Fugazi’s run as post-hardcore heroes from the late ’80s to the early 2000s is the stuff of legend. Twenty-two years into their “indefinite hiatus,” drummer Brendan Canty says there’s “always a lingering chance” for a reunion.
The musician is the subject of a new mini-documentary recently posted on YouTube titled “A Day in DC with Fugazi Drummer Brendan Canty” from White Lake Productions. In the 21-minute film, the drummer catches fans up with his life today, while also reflecting on the glory days of Fugazi.
At one point in film, Canty is asked why the band still refers to their dormancy as a “hiatus” as opposed to a breakup, to which the drummer responds, “There’s always a lingering chance that we’re going to get back together. I mean it becomes less and less likely, but there were times throughout the last 22 years that we have gotten together and played for sometimes a week at a time.”
He continues, “We always see each other in town, and we’re always working on other reissue projects. I mean, we’re just in each other’s lives a lot so, you know, it’s not up to me whether we get the band back together. If it was up to me, we’d be out there playing, but it’s not that easy.”
The influential band — also featuring singer-guitarist Ian MacKaye, singer-guitarist Guy Picciotto, and bassist Joe Lally — released six studio albums from 1990 through 2001, including their debut full-length Repeater (which made Consequence‘s list of the 50 Albums That Shaped Punk Rock). Additionally, their first two EPs — 1988’s Fugazi and 1989’s Margin Walker — were collected onto the CD 13 Songs, which has sold more than 3 million copies worldwide.
Fugazi are known for their DIY ethic, with all their albums and EPs being released via MacKaye’s own Dischord Records. Moreover, they only charged $5 per ticket for their legendary live shows.
Elsewhere in the documentary, Canty explains how he’s made a living the past two decades, mainly scoring television shows and movies. He also started a production company that created concert films for Eddie Vedder, Wilco, and Death Cab for Cutie, among others.
These days, Canty plays in the instrumental trio The Messthetics with Lally and guitarist Anthony Pirog, among other musical projects. But, as he said, if it was up to him, he’d gladly sit behind the kit for Fugazi again.
Watch “A Day in DC with Fugazi Drummer Brendan Canty” below.