Clean Nice Quiet

A freeform music blog/podcast/label, featuring underground rock'n'roll, vinyl obscurities, weird stuff, and more. Stream or dl the podcast wherever it is you stream or dl podcasts, and check out Dr. Nod's "Top Tips" cassette for some freaked out psych-pop!

[cleannicequiet]

A music blog, podcast, and tape label featuring underground punk, rock'n'roll, weird stuff, vinyl obscurities, and more.

The Nightcaps: “Wine, Wine, Wine” (Wine, Wine, Wine, Vandan, 1961)

The New Establishment: “Fire Version” (Dub Specialist - Studio One Presents Version Dread, 2017)

The Lindas: “Never Ending Nightmare” (8 by 9, ReFry Records, 2017)

Fernando & The Teenage Narcs: “F.G.A.T.T.” (Last Dance With Mary Jane (Cuz I’m Bustin’ Dope Smokers), ReFry Records, 2017)

Lumpy and the Dumpers: “Hair On The Inside” (Those Pickled Fuckers, La Vida Es Un Mus/Lumpy Records, 2017)

Susan Atkins Diet: “Bitch Slap” (Vagina Envy, 2015)

The Bourbon Street Bums: “Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives To Me” (The Bums at Fagan’s, 1968)

R. Crumb and His Cheap Suit Serenaders: “Fine Artiste Blues” (Number Two, Blue Goose Records, 1976)

Warren Zevon: “Carmelita (Alternate Version)” (Warren Zevon, Asylum Records/Rhino Records 2008 Re-Issue, original recording 1976)

Jeer Meanly: “Winter Piano” (Unreleased, 2017)

[cleannicequiet]

Big long year-end show. Space disco and afro-funk from the 1970s, a little classic soul from the 60s, and rock'n'roll of all stripes, mostly new stuff from this year on bandcamp. Listen/dl on the blog, or iTunes, or any fine podcast app.

[cleannicequiet]

A music blog, podcast, and tape label featuring underground punk, rock'n'roll, weird stuff, vinyl obscurities, and more.

New stuff that sounds good, available on Bandcamp.

[cleannicequiet]

A music blog, podcast, and tape label featuring underground punk, rock'n'roll, weird stuff, vinyl obscurities, and more.

New blog post highlighting a few new tunes. 

[cleannicequiet]

Ladies and gentlemen,a little over an hour's worth of CNQ34:

The Egyptian Lover: “Seduced” (1984, Egyptian Empire Records, 2015)

Judiciary: “Silent Vice” (The Axis of Equality, 2016)

Dead Cross: “Seizure and Desist”: (Dead Cross, Ipacec Records, 2017)

Secret Chiefs 3: “Spiritus Intelligentiae: Jophiel” (Ishraqiyun - Perichoresis, Web of Mimicry, 2015)

Glue: “Pig Fucker” (S/T MLP, La Vida Es Un Mus, 2017)

American Shit Storm: “Die?!” (American Shit Storm Vol. 1, 2017)

The Cult of Percolation: “Lovin’ A Van” (Elegant Interactions Laboratory, 2017)

Blackbeard: “Jazz” (I Wah Dub, More Cut Records, 1980)

The Bordellos: “Starcrossed Radio” (Life, Love & Billy Fury, Recordiau Prin, 2017)

Candy Fresh: “We Wanna Get Paid (Up The Money)” (We Wanna Get Paid (Up The Money) 12”, 2 Sweet Records, 1990)

C.A.P.: “Heart In The Next Room” ((Making America Hate Again, 2017)

JACKAL: “Programmed” (Demo, 2017)

Belly Jelly: “Futre Mind” (Songs About Heads, 2017)

Skrew Eyez: “So Dead” (Hospital Socks, 2017)

Guided By Voices: “Boy W” (How Do You Spell Heaven, Guided By Voices Inc., 2017)

The Drew Thomson Foundation: “Psychic g/f” (The Drew Thomson Foundation Vol 1: Huh, It’s Generally Pretty Empty In Here, 2017)  

Nana Tuffour: “I’m Feeling Your Love” (Ye Wo Asaase, KAM Records, 1980s)

Burt Bacharach: “Don’t Make Me Over” (Burt Bacharach Plays His Hits, Kapp Records, 1966)

Johnny Stewart: “Season of the Rut” (Secrets of Calling a Buck, Johnny Stewart Game Calls, 1966)

King Curtis and Champion Jack Dupree: “Junker’s Blues” (Blues at Montreux, Atlantic, 1973)

Damien Youth: “God of Violence” (Festival of Death, 1994)

[cleannicequiet]

An hour and a half of dance-pop chartbusters from the 1980s.

