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Fifty Years Young With GREG GINN From BLACK FLAG · HEAVY Music Interviews

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  Speaker 1: I'm Greg Gain from Black Flag and we're playing in
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  Speaker 1: Australia in Melbourne at the Corner Hotel on May twenty eight,
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  Speaker 1: at the Crew Bar in Sydney on the twenty ninth,
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  Speaker 1: at the Crowbar in Brisbane on the thirtieth, and Vennie's
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  Speaker 1: Legendary Venny's on the Gold Coast on the thirty first.
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  Speaker 2: Fantastic great thanks for joining us today, Brenna.
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  Speaker 3: It's good to be here.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, it's pleasure. So as you say, Roy, black Flag
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  Speaker 2: returned to Australia. It'smay for running shows that do kick
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  Speaker 2: off on the twenty eighth, starting three or four weeks,
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  Speaker 2: so I mighty get packed and ready to go ahead.
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  Speaker 1: Oh no, of course not No, we're leaving for Canada,
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  Speaker 1: for Vancouver. Actually I'm out in Long Beach, which I
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  Speaker 1: lived here for a long time, but I moved to
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  Speaker 1: Texas outside of Austin. But we ended the last touring
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  Speaker 1: a week ago here. Uh so I'm saying, and then
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  Speaker 1: we're gonna drive up to Vancouver tomorrow morning. Start start
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  Speaker 1: that drive, and then we got a eleven dates across
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  Speaker 1: Canada and then we'll drive home and then fly to
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  Speaker 1: Hong Kong for a day then we'll go see you guys.
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  Speaker 2: Big Busy Boy, Bye Disney Boy. I'll check it out
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  Speaker 2: of the tour poster and it's got an evening with
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  Speaker 2: black flag written across the front of it, which usually
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  Speaker 2: signifies something a bit more intimate and quieter. But it's
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  Speaker 2: not going to be a quad show.
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  Speaker 1: It no, no, no, not quite no, it'll be just long.
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  Speaker 1: We do two sets about fifty or fifty five minutes
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  Speaker 1: each and with a little break in between. That way
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  Speaker 1: people are gonna have a little rest, get something to drink,
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  Speaker 1: and we can meet people and stuff like that. So
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  Speaker 1: it's just to basically inform people to get there early
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  Speaker 1: because we'll be playing.
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  Speaker 2: You say, you've got the chief steps mate, So how
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  Speaker 2: are they breaking up or they breaking up into different
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  Speaker 2: ears of the band, or they just all sort of
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  Speaker 2: throwning together just all together.
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  Speaker 1: We just try to find something that flows well. So
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  Speaker 1: it's all mixed up, very cool.
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  Speaker 2: Well, the chausey is Black Plague with three new members.
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  Speaker 2: Maybe you've got the vocalist Maxinelli, based player David Rodriguez,
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  Speaker 2: and drummer Bryce Western. So give us a brief introduction
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  Speaker 2: to all of the guys and tell us what they
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  Speaker 2: bring to Black Flague in the sound.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, they bring so much. First of all, I just
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  Speaker 1: love playing with them. It's I think it's the best
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  Speaker 1: the band has ever been, and certainly I'm enjoying it
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  Speaker 1: more than ever. One thing I wanted to do is
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  Speaker 1: get people that live close, and David and and Bryce
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  Speaker 1: live very close and so we can get together, and
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  Speaker 1: we've been able to work on a lot of songs
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  Speaker 1: and they're just incredible musicians. Uh and Max, she's just incredible.
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  Speaker 1: It's the first band she's ever sang in. She's yeah,
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  Speaker 1: but she's just excellent. She's just amazing. And I'm just
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  Speaker 1: having a lot of fun and enjoying it and enjoying
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  Speaker 1: being able to play a long time figure. We travel
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  Speaker 1: a long ways to go to these places, might as well,
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  Speaker 1: might as well do all we can, So we try
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  Speaker 1: to just I have fun, play a lot of a
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  Speaker 1: lot of songs, and it's been great. We've been touring
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  Speaker 1: a lot for the last year and it's been amazing.
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  Speaker 3: Really.
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  Speaker 2: Second out a fighter with the band just yesterday and
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  Speaker 2: they all look pretty young, mate, like you got your way,
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  Speaker 2: you came it up.
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  Speaker 3: Oh yeah, no kidding.
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  Speaker 1: It wasn't intended that way I tried out people at
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  Speaker 1: all ages. I think one thing, Uh, there's we're so
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  Speaker 1: active with dates, and I wanted people that were would
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  Speaker 1: be available anytime and to go every any place at
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  Speaker 1: any time. And a lot of times when people get
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  Speaker 1: a bit older, they have different encumbrances on their life
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  Speaker 1: and obligations, which is understandable. But that's one element. But
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  Speaker 1: really there just the best people I could find of
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  Speaker 1: of any age. I don't see a way to discriminate.
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  Speaker 1: I mean, they're very, very responsible people, and uh it is,
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  Speaker 1: it's working very well.
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  Speaker 2: Black Flag an iconic bag mate man with a long history,
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  Speaker 2: Like I'm not one of them, but I'm sure there's
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  Speaker 2: people out there that look at the younger people and
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  Speaker 2: sort of go, how can they capture the spirit? You know?
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  Speaker 2: And then the feeling that is Black Flag, Like how
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  Speaker 2: do they I was young kids, Like they weren't even
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  Speaker 2: being born when you started.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, but that doesn't matter. Yeah, I don't.
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  Speaker 1: Oh, I think our songs aren't really attached to a
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  Speaker 1: particular time in terms of the themes. They're about personal stuff,
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  Speaker 1: real stuff, real people, real feelings, real situations. So it's
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  Speaker 1: just like a lot of our fans are younger. It's
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  Speaker 1: amazing how many young people are in our in our crowd.
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  Speaker 1: We mainly play all ages shows and if a place
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  Speaker 1: is twenty one and over and that's the only place
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  Speaker 1: we'll play that.
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  Speaker 3: But it's much different.
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  Speaker 1: So I just think it doesn't make any difference if
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  Speaker 1: people are involved with the music. I don't see it
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  Speaker 1: as being from a period of a particular period of time.
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  Speaker 1: But I know people can think that. But and some
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  Speaker 1: people before they see us play, if they go to
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  Speaker 1: see us play, they might think that before, but generally
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  Speaker 1: not afterwards.
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  Speaker 2: Max is the first female vicalist. You've had him Black
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  Speaker 2: plays like were you actively looking for a female viclist
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  Speaker 2: when you were diitioning or were you just after the best?
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  Speaker 3: It was the other, Oh, just the best.
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  Speaker 1: And she was the only person I thought of in
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  Speaker 1: terms of the bass player and the drummer that tried
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  Speaker 1: out a lot of people, uh, a lot of people
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  Speaker 1: sent to demos and stuff, but I just thought she
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  Speaker 1: would be the best and it has worked out. Like
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  Speaker 1: I say, she's never sang in a band before, but
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  Speaker 1: she just has an incredible.
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  Speaker 3: Talent.
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  Speaker 1: And I hope people have a chance to see us play.
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  Speaker 1: I look forward to coming down there and uh, and
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  Speaker 1: I'm definitely proud of what we're doing.
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  Speaker 2: You say that she's never sung in a band before,
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  Speaker 2: like have you have you had that conversation where her
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  Speaker 2: way you said to her, like, why did was Black
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  Speaker 2: Flag the band that you tried out for when you've
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  Speaker 2: never sung before? Like, it's great that she has, but
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  Speaker 2: it's just like they normally sort of go through, you know,
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  Speaker 2: to go through their phases, but she's just gone straight
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  Speaker 2: to one of the classics.
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  Speaker 1: Well, it took a little bit of convincing to be.
