CHUCK DUKOWSKI of BLACK FLAG circa 1982 on my IG

CHUCK DUKOWSKI (the heart and soul) of BLACK FLAG playing at the backstage of some theater around august 1982 is my best estimate. It was a weird venue that i can't remember the name of. The show was fucking incredible, when Black Flag was a five piece and Chuck Biscuits was drumming (Henry vox, Duke bass, Dez rhythm guitar, and Ginn lead guitar)... A peak time for Black Flag in my mind... This shirt Chuck is wearing was new and about as hard core as you could get at the time (the Raymond Pettibone, Police Story flyer).. This photograph is pretty rare, but several from this evening have been published over the years (including in my original MY RULES photozine) and the best of them in the MY RULES book... The book is huge, 324 pages, 13wide x 11.5tall, weighs in at almost 8 pounds, indeed a heavyweight. The best of my books FUCK YOU HEROES and FUCK YOU TOO + about 30% more you've never seen, all bigger and better than ever! Then there's the essays from 22 of my incredible subjects on what inspired them to get to that point in time when i worked with them. INSPIRING! #BlackFlag #ChuckDukowski #FLAG #integrity #hardcorePunk #hardcoreCalifornia #BASS #Pettibone #PoliceStory #RaymondPettibone #WhatISee #DAMAGED #NoMore #photography #lovewhatyoudo #LearningNeverStops #inspiration #punk #punkrock #rebels #FuckYouHeroes #skateboarding #hiphop #politics #DogTown #GoldenEra #intense #GetTheNewBook From you local bookstore or if you can't get it there, get it online, you won't be disappointed. And if you already got it, spread the inspiration!

A post shared by glen E. friedman Ⓥ (@glenefriedman) on Feb 4, 2016 at 1:54pm PST

Chuck Dukowski - BLACK FLAG very rare photograph on my instagram feed

CHUCK DUKOWSKI of BLACK FLAG at practice somewhere in the SouthBay section of Los Angeles, early 1982. I was lucky enough to have sat in on practice with Black Flag many times, even made photos a few times. Now ordinarily one would think at practice what are you gonna shoot some corny portraits? or half ass playing tuning? and writing? FUCK NO ... BLACK FLAG WERE BRINGING IT! Like their lives depended on it! 6-8 hour days of practice, often, their practice could be more intense than a gig!! so eventually i decided to bring my camera a few times. This practice was especially intense, i shot an amazing roll of film here or maybe even two, made some incredible photographs including the iconic image of Henry that was used on the cover of SPRAY PAINT THE WALLS (The Story of Black Flag) as well as classics of Greg and another of Chuck with that crazy mustache, when the head of his base smashed the flash off the top of my camera. They were my favorite band of the era and Dukowski was the heart and soul of that band to me. A real badass. Intelligent. A few weeks ago when i was out in L.A. for the Skateboarding Hall of Fame event, i took an afternoon to visit Chuck and his wife Lora down in Venice, i ended up hanging out for like 7 hours! Great people, never enough of them, I’m stoked to have such good friends around the world (or at least the parts of it I’ve visited). #PunkRock #inspiration #Integrity #TheDuke #Dukowski #BASS #PunkRockChangedOurLives #WhatISee #NoMore #PaddedCell #HardcorePunk #TheMan #Legendary #Flag (totally worth seeing) also if you look close there’s an ACTION NOW sticker on the bass head there 😉 #MyRules get the book hear the song... everything through the recording of the DAMAGED album is what i am referring to when i discuss their greatness and inspiration to ME (save a few songs) GO LISTEN TO THAT STUFF AND STOP FLIPPING THROUGH INSTAGRAM 👊🏽

A post shared by glen E. friedman Ⓥ (@glenefriedman) on May 18, 2018 at 2:41pm PDT

The full BLACK FLAG Target video

I own a copy of this half hour on 3/4" tape somewhere... The Dez clips are incredible... as are the live Henry clips, but he was still kinda new at the time, not 100% settled in yet. Gotta love this live stuff . . .



