Bad Brains: Not Full of Shit

[version sound]

Did anyone notice the tracklisting on the Quickness reissue? Track A6 is no longer “Don’t Blow Bubbles.” It’s now “Instrumental,” which I’m guessing is DBB without the homophobia. They said something about “loving everyone” in recent years, and it’s good to see that they’re putting their money where there mouth is instead of just glossing over their bullshit. I’m guessing that Darryl is responsible, he seems to be taking the lead with the band these days. Much respect to those guys. For those of you who prefer your BB with homophobia intact, go buy a vintage copy and STFU.

[SamDBL]

Interesting. Probably a wise move on their part. I remember in that documentary where Darryl suggested that they only got branded with that because they were black, and a white band would’ve not gotten as much shit for the homophobia stuff… which is utterly ridiculous.
I’ve always been confused by their pseudo-religious outlook. Hearing HR break it down made it even more confusing. Kind of a half-assed take on Rastafarianism mixed with some Tony Robbins motivational speaker bullshit.

[jaybird]

Interesting. Probably a wise move on their part. I remember in that documentary where Darryl suggested that they only got branded with that because they were black, and a white band would’ve not gotten as much shit for the homophobia stuff… which is utterly ridiculous.
I’ve always been confused by their pseudo-religious outlook. Hearing HR break it down made it even more confusing. Kind of a half-assed take on Rastafarianism mixed with some Tony Robbins motivational speaker bullshit.

I dunno... I think you can make the argument that a lot of white bands that also made apparent homophobia a big part of their songs -Descendents, Meatmen, Fear, Mentors, etc... got more of a pass on their lyrics and behavior back in the day. Of course pretty much none of it flies now... and like you said, the BBs also had the whole "religious" aspect to their career which makes it harder to take at anything other than face-value, whereas some of the other bands I mentioned could make the defense "we're not serious/we're only joking/being ironic" etc., as thin and half-assed as those excuses might have been. And obviously some bands like the Meatmen and Fear and the Mentors probably just basically get ignored and written off as hopeless cases anyway by the people who make it their job to patrol shit like this... but I can see where the Bad Brains could have conceivably thought their race had something to do with it back then, when bands like the Descendents didn't really start getting called on songs like "Loser" until maybe a decade ago.

I do wonder though if the Descendents/ALL will start retro-actively editing future re-issues of MGTC and or Pummel to make them more P.C. now that the Bad Brains have set a precedent.

[FormerLurker]

Man, Pummel is like the worst record.

[FormerLurker]

Isn't it "Don't Blow Bubbles"? Who's the poseur here?

[jaybird]

Man, Pummel is like the worst record.

TOTGS, T

[FormerLurker]

Man, Pummel is like the worst record.

TOTGS, T

100% agreed. Maybe, maybe TOF.

[jaybird]

Man, Pummel is like the worst record.

TOTGS, T

100% agreed. Maybe, maybe TOF.

When it came out, I thought it just sounded really, really tired. I remember reading a review at the time that went something like "a bunch of washed up 35-year old punkers sing songs about their car troubles, stalking women, and their burning hatred of homosexuals"

[SamDBL]

Interesting. Probably a wise move on their part. I remember in that documentary where Darryl suggested that they only got branded with that because they were black, and a white band would’ve not gotten as much shit for the homophobia stuff… which is utterly ridiculous.
I’ve always been confused by their pseudo-religious outlook. Hearing HR break it down made it even more confusing. Kind of a half-assed take on Rastafarianism mixed with some Tony Robbins motivational speaker bullshit.

I dunno... I think you can make the argument that a lot of white bands that also made apparent homophobia a big part of their songs -Descendents, Meatmen, Fear, Mentors, etc... got more of a pass on their lyrics and behavior back in the day. Of course pretty much none of it flies now... and like you said, the BBs also had the whole "religious" aspect to their career which makes it harder to take at anything other than face-value, whereas some of the other bands I mentioned could make the defense "we're not serious/we're only joking/being ironic" etc., as thin and half-assed as those excuses might have been. And obviously some bands like the Meatmen and Fear and the Mentors probably just basically get ignored and written off as hopeless cases anyway by the people who make it their job to patrol shit like this... but I can see where the Bad Brains could have conceivably thought their race had something to do with it back then, when bands like the Descendents didn't really start getting called on songs like "Loser" until maybe a decade ago.

