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

Is it OK to say the following here?

I can only hope so.


May our dear Lord bless Grant Hart...relieve him of all of his suffering and provide him loving comfort and peace.


That's my prayer.


I simply wish Grant all of the best, in the least cliche --- most sincere --- way possible.




I LOVE the guy and to pray for his well-being is the least I can do considering how much joy Hart's genius and musical output have given us over the years.

 

Grant is just as bitter a person as Bob. I've talked to him years ago and it was right on the surface.

 

Never knew this. Bob did put a picture of himself as Simmons from one Halloween. It makes sense.

 

Yup. Total nightmare.

 

What do you need to know? Two dysfunctional personalities, hormones, egos, little or no communication, misunderstandings, grudges that have been held for ages. It's downright tragic but it happens in a lot of families.

At the end of the day that's the fuel that drove Husker Du. Even though it's a shame that they weren't able to overcome all this personal **** as grown up, more settled personalities. And as much as I loved to see it, I don't think they will manage this late in the day. Some bridges are burnt for good. Unfortunately.

Pretty positive once one of the two has left the building the other one will write the most heartfelt obituary.

 

Recent reports from a contact in MPLS unfortunately substantiate all of the above. He is not in good health. I met him years ago at First Ave and he was a pleasure to meet. Very approachable, humble, and very likeable. Very talented drummer and songwriter. Hard to write a tune better than Green Eyes.

 

No doubt. I just get a "kicking a guy when he's down" thing from Mould. Particularly in the book. He talks about walking out on the band for the last time like it was some noble act of self-preservation. He left the other two hanging without courtesy of an explanation (and he doesn't even really give one in the book, other than "I can't even...") and then wonders why Grant talks trash on him.

 

4 pages in and other than a consensus that Grant doesn't look good I'm none the wiser to what's going on. If Grant wants his privacy, I completely understand but I really question why the original article was written at all if that was the case.

That aside, Grant was always my favourite songwriter in Husker Du. I also love his solo work. I think he always was shortchanged when it came to commercial appreciation, he knows how to write a catchy and memorable song.

I remember somebody theorized that rock lost its' way when the New York Dolls failed to achieve widespread commercial success. I felt the same ways when Husker Du and the Replacements crashed and burned.

 

Not really. Hart left first no matter what Mould says. Mould did it by legal act, Hart just left. And Mould tried (or maybe it was just a suggestion) to work Husker with just him and Norton and a drum machine. I know I read it somewhere.

 

I imagine the writer had a fine line to walk. There was an all-star musical tribute to Hart, and that's a newsworthy event that deserved coverage. In covering it, it would have been difficult and disingenuous to say absolutely nothing about Hart's health since it apparently was the reason for the tribute. At the same time, it seems clear that Hart doesn't want to publicly disclose what's going on, and so the writer didn't provide any clear or specific details about his health status. Given the three options (no coverage at all, a cheery article that doesn't mention Hart's apparent condition, or the article we got) the latter seems the best option out of three bad choices.

 

very sad to see the shape that Grant is in. a lovely person and a great songwriter. I guess we all have our faults and our end dates but I hate seeing him look so sad and thin. Husker Du was mostly about sadness anyway I guess.

 

Definitely not what's in the book. The story goes they had a band meeting at Grant's parents' house, and both parents were present. Grant emphasized that he wanted to keep working, and his mother referred to his health problems as a flu scare and being overworked. Bob thought this was too much, got up and walked out. Norton followed him out asking what was up, Bob told him he was done, drove home, called his lawyer. Then he called the Harts' house and left a message with Grant's dad that he was quitting.

IMO, pretty passive-aggressive all around. Even if it didn't happen this way, it's still not very nice to put in print.

 

and just in case anyone is playing silly internet games, here's what 2541 is 2541 Nicollet: Unmarked and invisible, it's nevertheless a musical heritage site

the Huskers shared their corporate offices with Jill at Twin Tone

 

Does your contact know if whatever is plaguing Hart is temporary or treatable?

 

Bac to the Hart music...a timely message:

 

Hi everyone,

I'll just share this here. I met Grant after a solo show at a tiny club called Graceland (aka The Off Ramp) in Seattle in 2001. He was very polite - and apologized for the rowdy behavior of a couple of drunk fraternity people in the front row who were a little too noisy during his set. They weren't actually that annoying - but you could tell he really wanted to give his fans the best show possible, and was still apologetic about it.

I handed him my copy of his current album Good News For Modern Man and he was very happy to autograph it, noting that I had one of the originals with a picture of William S. Burroughs on the booklet that they had to change after his estate complained about it.

Grant was very friendly - his set was amazing - this was a night I treasure.

Cheers,
Paul

 

Yes, you're right. I forgot that story. The thing I question is when this happened. It was six or seven weeks between the last show and Bob's resignation. How close to the January 28, 1988 resignation from Mould was this? Maybe this is probably why Hart always said he left first because maybe he conveniently forgot this.

 

He talks about it being after Christmas, so at least within weeks of his official resignation. At this point, probably splitting hairs.

There was that unofficial "official" bio that came out a year or two before Bob's book, and IIRC, Greg says he's not even sure what really happened, himself.

I'm probably being too hard on Bob. And creatively as a unit, they were probably out of steam. Warehouse sounds like a Grant solo album crossed with the last of Bob writing in the Hüsker Dü style.

 

I've heard Grant say they were about to make their worst album (the follow up to Warehouse). In part because the label was pushing them to use a producer.

 

I'm guessing I have to read Mould's book again. I didn't see the bitterness, hate, and contempt that you guys did. Maybe we're talking about different books?

What I got out of Bob's book was an honest look at a guy trying to find his way through life, however awkward that path he took (and/or was given) is.

 

Just found this interesting video of Grant giving his tour of Minneapolis - pretty cool!

 

But listening to "Workbook", "Black Sheets Of Rain", "Intolerance", "The Last Days Of Pompeji" and "Copper Blue" now suggests that HD would have had at least two terrific albums in them. But I guess this band was simply to volatile to rise to the next (commercial) level as unit.

I know it ain't going to happen but I'd love to see a Dinosaur Jr. style renaissance. I'd love to hear a new Husker Du album.

 

I really hope Grant Hart is ok. I love his music and really enjoyed The Argument and Hot Wax a lot. I thought he was on the way back a couple of years ago but it now looks a bit uncertain. I hope he gets his health back on a even keel, whether it is a serious physical illness or a recurrence of previous substance issues or whatever. He is a great songwriter and has not had the breaks he deserves in his life,

 

I think there were different songs around that got dropped that maybe would've been Husker songs. If you look for the Rossmore rehearsals 11/87 you'll hear instrumentals of six songs. Only one song was on any of the albums you mentioned above.

 

I know. But those albums suggest that Mould and Hart were far from finished.