Photo by Jeanie Pawlowski, courtesy of Feral House.
Annons
Harley Flanagan: I think New York City on a whole is a lot softer. I honestly don't know much about hardcore shows these days, but as time goes on things seem to always lose a little bit of that spark, whatever genre or generation of music it is. In the early days of punk, the bouncers were not really up on slam dancing, stage diving, and moshing. That used to cause a lot of problems at shows; people would get beat up by bouncers and mini-riots would break out. It wasn't as rehearsed back then. It was just spontaneous and it wasn't just the show that was intense. Getting to and from the show was intense too. Just being a punk rocker or a hardcore kid meant you got fucked with a lot on the street. More often than not, hardcore or punk shows weren't in good neighborhoods. The whole experience was pretty intense.
Annons
The internet fucked a lot of things up. It's great you can research and it's easy to find stuff, but in a lot of ways it took the continuity and the natural progression and flow out of things. The early 80s were the last era that was really organic. Now it's such a cut and paste world. In those early days, you had to know where to get the records; it was more exclusive, more tribal. No matter what country or city you went to, there was always a little subculture that knew where the scene was. If you saw someone walking down the street with a mohawk, you'd run to catch up with them to find out what bands they liked. There was an instant bond. Nowadays, it's not as organic, you just have to google it, get a couple of tattoos on your neck, and pretend you're Mr. Hard Ass. We lost the exclusivity of the scenes and it's dummied down the artform.
One of the beautiful things about punk rock was that the people on the stage and the people in the crowd were the same people. The headlining band would be in the crowd watching the openers, and vice-versa. There wasn't that separation between the bands and the fans like there is now. That was more like the arena rock mentality. The Kiss-type fan and all that never appealed to me. Punk rock was more real. As a kid, you don't realize how bizarre your situation is because you don't have any perspective. I wasn't trying to emulate anyone.
Annons
It's weirder for me looking back on it in hindsight as an adult because, at the time, that was just my life and I didn't know any better—I was a kid. For example, there's a picture of me, Andy Warhol, and Joe Strummer. I didn't give a fuck who Andy Warhol was. I don't even think I knew he was standing next to me because I was hanging out with Joe Strummer. I was in awe of The Clash. We were all punk rockers. Sure, they were punk rock royalty, but I felt that we were part of the same community and were on the same page. I didn't really give a flying fuck about all the other famous people that were backstage in the dressing rooms like your Warhol's or your Deniro's. In that picture of me as a kid with Debbie Harry, I just remember the photographer Marcia Resnick saying "Hey Harley, Debbie," and I turned and she took the picture.Did it feel like you were in the midst of greatness? Did you think this movement would blow up like it did?
I never felt in awe of anyone. That was not what punk was about. I was in awe of some performances I saw—The Clash at the Palladium, Bad Brains, so many other great bands—but I was a punk. Punk was by the people, for the people. The bands and the fans were the same people, that's what made punk different. But no, I didn't think it would go "mainstream." Do I care? No, 'cause it's over for me. I still listen to the music, but scenes and genres are for kids. I'm not a kid anymore. I still play what I play, and I still listen to what I listen to. I'm friends with who I'm friends with, but I'm not a part of any "scene." I don't need to be. Hardcore and punk will always be a part of me just based on my contributions to it.
Annons
Well, I wasn't trying to describe myself; it was just a fact. As far as drug escapades, there are too many to mention and you'll have to read the book. For the record, it's not something I'm proud of; it's just something that happened. And it wasn't that I felt a need to fight all the time, but rather that I had to. That was the life I was living. The neighborhood was tough—lots of gangs, lots of crime, and lots of violence. Who knew how long you would survive or what would happen? I certainly didn't. After a while, it became fun.The Cro-Mags seemed destined for fame by the mid-80s, but instead you guys have lived on in infamy. Looking back, what went wrong and what held you guys back from reaching that next level?
Ego got in the way, then greed, and now there's just too much bitterness. I honestly tried everything I could to bring [the Cro-Mags] back together, but we all saw how that worked out. I am at peace with it now. If John [Joseph McGowan, Cro-Mag's frontman] wants to masquerade with his fake Cro-Mags, and Parris [Mitchell Mayhew, Cro-Mag's guitarist] wants to be pissed about the past, then that is that, sadly. That is where it stays. I am happy with my life and can't force them to change their minds or ways. My door is always open. It's not just for them; it's really for the fans and I would be honored to give them one more show.
Annons
I laugh at that whole shit. In some ways, it was almost fun looking back [on that fight]. A room full of people jumped me, I put three of them in the hospital, got arrested, made the papers, while John ran down the stairs like a bitch. It's all laughable. I mean, yeah, I got stabbed, but it was a fight, whatever. I care less and less. I just think it's sad John was such a coward that he caused that to happen. But hey, again, that's why there will never be a real Cro-Mags reunion. Those guys have too many issues, too much baggage, and if he is nutless enough to pull some shit like that, how could it ever happen? It's sad and funny, but I'm over it.See more archival photos of Harley Flanagan and the Cro-Mags below.'Hard-Core: Life of My Own' is out September 27 on Feral House. Pre-order it here.Follow Seth on Twitter.