This Ain't No Picnic
Encyclopedia
"This Ain't No Picnic" is a song by punk
/alternative
band Minutemen
. It appears on their 1984 double album
Double Nickels on the Dime
, and was composed by their lead singer and guitarist D. Boon
.
's book Our Band Could Be Your Life
, Boon wanted to put a Los Angeles-area jazz/soul station on the radio, but his boss prevented him from doing so, calling the station's playlist "African-American excrement
". Boon was disgusted enough in his boss' attitude - as reflected in the lyric, "Hey mister, don't look down on me/For what I believe" - to want to quit the job on the spot, but he needed the income at the time. So, as Azerrad put it in Our Band Could Be Your Life, "his frustration fueled a Minutemen classic." An early version of the song as heard on a live video shot in 1983 and released by Flipside magazine has Boon mentioning his boss by name; Boon later changed the lyric prior to recording the song for Double Nickels....
, directed by Randall Jahnson
and shot in black and white for $600. The "plot" has the Minutemen singing the song in a barren field that is about to be bombed by then-president Ronald Reagan
(as seen in clips from a public domain
war film he starred in). The video earned some airplay on MTV
and was also featured on their first-ever MTV Video Music Awards
show in 1985. The video is included as one of the DVD bonus features of We Jam Econo
, a full-length Minutemen documentary.
), bassist Mike Watt
revived the song for live performance in 2003 at the instigation of his Secondmen
organist Pete Mazich
. It became a permanent part of Watt and the Secondmen's live set for their 2004 fall tour.
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Minutemen
Minutemen (band)
Minutemen were an American hardcore punk band formed in San Pedro, California in 1980. Composed of guitarist D. Boon, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley, Minutemen recorded four albums and eight EPs before Boon's death in an automobile accident in December 1985...
. It appears on their 1984 double album
Double album
A double album is an audio album which spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically records and compact discs....
Double Nickels on the Dime
Double Nickels on the Dime
Double Nickels on the Dime is the third studio album by American punk trio Minutemen, released on the Californian independent record label SST Records in 1984...
, and was composed by their lead singer and guitarist D. Boon
D. Boon
d. Boon born Dennes Dale Boon, was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Active between 1978, when he joined The Reactionaries, and 1985, when he was killed in a van accident, Boon was best known as the guitarist and vocalist of the Californian punk rock trio Minutemen.-Youth:Dennes Boon...
.
Background
Boon composed the song after a dispute with the boss of an auto parts store where he was employed. According to Michael AzerradMichael Azerrad
Michael Azerrad is an American author, journalist and musician. He grew up in the New York City area and received his BA degree from Columbia College in 1983...
's book Our Band Could Be Your Life
Our Band Could Be Your Life
Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 is a book by Michael Azerrad. It chronicles the careers of several underground rock bands who, while finding little or no mainstream success, were hugely influential in establishing American alternative and indie...
, Boon wanted to put a Los Angeles-area jazz/soul station on the radio, but his boss prevented him from doing so, calling the station's playlist "African-American excrement
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
". Boon was disgusted enough in his boss' attitude - as reflected in the lyric, "Hey mister, don't look down on me/For what I believe" - to want to quit the job on the spot, but he needed the income at the time. So, as Azerrad put it in Our Band Could Be Your Life, "his frustration fueled a Minutemen classic." An early version of the song as heard on a live video shot in 1983 and released by Flipside magazine has Boon mentioning his boss by name; Boon later changed the lyric prior to recording the song for Double Nickels....
Video
"This Ain't No Picnic" was tapped to be Minutemen's first ever music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
, directed by Randall Jahnson
Randall Jahnson
Randall Jahnson is an American writer, director and producer. His works include Dudes, The Doors, The Mask of Zorro, Sunset Strip, and episodes of the HBO TV series Tales from the Crypt. Jahnson also directed music videos for Stan Ridgway, Henry Rollins, Black Flag, and Minutemen. In the 1987, he...
and shot in black and white for $600. The "plot" has the Minutemen singing the song in a barren field that is about to be bombed by then-president Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
(as seen in clips from a public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
war film he starred in). The video earned some airplay on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and was also featured on their first-ever MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
show in 1985. The video is included as one of the DVD bonus features of We Jam Econo
We Jam Econo
We Jam Econo - The Story of the Minutemen, is a full-length documentary about the influential 1980s punk rock band Minutemen, created by director Tim Irwin and producer Keith Schieron in association with Rocket Fuel Films...
, a full-length Minutemen documentary.
Live performances
A popular live favorite during Minutemen's lifetime (it topped fan balloting when Minutemen were planning a live album that became, after Boon's death, the live compilation album Ballot ResultBallot Result
Ballot Result is a posthumous live compilation album by Minutemen.The story of Ballot Result starts with the Tour-Spiel EP in 1984. Minutemen had been given a copy of a tape of a live radio performance for the Virgin Vinyl Show they had done in Tucson, Arizona, four songs of which they used for the...
), bassist Mike Watt
Mike Watt
Michael David Watt is an American bassist, singer and songwriter.He is best known for co-founding the rock bands Minutemen, dos, and Firehose; , he is also the bassist for the reunited Stooges and a member of the art rock/jazz/punk/improv group Banyan as well as many other post-Minutemen...
revived the song for live performance in 2003 at the instigation of his Secondmen
The Secondmen
Mike Watt and the Secondmen is the punk rock trio formed by former Minutemen and fIREHOSE bassist Mike Watt to perform and record his third solo album, The Secondman's Middle Stand...
organist Pete Mazich
Pete Mazich
Peter Mazich is a punk rock organist best known for his work with Mike Watt And The Secondmen. A classicly trained pianist, Mazich became interested in playing the organ after hearing the classic Deep Purple album Machine Head; he also counts jazz organ pioneer Jimmy Smith as an influence.A...
. It became a permanent part of Watt and the Secondmen's live set for their 2004 fall tour.