By Any Means: A Brief History of Black Flag (Part 1: 1976-1980) 

Wow! I want to say THANK YOU to everyone who has discovered the video and gave such wonderful feedback! This video nearly quadrupled in views over a weekend and I don't know how you all discovered it, but I'm so happy that you did. I just want to let you all know that I am actively working on Part 2 and will work to get it out as soon as possible, while also not rushing until I feel that it's as good as it can be. Part 1 I put out when I did because I wanted to hit a specific--albeit arbitrary--deadline which was the 40th anniversary of the original Moose Lodge gig. I have a full time job and I am a father of two young kids, so I don't get to spend as much time on this as I would like, but I am working on it whenever I can. Thank you all again and I can't wait to show you Part 2!

I met Dez last January, he’s a really nice man! I asked him to sign my Black Flag album and he took one look at it, smiled said “Who the fuck are these guys?” We laughed and then he signed the album and I took a photo with him. Coolest musician I ever met!

saw black flag in 1984 for $4

One of my all time favorites. First heard them at my birthday party. “Who’s got the 10 and 1/2?” It changed my life.

Seriously awesome job on this doc. The footage and pictures you found are amazing. It needed to be done for exactly the reason you stated. This band is criminally not acclaimed and so little is actually known about them. Looking forward to part 2.

Outstanding! Part 2! Part 2! Part 2! Never thought I'd see this. I juuuust missed them live, I was a year too young to drive to them :-(

I went to "The Church" in Hermosa when it was still a functioning Baptist church, in its waning days in the early 70s when it was struggling and on life support with about a dozen parishioners. Then it was shuttered and reopened as a hippie arts & crafts co-op. Eventually it closed and the next time I visited was around late 79-early '80 with a friend to see a bro of his, Ron Reyes, who was living in a high cupboard in the basement. Keith I knew from Platterpuss Records in Manhattan Beach, where he was the youngest of a group of prog rock fans into bands like early Genesis w/ Peter Gabriel. When I heard "Wasted" I had to laugh; Keith had come a long way from his Genesis days!

This is straight up THE ILLEST Black Flag Doc ever made... I grew up in O.C. and they are my favorite punk group of ALL TIME... Good job, and I look forward to part 2! Henry... Props to Keith, Dez, Chuck, Chavo, Greg, Robo, Bill, Kira...

Ever since I listened to Damaged in a Kroger parking lot in suburbia during High School, Black Flag has been engrained in me. So very happy n stoked to hear there beginnings unravel in this video series! You rule! 🤓🤘🏽💥

Gimme Gimme Gimme, I need some more! (Part 2)

fantastic job. this is as close as we'll get to a definitive doc on the band. can't wait to see part two, and the hank era... you'll have a LOT to cover.

This is so cool I grew up in Manhattan Beach and had no idea about most of this. They still do those concerts in polliwog park and they still only have crappy cover bands.

ROLLINS so much fun to listen to. keithmorris was BORN to be FIRED

Excellent content my guy. I haven't even researched into all of the sources you have. Now I don't have to lol.

As someone who blindly bought Black Flag records circa 1980 and new nothing about the band, thank you for this.

As a high kid and young adult, Black Flag were my inspiration. I couldn't even see them here in LA as they played very little. I finally saw them in 84, and later after that, but I missed out on their earliest incarnations. As a 55 year old now, they don't seem as important in my life, not even musically, but without them I would not have turned out like I did.

Age 23, I was struggling in a band and working at a CD Shop. Get In The Van came across the counter - someone wanted to trade it in for cash. I bought it myself, I didn't love Rollins, but I didn't know much about him. Get In The Van changed my life. I suddenly knew I was cool with Hank. So I was watching this, decades later, now. And I had to go check out the David Ackles album. Man. That's some awesome stuff. Dark, but wow. I'm pretty sure that guy must have influenced Nick Cave, or something. Wow. I'm still in the van. But it's my van. Rise Above!

Grrrrrrrr! I was ready for part 2 to be there lol. Awesome documentary so far man. Its rad.

Superbly done....Thanks Aaron!

Tribute to punk rock death was the first punk rock band from Detroit :) ..

Fantastic...come on, Part II!

great job man! cant wait for pt 2

Great video - very well done! Can't wait for part 2.

Saw them at Heartbreak Hotel in St. Louis in 1980 (???)... damn do I miss those days!!!

Excellent! Great many thank for putting this together, appreciated 👍

Great video on a great band

You should do a Part 3 on modern Black Flag and just have it be 15 minutes of random theramin noise over Mike Valelley skateboarding.

Well done! 👍

Man, AWESOME!!!

Where is Pt 2? Nice production/post job. Cheers!

Morris did some good shit in his life. Sentences seem to be a challenge.

Awesome.

This is cool! Black Flag is Badass!

Dude! Part 2, post-haste!

Good stuff!!

