Review: Finding Joseph I: The HR from Bad Brains Documentary

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2017

Images from the Internet

Finding Joseph I: The HR from Bad Brains Documentary

Directed by James Lathos

Small Axe Films; Giraffe Productions; MVD Visual

91 minutes / 2016; 2017

www.hrdocumentary.com

www.mvdvisual.com

I truly believe it would be hard to argue that the Bad Brains (BB) were one of the top American hardcore groups in the 1980s, and possibly the loudest and fastest of the bunch. As musicians, they are hard to beat. As people? Well… more on that later.

The British-American BB’s lead singer was Paul Hudson, whose name was abbreviated to just HR. As a kid, he was known as “Hunting Rod” for the walking stick he habitually carried, and in the middle days it became “Human Rights,” as in the post-BB group, the HR Band (Human Rights). With the deepening of his Rasta studies, he became Joseph I.  

I was actually excited to see this documentary as, to be honest, I never saw the BB play live, or any of his other bands. I’ve seen some videos though, and they are damn exciting to watch. But what interested me the most is to see what others had to say about him.

There is no doubt this documentary by first time director James Lathos is a love fest for the man. Even though it does not shy away from some of his personal issues and demons, it presents a string of people saying how he “sparked modern punk rock” right to being a “living legend,” which is stated more than once.

Y’know what, yeah, some of that is true. While I don’t believe the BB “sparked” hardcore, they definitely upped it more than a notch that set a very high bar. They were known for their speed, their dexterity, and a brilliant stage show with HR as its center. It was the Dead Boys that turned the BB onto what would become hardcore, and I believe the Dead Boys were the catalyst that truly sparked hardcore, but man, the BB were right at the fore.

Bad Brains, with HR in the forefront
(Earl on the right)

The documentary starts with a history lesson, as these things are wont to do, describing HR’s childhood mostly through his eyes and those of his BB band mate and real life brother, drummer Earl Hudson. They describe a somewhat tumultuous family life that moved around a lot, which scarred HR. Music, though, always seemed a focusing point to center him then.

Over the years, HR fronted many other bands as well as the BB, such as Human Rights, Zion Train, Soul Brains (the reunited BB), and he even sat in with Sublime. Over the years, it almost seems like he was increasingly channeling George Clinton’s haberdasher.

What becomes ever clearer over time is that there was something seriously wrong with him, on which the documentary shines a strong light, which is the advent and crush of mental illness. In his youth and well into the BB, he was a strong user of LSD; and even into his “purer” Rasta days when he reportedly stopped using acid, I cannot imagine his not overindulging in the religion’s holy weed. While not truly defined, it is assumed here (and sounds right to me) that with over use of substances, he has fallen into schizophrenia, including hearing and seeing what’s not necessarily there for most humans to hear and see.

Other than his brother, the clearest picture is given by his long-time manager, Anthony Countey, and his later-married wife. Of course, he joins a long history of modern and innovative musicians who have suffered from mental distress, such as Syd Barrett and Roky Erickson.

Speaking of musicians, there are a lot here speaking up for him at a pedestal level, even if things didn’t go well with the band, such as (of course) the BB, Sublime, and various others such as Vernon Reid, members of the Cro-Mags, the Brothers MacKaye of Minor Threat and Fugazi (Ian and Alec; the BB started in Washington DC), and Fishbone.

I was surprised there wasn’t more of Positive Force on there, and also missing was anyone from the Beastie Boys; HR’s band infamously toured with them, as they were signed to the Boys’ Maverick label. Someone from the label is represented here, but not the pseudo-punk rappers.  I was not, however, amazed at all (though curious to see) that no members from the Texas groups MDC (Millions of Dead Cops/Multi-Death Corporation) or the Big Boys were accounted for, all things considered:

Back in 1983, I published (but did not write) an article in FFanzeen about the people in the BB, which was less than flattering. For this, I received a lot hate mail from the hardcore scene. The core of the piece centers on that when the band found Rasta, as is described in the documentary, they also accepted its generally homophobic stance, which is not detailed in the film. There was also at least one recording studio they ripped off in New York, forcing it to close. The link to that article is HERE. 

One could look back and say, “Oh, well, HR was mentally sick,” but this is before any symptoms were apparent, and it was the whole band, not just HR. But, of course, this documentary is mostly focused on the person, so I’ll continue on that course.

Despite the standardized beginning of a biography documentary that more-or-less lists the facts (s/he was born there, lived here, moved there, etc.), thankfully it’s less than 10 minutes before we hear about a young HR going to New York and seeing the Dead Boys (nice clip of them from 1982 at CBGBs; yes, I was there). This changed the direction of the newly-formed BB into the hardcore mavericks and scene leaders they became; it’s arguable who were more influential in DC, the BB or Minor Threat; I’m happy to just call it a tie.

Following the progress of the BB, their dissolving due in large part to unpredictability, and the follow-through of other bands, as well as the onset of HR’s mental illness definitely makes compelling viewing. The use of a lot of historical images and videos, both off and especially on stage, keeps the story perking along quite well. Some keen animation just adds to the honeypot.

As documentaries go, this one isn’t brilliant necessarily, but then again, it has no problem keeping interest up. After all, with all his foibles and questionable choices, HR is an interesting person even beyond the BB, who has managed a career in music in extreme conditions, both on the external and internal levels.

While there may be some who boycott viewing this for reasons I’ve mentioned, I would say it’s still worth checking out, even if with a grain of salt. HR is and was a key player in the punk scene for many years, and even for that alone this is historically good viewing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyBCQBL7A-M

DVD Review: Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90)

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2015
Images from the Internet

Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90)

Written and directed by Scott Crawford
New Rose Films / MVD Visual
102 minutes, 2014 / 2015
www.SaladDaysDC.com
www.faceboom.com/SaladDaysDC
www.mvdvisual.com

There were so many important Third Wave scenes when the hardcore explosion grew into fruition, including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Phoenix, and so on. There is no doubt, however, that the standing of the Washington, DC base is among the strongest. Two names tend to rise to the top, Henry Rollins, and especially Ian MacKaye, both of whom are represented here.

Of course, the opening shot is of Ian MacKaye talking. Without meaning this as any form of sarcasm or complaint, is there anyone in the punk scene who is represented on indie documentaries about the genre as much as Ian? After all, he was the one who started the whole Straight-Edge movement (though he did not invent the symbol of the X on the hand) that became somewhat of a preachy religion to some. And the fact that he’s this present so many decades later just proves how much he has injected into the movement.

The second person to talk is Henry Rollins. Henry, one might say, left his band SOA and joined one that was arguably bigger than Fugazi ever became, namely Black Flag. Flag had an influence on the world, but MacKaye was definitely – and rightly so – king of his kingdom, the land known as DC. Whereas Black Flag spread a sound, MacKaye spread a philosophy.

The growth of DC hardcore was nothing less than ferocious, with Little Ronnie Reagan right there, in a town mixed with rich government overlords and extreme poverty. This split personality was a societal PTSD with a beltway around it. Generally speaking, you could get depressed or you could get angry. Punk in that town went down the road towards the latter, with Doc Martins and spiked hair.

It’s no secret that the home base for Third Wave in DC is the 9:30 Club. Every town had it, be it CBGB, the Rat, or the Mabuhay Garden. In DC, it was the womb that launched a hundred bands that would have a ripple effect on every other club in every other town, even the older, more established ones.

The film is broken up into segments, each of which covers a topic or two. This is extremely well handled, as are the interviews. Yes, talking heads, but even when it’s the same person discussing her or her view, sometimes you can tell it was done over time as you can see them in different settings. Mixing in with this is some of the best hardcore photos I’ve seen, mostly in crisp black and white, and music clips that ranged from clear to pre-camcorder fuzzy, of bands and fans in action.

Let’s talk about some of the guest interviewees. There are the likes of Thurston Moore (known for Sonic Youth, but before then he was in the Coachmen, and I do believe that FFanzeen was the first ‘zine ever to publish anything about Moore; but I brag and digress…), Fred Armisen (the actor/comedian from Chicago was also in the band Trenchmouth), J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. , Tim Kerr (Big Boys, from Austin), and arguably the almost as omnipresent Dave Grohl, who was in the early DC scene and in the local band Scream. For once his stories didn’t sound like Whocares to me. And what, no Keith Morris, who is also usually on these types of documentaries?

