HERE WE GO! THE CRAZY MUSIC WORLD OF BOB MOULD

In a rare interview, the Hüsker Dü and Sugar mastermind walks us through his entire career, right on up to his brand-new "give the people what they want" record, Here We Go Crazy

- BY JON WIEDERHORN

PROLIFIC SONGWRITER BOB Mould is a reluctant generational icon. Sure, he's proud of his musical accomplishments and realizes he has been a major inspiration for a wide range of mainstream acts, including Nirvana, Pixies, Weezer and Green Day. He's well aware that if it weren't for the open chords and ringing hooks he injected into Minnesotabased Eighties hardcore band Hüsker Dü and later, Sugar, college music and alternative rock might not have evolved in quite the same way. And yet, like some of the groups he has inspired, he doesn't relish being in the spotlight and cherishes his privacy.

"I would not like to think I've been difficult. I prefer to think of it as challenging," Mould says, relaxing at his home in Palm Springs, where he moved in 2020 after a stretch in Berlin. "I know I might sometimes come across as pretty contrary and enigmatic, and maybe that comes from always getting asked what I'm trying to do with something, when half the time I might not really know. If it wasn't for people asking, I wouldn't even think about it. I'd just be on to the next project."

Mould feels most at home when he's writing and performing. He'd rather vent his sentiments through swarming, honey-rusted guitar lines and finely crafted rhythms than conversational banter. He has never bought into hype or catered to expectations, which is likely why he hasn't risen to the commercial heights of many of the musicians he has inspired. And he's okay with that. Mould values authenticity more than celebrity, and not having to worry about whether his handlers and record company will consider his music mass-marketable has allowed him to remain fiercely independent.