Hüskers, UCLA, 1985, Ackerman Ballroom
 
Here’s a French TV news report from 1985 about this American punk band Hüsker Dü. The YouTube filename indicates October 1985, which I’m sure is correct, but the footage is from earlier in the year, I think. According to the video this was shot at “UCLA, Westwood”—research indicates that the Hüskers hit UCLA in March, as part of “The Tour,” a label showcase tour that SST put together that included The Minutemen and The Meat Puppets as well, to hit a few California locales. So despite the French voiceover, those punkers and freaks outside the venue in the footage are probably not French, they’re probably from SoCal. Can anyone identify the building looming behind them in the interview portion? UCLA campus, right?

According to reports (1, 2) that UCLA show was marred by an incident in which someone in the crowd dinged Grant Hart with a beer bottle.

Anyway, enjoy la musique punk du Midwest, complete with Bob’s 1975 Ibanez Flying V and incontrovertible evidence that without Grant Hart, there’s no Dave Grohl.
 

 
Thank you Aaron Civil War!

Previously on Dangerous Minds:
WTF? Robert Palmer covers Hüsker Dü then Sonic Youth covers Robert Palmer
Can we talk? Do you remember Hüsker Dü‘s 1987 appearance on ‘The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers’