Narrow Interview - Black Flag
The Narrow Interview... Mike Vallely of Black Flag
by Danny Lore
The four black bars are unmistakeable. They've been spray painted onto walls across the world and scrawled onto the spiked denim and leather jackets of punks for the last 40 years. I can’t even begin to tell you how many Black Flag tattoos I’ve seen in my lifetime. That is a testament to what this band did for American Hardcore Punk music and what they mean to the masses of fans that identify with every atonal chord they've struck.
Black Flag exploded onto the LA punk scene in 1979 and immediately scared the shit out of everyone. Back then you couldn’t get your mom to drive you to the Oaks Mall to get blue hair dye and designer combat boots at Hot Topic. If you had blue hair or a mohawk forty years ago you were probably going to get your ass kicked at the mall or anywhere else for that matter. Punk was new and the mainstream just didn’t get it. That made it dangerous. Greg Ginn’s younger brother, Raymond Pettibon, is responsible for the imagery attached to the band. His show flyers and album artwork poked the sleeping bear that was the LAPD. He not only named the band but came up with the logo. When asked about this, Pettibon stated "If a white flag means surrender, a black flag represents anarchy.”
Early Black Flag shows often ended in violence involving the Los Angles Police Department. The LAPD went as far as tapping their phones and posing as homeless people outside the SST office. It became increasingly hard for Black Flag to book any shows. Club owners and promoters were afraid to deal with the backlash. This further pushed the band to become pioneers of the DIY movement. They booked their own tours and even started a record label called SST to release their music. SST would also release albums from a staggering number of bands including Bad Brains, Dinosaur Jr, Descendents, Minutemen, Husker Du, Soundgarden & Sonic Youth.
In 1981, Black Flag signed a distribution deal with MCA Records affiliate Unicorn to release their debut album, “Damaged.” After the contract was signed, MCA decided that the album was too “anti-parent” and refused to release it. A lawsuit ensued and the band was blocked from releasing their music. This didn’t sit well with Ginn and he released the album “Everything Went Black” on his own label (SST). Ginn, and bass player/ label co-owner Dukowski were arrested and spent a week in the LA County Jail. That’s right... They went to jail for releasing their own music!
THAT is the Black Flag that I choose to remember. The Black Flag that shared members with The Circle Jerks, Descendents, Danzig, The Misfits, Social Distortion & D.O.A. The Black Flag that plucked a young Henry Rollins out of a Hagen Daaz in DC, where he worked with Ian MacKaye, and gave him the mic.
In 1986 the band broke up and years of fighting ensued. Lawsuits, court cases, name calling and drama would further scar the band and drive a wedge deep between the members as they fought for control of trademarks, royalties and that infamous logo.
After the legal dust settled we were left with 2 versions of the band. In one corner there’s Black Flag, led by guitarist and chief songwriter Greg Ginn and frontman Mike Vallely. In the other corner is FLAG, led by the original frontman Keith Morris, bassist Chuck Dukowski, former vocalist/rhythm guitarist Dez Cadena, and drummer Bill Stevenson. I’ve seen both versions and both bands are truly amazing.
Greg Ginn’s Black Flag rolled through Gainesville in January. I was stoked to hear that Mike Vallely would be the front-man for this line up. Mike V. is a professional skateboarder that was sponsored by the legendary Powell Peralta in the late 80’s. His aggressive and innovative street skating would be forever immortalized in the skate videos "The Search For Animal Chin" & "Public Domain." He literally helped to shape a new era of skateboarding by changing the actual shape of skateboards. Vallely's “ Barnyard” deck is universally acknowledged as the forerunner of the modern “popsicle stick” shape.
The band was tight and did not disappoint in the least. Ginn's atonal guitar work is what makes Black Flag's sound unique. Hearing it performed live takes it to a whole new level. Unbound from conventional form, it's what genuine art sounds like. Mike V. blends in seamlessly and has that aggressive Rollin’s vibe. I knew they’d be good but the band really exceeded my expectations.
Greg Ginn no longer gives interviews but I did get to sit down with Mike V. after the show and ask him a few questions about his role in Black Flag.
When was the first time you heard Black Flag?
It was in 1984 when I was 14 years old. I saw them at a club called City Gardens in Trenton, NJ. It was the first live music I ever saw in my life.
Back then punk music was part of skateboarding. Is that how you discovered the band?
Yes, I saw them about a month after I first started skateboarding. So I got into skateboarding and saw Black Flag all within about 2 months. It was Autumn of 1984.
This isn’t your first time fronting a band. Mike V. & The Rats, Revolution Mother and Good For You are bands that you started. Was it difficult for you to step into a band that has such an established following and history?
I can’t think of anything that’s difficult about it. I’ve known Greg for a long time and we’ve worked together a lot. We’ve written songs together. We’ve toured together before Black Flag. So it’s more about a friendship and a working relationship. It’s not difficult at all.
What is your favorite thing about being in Black Flag?
I like playing live music… in any band. I just love that interaction with an audience. It’s definitely something special to be able to perform these songs. All of them. Every night. Greg is an incredible songwriter, the music and lyrics… it's just incredible. The material is very meaningful. If anything was difficult it would be trying to wrap your head around that material but it was easy, in a sense, because the material was so good.