Yeah that's me in the embarrassing "TV Party" video that Dukowski and I wrote the story line to on the way up to SF.

it get's better after that clip...

Skaters and musicians drawings from my personal collection

Over the last weekend I posted these three drawings on my Instagram including drawings by Wes Humpston, Chuck Dukowski and Chuck D. of Public Enemy, with some back stories... I thought you might like them.

WES HUMPSTON custom hand drawn DOGTOWN boards he made for me back around the turn of the century. One for the wall and a year or two later one to ride. Both based on other boards i had made photos of over the years. The full color and airbrushed one is based on a board he made for Jay Adams that i made some great photos of at the MDR skatepark circa 78-79, i asked him to add the eye the dolphins and emblems. Everything has meaning, I'm not a nazi nor do i believe in ANY religion but the swastika is a throw back to the time of the skate and surf nazis, an extreme, something a lot of folks had on their boards in the politically incorrect 70's and i figured I'd add the star of David to balance that out just in case of misinterpretation, and the OHM in the middle for good measure. The eye is like my lens, the creativity, in my eyes. The dolphins representing the Pisces, 3 on each side split into two, 3/3/62 my birthday... Jeff Ho's ZEPHYR logo on the nose, etc., etc. ... and the the other board, simple black ink alone as Wes used to do before things got more colorful, a throw back to the original original boards he and Jim used to make for friends and sell out of the trunk. This post will be the first of three in a row exposing some incredible drawings from incredible artists in more ways than one. #DogTown #WesHumpston #BullDogArt #ART #SkateboardArt #HandMade #Design #skateboarding #quiver #wallhanger #ride #cruiser #DogTownSkates #PersonalCollection

A photo posted by glen E. friedman Ⓥ (@glenefriedman) on Oct 26, 2016 at 10:09am PDT

BLACK FLAG original hand drawn artwork by CHUCK DUKOWSKI on this early 1981 test pressing of the SIX PACK E.P. this is the B-side with the appropriate drawing, for the songs AMERICAN WASTE and I'VE HEARD IT BEFORE... this record was produced by Geza-X and SPOT, DEZ CADENA was the singer, and of course Robo on Drums , Dukowski on Bass, Ginn on Guitar. Greg wrote the A-side, Chuck the B-side. This is an incredible record. Stoked to have this test pressing in my collection still, i got from Chuck way back then, when i was probably trying to get it reviewed in SkateBoarder's "Action Now" magazine.... #BLACKFLAG #DIY #Dukowski #PunkRock #Punk #HandDrawn #OneOfAKind #Art #7inchRecord #testPressing #Rare #vinyl #3songEP #Dez #IveHeardItBefore #AmericanWaste #PersonalCollection THIS POST IS THE 2nd OF THREE IN A ROW EXPOSING SOME INCREDIBLE ARTISTS IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. Yesterday was skateboard art, today it's punk record art, tomorrow's hip hop artists sketch of an idea for an infamous debut LP cover photo will blow you away!

A photo posted by glen E. friedman Ⓥ (@glenefriedman) on Oct 27, 2016 at 9:27am PDT

PUBLIC ENEMY - This is the original sketch that CHUCK D. made for me as a guide for the YO! BUM RUSH THE SHOW! Album cover. This has never been seen anywhere publicly before this post. It's great when artists have ideas and work together, collaborating visions with the artists themselves is the only way to go. Most often i would come up with ideas based on the albums title or a particular song, but in this case Chuck knew what he was looking for, (after all Chuck was educated as a graphic designer, and came up with the P.E. logo as well on his own), he gave me this sketch and i added my own thoughts, and the rest became history. Soon after people came out with similar looking covers, etc. etc. and even later one group did a total homage to the original, not so much "biting" i saw it all as flattery and was happy we could inspire and help others come to their own visions. As I've said before i knew this was going to be one of the great hip hop albums of the era, so i was happy to be down and to help shape the images that would live on... and tell the incredible cultural story of Hip-Hop. THIS POST IS THE 3rd OF THREE IN A ROW EXPOSING SOME INCREDIBLE ARTISTS IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE. #PUBLICENEMY #ChuckD #HipHop #GoldenEra #DefJamTellsYouWhoIAm #DefJam #MiUziWeighsATon #PublicEnemyNumber1 #art #Sketch #Artist #Creative #designer #CollaborativeEffort #inspiration #integrity #PersonalCollection