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  Speaker 1: I first met her when when she's at a Black
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  Speaker 1: Flag show and I and she was singing along with
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  Speaker 1: the songs, and I just the way she sang. I
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  Speaker 1: felt like, I thought, Okay, she must be she must
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  Speaker 1: sing in a band. And I met her later and
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  Speaker 1: I asked her, do you sing in a band? And
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  Speaker 1: she said no, but I'd love to sing. I said
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  Speaker 1: you should start a band, and I Black Flag wasn't
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  Speaker 1: looking for a singer at that time, but I I
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  Speaker 1: just could tell that she could would be great at it,
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  Speaker 1: and uh, and it's.
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  Speaker 3: Worked out that way.
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  Speaker 1: But since she hadn't done it before and hadn't toured
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  Speaker 1: or anything, that it took a little bit of convincing
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  Speaker 1: of me to say, yes, you can do it, it'll
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  Speaker 1: be great, don't worry about it. And she's definitely brave
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  Speaker 1: and adventurous to dive into that. But it's not like
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  Speaker 1: something she was looking to do. It was just h.
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  Speaker 2: Watching some of my video last night and she's got
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  Speaker 2: the confidence. So he definitely doesn't like confidence, which is great.
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  Speaker 3: No, no, she doesn't. You know.
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  Speaker 1: We played a lot of shows now, but pretty much
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  Speaker 1: after the first one in Bulgaria, which I think she
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  Speaker 1: did fine, but she wants to go and redo that one.
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  Speaker 3: But after she got that, after she got the first
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  Speaker 3: one under her belt, then it was she relaxed and
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  Speaker 3: just is just really fit into it good.
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  Speaker 1: I think rehearsed a lot, so we were very prepared
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  Speaker 1: and I think that helps, you know, other people in
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  Speaker 1: the band have confidence when you really are prepared.
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  Speaker 2: Definitely, going back in history of it, might like do
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  Speaker 2: you fall Black Flag with the original vocalist Keith Morrison
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  Speaker 2: California back in nineteen seventy six, So what was a
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  Speaker 2: musical climate like at the time they got back to
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  Speaker 2: the band, and what was your early vision by playing well?
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  Speaker 1: I thought rock was kind of stagnant. There's always a
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  Speaker 1: lot of exceptions to the rule, but it was getting
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  Speaker 1: kind of boring. But there were a few kind of
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  Speaker 1: and not not all bad. I like a lot of
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  Speaker 1: that music, but I probably like the early seventies better
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  Speaker 1: than what happened later. I think probably the biggest influence
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  Speaker 1: was the Detroit bands, the Stooges, and just having an
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  Speaker 1: example of people doing more real themes than what was
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  Speaker 1: going on in rock at that point, you know, with
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  Speaker 1: your journey and all that kind of stuff.
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  Speaker 3: So that's.
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  Speaker 1: And then when the early New York bands came along,
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  Speaker 1: it was it was just an exciting time. And in
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  Speaker 1: La too, there's so many great bands, a lot of
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  Speaker 1: them never got a lot of notoriety, but just great
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  Speaker 1: music in the mid to late seventies, and I consider,
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  Speaker 1: you know, that's really where I come from. As far
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  Speaker 1: as you know, punk rock is seventies punk rock, not not.
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  Speaker 1: Whereas a lot of times black Flag is associated with
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  Speaker 1: early eighties hardcore, which became more of a formula as
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  Speaker 1: far as the whole scene, not necessarily a black flag,
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  Speaker 1: but the seventies the bands were much were very very blonde.
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  Speaker 3: Ramon's uh Tough darts uh.
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  Speaker 1: Uh, and then you had the New York Dolls were
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  Speaker 1: also in a different area, Lou Reed and lou Reid
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  Speaker 1: was uh. And the Velvet Underground was going against the
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  Speaker 1: grain for that time and something that was very exciting,
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  Speaker 1: uh music wise, and I was fortunate to meet people.
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  Speaker 1: Keith was into a lot of the same kind of music,
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  Speaker 1: so I eventually convinced him to start singing. It's pretty much, Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: that's been.