Greg "i will sue you but Black Flag" Ginn...yikes

The last 50 seconds were heavy

Part 2!!!

Even though Fugazi is S.E. and under 18s in Ireland are allowed in pubs. Why were they able to get them to stop serving during their gigs?

I'm not sure about the premise. Black Flag were there own thing, okay, but I was there at the heart of it and I really can't remember many around me wanting to be the next Black Flag.

Great stuff!

Great job my dude

This was good. When is part 2 going up?

Amazing, i love black flag so much

I met Henry in 2016 in a small town called Lismore for his one man show in the state of New South Wales, Australia and he's completely different to what he once was, now he's a "progressive" someone like that back in the day Henry would've personally destroyed, now I just LMAO at what he's become. My favorite Rollin's quote: "People don't change, they just learn to disguise themselves better" said on The Dennis Miller Show. I truly think Henry didn't change just for change, he was told to or he'd never sell-out another show nowadays if he wasn't PC, what a mistake. I have a picture on my website of this meeting if you doubt my honesty, peace.

Thank youuuuuuuuu!!!!

Not putting up part 2 is so punk!

I am stoked that the very first thing you show is my painted 'four bars' backdrop. Yep, believe it or not I painted that fucking backdrop! This cut was recorded at Target Video in San Francisco, just after Henry had joined the band. My band's (Sick Pleasure/Code of Honor) guitarist, Mike Fox, had his little recording/rehearsal studio in back of Target, and he usually took care of the sound side of recordings made there. I had enjoyed making a backdrop for our Sick Pleasure videos, so I offered to make one for this session and Joe (Rees - Target) was into it. I remember I had laid it out on the floor, masked it up and was in the middle of filling in the bars when the band arrived. Rollins came right over and said "Wow, that's the biggest one I've ever seen!" Thanks Henry, I'll put that away, but what do you think of the backdrop? Anyway, the way those shoots were done was that they would have a closed session in the afternoon and then open the doors for a live set on the same night. That way you could use the sound from the early shoot and cut the video from the live shoot into it. It worked pretty well. So ... fucking cool. Sal Paradise (ex- Sick Pleasure/Code of Honor etc. drummer)

Rise █ █ █ █ Above!

This is an important historical document. Thank you for putting in the hours to make this!

"Change scares anyone who's part of the existing structure." Indeed

Ron was barely in the band but I loved him. Like yes Henry is the icon but I do love his vocals and energy. It's very different than anyone else.

Hahaha. Rumors era Fleetwood Mac covers. Man, I can see those promoters saying to each other "I thought you said...." "That's what he TOLD me."

Every time i hear the opening chords to "nervous breakdown" it sends a rush of dopamine throughout my body. For 20 years, nothing sets me free like this. My broken back, 34 year old body feels like im 14 again skateboarding.

I love Black Flag but one of the things that appealed to me was the raw sound. It sure didn't sound like they were practicing for 3+ hours every day.

I just spent a half hour looking at some of the Pettibon fliers. Wow. He really had so much to do with the band image and identity.

can't wait for part 2!

Was always fascinated by Ginn. Seems like a weird dude, but he could make a guitar screech, howl and disorientate like no other guitar player. Very underrated and influential player!

Greg pay your fellow band mates royalties!

Thanks for Your contribution to Punk Rock History. I was 16 in 1980 living in Glendale Calif. and was able to see Black Flag many times when they played in and around Hollywood. This brought back many fun and fond memories. And yes You are correct, L.A.P.D. did attend EVERY venue that B.F. played. Never inside, always outside waiting for "US" to leave. I was way more afraid of getting stomped by them than thrashing in the Slam Pit.

What a fantastic doco. Your full time job should be in film. There are now lots of cut and paste jobs about early punk/hardcore on RU-vid, but this is clearly the work of a talented individual. First time I have subscribed to anything or anyone. Can't wait to see what you do next.

Outstanding. I hope you get the chance to tell the whole story someday.

