Steady Diet of Nothing

Steady Diet of Nothing is the second studio album by American post-hardcore band Fugazi, released in July 1991 by Dischord Records. The title is an allusion to a quote by the late American stand-up comedian Bill Hicks.[1]

Steady Diet of Nothing
Studio album by
Fugazi
ReleasedJuly 1991
RecordedJanuary–February 1991
StudioInner Ear Studios, Arlington
GenrePost-hardcore
Length36:20
LabelDischord
ProducerFugazi
Fugazi chronology
Repeater
(1990)		 Steady Diet of Nothing
(1991)		 In on the Kill Taker
(1993)

Although well received and popular at the time of its release, Steady Diet is often overlooked by many music journalists when writing about Fugazi's career, but remains a favorite among fans of the band.[2][3]

Recording

Steady Diet of Nothing was recorded during January and February 1991 at Inner Ear Studios and is notable for being the group's first self-produced release. As a result of not having an outside producer besides engineer Don Zientara, the album's recording and mixing sessions were tough on the band. Guy Picciotto said of making the record, "[it] was a tough record for us to make. It was our first attempt at producing and mixing by ourselves, and we didn’t feel like we had a really good handle, technically, on what we wanted to do. And we were also pretty fried from a shitload of back-to-back touring. I appreciate Steady Diet for a lot of things, but there was a flatness to both the performances and the sound that was weird to us." Singer/guitarist Ian MacKaye explained, "It was like we were walking on eggshells, trying not to offend each other. No one would say, "Turn your guitar down," or, "Turn the drums down." So we ended up getting a democratic mix, and a lot of times democratic mixes equal bad mixes. And I feel Steady Diet is a classic example of us being very conservative, although a lot of people think it's our best record."[3]

Music & lyrics

The lyrical content of Steady Diet is more overtly political than any other record Fugazi has released. This is most evident on "Dear Justice Letter" which was inspired by Supreme Court liberal stalwart William J. Brennan, who had recently retired. While obviously emotional, the language of the "letter" is more than a little obscure. Brennan's politics and defense of individual rights were largely quite in tune with Fugazi's so "Dear...", on one level, can be read as a rant against abandonment of duty to the liberal block of the Supreme Court. "Here comes the kiss off.."

The band addressed the subject of personal freedom on "Reclamation" and Ian also dedicated "KYEO" to Rodney King during the 'Steady Diet' tour.[4]

Musically the album is far more sparse than the band's other works, with the conservative, dry production serving to highlight the rhythm section of bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty. "Long Division" and its melodic inter-weaving bass and guitar lines was the band's first foray into pop melodies, while "Latin Roots" recalled the band's earlier dub-influenced stylings, with Canty laying down a Stewart Copeland-influenced drum beat.[2]

Release
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[5]
Christgau's Consumer Guide[6]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]
The Great Rock Discography7/10[8]
MusicHound[9]
Music Story[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
Spin9/10[10]
Sputnikmusic[12]
Trouser Pressfavorable[13]

Six months before the release, Dischord had pre-orders of over 160,000 for the album [14]

Accolades

Lost At Sea and Nude as the News ranked it the 84th and 18th greatest album of the nineties respectively.[10]

Covers

Suuns and Buke and Gase covered the track "Long Division".[15][16]

Track listing
No.TitleLead vocalsLength
1."Exit Only"Picciotto3:11
2."Reclamation"MacKaye3:21
3."Nice New Outfit"Picciotto3:26
4."Stacks"MacKaye3:08
5."Latin Roots"Picciotto3:13
6."Steady Diet" 3:42
7."Long Division"MacKaye2:12
8."Runaway Return"Picciotto3:58
9."Polish"MacKaye3:38
10."Dear Justice Letter"Picciotto3:27
11."KYEO"MacKaye2:58

Personnel

Technical

  • Don Zientara - engineer
  • Lucy Capehart - photography
  • Adam Cohen - photography
  • John Falls - photography

References
  1. Twenty Other Great Albums That Aren't Nevermind, 20 years later [Part I]
  2. Lee, Cosmo. "Stylus Magazine: Fugazi - Steady Diet of Nothing". On Second Thought Fugazi - Steady Diet of Nothing. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  3. Perlah, Jeff. "The Independent". Guitar World. March 2002.
    • Andersen, Mark; Mark Jenkins (2001). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital. New York: Akashic Books. ISBN 1-888451-44-0. p. 304, 305
  5. Kellman, Andy. "allmusic ((( Steady Diet of Nothing > Review )))". Allmusic. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  6. Christgau, Robert. "Fugazi". robertchristgau.com, Retrieved on March 17, 2010.
  7. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
  8. Strong, Martin C. (2004). The Great Rock Discography (7th ed.). Canongate Books. ISBN 1-84195-551-5.
  9. Graff, Gary (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (2nd ed.). Visible Ink Press. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  10. Acclaimed Music
  11. Brackett, Nathan. "Fugazi". The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. November 2004. pg. 315, cited March 17, 2010
  12. Jared W. Dillon (December 20, 2006). "Fugazi - Steady Diet of Nothing (album review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
  13. Ian McCaleb; Ira Robbins; Mike Fournier. "Fugazi". Trouser Press. Retrieved April 18, 2020. Opening in a wobbly haze of feedback and then shifting to a temperate rock groove, Steady Diet of Nothing sets up a dichotomy between razorblade ferocity and methodical determination; pulling firmly with one hand and jabbing angrily with the other, Fugazi opens the door to a world of mixed emotions and conflicting impulses. The pressure instilled by the band's ability to hold itself to an economical beat and escaping shards of tense guitar is barely relieved by the stormy whorls of flat-out aggression into which they typically feed. [...] Armed with a unique guitar sound — a loose-stringed jangle like an electrified fence being plucked — and the urgent power of singing that makes excellent use of ordinary voices, Picciotto and MacKaye address pointed lyrical concerns from oblique angles, throwing enigmatic surprises into songs to confound easy comprehension. [...] Fugazi's avoidance of obvious topics [...] gives its songs depth and timelessness. Unlike most punk anthems, the haiku-like lyrics of "Exit Only" will probably still convey the same meaning 20 years from now.
    • Andersen, Mark; Mark Jenkins (2001). Dance of Days: Two Decades of Punk in the Nation's Capital. New York: Akashic Books. ISBN 1-888451-44-0. p. 304
  15. "Exclusive Stream: Suuns' "Long Division (Fugazi cover)"". Alternative Press. 2011-04-14. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
  16. "Yet Another Fugazi "Cover"". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2019-03-13.
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