For track list and links: http://www.cleannicequiet.com/2017/07/cnq33-independence-day-2017-80s-dance.html. Listen at link or on iTunes, Mixcloud, or any fine podcast app.

[cleannicequiet]

An hour's worth of new #punk and #rock'n'roll, 60s country, 80s #vinyl obscurities and teen pop, 70s latin soul, me popping "p's," and more. Tumblr secrets: listen close and you can hear SVU and the dryer going in the background. Listen at link here, or on iTunes, mixcloud, the CNQ blog, or any fine podcast app.

C.A.P.: ”Making America Hate Again” (Making America Hate Again, 2017)

Dead Cross: “Grave Slave” (Dead Cross, Ipecac Recordings, out August 4, 2017)  

Trixie Mattel: “Mama Don’t Make Me Put On The Dress Again” (Two Birds, 2017)

Homer Henderson and the Dalworthington Garden Boys: “Lee Harvey Was A Friend of Mine” (Lee Harvey Was A Friend Of Mine / Hawaiian Ungawa 7”, Mule Nose, 1985)

Jim and Louise: “Johnson’s Old Grey Mule” (Big “D” Jamboree, Live Direct from the Stage of Ed McLemore’s Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas, Starday Records, 1963)

Buck Owens: “Wham Bam” (I’ve Got a Tiger By The Tail, Capitol Records, 1965)

Linda Voss: “Gentle Rain” (Kevin Kosub/Linda Voss 7” split, Kevin Kat Records, 1984)

Kevin Kosub: “My Baby Is The National Guard” (Kevin Kosub/Linda Voss 7” split, Kevin Kat Records, 1984)

Leo Keling: “Atomic War” (Atomic War 7”, Austown Records, 1980)

Sexual Jeremy: “I Don’t Want To Wake Up” (Chuck Weekend, 2017)

Vault Dweller: “Forced Evolutionary Virus” (Fucked Up Lizard People, 2016)

Judiciary: “March of the Abuser” (The Axis of Equality, 2017)

The Mad Doctors: “Justin’s A Cop” (No Waves, Just Sharks, King Pizza Records, 2017)

Orations: “Death And Co.” (Wych Elm, Custom Made Music, 2017)

Couleur Dessin: “Calendar Nights” (Couleur Dessin, Fixture Records, 2017)

Freak Genes: “Still Disgusting” (Playtime LP, Alien Snatch!, 2017)

The Bordellos: “Fading Honey” (Debt Sounds, 2017)

Shux: “I Don’t Wanna Indoor Toilet” (Horrendous New Wave, Fish Records, 2017)

Teen Dream: “Let’s Get Busy (Boy Crazy Mix),” (Let’s Get Busy, Warner Bros., 1987)

The Chakachas: “Cha-Ka-Cha” (Jungle Feature/Cha-Ka-Cha 7”, Polydor, 1971)

Perucho Navarro: “La Nueva Cumbia Bonita” (El Combo Gigante - Que Bueno Se Baila Con..., Discomoda, 1960s?)

[cleannicequiet]

A music blog, podcast, and tape label featuring underground punk, rock'n'roll, weird stuff, vinyl obscurities, and more.

Blog post featuring my fave Mixcloud shows. 

[cleannicequiet]

An hour's worth of new rock'n'roll and vinyl obscurities.

