History Literature / GetInTheVan

* GenreAdultery: [[invoked]] What some of their fans thought Flag was during their last few years. The band grew their hair long (a no-no in punk rock due to the HairMetal rivalry) and their music became more complex and included longer songs, including a lot of jazz and heavy metal.

* FaceOfTheBand: Invoked. He describes being uncomfortable being this, as he puts it, "It was Greg's band." Greg however was rather shy and being the big muscular screaming guy out front kind of takes the spotlight, which Greg was happy to acquiesce.

* BuffetBuffoonery: A hilarious tale of Henry and Mutt going into Carl's Jr. and abusing their salad bar, which you could take as much as you wanted in one trip. However, they eschewed the salad bowl, instead filling the ''entire tray'' with food, as much as they could humanly put on it. The management glared at them, but they looked too scary to approach.

* MistakenForSubculture: Often when Henry was bald during the early years, for a neo-Nazi skinhead. Once saw a swastika spray painted on a car and he and Mutt (also bald at the time) started laughing at it, only to have the poor owner (who probably wasn't happy about the "decoration" in the first place) come out and yell at them, thinking they were getting off on the artwork.

* SixthRanger: Henry essentially says lone roadie Mutt was this. Members of Flag formed a side project with him that would often open for the band proper.

* GenreAdultery: What some of their fans thought Flag was during their last few years. The band grew their hair long (a no-no in punk rock) and their music became more complex and included longer songs, including a lot of jazz and heavy metal.

* MotorMouth: Bassist of Music/TheMinutemen Mike Watt was described as this by Henry, who becomes annoyed with his constant babble when they share a van during a tour together.

* KarmaHoudini: In an early trip to the U.K., Henry found himself surrounded by members of the punk band Chelsea while trying to sleep backstage, as their singer Gene October began to "accidentally" kick him every time he walked by, then proceeded to belittle his band and intimidate him while he was alone surrounded by brit punkers. Years later at a punk festival in the U.K., Gene would wander drunk into Black Flag's dressing room only to realize and remember their previous encounter, only now with the tables turned.

''Get in the Van'' is the recollections and journals of Music/HenryRollins' time in the seminal hardcore punk band Music/BlackFlag from 1981 to 1986. Starting off with his memories from a decade later of the early years (before he kept a journal), the book then switches to journal entries from his days on the road on tour, from backstage at shows, in various crash houses with fans who put the band up, in the titular van, and some from "The Shed," a literal tool / garden shed he lived in in the backyard of guitarist Greg Ginn's parent's house.

It's not all a downer though. In between, there are funny stories and anecdotes, and a great POV on the recording of Black Flag's most famous album ''Damaged.'' There are many rare pictures of the band performing, of Rollins and his various looks throughout those years, plus band fliers and artwork.

* FaceOfTheBand: Invoked. He describes being uncomfortable being this, as he puts it, "It was Greg's [Ginn] band." Greg however was rather shy and being the big muscular screaming guy out front kind of takes the spotlight, which Greg was happy to acquiesce.

* {{Sellout}}: One of the constant accusations hurled at them by "fans" as well as becoming "rock stars." This was a band that didn't have two nickels to rub together, slept at fans' houses and ripped off Carl's Jr. for food.

* BadCopIncompetentCop: Described in spades. The police throughout the country were ''terrified'' of punk rockers during this era (Black Flag especially had a bad reputation with them), and harassed, beat and illegally detained punkers and bands, along with having shows shut down constantly. Henry describes over a dozen scary moments dealing with them.

* {{Motormouth}}: Bassist of Music/TheMinutemen Mike Watt was described as this by Henry, who becomes annoyed with his constant babble when they share a van during a tour together.

* ThoseWackyNazis: Describes several encounters with these (of the neo skinhead variety), especially in Europe.
* WorkingWithTheEx: Not explicitly stated, but Kira Roessler was Henry's girlfriend at one point before she joined the band. Their tensions with each other spill out in a few entries during her time in the band.

''Get in the Van'' is the recollections and journals of Music/HenryRollins' time in the seminal hardcore punk band Music/BlackFlag from 1981 to 1986. Starting off with his memories from a decade later of the early years (before he kept a journal), the book then switches to journal entries from his days on the road on tour, from backstage at shows, in various crash houses with fans who put the band up, in the titular van, and some from "The Shed", a literal tool/garden shed he lived in in the backyard of guitarist Greg Ginn's parent's house.

* {{Sellout}}: One of the constant accusations hurled at them by "fans" as well as becoming "rock stars." This was a band that didn't have two nickels to rub together, slept at fans' houses and ripped off Carl's Jr. for food. [[SarcasmMode Yeah, they were really living the high life.]]