Punk scenes that last long enough seem to follow a similar trajectory. A group of people start playing at a bar or a new space and an insular crowd with camaraderie forms. Everyone knows each other, bands respect each other (even with some rivalry), and everyone gets picked on by the local jocks and cops. Time passes and the scene starts to get popular, and the very jocks that were doing the jumping are now doing the moshing, and being violent inside the club. People get fed up and stop coming. The scene disintegrates. On some level, that fits DC as well, even though it splintered in the early 1990s, rather than disappeared.

The scene starts with the likes of the surf-inspired Insect Surfers (saw them play Hurrahs), the pop-rock Tru Fax and the Insaniacs (both these bands not mentioned in the DVD) and the garage-laced Slickee Boys (I saw them play twice at CBGBs and was a fan), and becomes the balls out Bad Brains. The BB left early on in 1980 to move to NYC, but they were adults by then. So the kids start forming their own bands, like Gray Matter (their drummer, Dante Ferrando, was amazing), Iron Cross and especially Teen Idles, began to rise.

The latter, with Ian MacKaye, didn’t last long, but they were the first to release a DIY single in the area. After they broke up, MacKaye formed the more iconic Minor Youth. It was here he started the record company that would define the scene, Dischord Records. Soon touring bands from DC would find gigs on just the strength of having a Dischord release.

This is the first section of the film. Another part discusses the violence coming from outside the close-knit group, from Georgetown College boys in Mustangs who would gang up on punkers. Henry Rollins tells a great story of how a group of punks used Alec MacKaye (Ian’s younger brother) for bait to catch the guys who were doing the beating to return the favor. They needed to take actions into their own hands due to a police force ambivalent to their needs. This would be mirrored in a later section on how moshing turned into performed behavior independent of music (I’ve seen this too, where the music playing was not as important as the stage diving; it could have been Andy Williams and gotten the same action), which turned into violence as the pit became the eye of the storm of the elbows and knees of skinheads and “Drunk Punks.” This led to gay bashing. Some started DIY self-promoted shows to limit this vehemence. MacKaye, again wisely, says he realized that the music they were playing and its subject matter are partially to blame because, as he put it, “Violence begets violence.” This led to his forming the less ferocious yet equally energetic (and nationally popular) Fugazi.

You really can’t discuss the DC scene without detailing the whole Straight Edge movement started by Ian, with the black “X” on the hands. While this is a quasi-zealous group, it did have at least two important results: it lead to the All Ages shows, which opened up a whole new, younger fan market, and (b) created a backlash that sometimes broke the scene into two defiant schisms, and bands would fall on either side; e.g., Black Market Baby came out as anti-SE, calling their counter-movement Bent Edge. The legacy of that lives on: when I wrote a blog on how I imbibe just a tiny bit and called the piece “OnBeing Straight Edge, Kinda Sorta,” l had some interesting responses blasting me for not being all in; this was in 2008.

While even the director of this film, Scott Crawford, becomes part of the story as he discusses his own introduction to the scene at age 12, and also fanzines, including his own Metrozine. There is a short, interesting segment on Go-Go, a black music scene that was incorporated into the punk catalog, much as earlier British punk celebrated reggae. As MacKaye succinctly puts it, you would find punks at Go-Go shows, but no Go-Go fans at punk shows.

The more interesting and intersecting segments to me dealt with social issues, including Misogyny (the “boys club,” dismissed by one dude as “we were young”) toward the female musicians who explain what it was like. Also there was the political and social upheaval as DC became the “murder capital of the U.S.” and the mayor, Marion Berry [d. 2014] was caught on camera smoking crack (sound familiar, Toronto? DC beat you to it!). One of the results of this, in 1985, was the formation of Mark Anderson’s Positive Force organization, that booked shows and held fundraisers for various causes (poverty, end animal cruelty, etc.). They were (and are, after three decades) a bit preachy, but a definite positive influence in the region. There is a documentary about / by them called Positive Force: More Than a Witness – 30 Years of Punk Politics in Action.

