Group’s like X, The Weirdos, and The Dil’s were just rebelling against the soft rock of artists like The Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. The music was aggressive compared to what came before, but as described in John Doe and Tom DeSavia’s book Under the Black Sun, most of the early punk musicians just wanted to bring back real Rock and Roll.

While full of outsiders, a certain aesthetic was still at play. Hailing from Hermosa Beach, Black Flag founder Greg Ginn and those he recruited for his band felt a million miles away from L.A.’s scene, from the clubs like The Masque and Madam Wong’s. Press play to hear a narrated version of this story, presented by AudioHopper. Many of the old school punks fled for the more peaceful climes of rockabilly while a few stuck it out, trying to understand this influx of nihilistic youth. on what at the time seemed like a rapidly disintegrating scene. But for many in the scene, Black Flag were the black sheep, bringing a jock attitude, violence, and the unwanted attention of the L.A.P.D. Perhaps no record epitomizes punk’s transition into hardcore better than Black Flag’s Damaged.įor most of the nation, Black Flag rose from L.A.’s storied punk scene and probably seemed like the next best thing in a scene that had already given the world bands like X, The Germs, and The Go-Go’s.

Black flag damaged