What is Fugazi's "23 Beats Off" about?
April 13, 2009 10:19 PM Subscribe
What is the Fugazi song "23 Beats Off" about, according to Fugazi?
I'd always thought that "23 Beats Off" was about Magic Johnson's existential horror at being reduced to a symbol. But then I read some other explanation somewhere and began to doubt.
If you Google around, you'll find these theories:
-the Magic Johnson one
-just a generic HIV-positive celebrity; not anyone in particular
-a closeted gay soldier (I think the guy who came up with this must not have heard the whispered "he used to pretend" line)
...but I haven't been able to find any explanation from the band itself. Can anyone point me to an interview where they discuss this? Or has anyone ever heard/read the band talking about it?
Other interpretations also welcome, but I'm mainly interested in an "official" answer.
(P.S. I know that 23 is not Magic Johnson's number, and that it probably refers to the ending drumbeats.)
I'd always thought that "23 Beats Off" was about Magic Johnson's existential horror at being reduced to a symbol. But then I read some other explanation somewhere and began to doubt.
If you Google around, you'll find these theories:
-the Magic Johnson one
-just a generic HIV-positive celebrity; not anyone in particular
-a closeted gay soldier (I think the guy who came up with this must not have heard the whispered "he used to pretend" line)
...but I haven't been able to find any explanation from the band itself. Can anyone point me to an interview where they discuss this? Or has anyone ever heard/read the band talking about it?
Other interpretations also welcome, but I'm mainly interested in an "official" answer.
(P.S. I know that 23 is not Magic Johnson's number, and that it probably refers to the ending drumbeats.)
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posted by dunkadunc at 5:45 AM on April 14, 2009