the of mirror eye

* Minor Threat: Filler (2.0 mb) | I Don’t Wanna Hear It (2.0 mb) | Straight Edge (1.0 mb) | In My Eyes (4.0 mb)
From Complete Discography : Dischord Records : DIS40CD

How does the cover art for one of the most staunchly anti-corporate and anti-mainstream bands of yesteryear end up being used by Nike? Apparently by stealing it (here and here). If you look at the images above, the one on the left is the original. You might, if you took your magnifying glass out, see some slight similarities between the two…or those similarities may just be glaringly obvious. Minor Threat has long been considered one of the best hardcore bands. For three years in the early 80’s, the band blazed a trail of integrity and independence that started the straight edge movement, launched the Dischord Label and catapulted the D.C. hardcore scene into prominence. The dissolution of Minor Threat in ‘83 resulted in a number of other bands being formed, the most famous of them being Fugazi.

Although Dischord Records is most notable for its commitment to the DIY culture, for remaining a viable business despite eschewing mainstream distribution and still being artist friendly, their music is just as excellent. The label catalogue is filled with D.C. artists with sounds that range from harcore to emo to garage rock to post rock. For instance, these songs by Minor Threat, despite being recorded over 20 years ago, still stands up to repeated listenings.

Minor Threat/Fugazi and Dischord Records ooze so much integrity and anti-corprate-ness that it sickens me that something like Nike is attempting to appropriate that ethos.

—–+—–