by "ImmoralMinority" (araimondo)
Published 02/03/2017 at 18:41
by "ImmoralMinority" (araimondo)
Published 02/03/2017 at 18:41
No Tags
STARS: 15
I grew up in Southern California, graduating high school at the end of the 80s. LA punk was at its peak. X, the Dickies, Circle Jerks, Germs, etc. were the soundtrack of my youth.
But Black Flag was special, especially pre-Rollins when humor and joy still had a part to play. It wasn’t just how great they were musically (THEY WERE), but the power of that logo gave them something. It was spraypainted fucking EVERYWHERE in those days. Rarely words, just a stencil laid down and sprayed over for those four stark black bars. For disaffected suburban white kids full of undirected rage in Reagan’s nightmare America, it was magic. It said “You are not alone. We are few, but we are everywhere.”
It had an effect on me that I did not appreciate at the time, but it felt like I knew something that my Michael Jackson/Van Halen/Duran Duran obsessed peers could never understand. I wasn’t alone.
I spent a lot of time in high school exploring Southern California in my Sparlingco Celica conversion, the car that led me to search for the Sunchaser for 2 years. A lot of that time, tapes of my favorite Black Flag records were playing and the top was down.
I am having the four bars painted on the Sunchaser, next to the license plate, on the other side from the GT badge. It is a tribute to my Sparlingco, and a message to that lost teen in the place where I was so long ago - You are not alone.
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It’s NOT my imagination - I got a gun at my back.
More true today than it has been in many years. Reagan-Bush (both of them)- Trump all have the same heritage.
A bonus gift for those of you who remember Reagan:
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I hate what they teach my kids in school about that son of a bitch.
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
02/03/2017 at 18:50, STARS: 1
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
02/03/2017 at 18:51, STARS: 0
Growing up my dad played much of the same music you always talk about, so I grew up on them a lot. I love Black Flag. When I hear good music (cause I play it) then turn to the radio I am frequently dissatisfied. Especially out here on the coast.
"Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell." (oppisitelock)
02/03/2017 at 19:00, STARS: 1
The dillinger escape plan logo is a good one to me, very recognisable and means something to me at least.
"wiffleballtony" (wiffleballtony)
02/03/2017 at 19:02, STARS: 0
I literally have never heard of any of those bands
"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
02/03/2017 at 19:03, STARS: 0
That’s the one you hold down right?
"Decay buys too many beaters" (decay)
02/03/2017 at 19:17, STARS: 2
I have been signing my initials with the Dead Kennedys logo since high school. Always sparks a good conversation when someone who knows it sees me sign something.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
02/03/2017 at 19:17, STARS: 2
It had an effect on me that I did not appreciate at the time, but it felt like I knew something that my Michael Jackson/Van Halen/Duran Duran obsessed peers could never understand.
That’s how I feel about Pavement vis-a-vis Nirvana and Grunge, but literally no one agrees.
"Blondude" (Blondude)
02/03/2017 at 19:43, STARS: 1
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Relevant
"Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever" (rustanddust)
02/03/2017 at 20:04, STARS: 1
Holy shit, if I could give you more stars, I would. I love Nirvana, but value Pavements (as well as most of Malkmus’ other stuff) music more, if that makes sense. There was more both depth and range to Pavements music. Terror Twilight was always one of the CDs I grabbed for a road trip.
"Cash Rewards" (cashrewards)
02/03/2017 at 20:23, STARS: 0
Matt hardigree might, actually. But yeah, that’s it. I read an interview with malkmus and he came across as the most self important jackass, it always left a bad taste in my mouth.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
02/03/2017 at 20:26, STARS: 1
I think depth and rage really sums it up. For me, Pavement managed to really capture being a disaffected youth while not being part of a scene.
Totally agree on Terror Twilight, although my favorite is Brighten the Corners. I usually just go for the Quarantine the Past compilation, since it has Frontwards and Shoot the Singer, which are two of my favorite songs of all time.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
02/03/2017 at 20:29, STARS: 2
I believe it. I also have an undying love for Damon Albarn and everything he does, so I’ve come to terms with really liking music from people who are kind of assholes.
"AMGtech - now with more recalls!" (amgtech)
02/03/2017 at 20:36, STARS: 2
*sees logo
“Ooh black flag!”
*clicks
"Cash Rewards" (cashrewards)
02/03/2017 at 20:44, STARS: 2
Looks up Damon albarn, sees that blur and Gorillaz are the same guy, head explodes.
"Honeybunchesofgoats" (honeybunche0fgoats)
02/03/2017 at 20:46, STARS: 0
Dude does everything.