Bill Haley and His Comets: “R-O-C-K” (The Saints Rock’n’Roll/R-O-C-K 7”, Decca, 1956)

Supersonic Piss: “p-u-n-k-s-i-c-k” (S/T, Rotted Tooth Records, 2011)

The Derelicts: “Boxed In” (Time To Fuck Up 7”, Empty Records, 1990)

The Fat Boys: “The Twist (Buffapella)” (The Twist 7”, Tin Pan Apple, 1988)

Madame Mayflower: “Drown” (Observed In A Dream, US: Custom Made Music, Europe: Night Cult Records, 2017)

T. Rex: “Life’s An Elevator” (Laser Love/Life’s An Elevator 7”, Ariola, 1976)

Los Campensinos!: “5 Flucloxacillin” (Sick Scenes, Wichita Records, 2017)

Single Mothers: “East Van Band Van” (East Van Band Van b/w Night School, 2017)

Elvis Costello: “Sunday’s Best” (Accidents Will Happen/Sunday’s Best 7”, Columbia, 1979)

The Four Blazers: “Peanut Butter” (Peanut Butter/A Little Bit of Heaven 7”, Buddy Records, late 60s)

Little Joe and the Thrillers: “Peanuts” (Peanuts/Lilly Lou 7”, Epic re-issue, originally released 1957)

The Submissives: “Friend Named Betty” (Do You Really Love Me?, Fixture Records, 2016)

Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans: “Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah” (Why Do Lover’s Break Each Other’s Hearts/Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah 7”, Phillies Records, 1963)

The Innocence: “There’s Got To Be A Word!” (There’s Got To Be A Word!/I Don’t Wanna Be Around You 7”, Kama Sutra, 1966)

Jesse Lee Turner: “The Little Space Girl” (Shake, Baby, Shake/The Little Space Girl 7”, Carlton, 1958)

Pale Kids: “St. James” (Holy Mess, Drunken Sailor Records, 2017)

Jesus Chris + The Beetles: “Boy Without A Bedframe” (Trickle Down, 2017)

Plastic Pinks: “My Frenzy State” (El Animal, Ghost Drag Records, 2016)

The Firm: “Radioactive” (The Firm, Atlantic Records, 1985)

Oscar The Grouch: “The Grouch’s Lullaby” (I Love Trash/The Grouch’s Lullaby 7”, Sesame Street Records, 1976)

Payton Park: “Put Your Hands ‘Round A Country Club Can/Finale” (All Aboard '71: The Country Club Malt Liquor 1971 Sales Meeting, Bill Stokes Associates, 1971)

Elton John: “Amoreena” (Tumbleweed Connection, MCA Records, 1970)

[cleannicequiet]

An hour and a half long music show. Click the link to listen, or stream/dl via iTunes, podcast apps, Mixcloud, brain waves, suck gravy thru a straw, etc.

Chuck Berry: “Little Queenie” (Little Queenie/Almost Grown 7”, Chess, 1959)

T. Rex: “Cadilac” (Telegram Sam/Cadilac 7”, T. REX, 1972)

Big K.R.I.T.: “Lac Lac (feat. A$AP Ferg)” (Cadillactica, Def Jam Recordings, 2014)  

A$AP Mob: “Yamborghini High (feat. Juicy J.)” (Cozy Tapes Vol. 1: Friends, RCA, 2016)

Dickie Doo and the Don’ts: “Nee Nee Nah Nah Noo Noo” (Nee Nee Nah Nah Noo Noo/Flip Top Box 7”, Swan, 1958)

Power Trip: “Executioner’s Tax” (Nightmare Logic, Southern Lord, 2017)

Lightnin’ Hopkins: “Sinner’s Prayer” (Sinner’s Prayer/Angel Child, Prestige Bluesville, 1962)

Kydd Jones: “W R U (featuring Kirko Bangz)” (W R U (featuring Kirko Bangz), 2017)

Jesus Chris + The Beetles: “Love Is Degrading” (Trickle Down, 2017)

Little Beards: “Silverfox” (Midnight In The Garden of Chaotic Neutral, Pour le Corps Music, 2017)

The Slades: “The Waddle” (You Cheated/The Waddle 7”, Domino, 1959)

Pavel Chekov: “Unorganized Contradiction” (A Mind Rippin Comp, Mind Ripper Collective, 2017)

Phil Reynolds and the Uncertain Futures: “White Claw” (White Claw, Small Bear Records, 2017)

HÄRDA UT: “Kort Lugg/Going Down” (S/T, Adagio830, 2017)  

Svordom: “Ovän” (För dom som är ensamma, 2017)

Decultivate: “Virus” (2017 (demo), 2017)

Bombatentat: “Co ti na to říct” (Životem zaplatíš (Demo 2017), 2017)

