Grant Hart (Husker Du, Nova Mob, solo): RIP*

The thing that really made me love Grant Hart was this song. The day I bought this album I put it on, enjoyed the first two songs, were which totally heavy-duty punk rock, and then this came on. Brilliant.

 

Having seen Grant many times over the past few decades, one kind of got used to him looking a little ill to a certain degree, especially over the past decade. But it always seemed like something that could be fixed with a good shower, shave, and a visit to the dentist. Those recent photos are stark in showing just how ill he (apparently) is.

Also, the fact that so many friends came out to pay tribute to him earlier in the month is an indication that something is wrong. Even Lori Barbaro, who helped to arrange the gathering, said it was good to "have everybody come out and show their love for Grant at a time he could really use it."

Without Grant, my love for Husker Du would be significantly less. The contrast between his songs and Bob's songs was perfect, like mixing ingredients that are both salty and sweet. For every Mould gig I saw since the breakup, I probably have seen three Hart shows.

Really hoping for a good outcome to whatever is ailing Grant.

 

This one is sweet.

 

My favourite song of his.

 

I took notice of this as well.

 

Currently listening to the 'The Argument" in its entirety and If We Have the Will is playing. Out of his sparse but compelling solo efforts, this one seems to be the most unique in its concept as its inspiration mixes John Milton's Paradise Lost with William Burrough's unfinished Lost Paradise adaptation. I think this may very well be Grant's crowning achievement within his career, very interesting album that continues to build and grow with every number. Here's a good one:

 

I think all of us Husker/Grant fans hope for the best but... those pictures are pictures of a man with a very serious illness.

Working at a very large health care system, I am unfortunately familiar with this look and people don't get it unless they very close to the edge of the abyss.

I've seen folks bounce back and it's amazing and miraculous so I'm hoping Grant heals just like the rest of you.

 

Wow, would have loved to have seen him in a venue like Cake Shop.

 

I always liked this one

 

And this one

 

I recently found a vinyl copy of that album. I had it on cassette long ago. One of my favorites of the time

 

That was probably my favorite song on Zen arcade.

 

Wow. Now I'm really regretting not going to see him with the Meat Puppets and Mike Watt a few months ago. I had a ticket and just didn't have the energy to go all the way down to Brooklyn for the show. Crap. He looks bad. I've been a Husker fan since the 80s - missed my only chance to see them in '87 due to a cancellation. Never saw any solo shows. I'd really come to appreciate Grant's artistry - there are major gems on every one of his solo efforts. About a year ago I picked up that compilation LP with the DVD in it - a documentary about Grant. It's great. Well worth seeing.
Only a few weeks ago I was playing some Husker Du and I thought - "what made this band great was the inevitable Grant Hart descent into desperate and unhinged territory on every album!" God, it hurts to see those pictures...........

 

Well, this is a depressing thread. Whatever Grant is currently going through must have (quietly) been a major contributing factor to finally getting the Hüsker Dü catalogue overhauled. For better or worse, I'm glad it's happening while he's still able to take part and contribute.

 

A friend of mine was at that show, and he told me afterwards that Grant looked really sick, and it was hard to watch him perform. So I don't know.

 

We can't know for sure of course but that thought occurred to me as well. Maybe Hart gave in to the (in his opinion unreasonable) demands from Mould in terms of reissues that he had fought against for the last twenty years or so, because he needs the money for medical bills. Or perhaps they both realized with mortality hitting close to home (as is often the case) that life is too short to hold grudges or be petty/controlling/demanding and continue to flatly refuse to give ground/compromise.

All total speculation of course, but it would be bittersweet indeed if it took a tragedy of that magnitude for them to finally open the tape vault after decades of conflict/foot-dragging on the matter.

 

Do you know what demands Bob Mould was making about reissues? I always wondered why their stuff has never been reissued

 

IIRC I think he wanted the majority of the royalties to go to him, and have what was left split between Greg and Grant. I may be wrong but I remember something like that being floated out there a while ago...

 

I remember when the live Husker Du album The Living End came out, Bob said they should have just called it "$50,000 cash advance."

 

He claims to this day that he's (still) never listened to it...

 

Going by memory from a Grant interview I read around the turn of the century, he said essentially that Bob offered to buy out Grant and Greg for what Grant considered an insultingly low amount. This would have meant that Bob would own "Husker Du" outright and would make all future decisions and collect all future royalties (apart from Grant's and Greg's - not that Greg had much - song publishing which they'd each retain). Grant said that Bob would almost certainly have had the reissues presented/promoted as "The Early Works Of The Great Bob Mould (with his backing band)"

 

That sounds more like what I remembered, thanks for clearing that up. I love Bob's music, both in Husker Du and after, but he is so unlikable and full of himself that it's difficult/impossible to like him as a person.

 

I'm really hoping after noticing this thread that we're all very wrong about his health, but he's not looking well and the tone of the original piece was indeed pointing in a direction that may have only been known to the writer (and other's in a close circle). Truly hoping he's okay or at least on the mend.

 

I saw him play a solo set in 1995, a show I have fond memories of. Sad to see that he looks so ill. Hopefully his health will improve.

 

I've met Bob a few times and like him fine; he's always been gracious to people who appreciate him. I don't think the problems in Husker Du can be reduced to one guy being a villain.