17 minutes of awesome ! Thank you

I guess I could add a few details to the earlier years ... I moved across the street from Gary McDaniels in San Pedro suburbia back in 1976. He was a few years older and was finishing up his time at UCSB. He was in a band with guitarist Ed Danky called Wurm, and my brother and I would usually be their roadies. I was heavy into Led Zeppelin-type rock but Gary turned us on to Iggy Pop which opened a whole new way of looking at music. It was an amusing time, because Gary and Ed would rent these commercial office spaces so they could use it as a living space and band practice area. This included the "penthouse" in Long Beach, and the old Mermaid Theater in San Pedro, and police interaction was a common occurrence. I graduated from High School in 1977 so when the band found an old bathhouse right on the strand in Hermosa Beach I moved in with them, knocking out a few bath stall walls to make a room. The "living spaces", if you could call them that, were upstairs, and downstairs there were three big rooms, two of which were used for band practice. Wurm used one of the rooms, and then Greg Ginn and Panic came to rent the other room. While I liked Gary's band, Panic had an edge, and it was hard not to notice Keith, who would bounce off the wall and furniture, and often urinate on either or both. The highlight of the time there for me was when they had a birthday party for Gary's wild girlfriend Tertia. By that time we had all become locals of the Hollywood punk scene, so the bands invited to play at the party included the Weirdos and the Germs. Bobby Pin, as Darby Crash was known at that time, was of course wasted, so the set was pretty trashed, as he continually pulled out his mike and attacked the crowd, including my sister, who he pulled around by the hair. Joan Jett even made an appearance, much to my surprise and pleasure. Later on Keith and I got in a dishwasher soap fight and that's about all I remember ... I moved out before the bands merged, so I never lived with Black Flag, but years later my college punk band opened for them, and they all stayed out my house that night. I still talk with Gary off and on to this day, but unfortunately Keith doesn't seem to remember me anymore. I'm going to see Black Flag in a few weeks, and I'll see if Greg remembers me, but I doubt it, he was the biggest stoner of them all.

Thank you it's about time someone gave the proper credit to this legendary band

LOL, I learned more about this band in 16 minutes than I did my whole life!

I have never been happier for something to show up in my recommended feed. I cannot wait for part two!! Keep up the good work man!

The box truck with the bars on the back was painted right in front of me at the venue in Enfield Connecticut where I had booked them twice

Brilliant! I would buy a DVD copy of this if ever made!

Bro.... I can't explain to you my disappointment when the RU-vid auto play went to the next random video and not part two of this video, like RU-vid would normally do. Please, hurry....

I just realized a black flag is for classic anarchist...i feel like my eyes have been closed for 30 yrs

This is GREAT! Black Flag is very important to me, (yes I have a 'bars tattoo!) thank you for your hard work, it's excellent

This Nearly Produced Tears To My Eyes - Fantastic Work Here!

That was really good....plenty I didn’t know and pictures never seen. (Black Flag fan since 82)

Nervous breakdown changed my life.

This was when music was still dangerous. It's VERY rarely so these days, unfortunately. That said, I am afraid of Imagine Dragons. ;-)

When Part 2 is ready, we'll be ready. Thank you very much for your effort!!

Commenting for the algorithm and to say thanks for making this

Wait...there was NO DISTORTION on Nervous Breakdown!?

Dude you didn't talk about how Robo join the band? He changed their sound.

Saw them in 84, 85 and 86 - all with Henry.

That was great. I knew most of it as a Black Flag nerd, but I didn't know that they were covered on NBC. Also, love the Dukowski trip: intellectual, intense, awesome.

Great Job Aaron!

Chuck Dukowski was such as important member of that band. Henry always name checks him, and with good reason.

“My head was fine, but the brick cracked in half.”

their riffs are crushing, memorable, and PUNK. no overt techinal waffle just straight raw goodnes. black fukin flag

Dude this is rad! Really excited for part 2!

There's no part II yet? I need it. I want it. Must have it.

Awesome documentary. Unlike most RU-vid band documentaries, that have a dry delivery of facts by a creator who most likely doesn't have the passion for the music because they're just about pumping out the next short money making vid; I can hear the passion and excitement when your talking about the band. Thank you for doing what others couldn't or wouldn't. Sometimes I feel I've got to tell Skinny Puppy's story, for the he same reason you made this cool video. I'm looking forward to part two if you ever want to make it.

I am so happy that my very first girlfriend hipped me to this band way back in 1985 -- I wish I could have seen them live.

You've done a really a nice job of this. I'm sure part 2 will be worth the wait.

Please upload the rest of the story...I BEG YOU

Is it even a punk doc, if Keith Morris isn’t in it?!

This is very enjoyable. Great job, friend.

Watched 2 first. Loved the way you brought it home, and the band sounded great! Part 3? Never a Henry fan, but you need to get Ginn for us. Good luck brother, you did a great job!

As a kid I never knew anything about Black Flag, except they were supposedly really good. I remember wanting to know what punk music was and actually being sort of afraid of it, I eventually listened to Damaged and it was my favorite album for the next several months. Took a while to get into the rest but they’re undeniably still incredibly important to any and all punk adjacent music. Even though it couldn’t be a full movie, this video’s awesome, the lack of information on Black Flag is kinda shocking considering their fame. Even today it isn’t that much

Dez and Rollins best singers. They brought the party factor of the band up to a full scale riot band!

I hope you can do some stuff about Prog rock

I just want to say "Finally! (someone took it upon themselves to make a docu of the true REAL punkband of all time)"! Thank you, been waiting on something like this for 17 years! Black Flag is one of my biggest influences and I found so many bands related to them, the altrock movement and later grunge and so on. Gregg Ginn is one of the most underrated songwriters (and guitarplayers) of rock history! Cant wait for the next part! Again thank you and great job! :)

Excellent documentary! I seen Black Flag with Henry a few times in the 80's in Detroit.