OUR BAND COULD BE YOUR LIFE

Raymond Pettibon Is Not French

BLACK FLAG flyers

SK8 or Die, Rollins

Bands I Love: Black Flag

BLACK FLAG

#5 on my all time favorite bands list

number of years i have been listening to them: since 1991
how i got into them: i was already aware of Black Flag from childhood thanks to their inclusion on the Repo Man soundtrack (which was one of my favorite movies when i was growing up. we owned it on VHS and although i knew jack shit about Punk rock…i did know i thought it was pretty awesome.) but i can’t say i really began listening to Black Flag until years later. as i mentioned before, 1991 was a big year of discovery for me. it was 8th grade and i had just been introduced to the world of punk rock. i honestly don’t remember what magazine it was, but i wanna say Guitar World, that had an issue where they listed the 20 greatest punk rock records of all time and on that list were both Damaged and First Four Years by Black Flag...and so naturally being a kid who likes owning the essentials i purchased both of these cds.
favorite album: First Four Years
favorite songs: depression, six pack, nervous breakdown, gimme gimme gimme, slip it in, black coffee
direct influence on my musical taste: they are the yardstick by which i judge all other punk bands.

BLACK FLAG flyers

Punk Violence

news segment featuring Black Flag talking about violence at punk rock shows.

rad as fuck Black Flag pics

found via this.

When Bad Lit becomes Art

of all the memories i have from tours, one of my all time favorites was driving across the wastelands of the Midwest while listening to an audio tape copy of GET IN THE VAN by Henry Rollins. it’s a collection of journal writings from Henry’s time in Black Flag. it’s half band-biography and half rambling self loathing retarded poetry/thoughts on life (dumb thoughts), and whining. there's some serious livejournal level cryassery going on. basically Hank hates everyone and Greg Ginn is mean. there are some really funny moments and even some Black Flag stories that really can inspire a young band out on their first ever tour. but mostly the best parts of the book are Rollins’ weird poems or thoughts or whatthefuckever.

sample: "I touch her hair. Her shoulders clench together and she stares at the ground. She looks like a stone bird. I am an iceberg. Everyday I float farther and farther out to sea. But that can’t be. An iceberg feels no pain. An iceberg doesn’t feel cold. I feel cold. I feel distant. There is no one. There is nothing. That’s where I am. She won’t look me in the eye anymore since I asked if I could kiss her. Even wanting turns her cold."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! oh to be a kid again. the book is full of nuggets like that. we all laughed our asses off for hours. also the audio book version is read by Rollins himself...which takes the awesomeness up about 20 notches. i don't even know why they bothered with a print version of this fucking thing. having Henry read is own journals is far more entertaining than anything the Rollins Band ever recorded.

anyways, if you ever find this…do yourself a favor and get it. it will make your mind implode. EPIC. fucking EPIC.

Black Flag and the Misfits

awesome.