The extras include 14 “Extended Interviews” (aka deleted scenes), and 10 full live song performances (each averaging around two minutes) from the likes of Fugazi, Government Issue, Gray Matter, and Marginal Man (acknowledged as the first Emocore band, coined by Brian Baker of Dag Nasty), and others.

Representing the scene is more than thirty people interviewed, including musicians, photographers, fans (titled “Scenesters,” I term I often use), fanzine editors, and organizers. It’s an excellent oral history of the period. Mix in all the stills and films, plus some interesting graphics, it’s well-edited together and gives a well-rounded view of what was going on during the 1980s in the Capitol’s punk capitol.

 

BAD BRAINS: Jah Doesn’t Love You Anyway

Text by Paul Decolator, intro by Robert Barry Francos
Interview © 1983; RBF intro © 2010 by FFanzeen
Images from the Internet

[Paul Decolator]
The following article about DC punkers Bad Brains was originally published in FFanzeen magazine, issue #10, in 1983. It was written by Paul Decolator, who would become one of the key figures in the New Jersey hardcore scene of the ‘80s, as a musician, promoter, and including going on to publish his own ‘zine, the excellent digest-sizedTips & Tours. He was in his teens when he wrote this piece, but sadly, Paul passed away at age 36 in 2002. His memorial page is here: myspace.com/pauldecolator

Never in the history of FFanzeen did we ever receive so much hate mail than after the publication of this article. Over the years, though, much of what Paul claimed has become widely circulated and acknowledged. – RBF, 2010
The BB’s cassette happened to be one of last year’s greatest releases (ReachOut International Records [ROIR]), unsurpassed in its speed, energy & raw power. In concert the BB were in a special class by themselves. You’re probably saying, to yourself, “Yah, right man, the Bad Brains Rule.”

[The ROIR Tape]
Well think again. The Bad Brains are not the punk saviors everyone makes them out to be. The Bad Brains have a seedy side to them that contradicts the very fundamentals of what this phenomena called Punk (Hardcore, if you want to call it that) stands for.

Let’s start off with some of the BB’s major sins – sins ‘cause Jah would turn over in his grave if he knew what these Rasta-phonies preached. On a national tour, the BB stopped in Texas; there they played to a very enthusiastic crowd who loved them and their music, but this attitude would soon change. The BB hooked up with MDC (Millions of Dead Cops); the BB liked their music and offered MDC a spot on their tour across the rest of the country. The BB also offered to help MDC distribute their record across America and even to do something with the band in the UK. It was almost a dream-come-true. I say almost because it never materialized. Why? Well it just so happens a couple of the members of MDC are gay. When the Bad Brains heard this they lost a bolt, going on this tirade about how horrible homosexuality is, calling the members of MDC “bloodclot faggots” and condemning them to an eternity in hell. Needless to say, the BB was so disillusioned by these “misguided" souls that the BB cancelled all plans with MDC.

This wasn’t their only bad incident in the Lone Star State: the BB stayed with the Big Boys while in Texas. Randy, the lead singer, was nice enough to supply the BB with fifty dollars worth of pot. After all, the BB need their daily dosage of ganja to keep their heads permanently in some sorta mystical fog. But Randy also happens to be homosexual and you know the BB hate gays. So instead of being swell guys and paying Randy for the weed, they gave him and the Big Boys a verbal tongue-lashing and split Texas, leaving being a trail of shattered images.

Well, the Bad Brains scourge doesn’t limit itself to Texas. Back in their East Coast camping ground, New York, the BB also screwed a few people. The 171-A Recording Studios was where the NY Thrash tape (also ROIR) and the BB’s tape were recorded. The BB set up home there and used the studio a lot. And not just in the conventional sense either. The BB took a few liberties with the phones there and rang up a bill of tremendous proportions. The BB said they would pay for the bill, but of course they didn’t, and the 171-A went under a month later. I wonder were all the phone calls were to – Ethiopia?

