New Interview with Lindsey about Tusk

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by David

That’s exactly how I see his mindset, Tony. The movement was a liberation movement to him, and Brian Wilson setting out on Smile was also a liberation movement. The fact that it never materialized in its time seems to have inspired Lindsey even further, not less, as if a failed project were the ultimate statement in personal musicmaking.

I have no doubt he was listening to many of the punk bands in 1977, and despite what he said, he probably borrowed bits and pieces of the music as groundwork. But Tusk doesn’t remind one musically of the 1977 Clash album, unless you’re looking for individual grunts and patches. The punk bands in 1977 were heavily political, and maybe that’s what made Lindsey decide not to rehash their sound — that, and the fact that he knew asking Fleetwood Mac do to that would have been a grotesque fiasco. The movement was (British) working class rebellion. Lindsey characterized Chrissie Hynde in 1981 as having no professional discipline, which I always thought was odd coming from him, given his admiration for musical rebellion (this was in an interview with Jim Ladd for Law and Order when they were discussing the title). That could be his epithet: spontaneous discipline.

That's another interesting feature of Tusk. The album cover could be the cover of any punk band. But the music is not punk (as you say) except those grunts and other oddities thrown in.
Besides the music, the cover was another element to be unconventional and different.