Tag Archives: Black Flag

Raymond Pettibon – Books

Portrait of Raymond Pettibon, Los Angeles, California 1983. Copyright Edward Colver.

Between the years 1978 and 1986, Raymond Pettibon (a.k.a., Raymond Pettibone; St. Pettibone; Chuck Higby; Ray Dylan; Raymond Ginn) produced an aggressive trove of graphic works for seminal Southern California punk bands, providing them with a visual identity that mirrored the sound they were inflicting.

To market the albums, SST Records—which was founded by Pettibon’s brother and Black Flag guitarist, Greg Ginn—was formed when no other labels would take the bands on. It was with Ginn’s foresight that Pettibon’s artwork first began to appear on the covers of SST’s bands album covers, gig flyers, and later t-shirts, stickers, and skate decks, all at a time prior to Pettibon thinking of himself as an artist and long before he began showing in commercial art galleries.

“The flyers were one of the best things about working with SST,” recalls the lanky Pettibon at his Redondo Beach studio. “It’s more of a general audience when it goes on a telephone pole. It’s not something that you can buy in a store or see on TV. You see it at a glance and you can’t switch it off.”
—from “Black Flag Cover is Pure Pettibon,” by Jeff Spurrier, Los Angeles Times, July 1, 1984

Many of the images for the gig flyers were drawn from the pages of the forty-seven artists’ books by Pettibon that were published by SST. In addition to flyers for Black Flag’s gigs, Pettibon’s artwork graces flyers for bands such as Angst, Circle Jerks, Dead Kennedys, Descendents, D.O.A., Fear, Throbbing Gristle, Germs, Go-Go’s, Hüsker Dü, Meat Puppets, Minutemen, Ramones, Red Cross, Saccharine Trust, Stains, Subhumans, TSOL, Wasted Youth, Youth Gone Mad, and others. Pettibon is also credited with both conceiving the band’s name—a riff on the British heavy metal band Black Sabbath and the legendary Black Flag insecticide—as well as designing Black Flag’s iconic four black bar “flag” logo.

Post 1986, Pettibon was commissioned to produce covers for Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, and various bands that have included Pettibon himself as a musician such as Blank, Super Session, and Sür Drone.

Beginning with Raymond Pettibon’s first artists’ book, Captive Chains, published in 1978, his publications contain a myriad body of explicit, graphic, sexual, and violent material. Famously, the announcement card for Pettibon’s first New York City one-man exhibition, held at the Semaphore Gallery in March 1986, reads: “I am the wrench in people’s lives, really fixing them up.”

A note on the sequence of publications: Ohrt appears to have listed
publications in alphabetical order within years; this checklist follows the order that was set forth in the SST Records merchandise lists where each publication was assigned a number based on the order of publication date.

1. Pettibone, Raymond. CAPTIVE CHAINS
Lawndale: SST Publications, November 1978
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 7.25” x 10.5”, 64 pages, 5000 copies (according to Ohrt, only approximately 100 were sold), offset printed. (SST P-1) (Ohrt 1) 

From the introduction: “’In this issue: no bronze-skinned barbarians, their wonderful muscles rippling, a strip of hide hiding —; no lush science fiction, art nouveau, mythology (pick 1) pieces to hang next to your McDonald’s Neiman; no art as therapy for devotees of de Sade and Sacher-Masoch; no stories about peace-loving hippies vs. heartless authorities, set in the summer of love… 2067; no superheroes for your kid brother.”

2. Pettibon, Raymond. TRIPPING CORPSE
Lawndale: Raymond Pettibon, 1981
Side-stapled in printed and illustrated covers, 8.5” x 11”, 48 pages, (according to Ohrt, limitation unknown), offset printed on rectos only. (SST P-2) (Ohrt 2)

Contents include Black Flag interview and “Psychedelic Translation” of Alan Ginsberg’s Howl.

