Just a little bit more to do on Husker Du, call it part two:
There are indeed local tie-ins, although maybe a bit of a stretch. The now deceased Grant Hart was called in the local press as a maniac drummer, along the lines of the possibly more notorious John Bonham and Keith Moon, which got a lot more airplay (which doesn’t always mean much, I realize). But there was a largely Hudson based alt-rock band back in the day called Captain i (lower case intended) who had a drummer named Ozzie, not only a singer, and not only slammed away with a vengeance, but also did lead vocals for them. (Sound familiar? Take it to Hart). But Ozzie said he got tired of the double-duty, even though like Husker Du they got regular college-station radio airplay, in addition to their regular gigs that included those on Thursday nights at the old Dibbo’s.
It was also noted, in the City Pages piece where the past Minneapolis scene was continued to be worshiped, that Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum — a band that like The Replacements and the Stinson-songsters of that now largely defunct scene — at least once joined Hart on stage. Pirner also played Float-Rite Park in Somerset during a summer mega-fest and allegedly didn’t even leave a tip when the flotilla wound its way back through Hudson toward the freeway, and Pudge’s was the destination of choice for Sunday night offsale. The connection that ties this all together? My friend Shawna was the bartender who both served Pirner and also brought her friends on a regular basis to go see Captain i.
A last word on Husker Du came from this local musician: “Wasn’t a fan. Don’t know them. The guy who passed away pissed me off the one time I saw him.”
Other recent Du-ings:
– I like getting Kozy (who doesn’t), but sometimes I have to admit I’m just not in on the joke. At sign at The Korner recently said, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles party cancelled. Thanks Todd.” Wasn’t he one of them? Or is that part of the gag? And before that, and this one is easy to grasp: “Our dough is so fresh it makes Will Smith jealous. Should that say allegedly?
And one last Kozy-ism: When was the last time its sign has promoted three sports events to be shown on TV within the same hour of starting time, Raider football, Twins baseball, and Brewer ball. And think of the possibilities if either or both of NFL football or Badger ball were added to the mix!
– This was quite the road trip, and if its taken too much further, just might become a Wisconsin Death Trip. (Sorry about the second reference in just a couple of weeks). A construction guy who starting pounding rum drinks — with the end of the binge a local haunt — before a lot of people even begin their work day, said he had come back from a fairly recent work trip the night before in Iowa, where it was even hotter than here. Liquid refreshment seemed to be the best way to deal with this heat. As he said, “I think my truck has a recall, it stops at every bar.” Again, quite the road trip. All that’s missing is, as one tavern, spelled it, OktoBEERfest.