Phil Reynolds and the Uncertain Futures: “White Claw” (White Claw, Small Bear Records, 2017)

A Deer A Horse: “Backswimmer” (Backswimmer, Custom Made Music, 2017)

The Clovers: “Nip Sip” (Nip Sip/If I Could Be Loved By You 7”, Atlantic, 1955)

FNU Clone Inc.*: “Shake The Hand” (Binary or Die, Total Punk Records, 2017)

BE;: “kkillltiiME” (At The Start, Tingo Tongo Tapes, 2017)

Mala Leche: “Planeta Prohibido” (Cassingle, 2017)

BLACK ABBA: “The Manager” (Lost Dog/The Manager 7”, Total Punk Records, 2017)

Speed Babes: “2+2=?” (yellow, 2017)

Mod Hippie: “Guatemala” (BIG WOW, Karma Frog Records, 2017)

Joel Michael Howard: “Lies” (Lies digital single, 2017)

Jimmy Reed: “I Told You Baby” (I Told You Baby/Ends and Odds, Vee Jay Records, 1958)

PWR BTTM: “Big Beautiful Day” (Pageant, Polyvinyl Records, 2017)

[cleannicequiet]

About an hour of new rock'n'roll and more. Plus me struggling with my mic levels and popping 'p's. Lo-fi bo-bo podcast for the messes...also available for streaming and/or download on itunes, mixcloud, various podcast apps, and directly from the CNQ blog.

The Bordellos: “I’m A Man (version 1)” (The Bordellos Underground Tape Vol. 5, 2017)

The Paranoyds: “Bear” (Eat Their Own, 2016)

Shit Present: “House (Breakdown)” (Misery+Disaster, Specialist Subject Records, 2016)

Clara Engel: “A Cold Storm Crawls Inside” (Arctic Poppies, 2017)

Damien Youth: “Black Feather” (The Missing Company Demos, 2017)

Madd Blake y los Stalins: “Mi Novia Es Un Zombi” (Primitivo!, 2016)

Spud and the Blood: “Easy Cynic” (Spud and the Blood, Abnormal Broadcasting, 2017)

Bib: “The Face” (The Face, Self-Released Tour Tape, 2017)

Seres: “Robot” (Seres Macaroni Island 03​/​06​/​15)

Chocolate Milk: “Ain’t Nothin’ But A Thing” (Actions Speak Louder Than Words/Ain’t Nothin’ But A Thing 7”, RCA Victor, 1975)

Simo Soo: “Ropes (prod. Jewish Goddess)” (We've All Been Tricked Into Thinking This Reality Is Normal & Acceptable, It's Not. Your Anxiety Is Real & Bugging Out Is The Correct Response, 2017)

Jack Hardy: “They Were Melting” (For The Sake of Finding Your Clothes, Custom Made Music, 2016)

Idiota Civilizzato: “Perverso” (La Vita Silenziosa, Static Shock Records, 2017)

Alejandro Escovedo: “Shave The Cat” (Burn Something Beautiful, Fantasy, 2016)

Fuzzsucker: “Glam Trouble” (Naughty, 2016)

Big Youth: “Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing” (Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing 7”, Trojan Records, 1975)

[cleannicequiet]

An hour and 18 minute podcast, featuring new rock'n'roll and more.

Gil Scott-Heron: “Storm Music” (Reflections, Arista Records, 1981)

Doctor Nod: “I’m the Creator” (I Know It’s True, 2017)

Last Remaining Pinnacle: “To Dream” (To Dream/What’s Your Sign, Custom Made Music, 2017)

Al Marantz : “Lipsmacker Kisses” (Forgotten Devices, OSR Tapes, 2015)

Merit Badge: “Numbers” (Numbers/Waves, 2016)

Adam Holtz: “Good Rockin’ Music” (Volume 22, copyright Adam Holtz, 2017)

Jim Shorts: “Omega Undone” (Eternal, 2016)

Damien Youth: “Crying Room” (The Man Who Invented God, 1991)

Paris Obscur: “Ne M’Oublie Pas” (The King, 2017)

Dot Dash: “The Infinite” (5/5/5 Digital EP, Last Day Deaf Webzine, 2016)

Vukovar: “Masterpiece” (Voyeurism, Small Bear Records, 2016)

