Synopses & Reviews
Black Flag were the pioneers of American Hardcore, and this is their blood-spattered story. Formed in Hermosa Beach, California, in 1978, they made and played brilliant, ugly, no-holds-barred music for eight brutal years on a self-appointed touring circuit of Americas clubs, squats, and community halls. They fought with everybodythe police, the record industry, and even their own fansand they toured overseas on pennies a day in beat-up trucks and vans. This history tells Black Flags story from the inside, drawing on exclusive interviews with the groups members, their contemporaries, and the bands they inspired. It depicts the rise of Henry Rollins, the iconic front man, and Greg Ginn, who turned his electronics company into one of the worlds most influential independent record labels while leading Black Flag from punks three-chord frenzy into heavy metal and free jazz.
Review
"Here is an exhaustive prequel to, followed by a more balanced re-telling of, Rollin's Get in the Van journal, chronicling [Black] Flag's emergence in suburban Hermosa Beach, . . . and how their ultra-harsh, hi-speed riffage sparked moshpit violence. . . . A gory, gobsmacking read." Andrew Perry, MOJO
Review
"Chick's analytical and in-depth biography of the progenitors of SoCal Hardcore builds up to a page-turning, scene-setting climax. . . . Chick does a fine job of detailing the importance, influence and dedicated touring ethic of the band." Alex Burrows, Classic Rock
Review
"Stevie Chick chronicles Black Flag from both ends, mapping how they careened from menacing, berserk, and beachcore outsiders to grizzly hardcore icons to bizarre, and sometimes boring, post-hardcore pioneers that chewed through miles, tours, members, and songs." www.PopMatters.com
Review
"Chick's well-researched and readable book immerses the reader in Black Flag's world, recreating the violent yet creative atmosphere of the early Hardcore scene through new interviews with the band and their peers." Mat Croft, Record Collector
Review
"The books real strength comes from Chicks use of research and his ability to place Black Flags story in a wider context. Whether hes writing about surf culture, skate culture, or the history of garage rock, Chick does so with authority, and he braids these loose asides beautifully into the “facts” of Black Flags history." —Adam Ellsworth, The Arts Fuse
Synopsis
Black Flag were the pioneers of American Hardcore, and this is their blood-spattered story. Formed in Hermosa Beach, California, in 1978, they made and played brilliant, ugly, no-holds-barred music for eight brutal years on a self-appointed touring circuit of America's clubs, squats, and community halls. They fought with everybody--the police, the record industry, and even their own fans--and they toured overseas on pennies a day in beat-up trucks and vans. This history tells Black Flag's story from the inside, drawing on exclusive interviews with the group's members, their contemporaries, and the bands they inspired. It depicts the rise of Henry Rollins, the iconic front man, and Greg Ginn, who turned his electronics company into one of the world's most influential independent record labels while leading Black Flag from punk's three-chord frenzy into heavy metal and free jazz.
About the Author
Stevie Chick has written for the Guardian, Melody Maker, and MOJO, and is the author of Ninja Tune and Psychic Confusion.