3. Pettibon, Raymond. ASBESTOS
Lawndale: SST Publications, 1982
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-3) (Ohrt 3)

4. Pettibon, Raymond. OTHER CHRISTS
Lawndale: SST Publications, 1982
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 32 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-4) (Ohrt 7)

5. Pettibon, Raymond. A NEW WAVE OF VIOLENCE 
Lawndale: SST Publications, May 1982
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-5) (Ohrt 6)

6. Pettibon, Raymond. TRIPPING CORPSE 2: THE HIPPIE THING
Lawndale: SST Publications, October 1982
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 32 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-6) (Ohrt 8)

(SST P-7: [poster] “Turn off the Radio…”)
(SST P-8: [poster] “Parents of Punkers”)
(SST P-9: [poster] “O.D. a Hippie”)
(SST P-10: [poster] “Patty/Tania”)

7. Pettibon, Raymond. FREUD’S UNIVERSE
Lawndale: SST Publications, October 1982
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 32 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-11) (Ohrt 4)

8. Pettibon, Raymond. MY STRUGGLE FOR LIFE AFTER DEATH
Lawndale: SST Publications, October 1982
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 32 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-12) (Ohrt 5)

(SST P-13: [poster] “Free Charlie”)

9. Pettibon, Raymond. VIRGIN FEARS
Lawndale: SST Publications, January 1983
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 32 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-14) (Ohrt 11)

10. Pettibon, Raymond. CAPRICIOUS MISSIVES
Lawndale: SST Publications, April 1983
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-15) (Ohrt 9)

11. Pettibon, Raymond. TRIPPING CORPSE 3
Lawndale: SST Publications, March 1983
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 32 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-16) (Ohrt 10)

(SST P-17: [skateboard] “No Not, Ever!”)
(SST P-18: [lyrics book] My War)
(SST P-19: [skateboard] “Reason for Living”)

12. Pettibon, Raymond. TRIPPING CORPSE FOUR
Lawndale: SST Publications, August 1984
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-20) (Ohrt 17)

13. Pettibon, Raymond. LANA
Lawndale: SST Publications, August 1984
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-21) ( Ohrt 16)

14. Pettibon, Raymond. Kismet’s Account 
Lawndale: SST Publications, August 1984
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-22) (Ohrt 15)

15. Pettibon, Raymond. CONSOLE, HEAL, OR DEPICT
Lawndale: SST Publications, August 1984
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-23) (Ohrt 13)

16. Pettibon, Raymond. TRIPPING CORPSE 5
Lawndale: SST Publications, August 1984
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-24) (Ohrt 18)

17. Pettibon, Raymond. HENRY ROLLINS – 20
Lawndale: SST Publications, 1984
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 24 pages. Poems by Henry Rollins. (SST P-25)

18. Pettibon, Raymond and Nelson Tarpenny. THE BIBLE, THE BOTTLE, AND THE BOMB
Lawndale: SST Publications, September 1984
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-26) (Ohrt 12)

19. Pettibon, Raymond. HORIZONINGS: MY COMING CRASH (AND HOW TO AVOID IT)
Lawndale: SST Publications, November 1984
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 16 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed on rectos only. (Ohrt 14)

Note: no SST publication number assigned to this title; not found in any SST catalog.

20. Pettibon, Raymond and Mike Watt. AMERICAN LYNCH LAW
Lawndale: SST Publications, 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-27) (Ohrt 19)

21. Pettibon, Raymond. CARS, TV, ROCKETS, H-BOMB – – YOU NAME IT 
Lawndale: SST Publications, March 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (P-28, Ohrt 21)

22. Pettibon, Raymond. THE SKULL GLOBE
Lawndale: SST Publications, April 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-29) (Ohrt 34)

23. Pettibon, Raymond and Nelson Tarpenny. SHORT TEATS, BLOODY MILK
Lawndale: SST Publications, March 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-30) (Ohrt 33)

24. Pettibon, Raymond. WEIN, WEIB, UND GESANG
Lawndale: SST Publications, March 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-31) (Ohrt 37)

25. Pettibon, Raymond. JANE’S BOOK OF FIGHTING 
Lawndale: SST Publications, March 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-32) (Ohrt 24)

26. Pettibon, Raymond and Nelson Tarpenny. NEW WAVY GRAVY
Lawndale: SST Publications, March 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-33) (Ohrt 28)

(SST P-34: [lyrics book] Slip it In [?])
(SST P-35: [flyers] Black Flag)
(SST P-36: [book] Rollins, Henry. 2.13.61)
(SST P-37: [lyrics book] Damaged)
(SST P-38: [patch] Black Flag)

27. Pettibon, Raymond. THE NAVIGATOR’S WIVES
Lawndale: SST Publications, March 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-39) (Ohrt 27)

28. Pettibon, Raymond. JUST HAPPY TO BE WORKING
Lawndale: SST Publications, March 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-40) (Ohrt 25)

29. Pettibon, Raymond. THE OBSERVABLE WORLD
Lawndale: SST Publications, March 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-41) (Ohrt 30)

30. Pettibon, Raymond. TRIPPING CORPSE 6
Lawndale: SST Publications, April 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-42) (Ohrt 35)

Contents include Sonic Youth interview

31. Pettibon, Raymond and Nelson Tarpenny. A CAN AT THE CROSSROADS
Lawndale: SST Publications, April 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-43) (Ohrt 20)

32. Pettibon, Raymond. THE EXPRESS SEX TRAIN
Lawndale: SST Publications, April 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-44) (Ohrt 22)

33. Pettibon, Raymond. LIKE DEATH VALLEY
Lawndale: SST Publications, April 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-45) (Ohrt 26)

(SST P-46: [poster] “In My Head’ [?])
(SST P-47: [poster] “Loose Nut” [?])
(SST P-48: [book] Rollins, Henry. End to End)

34. Pettibon, Raymond. EXTERMINATING THE EAGLES
Lawndale: SST Publications, June 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-49) (Ohrt 23)

35. Pettibon, Raymond. PIG CUPID
Lawndale: SST Publications, June 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-50) (Ohrt 31)

36. Pettibon, Raymond. TRIPPING CORPSE 7 – MEDEA IS THE MASSAGE
Lawndale: SST Publications, 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-51) (Ohrt 36)

37. Pettibon, Raymond. NEW WAVY GRAVY 2
Lawndale: SST Publications, 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-52) (Ohrt 29)

Contents include Minutemen interview

38. Pettibon, Raymond and Michael Gira. SELFISHNESS
Lawndale: SST Publications, 1985
Saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5” x 8.5”, 28 pages, 500 numbered copies (according to Ohrt, 400 were destroyed), offset printed. (SST P-53) (Ohrt 32)

[end of Pettibon publications assigned SST number]

Black Flag – Show List and Key Dates

>> return to the Black Flag page >>

This index will attempt to gather show dates and flyers for all appearances from 1979 to mid-1981 when Henry Rollins began with the band.

1979

Date: January 27, 1979
Venue: Moose Lodge Hall
Location: Redondo Beach, CA
Notes: with Alleycats, Rhino 39; first advertised show

Date: February 17, 1979
Venue: Teen Post
Location: San Pedro, CA
Notes: with Alley Cats, Descendents, Plugz, Reactionaries (later, Minutemen), Last


Date: June 11, 1979
Venue: Bla Bla Café
Location: Studio City, CA
Notes: Black Flag’s first club gig; they were also booked for the 19th, but the owner refused to let them play.

Date: June 18, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Cafe
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with The Last



Date: June 22 and 29, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Cafe
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Fear, Controllers, Plugz, X



Date: June 29, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Cafe
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Fear, Controllers, Plugz, X; Black Flyer #7

[Pettibon image published in Freud’s Universe.]

Date: June 29 and 30, 1979
Venue: 5530 Hollywood Blvd.
Location: Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Simpletones, UXA (on the 29th) and UXA (on the 30th)


Date: July 13, 1979
Venue: The Masque
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with UXA, Smart Pills, Black Hearts



Date: July 22, 1979
Venue: Polliwog Park
Location: Manhattan Beach, CA
Notes: with Eddie and the Subtitles, Tourists, Big Wow


Date: August 4, 1979
Venue: King’s Palace
Location: Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Mau-Maus, Smart Pills, UXA



Date: August 11, 1979
Venue: Club 88
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with with Middle Class, Eddie and the Subtitles

[Pettibon image published in Captive Chains.]

Date: August 12, 1979
Venue: King’s Palace,
Location: Hollywood, CA
Notes: Mau-Maus, Fear, Satintones



Date: September 1, 1979
Venue: Mars Studio
Location: Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Plugz, Silencers, Gears; show was shut down; Black Flyer #11


Date: September 2, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Cafe
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with UXA, Red Cross; Black Flyer #11



Date: September 12, 1979
Venue: Gazzarri’s
Location: West Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Rik L Rik, Spittin’ Teeth, Audio Vidiot


Date: September 16, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Cafe
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Mau-Maus, DOA, Terminals



Date: September 19, 1979
Venue: King’s Palace
Location: Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Red Cross, Gears, Mau Maus, Terminals

[Pettibon image published in Captive Chains.]

Date: September 22, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Cafe
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Germs, Middle Class


Date: September 25 and 27, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Cafe
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Flyboys, Silencers (on the 25th); with UXA, Red Cross (on the 27th); David Bowie in the audience (!?); Black Flag flyer #15

[Pettibon image published in My Struggle for Life After Death.]

Date: October 9, 1979
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with (Impatient) Youth, Feeders



Date: October 10, 1979
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: Western Front Festival 1979, with Dead Kennedys, Feederz


Date: October 25, 1979
Venue: Pippin’s
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Notes: with Flyboys, P-15’s, Red Cross

[Pettibon image published in Asbestos.]

Date: October 26, 1979
Venue: King’s Palace
Location: Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Terminals, Audio Vidiots

[Pettibon image published in Asbestos.]

Date: October 31, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Cafe
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Fear, Germs, Chinas Comidas; art by Lee Ving


Date: October 31, 1979
Venue: King’s Palace
Location: Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Silencers, Mau-Maus, Red Cross, Cart-Wrights


Date: November 1, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Cafe
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Mau Maus, Red Cross, Urinals, Spittin’ Teeth

Date: November 1, 1979
Venue: Anti-Club
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Angry Samoans, Overman, The Jonnies

Date: November 23, 1979
Venue: Hong Kong Cafe
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Last, Fear, Urinals

[Pettibon image published in Freud’s Universe.]

Date: December 1, 1979
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with Mutants, Madness


Date: December 9, 1979
Venue: Cuckoo’s Nest
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Notes: with X, Go-Go’s; Black Flag flyer #21

[Pettibon image published in Freud’s Universe.]

Date: December 16, 1979
Venue: Blackie’s
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with The Dils, The Upbeats; Ron Reyes debuts as vocalist; Black Flag flyer #21

[Pettibon image published in Freud’s Universe.]

Date: December 21, 1979
Venue: Whisky A Go Go
Location: West Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Plugz, Arthur J and the Gold Cups, Geza X and the Mommy Men; Keith and Greg (Hetson) announce plans for a new band; Black Flag flyer #21

[Pettibon image published in Freud’s Universe.]

1980

Date: January 23, 1980
Venue: The Great Gatsby
Location: Redondo Beach, CA
Notes: with The Flyboys

[Pettibon image published in Freud’s Universe.]

Date: January 25, 1980
Venue: Blackie’s
Location: Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Urinals, the Fast



Date: January 27, 1980
Venue: Cuckoo’s Nest
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Notes: with Alleycats, Middle Class



Date: January 28, 1980
Venue: George’s
Location: Santa Barbara, CA
Notes: with Reene White

[Pettibon image published in Captive Chains.]

Date: January 29, 1980
Venue: The Great Gatsby
Location: Redondo Beach, CA
Notes: with Germs, Eddie & The Subtitles, Descendents


Date: January 30, 1980
Venue: Hong Kong Cafe
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Nobody’s Overman, Chiefs, Tracks, 45s


Date: February 1, 1980
Venue: The Temple
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with Roy Loney and the Phantom Movers, Eye Protection, VS.