Piglet Outlet: “Eternal Flame” (digital single from Shallow Shit Records, 2016)

Respect Tha God: “Shake It Up” (Work Ethic, Creative Juices Records, 2017)

Run The Jewels: “Stay Gold” (Run The Jewels 3, Run The Jewels, Inc., RED Distribution (a division of Sony), 2017)

Madd Blake y Los Stalins: “Sheena Es Una Cocadicta” (Primitivo!, 2017)

Mom Jeans: “Mesh Shirt” (Chub Rub, Pecan Crazy Records, 2016)

Shudder To Think: “X-French Tee Shirt” (Pony Express Record, Epic Records, 1994)

Parlet: “Huff-n-Puff “ (Invasion of the Booty Snatchers, Casablanca Records, 1979)

T’Pau: “Heart and Soul” (T’Pau, Virgin Records, 1987)

[cleannicequiet]

Counting down my 25 favorite new tracks from CNQ 2016 episodes.

Holding off on the track list since it’s a countdown show. Will post track list after first of the year. 

[cleannicequiet]

LET IT COME DOWN

William S. Burroughs: “Apocalypse” (Dead City Radio, Island Records, 1990)Substitute The Sex Pistols: “Substitute” (The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle, Virgin Records, 1979)Tortoise: “Six Pack” (Standards, Thrill Jockey, 2001)Doctor Nod: “I Know It’s True” (Forthcoming Album, Night People Records, 2016)Thin Skin: “My Song Ate” (TS​/​FN <3, Pecan Crazy Records, 2016) Va-Voom: “Here It Comes” (The End of the World A Go-Go, Tremor Records, 1986) Spitboy: “Seriously” (Give Me Back, Ebullition Records, 1991) Magide Mussa: “Mihimbo” (Various Volume 1, Ngoma Records, 1980) Lion Force: “Cry Blood” (Cry Blood/Put Up Your Fist 12”, Shaka Music, 1980s?)Gloria Lasso: “Quand Je Danse Dans Tes Bras (When I Dance In Your Arms)” (The Streets of Paris: Songs by Luis Mariano and Gloria Lasso, Capitol Records, 1950s?)Citrus Clouds: “Imagination” (Imagination, Custom Made Music, 2016)Galaxie 500: “Decomposing Trees” (On Fire, Rough Trade, 1989)Flesh Narc: “Get Rob Paid” (TS​/​FN <3, Pecan Crazy Records, 2016)

[dynamitehemorrhage]

Here’s the next of an occasional step sideways into the heavy, reverbed-out triposphere of 1970s Jamaican dub. HEMORRHAGE IN DUB #3 even contains a 2016 recording this time around, in addition to some new reissues and other deep cuts from the land and time of dub plenty.

Stream or download HEMORRHAGE IN DUB #3 on Soundcloud.

Stream HEMORRHAGE IN DUB #3 on Mixcloud.

Subscribe to DYNAMITE HEMORRHAGE RADIO, and get this show + our normal hour-long blasts of sub-underground rocknroll, at iTunes.

Track listing:

YABBY YOU & THE PROPHETS - Beware Dub TIPPA LEE - Original Cassette KING TUBBY & THE AGGROVATORS - Higher Ranking POET & THE ROOTS - Defense Dub TWINKLE BROTHERS - Free Africa Dub SCIENTIST - Time Warp THE GREEN STARS - Effortless Dub KING TUBBY’S - King at the Controls BUNNY “STRIKER” LEE - Dub Magnificent LEE “UPSETTER” PERRY - Cloak & Dagger CHANNEL ONE - School Days Version GLENMORE BROWN - Assack Lawn No. 1 Dub THE AGGROVATORS - Step It Up In Dub WINSTON EDWARDS - Ronald Biggs The Great Train Robber

[cleannicequiet]

Can't wait to listen!

[cleannicequiet]

Hour long podcast featuring new rock'n'roll, vinyl obscurities, and more.

