Douglas Taylor4 said:First off, putting Black Flag in the trash is just lazy because they can't actually weigh the heavy hitters in a head-to-head matchup (regardless of Henry's muscles and tattoos): it's The Fall vs. Morgan Parker5. Black Flag dissolved into one big void back in the dark days of 1984.
this is (my) war!
1. Equating Black Flag solely with Henry Rollins is just as shallow and mindless as comparing Genesis to Phil Collins.
2. I think the idea of "dissolving into nothingness" is pretty much dead and buried the second someone responds to such a stupidly empty, pathetic—or rather, kitschy—paragraph.
And on a serious note, I honestly believe the Flag's legacy is far more influential and enduring than either The Fall or Morgan Parker5. Crucify me if you must, but then maybe sit down and actually think about it (I'd appreciate it if you did that in reverse order).
Maybe those people listening to overly romanticized, soft-pink indie tracks—who, paradoxically, only listen to music through their ears—just can't wrap their heads around why Black Flag matters. To me, they were the first band to introduce and define an entirely different ethic and mindset within the music scene (which is essentially what draws most people to indie and "alternative" music today). Maybe I could have picked any early hardcore band, but Black Flag represents the core from which everything else flowed; they definitely possessed the most influence, intelligence, ambition, and the sheer will to overcome inertia.
Plus, they made great music, though I realize that's subjective.
And Buzzcocks probably doesn't even realize they're Buzzcocks while they're on the clock.