But it doesn’t stop there. MDC came to town and played as 2+2, and you couldn’t imagine the BB’s reaction when those “bloodclots” tried to invade BB territory. The night of the gig there was a royal egg raid. At this gig, the BB stated what they thought were abominations, mainly gays and lesbians. What struck me really funny was that the BB preach unity – you know, that concept where everyone comes together and breaks down such barriers as race, sex, creed, etc., etc. At any BB show, one can hear such phrases as, “Black and unite.”

I guess the BB forgot to make clear in their songs that we can only unify as long as we are not gays, dykes, faggots, or sympathizers. As an obscure fanzine said, “The Bad Vibes [mock word-play on the BB – PD] preach unity only through fascism.”

Who the hell do the Bad Brains think they are? Thanx to all the punks who needed some stupid idols to worship, the BB were elevated to such a post where they can obviously say whatever they want to matter how asinine or contradictory it is. Now that the BB is at this lofty position they can take the punks for all their money and still preach this ludicrous bullshit.

Now you’re saying, “But they put on a good show.” Yeah, and so does Van Halen. The fact that Punk is here is because it was formed as a rebellious movement which promoted open-mindedness, originality and aggression. It is a cry against certain stupid aspects of society. Punk can be a unifying factor in today’s society because it focuses on alternative ideas. It also confronts issues that your Moral Majority type would shy away from. The fact that the BB play good music doesn’t mean they can go around and screw people out of money or anything else.

Sincerity – where is it? The BB doesn’t possess a scrap of it. Remember when the BB broke up and were going to form their all-reggae band, Zion Train? I do. The fact that they never formed it is interesting to look at. The BB are con artists who love that green stuff sometimes referred to as money. All they have to say is they’re gonna break up, and when they announce they will play their last show, there’s gonna be a lot of dinero floating around. And after their three month’s absence over the summer, they can come back and stage reunion gigs and make even more money and take us punks for another eight bucks a ticket.

Another event that killed me was their Discharge / Bad Brains concert scam. First off, Discharge was never even scheduled to play, but the name Discharge sure kicked up advance ticket sales. I know I bought my eight dollar ticket as soon as I heard that line up. Of course, when I go there, Discharge was supposedly canceled and the lamest English group (Vice Squad) was substituted. Gee, when I got there, a big sign read, “American Gov’t Cancelled Discharge.” Yeah, right. I believe that. I also believe in Santa Claus, Jesus Christ and the Tooth Fairy. Discharge had been touring the country all the time and was nowhere near New York at the time of that gig. It is also rumored that the whole thing was a scam put on by Vice Squad to get more people to come to the show. Well, it worked. Even though I asked for a refund, my friend (who had come to see Discharge) went in to see the bands because he traveled from Jersey and didn’t want to go home empty-handed, as it were. My friend was treated to the Young & the Useless (undeniably one of NY’s worst acts), a set by Vice Squad, and a special 25 minute set by those darlings, the BB. Boy eight bucks for 25 lousy minutes of music. A real irony was that outside the show, one of the members of the Young & the Useless was trying to coax people into seeing the show saying, “Three bands for eight dollars is a good deal.” A Minor Threat / SSD / + three other bands show, put on by the Philly BYO for five dollars, is a good deal, not three bands for eight bucks.

You’re asking, “When does this end?” Well not yet, buddies. The BB did a show on November 20th with Scream and Double Blow at CB’s, and it just so happens that on the same night, the worthy Philadelphia Better Youth Organization was staging their first important show with the aforementioned bands. Wasn’t that sweet of the BB to do a gig that same night so as to take away a good 400 people from going to the show in Philly? I guess since the Philly punks take a liking to MDC and open-minded ideas, that they should be penalized. And it’s not as if the BB couldn’t have gotten a show at CB’s a week later. You see, the Bad Brains do more damage to the scene than help. In my own opinion, the BB isn’t that good a band to the point where they start fucking up scenes.

