Intro by Delaney S
Story by Dave Wilkins (DA)
Introducing the new Resonance monthly series:
Now and then we undertake a brave trip to Wax Trax’s dusty depths (a.k.a. basement) to unearth decades-old Wax Trax zines. These zines from the late 70’s, 80s, and 90s contain album reviews, interviews, photos, comics, and more. These relics are not only a reflection of times past, but times present. In this one, we highlight an interview with Black Flag conducted by Dave Wilkins. Dave, also called DA around here, is still with Wax Trax today, and has witnessed the rise and fall of Black Flag since this interview.
His thoughts on this story: “My first takeaway is what a brilliant interviewer I was. Beyond that, it makes me nostalgic for when we had one of the best clubs in the country just one block from the store. It makes me very un-nostalgic remembering the proto-Karen: Serena Dank. and and her idiotic “organization” Parents Of Punks and others like Tipper Gore and the PMRC attempting to strangle any creativity or individuality in children before it can be expressed. It’s also sad to realize that never again will we be surprised, if not stunned by the new music that was hitting us on a weekly basis. Who you calling jaded?!!”
*DA (in the pink shirt) pictured at the Black Flag show
Without further ado, the first of the Resonance series.
Resonance #1: BLACK FLAG
By DA Wilkins
Photos by Duane Davis
Originally published in Local Anesthetic (LA) zine in July 1982
If there’s one band in the L.A. punk explosion that can be deemed the media focus of that scene, it would have to be Black Flag. Part of this is simply due to the fact that they have been around so long–over 4.5 years. More importantly, Black Flag has always represented the ideals the punk movement originally stood before it became somewhat confused (jaded?).
While you may need a scorecard to know who the band members are at any one time, they always seem to exude a group personality AS Black Flag. The current line-up consists of Greg Ginn (guitar), Chuck Dukowski (bass), Dez Cadena (guitar & vocals), and Emil Johnson (drums). I talked to Greg, Chuck, and Henry before their final show at the Merc and found it very… educational?
LA: For the benefit of all, I’d like to get some of the line-up changes straight… who sang on the Nervous Breakdown EP?
Henry Rollins: That was Keith Morris.
LA: On all of it?
HR: Yeah, Johnny Bop Goldstein. And after him came another singer named Chavo Pederast.
LA: And then Dez and then you; anybody else?
Greg Ginn: Robo
LA: Yeah, I meant on vocals; why did Robo (drums) quit？
HR: He just wanted to do something else.
GG : He just got tired of being poor and not eating half the time and stuff so…
LA: Where did you find Emil?
HR: In a pet shop.
Chuck Dukowski: Henry used to work in a pet shop, and one day…
HR : One day we got this little monkey in, and he had a really good rhythm, and I said let’s get the monkey out of the cage and get him behind a drum set. He works real cheap, for bananas, and whenever he wants anything he just bangs his watercup against the cage we had put in the back of the van…
GG: No, we just knew him in L.A.
LA: What does Black Flag look for in a new member? Is it all just attitude?
GG: Well, the first thing you look for is the attitude.
LA: Which is?
GG: Well that’s Black Flag, it’s very complex… it’s not simple. You might get an idea of it from this whole interview, but for me to just say the attitude is…it fits in with the whole thing we are trying to do. And of course the ability to play our kind of music.
LA: Is that what you saw in Henry? I mean did he approach you or did you approach him?
GG: We met Henry in D.C. and he came up and saw us a couple of times in New York, and he just made a big impression on us as a friend. The way he was open-minded about music and just the way he was into music… it was obvious that what was important to him in us was the same thing that we thought was important in us. See, a lot of people ask us, “Well what about all these changes?” And stuff. But we’re not into the band as personalities… We’re not into putting our pictures and stuff on our records and stuff because to me that doesn’t mean anything… that’s total bullshit. Bands can be popular by doing that and a lot of people latch on to that, but I guess we try to make a statement that does not really mean anything…. It’s what you’re doing right now.
LA: Well it helps if you look like the Go-Go’s.
GG : Yeah, well I think it would probably help us to a certain extent.
HR: Would you like to know a secret that’s never before been released in an interview? Right here for this magazine we’re gonna tell the truth. I’m sorry you guys (to Greg and Chuck), this might blow it for you. You know the cover of the Go-Go’s album?… that’s us.
LA: Really!? Wow! On the back too, in the bubblebath?
HR: Yep.
LA: (to Greg and Chuck) So you two are like the only original members left; can either of you see yourselves quitting Black Flag?
GG : Sure… but right now we’re very into what we are doing.
LA: What were your jobs before you played in Black Flag?
CD: Immediately before Black Flag I used to run a pool table factory.
HR: I used to run an ice cream store.
GG: I used to build electronics equipment.
Talk then strayed to subjects such as the MCA episode, the wonderful mechanism that is the “music industry,” X’s new deal with Elecktra, and the production with X and other L.A. bands.
LA: How about your album, are you happy with Spot’s production?
GG: Yeah, it doesn’t make the mistake of what’s done with so many other albums which is destroying so much of what’s already there with the band… it gets our basic feel and sound across.
LA: When you played in England did they start to like you after a while? You said on first impression they didn’t seem to like you.
CD: Well there were a lot of people who like us, but the thing about England is the people are very much afraid to voice their opinions for fear that they’re not on the right craze.
GG: They were very skeptical, but now the Six Pack single came out over there, and a lot of people like it over there.
LA: It was the same with the Dead Kennedys, as soon as they started to release their stuff over there, they got really popular.
GG: Yeah, they’re starting to buy all our records on import and stuff, and now we get a lot of letters from people who want us to come over.
LA: This is gonna sound awfully cliched and I hate to say it, but it’s bound to come up in any discussion of Black Flag and L.A. music…
GG: The violence!
LA: Right, the violence. How about in England, are the crowds…
HR: The crowds are real passive.
LA: Really? Do they dance a lot or do they just stand there?
HR: At big shows it’s really packed and all you can do is kind of sway.
GG: But to answer your question, there is no violence. It’s just like the world, it’s so peaceful …it’s beautiful.
LA: Well what is Serena Dank gonna do if there’s no violence? She’s not gonna have anything to do if you’re not perverting kids and promoting violence.
GG: Well she’s fighting the mohawks right now.
CD: I mean, what’s she gonna do, stop kids from growing up?
Who was it who once said: “Try to stop us, it’s no use! Rise above, we’re gonna rise above!”
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