The Gilbert Shelton Ensemble: “Southern Stock Car Man” (If I Were A Hell’s Angel 7”, ESP-Disk, 1966)

Mighty Sparrow: “Obeah Wedding” (Obeah Wedding 7”, National Record Company, 1966)

You People: “Deliver Me Home” (Dropouts LP, Custom Made Music, Scheduled for Late Fall, 2016)

Phern: “Pebble” (Cool Coma LP, Fixture Records, available November 25, 2016)

Fear City: “The Color of Blood” (Debut album to be released 11/18/16)

Rebel Flesh: “The Looker” (Hold You Tight, Rebel Flesh, 2016)

The Invincible Czars: “The Crypt” (Nosferatu: Music From Silent Films Vol. VII, 2015)

Mirage512: “They Wrong (Bruh)” (Amelioration Collection, 2016)

Rapeman: “Up Beat” (Two Nuns And A Pack Mule, Touch and Go, 1998)

Bully: “I Remember” (Feels Like, Startime International, 2015)

Yo La Tengo: “Tom Courtenay” (Electr-O-Pura, Matador, 1995)

Scrambled Channels: “Empire’s Forward Scouts” (Kirk Unit, 2014)

Thug Mills: “Missy Huggins” (Thug Mills & Chinese Football, Nasty Wizard Recordings, 2016)

Violence Creeps: “Watching Me” (Soul Narc, Digital Regress, 2016)

The Bordellos: “Stone Turns To Stone” (How To Lose Friends And Influence No-One, Small Bear Records, 2016)

Johnny Fox: “Xícaras de Chá” (Cais, 2016)

Daniel Varsano and Philippe Entremont: “Gymnopedie No. 1” (Erik Satie - Daniel Varsano • Philippe Entremont ‎– Piano Works: Gymnopédies • Gnossiennes • Valses • Sarabandes And More, Sony Classical, 2011)

Wardell Gray: “Just You, Just Me” (Way Out Wardell, Modern Records, 1956, from a live recording done in Los Angeles, 1948)

Guided By Voices: “How’s My Drinking” (Isolation Drills, TVT Records, 2001)

[dynamitehemorrhage]

(Originally posted on my Hedonist Jive blog, right after I finished this book in 2011)

I took a break from heavy non-fiction this month to instead lay into the story of one of the heaviest rock and roll bands of all time, the almighty BLACK FLAG. This could have been an awful book - I had to read a chapter in the bookstore just to make sure I wasn’t getting into some Vice Magazine or Behind The Music-style retelling of what I knew to be a pretty bewildering and wildly interesting saga - and once assured, I actually downloaded it onto my new Kindle (!), making for some real cognitive dissonance whilst reading of this bootstrapping, pioneering punk rock band on a 21st-Century piece of technology.

Stevie Chick’s “SPRAY PAINT THE WALLS” is a better-than-solid unwrapping of the legacy left by a band who punished themselves to create some of the most roaring, nihilistic musical art of all time. More than anything, it’s about guitarist, band founder and prime mover Greg Ginn, who’s one of the only people involved who gave the author zero to work with and completely ignored this project while it was being written.

After reading this, what was once fairly obvious became 100%, no-doubt-about-it truth: Black Flag was Greg Ginn’s band, and he ran it like a personal fiefdom, with psychological power plays and summary figurative execution of his bandmates his stock in trade. It’s not like it’s something to be mad about or anything - I mean, it’s just the story of a rock and roll band, not a nation or an oppressed people - but for a band this important to my life personally and to that of many others, it makes for pretty riveting reading as you see how Ginn’s decisions and hang-ups made the band what it was. Now, granted, I never saw Black Flag play, which grates to this day. There’s one good reason why - by the time I was old enough to actually pay to go see them, around 1984 or so, me and my friends though they pretty much blew. And guess what? They did! Though the book still makes a valiant effort to describe thinly-produced plod-metal records like “Loose Nut” and “In My Head” with the same level of reverence and detail it does the amazing 1978-81 stuff, it’s pretty clear that the author shares my bias that the only Black Flag worth engaging discussion in is everything up until “MY WAR” came out, with everything after that being an interesting story and that’s about that.