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  Speaker 2: Years of the band, You've had six bcals h Singer.
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  Speaker 2: Is a new chapter in the life of Black Player
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  Speaker 2: or is it just a continuation of what you've been
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  Speaker 2: doing before.
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  Speaker 3: No?
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  Speaker 1: I both, but certainly a new chapter. And that's why
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  Speaker 1: I don't I think everybody, all of them were contributed
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  Speaker 1: well along the way, so I appreciate what all of
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  Speaker 1: them did, but things don't stay the same. People have
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  Speaker 1: different aspects of their life, and I like to play
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  Speaker 1: music that I think is the best I can do
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  Speaker 1: at the particular time, not like, Okay, nostalgia will bring
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  Speaker 1: this person out or this kind of thing. I'm not
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  Speaker 1: really attracted to that. I like to feel like it's
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  Speaker 1: the best I can you at the time, and that's
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  Speaker 1: what I've always tried to do.
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  Speaker 2: Do you remember the first song you heard one of
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  Speaker 2: your songs on radio? And where were you and what
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  Speaker 2: song was it?
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  Speaker 3: Oh?
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  Speaker 1: Well, well the first. I don't know if you've heard
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: of Rodney on the Rocks, Rodney Bengenheimer. He had a
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  Speaker 1: long running show in Los Angeles. He's passed passed away,
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  Speaker 1: but he's on basically kind of a modern rock station
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  Speaker 1: or rock station. He had a Sunday night show where
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  Speaker 1: he'd do whatever he wanted. So he was the first
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  Speaker 1: one to really play us. And I'm sure there was
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  Speaker 1: a few college stations too, but we could hear in
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  Speaker 1: the LA area on that station.
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  Speaker 3: He played it quite a bit. And then, uh, the
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  Speaker 3: second record, the Jealous Again EP.
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  Speaker 1: This especially show local music show, spotlighting local. They would
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  Speaker 1: play local music and they played us, and but they
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  Speaker 1: played Jealous Again. It was a forty five and they
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  Speaker 1: played it at thirty three because it was fast. They
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  Speaker 1: weren't used to it. That was the right speak. So
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  Speaker 1: when we heard that, we go what.
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  Speaker 2: You probably be before bride, But I I just want
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  Speaker 2: to ask you that you like it quickly, because like
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  Speaker 2: it's probably one of the most memorable legos I've ever seen.
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  Speaker 2: I remember when I was in school, I knew who
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  Speaker 2: Black Flag with by your lego three or four years
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  Speaker 2: before i'd even heard any of your music. Like, it's
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  Speaker 2: what was the genesis to that? Where did it come from?
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  Speaker 3: Oh?
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  Speaker 1: My brother Ray uh.
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  Speaker 3: Designed it?
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  Speaker 2: Okay, definitely stands out.
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  Speaker 3: And it kind of represents a flag waving. I guess
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  Speaker 3: I don't want to it just is what it is.
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  Speaker 3: I should say, you know.
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  Speaker 2: It's it's just because I remember being in school and
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  Speaker 2: like I was, yeah, black Black play. I never even
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  Speaker 2: have any music. It's just because I knew the lego
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  Speaker 2: how fo I was in with the cool kids. It
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  Speaker 2: was pretty funny.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, I wonder you know how how many ac DC
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: shirts you see around the.
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  Speaker 2: Music?
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  Speaker 1: A lot of people know their music, but a lot
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  Speaker 1: more people have the shirts that I, no, you.
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  Speaker 3: Don't listen to that. I love a c GC, but
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  Speaker 3: I don't know.
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  Speaker 2: Where you're coming from, Joel Right, Greg, Well, thanks very
• 18:09
  Speaker 2: much for your time, Roads being a place of Black Flag. Start.
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: There Australian tour in Melbourne on May twenty eighth and
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: they had Sydney, Brisbane and Gold Coaster the consecutive nights.
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: I'll be at the Brisbane show, i'd say mate, So
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: I'll catch up in sale.