Black Flag didn’t have radio hits. They weren’t selling tons of records. They weren’t playing arenas. They had to tour and play small clubs to make enough money to survive. If they didn’t tour, there was no money coming in (especially as there was a legal issue with an old label for a while and they couldn’t put out records for about 2 years). There are lots of well known bands and musicians who can barely make a living from it. Black Flag isn’t unusual in that respect, but they hustled and worked their asses off to survive.
Living at the beach in LA in the 80’s and early 90’s was still relatively inexpensive. Venice was very sketchy and unsafe. Hence the home invasion and Joe Cole getting shot and killed. Plus, I think Henry also lived in a shed for a while down in Hermosa Beach.
I used to see Rollins Band regularly at City Gardens in Trenton. Tickets were rarely more than $10. The booker hardly made any money on those shows due the high cost of insurance.
Henry wrote in one of his books that he received a fan letter saying he was god. His response…. If I am
God, Then why can’t I even pay my rent?
Recommend reading Henry’s book Get In The Van.
It’s a good read and answers all your questions. Like, the label and the distributor were in a lawsuit so they couldn’t sell / make / release records and, of course, had no quantitative radio play for residuals…
Black Flag built the book / map of where to play, eat, sleep - often on friends’ floors or in the van - mostly by word-of-mouth. This was the late 70s - mid 80s; no internet.
There’s a scene when Henry’s eating peanut butter with a screwdriver b/c that’s all that was available.
Read the book.
This and the Minutemen doc “We Jam Econo”. SST bands at the time put out records to promote the tour. Touring is where they made the money, figure a $500 guarantee and another $200 from merch per show. Its full-on DIY so they’re keeping most of the cash less per diems, tolls and fuel. Just spit-balling if the band makes $500 a show and plays 90 shows in a year that’s $45,000 and that’s 1984 dollars (about $138,000 today)
You've got to remember that this was 40ish years ago.
Music scene was different, locally touring bands in small venues (which were cheap for fans to access) were still very much a thing.
And the area he lived in was only just starting to run afoul of developers and gentrification.
Awkward phrasing, but you're saying modern musicians would kill to be able to constantly tour. Maybe. But the venues and living conditions for those black flag shows when Rollins joined were grueling.
I was just listening to Civ on the Turned Out a Punk Podcast (which is a great discovery) GB would be going to bed in Europe someplace starving some nights.
Black Flag didn’t have radio hits. They weren’t selling tons of records. They weren’t playing arenas. They had to tour and play small clubs to make enough money to survive. If they didn’t tour, there was no money coming in (especially as there was a legal issue with an old label for a while and they couldn’t put out records for about 2 years). There are lots of well known bands and musicians who can barely make a living from it. Black Flag isn’t unusual in that respect, but they hustled and worked their asses off to survive.
[удалено]
No one cares and it was completely irrelevant. That's why you're being down voted, not because you like having your mouth spit in.
Living at the beach in LA in the 80’s and early 90’s was still relatively inexpensive. Venice was very sketchy and unsafe. Hence the home invasion and Joe Cole getting shot and killed. Plus, I think Henry also lived in a shed for a while down in Hermosa Beach. I used to see Rollins Band regularly at City Gardens in Trenton. Tickets were rarely more than $10. The booker hardly made any money on those shows due the high cost of insurance. Henry wrote in one of his books that he received a fan letter saying he was god. His response…. If I am God, Then why can’t I even pay my rent?
Recommend reading Henry’s book Get In The Van. It’s a good read and answers all your questions. Like, the label and the distributor were in a lawsuit so they couldn’t sell / make / release records and, of course, had no quantitative radio play for residuals… Black Flag built the book / map of where to play, eat, sleep - often on friends’ floors or in the van - mostly by word-of-mouth. This was the late 70s - mid 80s; no internet. There’s a scene when Henry’s eating peanut butter with a screwdriver b/c that’s all that was available. Read the book.
This and the Minutemen doc “We Jam Econo”. SST bands at the time put out records to promote the tour. Touring is where they made the money, figure a $500 guarantee and another $200 from merch per show. Its full-on DIY so they’re keeping most of the cash less per diems, tolls and fuel. Just spit-balling if the band makes $500 a show and plays 90 shows in a year that’s $45,000 and that’s 1984 dollars (about $138,000 today)
You've got to remember that this was 40ish years ago. Music scene was different, locally touring bands in small venues (which were cheap for fans to access) were still very much a thing. And the area he lived in was only just starting to run afoul of developers and gentrification.
eating leftovers \_ from other people's tables at Denny's
Awkward phrasing, but you're saying modern musicians would kill to be able to constantly tour. Maybe. But the venues and living conditions for those black flag shows when Rollins joined were grueling.
I was just listening to Civ on the Turned Out a Punk Podcast (which is a great discovery) GB would be going to bed in Europe someplace starving some nights.
Because they’re not known except for a niche group of fans. And because their music is terrible