* DudeLooksLikeALady: A hilarious tale of Henry's 25th birthday show, played at a bar that was a transgender hang out after the musical act. Describes watching punkers mix with transgendered women, a drunk cop coming in looking for his "black boy," and being hit on by "Peaches," which he found hilarious (and even put her on his lap and had a conversation with).

''Get in the Van'' is the recollections and journals of {{Henry Rollins}}' time in the seminal hardcore punk band Music/BlackFlag from 1981 to 1986. Starting off with his memories from a decade later of the early years (before he kept a journal), the book then switches to journal entries from his days on the road on tour, from backstage at shows, in various crash houses with fans who put the band up, in the titular van, and some from "The Shed", a literal tool/garden shed he lived in in the backyard of guitarist Greg Ginn's parent's house.

''Get in the Van'' is the recollections and journals of {{Henry Rollins}}' time in the seminal hardcore punk band Music/BlackFlag from 1981 to 1986 Starting off with his recollections from a decade later of the early years before he kept a journal, the book then switches to journal entries from his days on the road on tour, from backstage at shows, in various crash houses from fans who put the band up, in the titular van, and some from "The Shed", a literal tool/garden shed he lived in in the backyard of guitarist Greg Ginn's parent's house.

It's not all a downer tho. In between, there are funny stories and ancedotes, not to mention a great POV on the recording of Black Flag's most famous album ''Damaged.'' There are many rare pictures of the band performing, of Rollins and his various looks throughout those years, plus band fliers and artwork.

* TheAllegedCar: The titular van(s). Many tales of them breaking down on the way to a gig, running out of gas and having no money for more, getting broken into, etc. Basically, Black Flag tore the ''hell'' out of many rental vans and U-hauls.
* AscendedFanboy: Henry describes early in the book how friend (and later front man for Fugazi) Ian Mc Kay gave him a Black Flag EP and how the band quickly became one of his favorites. He and Ian would get in contact with the band, become friends and hang out with them (and put them up) when they passed through Washington D.C. Famously, he describes taking a train to see them play in New York. During their second show that night, Henry had to leave to catch a train back because he had work in the morning. He asked them to play ''Clocked In'' for him before he left. In a moment spontaneity, he jumped onstage to sing the song, and the band let him. A few days later, he got a call from them asking to audition to be their singer, as their current one was moving to guitar. The rest is history (and this book).
* BadCopIncompetentCop: Described in spades. The police throughout the country were ''terrified'' of punk rockers during this era (Black Flag especially had a bad reputation with them), and harrased, beat and illegally detained punkers and bands, along with having shows shut down constantly. Henry describes over a dozen scary moments dealing with them.

* CelebrityCameo: Several descriptions of running into other famous musicians. Particularly [[DeadKennedys Jello Biafra]], once accidentally landing on him stage diving ("Sorry about that chief") and once seeing him in a restaurant and going in and eating his food (he didn't seem to mind). Another time hearing some band in rehearsal that kept playing songs by Music/TheMisfits and him wandering down to the stage only to discover Glenn Danzig and his band were actually there.
* DeletedScene: There are no entries other than a brief paragraph for 1983. The band was essentially on a kind of hiatus due to a legal battle with their record distributor at the time.

* FaceOfTheBand: Invoked. He describes being uncomfortable being this, as he puts it, "It was Greg's [Ginn] band." Greg however was rather shy and being the big muscular screaming guy out front kind of takes the spotlight, which Greg was happy to acqueiesce.

* {{Motormouth}}: Lead singer of The Minutemen Mike Watt was described as this by Henry, who becomes annoyed with his constant babble when they share a van during a tour together.

* RevolvingDoorBand: The last few years of Black Flag's existance. It's hard to keep up with the changing names in the book by the end, as he and Greg were the only stable members since Henry joined (and Henry was the ''fourth'' singer by the by).

* WorkingWithTheEx: Not explicitly stated, but Kira Roessler was Henry's girlfriend at one point before she joined the band. Their tensions with each other spill out in a few entries during her time in the band.
* WrongGenreSavvy: So some of their fans thought Flag was during their last few years. The band grew their hair long (a no-no in punk rock) and their music became more complex and included longer songs, including a lot of jazz and heavy metal.

* RevolvingDoorBand: The last few years of Black Flag's existance. It's hard to keep up with the changing names in the book by the end, as he and Greg were the only stable members since Henry joined (and Henry was the ''fourth'' singer by the by).

* Sellout: One of the constant accusations hurled at them by "fans" as well as becoming "rock stars." This was a band that didn't have two nickels to rub together, slept at fans' houses and ripped off Carl's Jr. for food. [[SarcasmMode Yeah, they were really living the high life.]]