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Greg Ginn discusses current Black Flag lineup in new interview.
In a move that sent shockwaves through the punk rock underground, Greg Ginn, the foundational guitarist and primary songwriter of the legendary hardcore band Black Flag, has broken a thirteen-year silence in a new interview, directly addressing the contentious current lineup that operates under the iconic four-bar logo. For over a decade, Ginn has been the Sphinx of the SoCal punk scene, a notoriously recalcitrant figure who has watched from a distance as various former members have embarked on their own tours, playing the classic material in bands like Flag.This interview, therefore, isn't just a casual chat; it's a cultural artifact, a long-awaited dispatch from the man who holds the legal and, many would argue, spiritual keys to the kingdom. Ginn’s perspective is crucial because Black Flag was never just a band; it was a blistering, chaotic force of nature that redefined the boundaries of aggression and DIY ethics, and its legacy is a battleground.The current iteration, which Ginn describes as a legitimate continuation rather than a simple tribute, features him alongside guitarist Mike Vallely, a longtime collaborator and skateboarding icon, a choice that feels philosophically aligned with the band's cross-disciplinary, anti-establishment roots. This stance, however, places him in direct opposition to vocalists like Keith Morris of the Circle Jerks, or Henry Rollins, whose own iconic tenure with the band has cemented a specific, muscular vision of Black Flag in the public consciousness.The debate, then, is a classic punk rock paradox: who has the right to the rage? Is it the founding architect who steered the ship through its most turbulent creative waters, experimenting with jazz and proto-metal inflections on later albums like 'My War' and 'Family Man,' or is it the vocalists who gave a face and a ferocious voice to the anthems, the ones who still carry the physical and emotional scars of the band's brutal touring schedule? Ginn’s re-emergence reframes this entire debate not as a simple feud, but as a fundamental question about artistic ownership and the very soul of a musical movement. He isn't just defending a lineup; he's defending a narrative, asserting that the evolutionary path he charted for the band—from the raw, breakneck speed of 'Nervous Breakdown' to the sludgy, dissonant explorations of 'In My Head'—is the true, unbroken lineage.For fans, this interview is like unearthing a lost track from the 'Damaged' sessions; it provides a crucial, missing piece of context, offering Ginn’s side of a story that has been told and retold by everyone else for years. It forces a re-evaluation of the band's complex history, reminding us that Black Flag was always more than just one member, and that its enduring, fractious legacy is perhaps the most punk rock thing about it.
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