Grant Hart (1961-2017)

Null:

I love Hüsker Dü, which means I love Grant Hart. I was introduced to the band in the formative years of my life, back when punk rock, of all kinds, saved me. I have never heard a band that sounds quite like Hüsker Dü: Bob Mould’s wall of melodic guitar noise, Greg Norton’s bass laying some kind of impossible foundation so the whole thing didn’t blow away, Grant Hart’s weird-ass drum sound. “Is that a delay or an echo on the drums? Who does that?” Grant-fucking-Hart does that. Many drummers have a district style, but Grant had a district sound too. He also sang with a deep longing and desperation while he played the drums.

Depressing and emotionally heavy, psychedelic punk rock is the only way I can describe Hüsker Dü’s sound during the SST days. Mould and Hart, the principle songwriters and singers, were both influenced by 1960s pop as much as by The Germs. Mould’s songs were often cathartic exorcisms, but Grant’s songs were 60’s girl group gems wrapped up in a psychedelic wash like watching Phil Spector drowning in a pool of LSD. Grant’s songs were about love, books about UFOs, not giving up, how the news was shit, and how we were all fucked if we don’t get it together. Mould became the big star out of this group, but this band was a three piece—make no mistake. Grant’s incredible talent and lack of superstardom somehow made him more human, real, and unknown.

I have one Nova Mob record and one Grant Hart solo record. I like them. I should get more. But the sound and the plea to “Keep Hanging On” is etched on my heart and it makes me want to cry, as if he knew this was the mantra to get us through this life.

SoDak:

When I think of the mid-to-late 1980s, I have fond memories of college radio in Rapid City, South Dakota. KTEQ was a breath of fresh air, given that it regularly played punk rock and new wave. It was consistently a source of new music. Such was the case in 1985, when one of the DJs played five Hüsker Dü songs, from three different records, back to back. I got goose bumps as “Pink Turns to Blue” started. I loved the mix of grittiness and melody. On this first listen, I could not understand all the lyrics, but I picked up enough to know that it was about a woman who overdosed. Next was “I Apologize,” which made me want to jump around the room. Finally, the DJ indicated that he was going to play three songs from the new Hüsker Dü record, Flip Your Wig—the title song on which both Bob Mould and Grant Hart sing, “Makes No Sense at All,” and “Green Eyes.” Between songs the DJ shared how much he loved Hüsker Dü, explaining what each song meant to him. These interludes allowed him to cue up the next song to be played, since these songs were not consecutive on the record. I sat in my room eager to experience each song, as a wave of different emotions washed over me.

From that moment on, I was hooked on Hüsker Dü, especially the different emotive qualities of the two singers. Grant Hart’s songs often seemed warmer with his rounded vocals. At the time, I was surprised to learn that Grant Hart also played drums, as I could not imagine how someone could sing like he did while banging away behind the kit. Flip Your Wig remains my favorite Hüsker Dü record, but their other records also contain songs that are among my favorites. In particular, I love Hart’s “Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely.” When Candy Apple Grey was released, I would listen to this song over and over, taken by the tension between yearning, separation, and heartbreak. Years later, Political Asylum recorded a brilliant acoustic version of this song. I am still struck by how catchy “Could You Be the One?,” “Too Much Spice,”  and “She Floated Away” are on the second side of Warehouse: Songs and Stories. Hart’s “She Floated Away” seemed filled with both sorrow and whimsy.

Following the demise of Hüsker Dü, I continued to buy Grant Hart’s records, whether it was Nova Mob or his solo records. While the conflict and creativity of Hüsker Dü could not be matched, I very much liked Nova Mob’s “Old Empire,” “The Last Days of Pompeii Benediction,” “Over My Head,” and “Where You Gonna Land.” My regret in relation to Grant Hart is that I learned he played in Eugene, Oregon, where I was living, two days after the show.