A Nice Pair: Black Flag

Sunday at Backbeat means it’s time for A Nice Pair. This week we’re pairing the book The Hard Times: The First 40 Years by the writers of thehardtimes.net with the album Damaged by Black Flag.

If you’re looking for an entertaining book and have a niche interest in hardcore and punk, this is the book for you. If you want a book that you can easily pick up and put down and just read a page or two at a time (or in this case, an article or two), this book is for you too. The Hard Times is a satirical website and this book features some highlights of their work over the past few years. Check out what George Bush had to say (satirically, of course) about major reforms to the hardcore scene that he hoped to implement, particularly “the revolving door of frontmen” of Black Flag on page 54.

We recommend reading it while listening to Black Flag’s debut album, Damaged, one of the most influential punk records ever made and the one that put Henry Rollins on the map.