Refused Ruled

[stinkbait]

that documentary is so good. that last show in the basement made me super sad that a band that good goes out like that with practically nobody even knowing they existed. They are more popular now than then.

I was driving to work today listening to Shape and hoping that maybe this renewed popularity would coerce them into getting back together.

[VonDada]

Wow. Never heard of them. I'll have to download some shit.

[rhombusleech]

fuck.yes.

[swampviking]

[rhombusleech]

my one year old is dancing to this right now.

[The Bubble Process]

What about the nation of ulysses? Dischord band before refused, super awesome. Can't locate a decent video though.

[The Bubble Process]

void is amazing. they came and went fast, right?

[MaximumFluoride]

So why does Refused have to die to be able to rise from the ashes like the Fenix??? It is impossible to take part of a revolutionary program when every aspect of existence has to be projected as entertainment and music, a tradition that both in expression and creation has been dead for far too long. We were hoping that we could be the final nail in the coffin of the rotten cadaver that was popular music, but unfortunately the reification was too big for us to succeed with our feeble attempts to detour this boring discourse.When every expression, no matter how radical it is, can be transformed into a commodity and be bought or sold like cheap soda, how is it then possible that you are going to be able to take "art" seriously? When every political idea has to become safe and categorized just so that it can be defined by disgusting "journalists" who¥s only aim is the selling of issues and the cashing in of paychecks, how can we then show the seriousness of the situation? When the single purpose of every song written is to accumulate capital for the record companies that will only kill every attempt at spontaneity and creativity, how are we then expected to create? When every show played just becomes another brick in the wall between people, between "fans" and "stars", when we instead of getting communication and interaction are being forced to become nothing but consumers and producers. When people are being praised as geniuses and idols just because they play music or write books or something equally boring and "cultural", when the widespread belief that their creation is more important than that people take part in everyday life...What does that say about the rest of us and what does it say about the system that we have? When we continue to uphold the bourgeoisie myth of self realization by saying that anyone can make it, just as long as they work hard, or pick up a guitar, we uphold the dream of good vs. bad jobs (rockstar = good, factory worker = bad) thus we also uphold the class system and the justification of it. When the self appointed elite talks about culture, the culture that tricks us into believing that there is such a thing as culture, without any thought or consideration of the political or economical system. When we become just another subculture with all the right attributes instead of a real counter-culture, then it is time to die, to revalue the position that we are in.

[stinkbait]

After releasing The Shape of Punk To Come, Refused decided to do one final tour in the United States. With tension in the band running high, everything finally collided only a few shows into the tour. The band decided to call it quits after a show in Atlanta, Georgia. Flights were booked back to Sweden, and the band set out towards the Reagan International Airport. Fred Ziomek, guitarist for tourmates Darkest Hour, had attended James Madison University, in nearby Harrisonburg, Virginia. He convinced the band to play one last show in his basement en route to National Airport. They agreed, and even though there were only around twelve hours to promote the show, there were still around four-hundred people in attendance.

[swampviking]

The band formed in 1979 with manic lead singer John Weiffenbach, guitarist Bubba Dupree, bassist Chris Stover, and drummer Sean Finnegan. Many keys to their cult following included Bubba Dupree's Greg Ginn-like guitar style and wild performances, and John Weiffenbach's frenzied behavior. In November of 1980 they cut a demo tape at Inner Ear Studios produced by Alec MacKaye , and were picked up by Ian MacKaye and Jeff Nelson's label Dischord Records. In February of 1982 they made their vinyl debut on Dischord with three songs on the Flex Your Head compilation. That spring they went into the studio to cut twelve songs that were released in September of 1982 as half of the Faith/Void split album released by Dischord Records.

By 1983, Void were incorporating more metal influences into their sound, drawing a crowd that became increasingly violent and their shows became even more chaotic. In the summer of 1983 they recorded an as yet unreleased album for (then) Detroit based Touch and Go Records. According to Touch and Go, they still periodically attempt to get permission to release the album, but to this day that permission is denied by Dupree. Void disbanded in the the fall of 1983, with violence at their shows being a factor in the breakup. In 1992, Eye 95 Records released their November 1981 Inner Ear demo tape as the Condensed Flesh EP.