What gives? All I ever read are unsatisfying tidbits about how they were the greatest fucking hardcore band ever, but then they (especially H.R.) turned into über-assholes, calling the Big Boys fags and stealing their weed, etc. etc. etc. While they may not deserve a reprieve for Soul Brains (*shudder*), don't they deserve a well researched, thoughtful, exhaustive biography (or at least a discographical review on markprindle.com for Christ's sake)?
Anyone know of one I have missed? Anyone working on it as I type?
― Ryan McKay, Tuesday, 14 January 2003 15:42 (twenty-three years ago)
I don't know of one, but I'd definitely love to read one....I had the chance to meet them back in the early 90's (end of 91? begining of 92? it was well after 'Quickness' was released but 'Rise' was not yet out) my friend's band opened for them in Toronto and Hamilton and they were all very cool & totally nice.
― CretanBull (CretanBull), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 15:55 (twenty-three years ago)
While it's not exclusively dedicated to the Bad Brains, you might want to seek out "American Hardcore" by Steven Blush, which is an oral history inna "Please Kill Me" stylee. Go fetch.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 14 January 2003 16:54 (twenty-three years ago)
Thanks Alex, I bought that the day it came out. The chapter "How Low Can A Punk Get?" is about them. While a good read, its pretty one sided. I found this to be dissatisfying as half of it is various punks (from Beastie Boys to MDC) talking about how the Bad Brains made great music but had fucked up political and religious beliefs, were homophobic, racist, thieving dopers, etc.
What irritates me so much is that they are only thought of for their contribution to hardcore, with no consideration of their background in jazz, reggae, or dub...something punk bands from the late 70s were lauded for (e.g. The Clash, Pere Ubu, etc), although this influence was obviously less popular in the U.S.
Also, it is worth looking into why they were boycotted by venues, bands, and fans across the U.S. for a few years, where I can think of no other punk band that received the same condemnation despite similarities in misbehavior. There were plenty of other bands that were just as bad if not worse on a personal level than the Bad Brains...I think their relationship to the emerging American "scene" was quite a bit more complicated than 'they smoked weed, preached Jah, and disrespected other bands...so you shouldn't listen to them.'
Did their being black cause problems? Was their recognized musical superiority an issue? Were they vilified because of their flirtations with success (working with Ric Ocasek, Ron St. Germain, and other industry big wigs)?
What was the motivation for playing shows with people like Sun Ra?
Also if all these events and rumors are true, what happened to H.R. that lead to his disavowel of the community he helped to initialize?
Is anyone else here curious about these things, or is the consensus that they had the chops but "something just went wrong," THE END?
― Ryan McKay, Wednesday, 15 January 2003 03:43 (twenty-three years ago)
Also, did they ever tour abroad? If so, what was their reception like in Europe/England?
― Ryan McKay, Wednesday, 15 January 2003 03:47 (twenty-three years ago)
I agree, Ryan. To judge the band merely through the filter of hardcore is to do them a grave disservice (as they were waaaaaay more versatile than your average hardcore band ala Kraut, Ch3, MDC -- all of whom I loved, by the way). The fact that they happened to be black was just the tip of the iceberg. They completely deserve their own book, as they were one of the most influential yet wildly misunderstood/unsung bands out there.
Blush's book is completely one-sided. I mean, talk about preaching to the converted. While still quite informative, he wasn't really catering to the layperson, was he.
― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 15 January 2003 15:20 (twenty-three years ago)
The stuff about them in "Dance of Days" is great. I think it's a much more enjoyable read than "American Hardcore" or really anything that I've read which talks about Bad Brains. "Dance of Days" is entirely about DC so you get a whole lot of Bad Brains, and also a whole lot of Dischord which is also quite a good story. Still, if anyone wrote a full Bad Brains book, I'd be the first to read it.
― sammy, Wednesday, 15 January 2003 15:41 (twenty-three years ago)