Great essay by Zachary Lipez about the recent Black Flag reunions.
“I have no issue with reunion bands,” Lipez writes. ” As elitist as it may be, outside of tickets/albums purchased for the transaction of art, with the expectation that art of some type will occur, I don’t think fans are owed anything. Memories aren’t ‘tarnished’ or ‘destroyed’ (and, motherfucker, if you say ‘raped’ I will straight-up HATE you) by band reunions. That’s not how time works. You’re stepping into a totally different river, if you know what I’m saying. If your memories are so feeble as to be destroyed by old people playing “Damaged” (either ‘I’ or ‘II’) then you are perhaps experiencing dementia and my deepest sympathy goes out to you and your family.”
Read the whole essay at Talkhouse.
Here’s the real thing: