Black Flag (band): Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

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The hardcore punk rock band Black Flag was formed in 1976 in southern California, largely as the brainchild of Greg Ginn, guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes.

Black Flag forged a unique sound early on that mixed the raw simplicity of The Ramones with atonal guitar solos and frequent tempo shifts. Over this could be heard lyrics--mostly written by Ginn--about isolation, neurosis and paranoia, themes which did not disappear when Henry Rollins took on the role of lead singer in 1981. Most of the band's material was released on Ginn's independent label, SST Records.

History

Formed in 1976 and initially called Panic, Ginn and singer Keith Morris insisted the band rehearse for several hours a day. This ethic proved too challenging for some early members, and it took some time for a committed quartet to gel around Ginn, singer Keith Morris, bass guitarist Chuck Dukowski and drummer Brian Migdol. To avoid confusion with another band called Panic, they took on the name Black Flag in 1978.

The name 'Black Flag' reportedly comes from the historic flag of Anarchy, which is traditionally black. The name was suggested by Ginn's brother, Raymond Pettibon, who also designed the band's logo: A stylized black flag represented as four black bars. Bandmembers spray painted the simple, striking logo in many locations around Los Angeles, inspiring attention and contributing to the band's mystique. Pettibon also created much of their cover artwork.

There were few opportunities for punk rock bands to perform in southern California, so Black Flag organized their own gigs, perfoming at picnics, house parties, schools, anyplace that was available. They called club owners themselves to arrange appearances, and plastered hundreds of flyers--usually Pettibon's severe, haunting comic strip style panels--on any available surface to publicize performances. Dukowski reported that the "minimum (number of flyers) that went out was 500 for a show." [1]

Morris appeared on Black Flag's earliest recordings, and his energized, manic stage presence helped the band earn a reputation in the Los Angeles area. Morris quit in 1979, citing, among other reasons, creative differences with Ginn, and his own "freaking out on cocaine and speed." [2] Morris would later form the Circle Jerks.

Black Flag recruited fan Chavo Pederast A.K.A. Ron Reyes, who was in the band only briefly before quitting mid-performance. The more reliable Dez Cadena then joined as singer. By the summer of 1981, however, Cadena's voice was worn by seemingly nonstop touring, and he wanted to play guitar rather than sing.

Fan Henry Rollins--then living in Washington D.C.--had corresponded with the band, and met them when they performed on the U.S. east coast. They were seeking a new singer and asked Rollins to sing a few songs before inviting him to join the band. He accepted, and acted as roadie while learning Black Flag's songs during sound checks and encores while Cadena crafted guitar parts that meshed with Ginn's.

Rollins was to become Black Flag's longest-lasting singer, and has remained active in music to the present day.

1981 saw the release of Damaged, sometimes regarded as Black Flag's most focused recordings. One critic has written that Damaged was "Perhaps the best album to emerge from the quagmire that was early-'80s California hardcore punk, the visceral, intensely physical presence of Damaged has yet to be equaled, although many bands have tried." [3]

Cadena left Black Flag after Damaged, and formed DC3.

By late 1983, Dukowski had retired from active performing with Black Flag (some accounts report he was "edged out" by Ginn [4]) though a few of his songs were featured on later records, and he continued acting in his capacity as tour manager. Ginn played bass guitar on some Black Flag recordings as "Dale Nixon" before Kira Roessler joined to replace Dukowski.

1983 found Black Flag embroiled in a legal dispute over distribution. They were prevented from using the name "Black Flag" on any recordings.

Black Flag toured nearly constantly in 1984, '85 and '86: Rollins records 178 performances for the year 1984 alone.

Over the course of the 1980s, Black Flag's sound, as well as their notoriety, evolved in ways that alienated much of their early punk audience. They grew their hair long and played longer, slower, and more complex songs at a time when many bands in their milieu stuck to a raw, fast, three-chord format. Black Flag recorded an instrumental rock e.p. that earned favorable comparisons to Mahavishnu Orchestra and Ornette Coleman. As a result, Black Flag's discography is more varied than many of their punk-rock contemporaries.

Black Flag members grew tired of the tensions of their relentless touring schedule, infighting, and of living in near-poverty. In Get In The Van, Rollins writes that Ginn telephoned him in August 1986: "He told me he was quitting the band. I thought that was strange considering it was his band and all. So in one short phone call, it was all over."

Since Blag Flag's break-up, Rollins has arguably had the most visible public profile as a musician, writer, and actor. Most Black Flag members have also remained active in music, especially Ginn.

Throughout their ten-year career as a band, Black Flag's experiences became legendary in the southern California area, chronicled in Henry Rollins' own published tour diary Get In The Van. They were reportedly blacklisted by the LAPD and Hollywood rock clubs because of the destructiveness of their fans, though Rollins has reported that police caused far more problems than they solved. Black Flag were involved in legal battles once they attempted more mainstream distribution for their records.

The band was a seminal influence on different trends in punk rock, from hardcore punk to death metal, and even pioneered the underground capitalism of do-it-yourself record labels that flourished among the 1980s' punk rock bands. In fact, SST Records was the label for numerous other important bands, including the Minutemen, Meat Puppets, and Husker Du, and released some albums by Negativland, Soundgarden, and, for a while, Sonic Youth.

Lead Guitar: Greg Ginn
Rhythm guitar (Damaged): Dez Cadena
Bass: Chuck Dukowski, Kira Roessler, C'el Revuelta
Drums: Brian Migdol, ROBO, Emil Johnson, Chuck Biscuits, Bill Stevenson, Anthony Martinez
Front Man: Keith Morris, Chavo Pederast A.K.A. Ron Reyes, Dez Cadena, Henry Rollins

== LPs ==

• Damaged (1981)
• Everything Went Black (1982)
• The First Four Years (1983)
• My War (1983)
• Slip It In (1984)
• Family Man (1984)
• Live '84 (1984)
• Loose Nut (1985)
• Process of Weeding Out (1985)
• In My Head (1985)
• Who's Got the 10 1/2? (1986)
• Wasted...Again (1987)

== Singles & EPs ==

• Nervous Breakdown (1978)
• Jealous Again (1980)
• Louie Louie (1981)
• Six Pack (1982)
• T.V. Party (1985)
• Minuteflag (collaboration with members of Minutemen) (1985)
• Annihilate This Week (1986)
• I Can See You (1989)

== Bootlegs ==

• Live SO 36 18.2.-86 (live)
• 7-11 (live)
• No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service (live)
• The Complete 1982 Demos Plus More (demos + radio show)
• Annihilation (Live at Palladium Aug 31, 1985)

• Joe Carducci, Rock and the Pop Narcotic (2.13.61)
• Henry Rollins, Get In The Van (2.13.61)