The Fix

Bob Mould has his entire discography memorized. When summoned, he can recite the title of every album he’s put out with Hüsker Dü, noise-pop trio Sugar and as a solo artist in precise chronological order. “That’s how I keep track of my life,” he says. “If it weren’t for those things I would have no idea what I’d done.” The trick is even more impressive when you consider that the punk icon started doing this in 1979, releasing roughly an album a year once Hüsker Dü got off the ground before taking a much deserved soul-searching break in the late ’90s. Not that he was off on an island sipping Mai Tai’s–Mould immersed himself in New York City’s club culture, took a detour into electronic music and moonlighted as a scriptwriter for World Championship Wrestling. Now back on the road with the spiky District Line, we asked Mould to talk us through the records that meant the most to him.

Hüsker Dü Zen Arcade (1984)
Mould: “That was a double-album in an era when economy was the rule. The Minutemen were quick to fall behind and then other people started to stretch out. That was a turning point for us. People took the band seriously at that point.”

Hüsker Dü Flip Your Wig (1985)
Mould: “I’m skipping over New Day Rising because this was the last really fun record to make in that bad setting. We had been working with Spot (engineer) but it was time to see what we could do ourselves. Grant Hart and I took control of the project. It was a great pop record and it was the last fun time I had in the band.”

Bob Mould Workbook (1989)
Mould: “After all the Hüsker Dü stuff, to come out with a record that was all acoustic based, that was important to me. I spent a lot of time trying to grow as a songwriter.”

Sugar Copper Blue (1992) and Beaster EP (1993)
Mould: “Those two were recorded at the same time. That might be my favorite period of all time. That record means more to my fans than anything else I’ve done. That’s the one where I hit my stride as a songwriter, just writing one good pop song after another. It was right after Nirvana exploded and the stars lined up. Even MTV was behind us. That record sold well over half-a-million copies. I did well.”

Bob Mould Body of Song (2005)
Mould: “I was really happy with it. My stock was down after the electronic stuff. People were confused and didn’t know where I was heading. To head back into a more traditional songwriting style, that was a good turnaround for me. It’s a guitar record that’s embellished with electronics when needed. It got everybody back on track.”