16 Likes
2 because I dislike Rollins as a person and I think all their songs are better as covers
4 Likes
Another band where you have to judge them on their peak years and it canāt be anything less than a 5. Huge swathes of music I love simply wouldnāt exist in its current form if it wasnāt for them. Kind of hear what people are saying about a lot of the music they inspired surpassing them and there are definitely hardcore and sludge bands I prefer, but their peak records are still absolutely essential
4 x Daās taking the divorce well there.
10 Likes
Agreed, Rollins always comes across as a massive dickhead.
4 Likes
This. I read Get in the Van which is great but it didnāt inspire me to listen to themā¦
I know the moment for CD boxsets has passed but there are so many great bands on SST who could have received the Numero Group treatment (who did the āSavage Young Duā boxset) were it not for their out of print back catalogue being suspended in Greg Ginn rights limbo.
3 Likes
Yeah the lack of those titles being easily available is pure shite.
Surely Ginn should be happy to get them back in print as he would make some cash from it? Dunno, shit situation tbh.
1 Like
Itās not great for sure but the fanzine kid handles himself really well and theyāre both laughing at different points. Itās hardly Blur and Narduwar.
The kid interviewed Rollins just after heād had a fight with some skinheads as well so his blood was up, and he recognises that he took it out on this kid and owes him an apology:
Seems a bit a stretch to call him a bully or that heās āfeeling like a bad ladā (lol) off the back of it. Guess if you think one bad interview is worth hating him for then thatās up to you, but I really donāt
2 Likes
I mean this isnāt the only video or annecdote where Rollins is being a prick to someone when they donāt deserve it.
Iād say in ways itās very similar to Blur and Nardwuar in that in both instances a member of a band is being intimidating and condescending to an interviewer as their bandmates laugh and pull funny faces to camera rather than intervene. Itās maybe worse if anything as in this instance itās a child rather than another adult.
Saying you owe someone an apology 30+ years after the fact because youāve been called out on it is a bit nothingy.
I get you like this band and sounds like you like Rollins too. But if my opinion is that theyāre dicks then Iām entitled to it and itās not going to change because you reply to me saying Iām wrong or dropping sneering (lol)'s at how Iāve worded something.
didnāt greg ginn abuse his kids or something?
edit: yeah, he did
On October 10, 2014, Ginnās ex-wife Marina filed a motion in court to prevent Ginn from having access to their children, claiming Ginn was āroutinely denying them food and threatening them,ā āabusing alcohol and drugs in front of them,ā had āforced [the children] to do cleaning chores until 2 a.m.ā ālocked [them] in a room alone with no contact with the outside world through cell phone or emails,ā and had āthrow[n] cups of water in their face.ā She also claimed he had told his daughters āyouāre hotā and āwhistled at them,ā and told them āthey are getting fat and need to lose weight and that their diets will have to be more strenuous.ā Ex-Black Flag member Ron Reyes later submitted an affidavit to the court supporting Marina Ginnās statements.
Video is from 2001, so itās not 30 years afterwards, itās far more recent as far as Rollins is concerned. He also hasnāt been called out on it, heās been specifically asked about something he regrets and he mentions this interview. Rollins also would have been about 4 years older than the fanzine kid at the time as well, so not fair to frame it as an adult bullying a child, particularly when the kid can clearly handle himself and does so very well.
Iāll be the first to admit that Rollins can come across as a self important dickhead at times - Iām not some fanboy and of course people are entitled not to like him or Black Flag. Just think itās unfair to call him a bully. I mean I could post lots of links to accounts where Rollins has protected kids from being seriously beaten up by Nazi skins or prevented a woman from being abducted at a show, but itās all online if you want to look and as youāve said nothing is going to change your opinion, there doesnāt seem a massive amount of point
5 Likes
Only ever listened to Damaged and My War. Will have to give some of their other stuff a listen later on.
A tentative 4 at the moment.
Difficult one thisā¦
I adore Damaged and the First Four Years EP. Aside from the song, couldnāt get into My War at all and read up on how the other albums are fucking barmy and What Theā¦ doesnāt exist at all.
Get In The Van and the chapter in Our Band Could Be Your Life are essential reading for anything Black Flag though, really interesting stuff. Although, GITV mainly seems to be Rollins saying āplayed a show, got spat on, slept on a floor. Played a show, got spat on, slept in a toilet, etcā sounds proper grim and depressing at times.
Still get a thrill when I hear stuff off Damaged though, as @anon50098204 said, the way they do intros is great and getting your attention.
3/5? That sounds about right.
Oh, also hereās The Bronx being Black Flag for that Germs film:
1 Like
Just the 21 then
Edit: video is actually from 1984.
Lucky he spoke so well or it could have been a lot worse.
Indeed. Good to see youve moved from only Ginn is a dick to accept Rollins is also a diick. Also as Ginn is the constant I think itās fair enough to be put off by his behaviour alone for the most part.
This is good.
Yeah I dont think theyre a very good band anyway regardless of how they are as people.
As always thereās little point in tackling people based on opinions informed by how they react to both music and individuals personally.
tried listening to some of their stuff when i was reading Our Band Could Be Your Life but never really got on with it. should try again at some point.
1 Like
their chapter in that book is just abject misery of everyone absolutely hating each other so i get the āunpleasant peopleā remark from that but i donāt know anything beyond that. it was such a relief to get on to the camaraderie of the Minutemen chapter right after that.
Rollins usually strikes me as a nice cool enthusiastic music fan guy these days but i donāt have any deeper knowledge.
2 Likes
The original video is from '84. The video where Rollins is being interviewed and apologies is 2001.
If the kid clearly couldnāt handle himself, Rollins would likely have stopped. Clearly if he didnāt it could have been worse, but it wasnāt.
Sating someone can be a self important dickhead āat timesā is not āacceptingā that person is āa dickā.
If people want to hate Black Flag because of Ginn, I think thatās completely understandable, particularly in light of the stuff that Wasted posted, which I didnāt know about. Iāve never said anything different.
Cool.
I donāt like them as a band. Donāt hate them.
They seemed unpleasant people to me based on what Iād read and seenā¦ Ginn in particular. I too didnt know about the stuff Wasted brought up.
Not for me. Happy for people who enjoy them though.
HGATR: Ray Pettibon (designer of the black flag logo)
5/5
9 Likes