L-R: Greg Ginn, Keith Morris

“This is a disclaimer. We are not Black Flag.  We are FLAG. We play the music of Black Flag.” – Keith Morris, September 19, 2013 (before a note was played)

A lot has been said about Greg Ginn’s lawsuit against “FLAG”. Most of the associated internet trolling paints Black Flag founder, guitarist, songwriter, and sole financial proprietor as some kind of Mike Love-like ogre.  While this is true, he is more than just a sketchy businessman who screwed over the best members of his former group (and also Henry Rollins.  And every artist that ever appeared on his SST label).  Greg Ginn is a musician tied sonically to the music of Black Flag.  His great start/stop/off-kilter guitar riffs are probably the most recognizable thing about them.  He is also the only consistent member of the band since he started it.

Back in June, I enjoyed the Greg Ginn Black Flag experience at Warsaw in Greenpoint, with Chavo Ron Reyes — the Decline of Western Civilization-era lead singer.  Before that show, there was a huge amount of negative hype online because of some shitty quality YouTube videos circulating. They sounded so bad!  I had tickets but my friend bailed on me and honestly I didn’t really want to go either.  “Nobody wants to go to this bullshit,” said my friend Pat D, who was offered a free ticket to the sold out show.  But cameraphone vids are an unfair benchmark.  Amazingly, they sounded great and completely rocked all the hits.  Greg seemed very gracious and appreciative, and I got wasted on Jameson’s with a date I met on the Internet (I otherwise would have had to eat the ticket).

FLAG were also really good and in some ways completely great.  Even considering it was at Irving Plaza, possibly the worst venue in NYC and filled with distateful people from all age groups.  Bill Stevenson is an unrelenting machine on drums.  One of the best punk rock drummers of all time and appropriately on this SPIN list of best “alternative” drummers (writeup by funnyman Jon Wurster).  Original Black Flag singer Keith Morris is a national treasure. He’s been with us all along, most notably with the Circle Jerks and now recently with the popular supergroup OFF!  Keith is still completely manic and effective.  The founding father of hardcore.  They sounded amazing running through the early hits — and on Nervous Breakdown I finally let my guard down and banged my head like a kid. Dez Cadena, the guy that Henry Rollins modeled his schtick on, did a set of pre-Rollins numbers (Thirsty and Miserable, American Waste, Six Pack, etc).  Chuck Dukowski wailed around the stage like a punk rock grandpa. Pretty cute stuff.  My one issue was with beloved later-Descendents/ALL guitarist Stephen Egerton.  While he’s a great player, the way he aped Ginn’s guitar solos note-for-note really bothered me.  Greg may deserve this big “fuck you” but it offended my musical senses.

A full Black Flag reunion with Ginn and this line up of FLAG would be completely incredible but of course this is an impossibility.

Uninspired novelty Raymond Pettibon poster