At The Drive-In — “One Armed Scissor”

For a brief moment in 2000, At the Drive-In were the best live band in the world—then they broke up. This week, Rob tracks how the El Paso post-hardcore outfit burned so bright so quickly with their complex, politically-charged tunes that made for some of the wildest shows in rock. The band then suddenly flamed out after it became clear that their intensity wasn’t sustainable when they struggled to contain an unruly, “sheep”-like crowd at Big Day Out. Later, Rob is joined by journalist Suzy Exposito to discuss the herculean task of covering “One-Armed Scissor” and the politics of the pit.

Host: Rob Harvilla

Guest: Suzy Exposito

Producers: Julianna Ress, Chris Sutton, Justin Sayles, and Olivia Crerie

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(00:00) Intro: “Ice cream-eating motherf–kers,” Big Day Out 2001, and how to wrangle a mosh pit

(31:09) This week’s song: “One-Armed Scissor” by At the Drive-In

(32:17) ATDI’s formation amid tragedy

(38:11) The band’s ferocious, dense lyricism

(57:45) “One-Armed Scissor,” as performed on various late-night shows

(66:42) Interview with Suzy Exposito

(94:58) Outro

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