Since its inception, Fugazi has been self-managed and have released almost all their material through Dischord Records, an independent label founded by MacKaye and partner Jeff Nelson in 1980. The band maintained a policy of affordable access to their work through low record and ticket prices and all-ages concerts.
Says AMG All Music Guide, "Along with their stridently underground ethics — which were more out of pragmatism and modesty than anything else — they gained an extremely loyal and numerous global following. To many, Fugazi meant as much to them as Bob Dylan did to their parents."
They played their first show in the fall of 1987 and since then released 7 albums and toured the world extensively covering all 50 United States, Europe, Australia, South America, Japan and many points in between.
In addition to their recorded output Fugazi released a documentary film/video called "Instrument" in collaboration with independent filmmaker, Jem Cohen. The feature length video offers a documentary overview of the the band's career with footage shot in a variety of formats over the last 10 years combining concert, tour and studio material backed with a musical soundtrack by the band unique to the movie.
Fugazi's last musical releases were The Argument, a 10 song LP, and Furniture, a 3 song single, released in the Fall of 2001. These sessions marked the first studio appearance of long time roadie and second drummer Jerry Busher who played additional drums and percussion on a number of the tracks on both releases. The recordings were once again made in collaboration with long time Fugazi engineer Don Zientara at Inner Ear studios.
Prior to forming Fugazi, the members of the band played in various other bands with releases available on Dischord.
Fugazi are currently on hiatus as of 2002, with Mackaye in The Evens, Picciotto having produced various bands including Blonde Redhead and The Blood Brothers, and Lally playing with John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer on both Ataxia releases and working on a solo album.
Place Position
Fugazi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got no papers and
No roads lead home anymore
Chance is the root of all
Place position all maps are
Random all scales are wrong
Legal illegal no passion
Illegal false premise forge
The nation may all your
Borders be porous free
Transmission smear genetics
See est la vie yawn yawn yawn
I can't stifle my boredom
So why not act your age fear
Of contagion the violence of
A fence builder's dream that
Masks the phrasing of
"All the pleasures of home"
Legal illegal I want to go home
The lyrics to Fugazi's song Place Position seem to convey the idea that the concept of "home" is ultimately arbitrary and meaningless. The opening lines "All origins are accidental / You've got no papers and / No roads lead home anymore" suggest that the idea of a definitive homeland is a construct created by borders, and that without the proper documentation or access, one's place of origin becomes arbitrary. The line "Chance is the root of all" furthers this theme, suggesting that our place in the world is ultimately determined by luck and circumstance.
The chorus "Place position all maps are / Random all scales are wrong / Legal illegal no passion / For the difference legal / Illegal false premise forge" reinforces the idea of arbitrariness, suggesting that our legal definitions of what constitutes a "home" or a "border" are all arbitrary constructs created by people. The line "The nation may all your / Borders be porous free / Transmission smear genetics" suggests a desire for a more open and fluid system of movement, where borders are less important and people can move freely without restriction.
The final lines "I can't stifle my boredom / So why not act your age fear / Of contagion the violence of / A fence builder's dream that / Masks the phrasing of / 'All the pleasures of home' / Legal illegal I want to go home" suggest a frustration with the concept of borders and the restriction of movement they create. The singer seems to long for a more free and open system of movement, where people are not restricted by arbitrary lines drawn on a map.
Line by Line Meaning
All origins are accidental
The beginning of everything is unplanned and unintended
You've got no papers and
You don't have any official documents to verify your status or identity
No roads lead home anymore
There is no clear path or direction towards your original place of belonging
Chance is the root of all
Everything is based on probability and coincidental events
Place position all maps are
The coordinates of one's location are arbitrary and subjective, making maps unreliable
Random all scales are wrong
The size or importance of something cannot be accurately measured or predicted
Legal illegal no passion
The distinction between what is permitted and what is forbidden lacks genuine emotional attachment
For the difference legal
The only reason to obey the law is to avoid punishment or consequences
Illegal false premise forge
To create a counterfeit or fake identity is both unlawful and based on false assumptions
The nation may all your
The state has no legitimate claim to control or restrict the movement of its citizens
Borders be porous free
The boundaries between nations should be open and unrestricted
Transmission smear genetics
The spread of misinformation and prejudice can lead to harmful consequences on a genetic level
See est la vie yawn yawn yawn
This phrase is a sarcastic comment on the clichéd expression 'c'est la vie', implying boredom with its overuse
I can't stifle my boredom
I cannot suppress my feeling of dullness or indifference
So why not act your age fear
Instead of being trapped by fear, why not behave like a responsible mature person?
Of contagion the violence of
The spread of infectious diseases and the resulting panic can lead to aggressive behavior
A fence builder's dream that
The idea of creating divisions and barriers between people is a deeply flawed and unrealistic aspiration
Masks the phrasing of
Hides what is actually being said or communicated
"All the pleasures of home"
The supposed comforts of living in a familiar place
Legal illegal I want to go home
The desire to return to a place of belonging supersedes any legal or social restrictions
Lyrics © ROUGH TRADE PUBLISHING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Born Yesterday
Imagine what we could learn if we listened. History repeats. The furniture changes. Superficially. It appears to differ.
If we already laid the groundwork
We would find most of the thing that excite us today to be mundane.
People who are twice your age can help. I also realize they can be ignorant at any age.
But then again when you glean off those perspectives while you are at a particular age.
They prove subordinate over time.
Corn Pone Flicks
Probably the best song ever written on the subject of immigration, not that that's a really crowded category.
Spiderhead1000
Utterly magnificent band.
Eric Wheeling
Best band in the world. Period.
torroz
FUCK. i've just listened to these guys for the first time, and they are pretty AWESOME!
The Tsev
FAK
King Kook
Fantastic song from a totally brilliant band! They won't ever reform, but live they were extraordinary and I'd love to see them play again ....
Samuel Noble
May all your borders be porous
Free transmission
Smear genetics
Cest la vie...
James Parr
"Fear of contagion
The violence of the fence-builder's dream"
Born Yesterday
Imagine what we could learn if we listened. History repeats. The furniture changes. Superficially. It appears to differ.
If we already laid the groundwork
We would find most of the thing that excite us today to be mundane.
People who are twice your age can help. I also realize they can be ignorant at any age.
But then again when you glean off those perspectives while you are at a particular age.
They prove subordinate over time.
Michał lihy1
that was my first Fugaz i bought, this and At Action Park by Shellac