hey there everyone! school started last week for me so i’ve been trying to figure out my schedule. from next week onwards, i will be uploading on wednesdays. thanks for your patience! 🙂
black flag, for those of you who aren’t aware, are one of the most influential hardcore punk groups to come out of the 80s. similarly to minutemen, who i reviewed a few weeks ago here, they were from the SoCal area and formed in 1976. the only constant member of black flag has been lead guitarist greg ginn, but black flag is also known for being involved with henry rollins, a punk legend. i believe they’re the quintessential 80s punk band- everything about them is punk from their diy ethics to their explosive, social-commentary-laden sound.
“TV Party” is a song from their debut album damaged. it’s a three-and-a-half minute blast that revolves around the call-and-response vocals of henry rollins and the other band members that gives it the feel of a house party for the super bowl- well, just like the name suggests. greg ginn accompanies the shouting vocals with snarling riffs to punctuate the refrains and fill in the space while the bass line drives each verse forward. the production is very stripped-down, not quite lo-fi but in line with their rough aesthetic.
listening to this song at first, i thought it was just a fun hype song celebrating parties, beer, and friendship. but read into the lyrics a little, and it’s making fun of all of that. it’s making fun of the superficiality of social activities- instead of sitting down and talking to one another, we’re now giving patronage to stores and channels and substituting some kind of collective satisfaction for human connection. and i could also go on to talk about how this satirizes consumerism. speaking of consumerism, this song seriously reminded me of repo man, a 1984 movie about 80s punks that criticizes consumerism- and, what the hell, it is in repo man, and i never knew about it! at the request of director alex cox, black flag actually rerecorded the song for the movie.
overall, it’s a fun and catchy song that’s a lot more profound than i ever expected. which is just what punk should be- socially conscious and sharp but made for the masses.
p.s., i’m linking the repo man version to the song this time. enjoy!
q-street 