I do wonder though if the Descendents/ALL will start retro-actively editing future re-issues of MGTC and or Pummel to make them more P.C. now that the Bad Brains have set a precedent.

I think part of the reason it gets brought up so much with BB is because people are *always* writing and talking about BB. I’m not just talking about the bubbles song, but the story about them calling the guy in big boys a faggot, or what have you. I do remember thinking it odd that this 10+ years old anecdote of some young kids doing stupid shit constantly being brought up in every flip side mention was stupid. But it’s always a footnote after several paragraphs of sycophantic, undying praise. I think the difference between Descendents and BB is, as you mentioned, the religious spin… which brings the notion from silly things kids called each other to a serious moral stance. Like, the difference between lee ving wearing a Swastika and Ian Stuart actually standing behind it in lyrics. This was a nuance that even the pc punks of the 80s could understand. I don’t believe that’s the case any more. One would be as bad as the other. Yet Bad Brains preservers as one of the most widely praised bands, ever. So while they might think they got an unfair amount of shit, comparatively (debatable), they were ‘allowed’ to weather it better than just about any other band. So if the former happened due to race, I’d make the argument that the latter did as well.

[jaybird]

Interesting. Probably a wise move on their part. I remember in that documentary where Darryl suggested that they only got branded with that because they were black, and a white band would’ve not gotten as much shit for the homophobia stuff… which is utterly ridiculous.
I’ve always been confused by their pseudo-religious outlook. Hearing HR break it down made it even more confusing. Kind of a half-assed take on Rastafarianism mixed with some Tony Robbins motivational speaker bullshit.

I dunno... I think you can make the argument that a lot of white bands that also made apparent homophobia a big part of their songs -Descendents, Meatmen, Fear, Mentors, etc... got more of a pass on their lyrics and behavior back in the day. Of course pretty much none of it flies now... and like you said, the BBs also had the whole "religious" aspect to their career which makes it harder to take at anything other than face-value, whereas some of the other bands I mentioned could make the defense "we're not serious/we're only joking/being ironic" etc., as thin and half-assed as those excuses might have been. And obviously some bands like the Meatmen and Fear and the Mentors probably just basically get ignored and written off as hopeless cases anyway by the people who make it their job to patrol shit like this... but I can see where the Bad Brains could have conceivably thought their race had something to do with it back then, when bands like the Descendents didn't really start getting called on songs like "Loser" until maybe a decade ago.

I do wonder though if the Descendents/ALL will start retro-actively editing future re-issues of MGTC and or Pummel to make them more P.C. now that the Bad Brains have set a precedent.

I think part of the reason it gets brought up so much with BB is because people are *always* writing and talking about BB. I’m not just talking about the bubbles song, but the story about them calling the guy in big boys a faggot, or what have you. I do remember thinking it odd that this 10+ years old anecdote of some young kids doing stupid shit constantly being brought up in every flip side mention was stupid. But it’s always a footnote after several paragraphs of sycophantic, undying praise. I think the difference between Descendents and BB is, as you mentioned, the religious spin… which brings the notion from silly things kids called each other to a serious moral stance. Like, the difference between lee ving wearing a Swastika and Ian Stuart actually standing behind it in lyrics. This was a nuance that even the pc punks of the 80s could understand. I don’t believe that’s the case any more. One would be as bad as the other. Yet Bad Brains preservers as one of the most widely praised bands, ever. So while they might think they got an unfair amount of shit, comparatively (debatable), they were ‘allowed’ to weather it better than just about any other band. So if the former happened due to race, I’d make the argument that the latter did as well.

