Line #12 YMMV/BlackFlag


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2	* BrokenBase: Perhaps the most polarizing example of a broken base for a punk band. First, there are camps of fans that prefer either the pre-1984 Flag (consisting of raw fast-paced punk) or the 1984-1986 Flag (which consisted of avant-garde experiments in an attempt to push the band's sound forward). Then, there are fans divided by the singer (either Keith Morris, Dez Cadena, Ron Reyes (who was involuntarily credited by the band as "Chavo Pederast"), or Henry Rollins).
3	* FanonDiscontinuity: Many fans ignore the band's reunion album ''What The...'' and choose to treat the band as having disbanded for good after the Rollins era.
4	* GenreTurningPoint: As one of the foundational HardcorePunk bands, they laid the groundwork for American punk rock's transformation from "loud music played and enjoyed primarily in an [[{{Hipster}} urban, art-school niche]]" to "loud music played and enjoyed primarily by working-class kids who wanted to stick it to the man", accomplishing in America more or less what the Music/SexPistols did in the UK but with a greater focus on do-it-yourself independence and political radicalism.
5	* {{Moe}}: Kira Roessler, the band's former bassist and only female member. She may have been a punk, but she was also tiny and basically looked like any other sweet and innocent teenage girl.
6	* MisaimedFandom: "White Minority" tends to be taken at face value as a song against minorities infiltrating America. Greg Ginn has said the lyrics are meant to be sarcastic, and pointed out the deliberate irony of having a Puerto Rican vocalist (Ron Reyes) sing about "white pride".
7	* {{Narm}} - Side A of ''Family Man''. Some lines are unintentionally hilarious, such as the rat complaining about not being invited to go bowling in "Shed Reading (Rattus Norvegicus)"
8	** The cover of ''What the...''.
9	* SignatureSong - "Rise Above".
10	* TearJerker: "Nothing Left Inside", "Three Nights", and "Scream" from ''My War'' are definitely this. They combine dreary, atonal instrumentals, with Henry Rollins' animalistic screams and powerful lyrics about self-hate. Mark Arm of Music/{{Mudhoney}} said that a live performance of "Nothing Left Inside" moved him to tears.
11	** "Can't Decide", also off of ''My War'', is another song about existential despair
12	** "Life of Pain", "Depression" and "What I See" from ''Damaged''
13	** "Damaged 1" started out as a typical hardcore punk song with angsty lyrics improvised by Dez Cadena. Then, when it was rerecorded for ''Damaged'' with Henry Rollins on vocals, Ginn had the instrumentals slowed down to fit Rollins' vocals. The result is stunning.
14	* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' and ''Series/MondayNightFootball'' are the only shows mentioned in "TV Party" that are still on the air.
15	** And AGAIN on the redo of the song Henry did for the West Memphis 3 record. Only ''Monday Night Football'' survived that one!
16	* VindicatedByHistory: Upon its initial release, ''My War'' proved highly controversial among the band's fans, who hated its Music/BlackSabbath and HeavyMetal-influenced approach. However, the album did prove popular among some fans, especially two people named [[Music/TheMelvins Buzz Osborne]] and [[Music/{{Nirvana}} Kurt Cobain]], for whom the album was a prime influence. Nowadays, with the rise of {{Grunge}}, SludgeMetal, and {{Metalcore}}, ''My War'' has arguably proved to be Black Flag's most influential album.

Context YMMV / BlackFlag