He’s also a super talented solo musician.
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"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
02/03/2017 at 21:10, STARS: 2
Those bars are going to look awesome on the sunchaser. If you don’t own it yet, pick up a cooy of this:
There’s a lot of good album and flyer art in there. My step-uncle was involved in the ‘80s California punk scene. He was good friends with Mike Ness back in the day. He still had all the old show flyers. Lots of cool stuff.
The Black Flag symbolism is still pretty powerful today. Every one of my friends has a Black Flag tattoo and I grew up in the ‘90s-00s amd we all very much embrace thensame ideals. Most of my friends are straight edge, a movement in which symbolism is very powerful. We all have giant Xs tattooed somewhere on our bodies. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go have a TV Party.
"Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever" (rustanddust)
02/03/2017 at 22:20, STARS: 0
This’ll probably be a long post, apologies in advance. I’m drunk and reminiscing. It may be a touch offensive to folks that think the south will rise again, or Republicans, but it’s a post about punk rock/punk rock imagery, YGWYPF.
I grew up in Maine, but moved to the edge of moonshine country Virginia at 13. The son of liberal, agnostic parents from New York/New England, I suddenly found myself surrounded by conservatives at the fringes of the bible belt who still seemed to be fighting a war I wasn’t entirely familiar with yet. It was a pretty good recipe for teenage rebellion (that my parents mostly supported, which was great!). Graduated in 97 (fuck me, 20 years), so I’m kind of a generation behind.
Got into punk rock around 14, and never looked back. The internet was still evolving from AOL chatrooms and Angelfire, Geocities, Tripod type pages into what we have today (for better or worse). You mentioned it in a reply, but zines/mail orders/fliers were the only way to find music. The local bands, the Richmond bands, and a lot of the No Idea/Florida bands, as well as some of the Fat Wreck Chords bands were really important to me.
Propagandhi, though, was my absolute favorite. Political, brash, in your face, and pissed off, and I loved every bit of it. Liner notes gave me inspiration for my first tattoo (thanks for not using the rotated file, Kinja):
Their artwork for albums, fliers, and shirts was a favorite, too
The gray one got me a VIP seat with the principal and a few days off of school. The administration didn’t really want to hear my “if everyone else is allowed to wear the Confederate flag, why can’t I?” protest, but it took my dad a few minutes to stifle the laughter before halfheartedly telling me I should’ve known it wouldn’t go over well.
My avatar is an album cover from a Richmond band (Avail) that I miss. Seeing that stick figure with a flag was almost like knowing someone was your friend, even when you didn’t know them.
I have a love/hate relationship with Boy Sets Fire. After their first bassist left, they weren’t really the same band, but their early stuff was amazing. The fist makes another appearance here, a Derek Hess show flier good friends gave me years ago. (Coincidentally, one of those friends has the Black Flag logo on his leg)
Another Richmond band, Action Patrol, had some great imagery, as well. The band usually wore orange jumpsuits with solid black arrows, and tied that into their album/flier artwork quite nicely:
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Inquisition (and later Strike Anywhere) made use of arrows as well. Simple, hand drawn and lettered, but I’ve loved it since I saw it. Probably helps that I’ve loved the album for 20+ years as well.
Now that I’ve fallen down this rabbit hole, I’ll be thinking of old bands all night, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In any case, I remember the symbols/imagery from this stuff as much as the music, and for some reason, it means as much to me, as well.
P.S: I’d love to have a customer ask me to spray the Black Flag logo on their rear body panel
"accordingto" (accordingto)
02/04/2017 at 00:14, STARS: 1
The gray one got me a VIP seat with the principal and a few days off of school. The administration didn’t really want to hear my “if everyone else is allowed to wear the Confederate flag, why can’t I?” protest, but it took my dad a few minutes to stifle the laughter before halfheartedly telling me I should’ve known it wouldn’t go over well.
This is one of the things that separates your generation and mine - for those of us in/starting high school after April 20, 1999, that shirt would have prompted a 911 call, temporary evacuation of the school building, and possibly an expulsion. I wish I were kidding.
"Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever" (rustanddust)
02/04/2017 at 00:34, STARS: 0
Yeah, that wasn’t really a concern yet. We didn’t have cops in the building, and were able to come and go as we pleased, essentially. Hell, I’m not so sure people didn’t have rifles in pickup window racks in the parking lot during hunting season.
"accordingto" (accordingto)
02/04/2017 at 01:20, STARS: 0
It changed almost immediately, or at least by the time school started again in the fall. Some schools you can still come and go, but even an obvious joke about bombs or guns can get a kid in big trouble.