Yeah, this is true too... They almost certainly did actively hate homosexuals back then in much the same way as say Skrewdriver actively hated black people, but it was much easier to walk around with a Bad Brains shirt and not have people immediately assume you are a homophobe, the way walking around in a Skrewdriver shirt would pretty much guarantee that people would think you were a racist... I guess in their defense, BBs did have songs about other stuff than just homophobia, whereas pretty much all of Skrewdriver's songs were about hating some group or other. But still, as much as people loved (and still love) to hash over their anti-gay song lyrics and supposed homophobic outbursts and confrontations, I think most people tended to ultimately put it down to "Well, it's pretty bad, but at least they're not as bad as white-power skinheads, etc."

[FormerLurker]

I, for one, think they should be cancelled for this 32-year-old song.

[patient_ot]

Yeah, this is true too... They almost certainly did actively hate homosexuals back then in much the same way as say Skrewdriver actively hated black people, but it was much easier to walk around with a Bad Brains shirt and not have people immediately assume you are a homophobe, the way walking around in a Skrewdriver shirt would pretty much guarantee that people would think you were a racist... I guess in their defense, BBs did have songs about other stuff than just homophobia, whereas pretty much all of Skrewdriver's songs were about hating some group or other. But still, as much as people loved (and still love) to hash over their anti-gay song lyrics and supposed homophobic outbursts and confrontations, I think most people tended to ultimately put it down to "Well, it's pretty bad, but at least they're not as bad as white-power skinheads, etc."

You may know this, but just in case anyone here doesn't, Skrewdriver didn't start out as a WP band. Early on they had a totally different lineup and were a typical '77 punk band with zero racist content.

Later on, after the band got resurrected with a new lineup is when they did the WP shit. Unfortunately that's all most people remember them for today, for obvious reasons.

[patient_ot]

Did anyone notice the tracklisting on the Quickness reissue? Track A6 is no longer “Blow No Bubbles.” It’s now “Instrumental,” which I’m guessing is BNB without the homophobia. They said something about “loving everyone” in recent years, and it’s good to see that they’re putting their money where there mouth is instead of just glossing over their bullshit. I’m guessing that Darryl is responsible, he seems to be taking the lead with the band these days. Much respect to those guys. For those of you who prefer your BB with homophobia intact, go buy a vintage copy and STFU.

It's been a long time since I've heard the album and I don't remember digging it that much, so I never would've noticed this.

[jaybird]

Yeah, this is true too... They almost certainly did actively hate homosexuals back then in much the same way as say Skrewdriver actively hated black people, but it was much easier to walk around with a Bad Brains shirt and not have people immediately assume you are a homophobe, the way walking around in a Skrewdriver shirt would pretty much guarantee that people would think you were a racist... I guess in their defense, BBs did have songs about other stuff than just homophobia, whereas pretty much all of Skrewdriver's songs were about hating some group or other. But still, as much as people loved (and still love) to hash over their anti-gay song lyrics and supposed homophobic outbursts and confrontations, I think most people tended to ultimately put it down to "Well, it's pretty bad, but at least they're not as bad as white-power skinheads, etc."

You may know this, but just in case anyone here doesn't, Skrewdriver didn't start out as a WP band. Early on they had a totally different lineup and were a typical '77 punk band with zero racist content.

Later on, after the band got resurrected with a new lineup is when they did the WP shit. Unfortunately that's all most people remember them for today, for obvious reasons.

Yeah, I knew the early stuff was non-racist... Ian Stuart was always in the band from the beginning though, wasn't he?

[pedro]

You may know this, but just in case anyone here doesn't, Skrewdriver didn't start out as a WP band. Early on they had a totally different lineup and were a typical '77 punk band with zero racist content.

Later on, after the band got resurrected with a new lineup is when they did the WP shit. Unfortunately that's all most people remember them for today, for obvious reasons.

Yeah, I stopped listening after the first record. I don’t think they became racist until Mezcal Head.