Black Flag was a total joke to us as they were hoofing it around the country those last two years, with the straining, sweating, whining, “life-is-pain” magnum opi they’d play while dressed in dolphin shorts to baffled punks looking to slam and stagedive. Granted, that confrontational, two-steps-ahead approach to music creation is what makes them interesting to read about, but certainly not to listen to at the time. Henry Rollins fell far deeper under the shadow of Ginn’s neuroses and ego than I’d ever contemplated previously, but it makes sense. When he was recruited to join Black Flag in 1981 - a great move, by the way, as there’s no doubt that Rollins was a terrific frontman, if only my second favorite vocalist of theirs after the mighty Dez - he seemed like a confused but goofy punk kid with something of an attitude about him. Shortly thereafter, after moving into Ginn’s parents’ house and indoctrination into the punishing Beefheartian daily practice routines that Ginn mandated for any Black Flag member, he turned into “Henry Rollins”, the musclebound, longhaired nihilist who could give physical presence to Ginn’s admittedly absurd I-hate-myself lyrics. I mean, it seemed to work at the time. Their “DAMAGED” record from ‘81 is, of course, a masterwork of demented rock and roll art, and one of my favorite records of any era. But the Rollins that emerged from that - the funny guy you see on TV - is probably a lot more like the guy who entered the band as well. The guy in between may have been pretty friggin’ intense, but I almost feel like he was “Stockholm Syndromed” a bit by Ginn after reading this book. Black Flag made way too many missteps along the way, even in their glory years, when the fury and squall of Ginn’s guitar was absolutely magical and like nothing before or since. Think “TV Party”. Think “Louie Louie”. Think Ron Reyes as a vocalist, the band’s strong EP “Jealous Again” notwithstanding.

And later on, contemplate the damage that marijuana played on Ginn’s ability to craft a song anyone would want to listen to. This book, without going too deep on it, makes it clear that Ginn, who was already completely lost in his art, became a dope smoker of the highest order, sometimes too baked to play & who had to have everything set up for him by the rest of the band so he could shake his hair and lose himself in some minutes-long improvised lead. Yikes. I saw Ginn’s stoner/instrumental trio GONE play live very shortly after Black Flag broke up, probably in late 1986 or early 1987, and that was exactly my impression. There were only 5 people there to see them open for fIREHOSE on the latter’s first tour, which should tell you something about how Black Flag were perceived by most people by that point, with their important records and most goodwill long, loooong behind them. Ginn came up to where we were sitting - it was too boring for us to stand - and inches away, he confrontationally shook his ass-length hair directly in our faces as he weedly-weedlied out some pompous solo. It was either a good-hearted call to action to help raise us from our lethargy and transport us to the astral plane, or because he was totally baked beyond belief. It was pretty funny, and to this day it’s the only time I ever saw him play live and is the mental picture I get whenever I think of the guy. Back to the book. Early on Stevie Chick almost lost me when he started in on the whole (paraphrasing here) “California is a land of sea, surf and good vibrations - but there was a dark side lurking underneath the sunny exterior” method of describing how violent punk rock came to be in Southern California. Yet he rights the ship very quickly, and in short order, does an excellent job describing the Rodney’s English Disco era, the town of Hermosa Beach, the Masque era and on and on into Black Flag’s rise as the parent-terrifying kings of worldwide punk rock.

There were some terrific stories I’d never read before, many of which are told by first singer Keith Morris, who’s always been a favorite of mine, a total clown prince with a quick mind and the classic SoCal wastoid personality. Various Minutemen, Meat Puppets and other leading lights are interviewed, with a surprising load of interviews with & Black Flag tales by Masque founder Brenden Mullen, whom I’d always read “never booked Black Flag because he didn’t like bands that weren’t from Hollywood”. Read this book and you’ll definitely get his contrary take in spades. He convincingly claims he was even asked to be in the band at one point (!!). Once the book got going, I absolutely devoured it on my Kindle and iPhone (dork!). Sure, its material includes the source data for everything I once considered important in this world, as the music that poured from Southern California during this time was among the most powerful influences on, and succor for, my life, particularly in my late teens and twenties. But it really never lets down. Even when we’re in the “Slip It In” era and beyond, you’ve got Kira giving great interview, as well as Rollins himself and all manner of hangers-on. Want to learn more about what NIG-HEIST was? This is your book - the 'Heist gets a lot of play.

I’d recommend this to anyone who’s read my review this far, because obviously you know what a special band Black Flag were, all missteps and badly-produced records notwithstanding. I’d imagine this will be the last word on their complete saga until Ginn emerges to tell the tale his way. Now that will be a hoot.

[cleannicequiet]

Great book review from @dynamitehemorrhage