 
•  The key to staying young at heart. 
• Higher education and other templates for success. 
• Staying optimistic and avoiding the paranoia that will ruin your good times. 
• Dreams, expectations, and taking your time. 
• Remember where you came from and grow from it. 

Jason Welsher of To Die For Clothing is a living, breathing example of how to run your life and run your company with the DIY Straight Edge ethics that Minor Threat laid down decades ago. The PMA lifestyle is strong with this one.

Don't miss the premiere episode of Start Today where Mark and Biggie break down the song that gave birth to the name of the very show you now know and love, Start Today by Gorilla Biscuits. Get some history and hear how these lyrics shaped minds and hearts.

On the polar opposite side of straight edge you can will find the DIY mindset in Chris Parks of Palehorse Design whose work, determination, and curiosity for new life experiences keeps him inspired to push people to a better version of themselves.