[SamDBL]

Getting back to the point, Bad Brains’ offense was more serious than the typical thing of young kids in the 80s using ‘faggot’ as a general Insult out of ignorance, or singing about smashing pussies, or pissing people off just to piss them off… which I think 99.9% of that stuff falls into (Descendents, for example). Quite different than a band making a religiously-based assertion that homosexuality is fundamentally wrong and immoral. In fact I remember HR doubling down on this in interviews, saying things like gay people shouldn’t be showing public displays of affection.
So having said all of that, I can’t come up with an analogous band that did something like this that and still managed to be so revered and praised by virtually everyone in the punk scene. Even in today’s hyper sensitive world, you are the weird one if you don’t think Bad Brains were the pinnacle. You can say they managed to do this because they were just *that good*, I guess. But I think there’s more to it. I can definitively say that this band got a pass like no other band did, or would, pushing such heinous shit. I don’t see how a legitimate claim of racism could be made there. Quite the opposite.

[jaybird]

^Persuasive case. I'll abide by Randie's final ruling

[patient_ot]

Yeah, I knew the early stuff was non-racist... Ian Stuart was always in the band from the beginning though, wasn't he?

Yep.

[SamDBL]

Also, I was a little let down when I started reading about the controversial anti-homo song on Quickness back in the day. The way it was being written about, I thought there was some rant hidden in there that’d make Tesco blush. I was like ‘what the fuck are they talking about. Did I get some edited pressing, or some shit’? When I finally figured out that it was *that* super cryptic, vague song… I still didn’t get it. In all of my years as an expert on obscure obscenities and insults I have still never heard ‘blowing bubbles’ as slang for being gay. Is that a regional prison terminology, or something?

[FormerLurker]

Getting back to the point, Bad Brains’ offense was more serious than the typical thing of young kids in the 80s using ‘faggot’ as a general Insult out of ignorance, or singing about smashing pussies, or pissing people off just to piss them off… which I think 99.9% of that stuff falls into (Descendents, for example). Quite different than a band making a religiously-based assertion that homosexuality is fundamentally wrong and immoral. In fact I remember HR doubling down on this in interviews, saying things like gay people shouldn’t be showing public displays of affection.
So having said all of that, I can’t come up with an analogous band that did something like this that and still managed to be so revered and praised by virtually everyone in the punk scene. Even in today’s hyper sensitive world, you are the weird one if you don’t think Bad Brains were the pinnacle. You can say they managed to do this because they were just *that good*, I guess. But I think there’s more to it. I can definitively say that this band got a pass like no other band did, or would, pushing such heinous shit. I don’t see how a legitimate claim of racism could be made there. Quite the opposite.

Air-tight argument.

[jaybird]

Also, I was a little let down when I started reading about the controversial anti-homo song on Quickness back in the day. The way it was being written about, I thought there was some rant hidden in there that’d make Tesco blush. I was like ‘what the fuck are they talking about. Did I get some edited pressing, or some shit’? When I finally figured out that it was *that* super cryptic, vague song… I still didn’t get it. In all of my years as an expert on obscure obscenities and insults I have still never heard ‘blowing bubbles’ as slang for being gay. Is that a regional prison terminology, or something?

I think he does say something like "fudge buns" in there IIRC, which I guess is pretty obvious what he's talking about...

but yeah... while I remember the "controversy" at the time, I didn't really take note of it until the lyrics were all spelled out and explained for me... I remember thinking "this is what everyone is all up-in-arms about"?

[lewdd]

Well considering that the theme song for the West Ham United football team is "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" that the Cockney Rejects did a cover song and sang at the last game before they moved out of their old stadium now I am thoroughly confused.

[FormerLurker]

Also, I was a little let down when I started reading about the controversial anti-homo song on Quickness back in the day. The way it was being written about, I thought there was some rant hidden in there that’d make Tesco blush. I was like ‘what the fuck are they talking about. Did I get some edited pressing, or some shit’? When I finally figured out that it was *that* super cryptic, vague song… I still didn’t get it. In all of my years as an expert on obscure obscenities and insults I have still never heard ‘blowing bubbles’ as slang for being gay. Is that a regional prison terminology, or something?

I think he does say something like "fudge buns" in there IIRC, which I guess is pretty obvious what he's talking about...

but yeah... while I remember the "controversy" at the time, I didn't really take note of it until the lyrics were all spelled out and explained for me... I remember thinking "this is what everyone is all up-in-arms about"?

lol. So dumb.