This article was not meant to kiss-ass up to the BB, and it’s certainly not being written ‘cause I have something against the band, musically. It’s just that with all these incidents occurring, I just cannot support the BB – it goes against every minor ethic or ideal I ever had about Punk. It’s a shame to see such people trying to screw everything up.

In final, go out and ask people, write MDC or the Big Boys, and ask their opinions; write or talk to the Bad Brains and see what they have to say, and then form your own opinion. I have given you mine. The Bad Brains are Bad Business. And hey, Jah doesn’t love you anyway.

Live Music in the Fall of 1983

Text © Robert Barry Francos, and display advertisements
Images from Internet

The following information is taken from printed material I found while clearing out stuff I’d collected and am now disposing. This shows what a bustling scene there was in the fall of 1983. I have picked shows from ads at my own discretion, and it is not necessarily the full listings for the space, nor an endorsement of the band (i.e., does not automatically mean I like them). Comments printed in parentheses are from the ads.

CBGB and OMFUG
Thu, Oct. 23: Macambos – The Brood (from Maine) – Headless Horsemen (w/ ex Fuzztone members) – Combo Limbo
Fri, Oct. 24: Iron Curtain – White Zombie – Rat At Rat R – New Marines (Special Guest)
Tue, Oct. 28: Golden Dawn – Jing – Vernon Reid’s Living Colour – Random Facts
Wed, Oct. 23: Giant Metal Insects – Ritual Tension – Greg Ginn – Gone
Sun, Nov. 2: CMJ’s Marathon 2-2: Beastie Boys – Crying Out Loud – Damage – Honeymoon Killers – Offbeats – Random Facts – Rat At Rat R – Ritual Tension – White Zombie

City Gardens, Trenton, NJ
Sat, Oct. 25: Robert Hazard
Sun, Oct. 26: Bad Brains – Dr. Know/Das Yahoos – Serial Killers
Fri, Oct 31: Halloween Party: Gene Loves Jezebel – Until December
Fri, Nov 7: Love and Rockets
Sat, Nov 22: Peter Murphy (formerly of Bauhaus)

The Ritz
Thu, Oct. 23: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Rat At Rat R ($12.50 advance/13.50 day of show)
Sat, Oct. 25: The Fall – Splatcats ($12.50/13.50)
Mon, Oct. 27: Free! See the Cro-Mags live and be in a movie! You will be admitted at 10 AM-11 AM to stay until 11 PM.
Thu, Oct. 30: Bachman Turner Overdrive ($12.50/13.50)
Fri, Oct. 31: A Halloween Spectacular: The 10th Anniversary Reunion of the Dead Boys – Smashed Gladys – Angels in Vain ($15.50/17.50)
Sat, Nov. 1: Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians – Beat Rodeo ($12.50/13.50)
Thu, Nov. 6; Fri Nov. 7: The Ramones ($12.50/13.50)
Sat, Nov. 8: The Richard Thompson Band – Guadal Canal Diary (2 shows by popular demand) ($14.50/15.50)
Sun, Nov. 9: Rock Hotel Show: Motorhead – Cro-Mags – Dark Angel ($12.50/13.50)
Thu, Nov. 13; Fri, Nov. 14: Iggy Pop ($14.50/15.50)
Sat, Nov. 29: Sam Kinison (limited seating)
Sun, Dec. 6: Slayer – Overkill

One of the interesting things to note is the prices, as listed by the Ritz. At the time, these were seen as expensive, but not compared to now, even when weighted against today’s dollar vs. then dollar. Plus there were no exorbitant ticketing service fees that ripped off the attendee, though one had to go down to the actual venue to pick the tickets up.

In the case of these shows, I must admit that I did not see any of them, though I went to shows regularly during that period. There are a few I would have liked to attended, such as the Ramones (duh), the Brood/Headless Horsemen, Greg Ginn (my ’80s West Coast bands experience is kind of limited), the Splatcats (Yod!), the Dead Boys, Richard Thompson, and Iggy; there are other bands that I would have had no interest in then or now, like the Beastie Boys (sorry Ant & Ricky), Slayer, Gene Loves Jezebel, or Peter Murphy.

Point is, there was a lot going on back then, and it was a great time to be seeing live music in the area.