{"id":170,"date":"2011-03-29T00:12:01","date_gmt":"2011-03-29T04:12:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/slightest\/?p=170"},"modified":"2011-03-29T00:27:17","modified_gmt":"2011-03-29T04:27:17","slug":"and-then-they-put-you-in-left-center-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com\/slightest\/2011\/03\/29\/and-then-they-put-you-in-left-center-field\/","title":{"rendered":"And Then They Put You In Left-Center Field"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ex-Black Flag, ex-Circle Jerks frontman Keith Morris on the existential motivations of late-70s\/early-80s punk<\/a>:<\/p>\n

"Black Flag didn't know it was a punk band. We were frustrated, stressed, angry. We were the last guys picked in P.E. class for softball teams. That's what all of this is about."<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

Exactly! That's what should drive rock — getting picked last in PE — not stuff like, I don't know, religion, politics or whatever else that takes the fun out of rock. No one really wants to Rage Against The Machine — they want to Rage Against Being Last Picked In PE.<\/p>\n

I've thought that Keith Morris was the best Black Flag vocalist of the — checking Wikipedia<\/a> — I think four they had — including Henry Rollins, who is now the most famous of anyone involved in that band. Morris' whiny voice totally fit the simple songs and complemented Black Flag's SKRONK! and YARR! sounds. (Also of note: according to some<\/a>, apparently guitarist Greg Ginn eschewed tube amps for solid state ones that emphasized the CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK-CHUNK SKRONK! sound; this makes me feel good because I never had enough money to own a tube amp and felt uncool for years because of it.)<\/p>\n

Take a listen for yourself . . .<\/p>\n

Here's the Black Flag classic "Gimme Gimme Gimme" with Keith Morris (1977 demo):<\/p>\n