Dear Friends,
Oh, Tuesday. You are just the day that nobody loves.
Tuesday the day that nobody loves
Is not as good as Monday because on Monday you get to start
And Wednesday is the hump.
The bump.
The lump.
Tuesday is just Tuesday.
Day two.
Shit day.
Not even Taco Tuesday can save you.
*****
Why bag on Tuesday? I don’t really know. Today is talk to Chat Pile day and get some shit done day. Today is get some stuff done at home day, too. Put in a new door handle day.
I love nothing more than wrangling with a door handle or lock. All those little parts and fitting screws into holes you can’t see. It’s to die for.
*****
Yesterday was a day. The kids were squirrely as fuck. It was one of those days when they would not have been able to be quiet if their lives were on the line. Luckily, it was only my patience and sanity on the line, and they were indifferent to that until I gave them some homework.
The feather in the cap. The coup de grace. The two little syllables that steal the joy from their faces. Well, not all their faces. Some of my students actually like to do homework. I love them.
I have a good handful of students right now who would love for things to be harder. They are bored and I have to give them something to latch onto and be excited about when they see another handful of their peers wanting to do as little as possible. They deserve the best of what I can offer them.
They shall have it.
*****
My relationship with Black Flag has been tenuous, at best, over the years. On one hand, I love the early stuff, but when I saw them on their last tour, I was bored by them. Well, bored until they ripped through some of the early stuff. Something about Henry Rollins, back in the mid-80s, just didn’t do it for me.
I’m a Circle Jerks fan, so I do love the Keith Morris era Black Flag stuff. Someone recorded some of the Morris era tracks for me on a cassette tape early in my punk rock days and I fell in love with them because I was already a Keith Morris fan. Along the way, I learned that the songs I had heard were from The First Four Years compilation record.
I never really wanted to buy that one, for some reason, but I did score a copy of Everything Went Black at some point in the late 80s or early 90s. It was used, so I got it for a song (or more accurately, for the songs). Obviously, I love side one the most.
This is the ‘Johnny “Bob” Goldstein Era’ side that features Keith Morris. I’m guessing that the rather contentious relationship between Morris and the band was the reason for this title, but maybe it is a friendly joke. I’ve never gotten too mixed up in Black Flag’s numerous story lines.
‘Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie” as sung by Morris is a powerhouse. I do love all three versions on the record (one with Ron “Chavo Pederast” Reyes and one with Dez Cadena), but again, ‘gimmie’ the Keith Morris stuff all day long. I bet I have listened to side one seven or eight times more than I have listened to any other side.
This includes the fourth side which is just a bunch of Black Flag radio ads from the early days. I do enjoy that side, too, but you can only listen to it once every decade. Even that might be a stretch.
Back to the first side.
I was first turned on to Black Flag listening to the Decline of Western Civilization soundtrack. They certainly had the raw energy and explosiveness that I was all about when it came to my early love for punk. The recordings feature Morris, Greg Ginn, Chuck Dukowski, and either Brian Migdol or Robo on drums were just so rockin’.
The only one of the nine tracks that doesn’t really hit on all cylinders is “Police Story.” That one sounds like Morris had a cold when he sang it for some reason. “I Don’t Care” is great, though, and so is “White Minority.”
Those first three songs land like a ton of bricks. They are crushing. Then “No Values” goes into “Revenge,” “Depression,” and “Clocked In.” The last (after the aforementioned “Police Story”) is “Wasted.” The whole first side is a balls to the wall deconstruction of everything the late 70s rock and roll was doing. It’s the opposite of arena rock and it is also no wonder they made LA stand on its ear.
Listening to these songs, I understand why there were riots at these shows. These songs were incendiary. I can see why the police in Los Angeles heard these recordings and were afraid. I can understand why the punks heard these songs and wanted to tear the clubs and halls and whatever venue dumb enough to host Black Flag in 1978 and 79 apart.
I’m still not the biggest Black Flag fan. As much as I love this record and it’s been an important one in helping me view music, I’d still choose a Circle Jerks record any day. What sets this one apart just a little bit from a lot of other records in my collection is that listening to it gives you a close-up view of a band evolving. It teaches you how much changing one part of the band can change the whole chemistry or recipe or whatever you want to call it.
When things switch from Morris to Reyes, you can hear how Ginn and Dukowkski has switched up there attack on the songs, as well. In some cases, Ginn seems like he is holding back but Dukowski is attacking them full-on. Especially on “Depression.” Wow!
I don’t really like the way that the Cadena songs sound as much. The recording style does not work as well for me, but there are good moments. I think it finishes particularly strong with “Damaged II” into “Padded Cell” then my fave, “Gimmie Gimmie Gimmie.” I should probably listen to these sides more.
It’s clear that Cadena didn’t really ever embrace being the singer of Black Flag. Henry Rollins was probably a welcome sigh of relief for him. At least that is what I’ve read and if you listen to Everything Went Black, it does seem like Cadena was the least comfortable of all the early singers.
Everything Went Black is a really good document, though, of the time. I enjoy it a lot for what it has taught me. Johnny “Bob” Goldstein, we still need you.
*****
See you tomorrow.
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