A photo posted by glen E. friedman Ⓥ (@glenefriedman) on Oct 28, 2016 at 2:17pm PDT

FLAG played NYC last night

Last year I noticed my good friends in the band FLAG (mostly former members of BLACK FLAG) had a really weak publicity photo, I promised next time I am in the same town as all of them I'd be happy to make a new photo for them, So before last nights gig we went out back behind the venue and made some photos. I shot half a roll of B&W film and then a few digital images with my iPod... Here's a few of the digi-images, I assume the film ones will be much better, but here's these:

‘WE ARE NOT BLACK FLAG. WE ARE FLAG’: LIVE AND HARDCORE IN NEW YORK CITY

here's fifteen minutes from the show I attended back in September… look closely and you can probably spot me on stage acting a fool :-) taking some photos like these two below as well. That was a great evening



from Dangerous Minds

When you rip away the white noise of controversy over the competing Black Flag reunions what you’re left with is the music and in this case Flag, featuring Keith Morris, Dez Cadena, Bill Stevenson, Stephen Egerton and Chuck Dukowski deliver a mighty roar that, with or without a name, is farking awesome. Punk rock’s midlife crisis is an amazing thing to behold.

Here’s 15 minutes of Flag performing at New York City’s Irving Plaza a couple of months ago.

(Black) FLAG playing on tour now, playing New York City tonight!

Look forward to seeing these old friends kill it tonight.

Here's the full set filmed at their first live public performance at the Moose Lodge a few months ago...

(BLACK) FLAG playing in public for the first time

Flag, the band of ex-Black Flag members re-banded to give the people their take on the classics, debuted April 18th at an invite-only show at Redondo Beach Moose Lodge No. 1873.

[I was invited and would have gone if i was within 500 miles, but unfortunately I was in New York and they were in LA - I know I won't miss them if they get anywhere near here, and I'll be in the front row yelling every lyric!]

Over 34 years ago, the same rented hall hosted the debut of Black Flag. Much as then, FLAG (comprising original vocalist [and Circle Jerks/OFF! leader] Keith Morris, bassist/songwriter/conceptual mastermind Chuck Dukowski, drummer [and Descendents/ALL mastermind] Bill Stevenson, guitarist [and 3rd Black Flag vocalist] Dez Cadena, and Descendents/ALL guitarist Stephen Egerton deputized in Ginn’s stead) eschewed a stage and played on the floor through a rented PA, right in the faces of the less-than-200 guests.

As you can see in the video below of the entire gig, the band played with the same ferocious precision, commitment, and articulate rage as Black Flag in their prime. Hard to call this a revival or a cover band, when you receive music this fierce and real, played with clear love. Amazingly, Morris even ably handles later Henry Rollins-era material that he never sang, like “My War” and “Rise Above,” with the grace and ease of one who owns the song (if you can call screaming and completely exploding “grace and ease,” that is).

Thanks Dangerous Minds

here's a few clips and the entire show at the bottom from yet another angle.

FUCKING INCREDIBLE.

Welcome to the new week.

I can't believe this happened, how I wish I was there to go off.
Pictures? NO.
Slam dancing old school style? YES!

I'm not sure how planned this was but apparently there was some rehersal between two of my favorite people of all time - Chuck Dukowski, Keith Morris and the band "No Age". There are several other clips of this up on you tube, but to hear this angle in front of Dukowki's amp is truly incredible (now 57 years old), inspiring as ever. Fuck I wish i coulda been there...