Date: February 8-9, 1980
Venue: Smilin’ Buddha
Location: Vancouver, BC
Notes: with Rabid, Blackheads



Date: February 15-16, 1980
Venue: Bahama’s Underground
Location: Seattle, WA
Notes: with Exquisite Corpse, Chinas Comidas; Kyle Nixon of Solger joins them to sing “Nervous Breakdown” on the 16th

Date: February 19, 1980
Venue: Slick Willie’s
Location: Sacramento, CA
Notes: with Contractions



Date: February 27, 1980
Venue: Sproul-Plaza
Location: Berkeley, CA

Date: March 1, 1980
Venue: North Park Lions Club
Location: San Diego, CA
Notes: with The Last, The Urinals

Date: March 3, 1980
Venue: Civic Center
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Notes: with Social Dismay, Red Cross, Adolescents, Minutemen

Date: March 5, 1980
Venue: The Great Gatsby
Location: Redondo Beach, CA
Notes: with Fear, Eddie & The Subtitles, Spitting Teeth

Date: March 6-7, 1980
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco, CA

Date: March 16, 1980
Venue: Cuckoo’s Nest
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Notes: with Arthur J, The Goldcups

Date: March 29, 1980
Venue: Kings Palace
Location: Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Circle Jerks, The Germs, Cheifs, The Lurchers

Date: April 2, 1980
Venue: The Roxy
Location: San Diego, CA
Notes: with Last

Date: April 11, 1980
Venue: The Fleetwood
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Chiefs, Skrewz, Vicious Circle, Descendents

Date: April 12, 1980
Venue: Berkeley Square
Location: Berkeley, CA
Notes: with No Sisters, VIPs

Date: April 15, 1980
Venue: Berkeley Square
Location: Berkeley, CA
Notes: with Secret Service

Date: April 17-19, 1980
Venue: Smilin’ Buddha
Location: Vancouver, BC
Notes: with Braineaters, Rolling Sex Beatles, Dish Rags, Bludgeoned Pigs

Date: April 21, 1980
Venue: Long Goodbye
Location: Portland, OR

Date: May 2, 1980
Venue: Washington Hall
Location: Seattle, WA
Notes: with Subhumans, Vains

Date: May 23, 1980
Venue: The Fleetwood
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Red Cross, Screws, Agent Orange, China White, Disposals; Ron Reyes walks off stage leaving random audience members to fill in, he returns later in the gig only to quit again, this time for good

Date: June 6, 1980
Venue: The Fleetwood
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Subhumans, Red Cross, Screws, Angry Samoans, Der Tab; Keith Morris on vocals. [Concert brought forward from June 10]

Date: June 9, 1980
Venue: Vanguard Gallery
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Middle Class, Subhumans, The Crowd, The Adolescents; the show was put on by Black Flag

Date: June 10, 1980
Venue: The Fleetwood
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: CANCELLED; brought forward to June 6

Date: June 27, 1980
Venue: The Station
Location: Industry, CA
Notes: with Red Cross, Descendents

Date: August 15, 1980
Venue: Urban Noize
Location: Portland, OR
Notes: with Solger, Cleavers

Date: August 16, 1980
Venue: Showbox Theatre
Location: Seattle, WA
Notes: with Solger, Shock Treatment; Fartz form at the afterparty

Date: August 17, 1980
Venue: J’s Delux
Location: Portland, OR
Notes: with Insex, Tunnel Canary

Date: September 2, 1980
Venue: Capones
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Saccharine Trust, Minutemen

Date: September 6, 1980
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Notes: with DOA

Date: September 7, 1980
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with Fall of Christianity, The Rabble, The Cosmetics

Date: September 19, 1980
Venue: Hideaway
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Geza X, Circle Jerks, Stains, Descendents, Mad Society

Date: October 3, 1980
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with The Lewd

Date: October 4, 1980
Venue: North Park Lions Club
Location: San Diego, CA
Notes: with Screws, Descendents, Sacharine Trust

Date: October 8, 1980
Venue: The Whisky
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with DOA

Date: October 14, 1980
Venue: Cuckoo’s Nest
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Notes: with The Hated, War Criminals

Date: October 19, 1980
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with The Enemy, Social Unrest, Cosmetics

Date: October 22, 1980
Venue: The Stone
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with Stiff Little Fingers, The Tenants

Date: October 23, 1980
Venue: Keystone
Location: Palo Alto, CA
Notes: with Stiff Little Fingers, The Tenants

Date: October 24, 1980
Venue: Baces Hall
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with UXA, Adolescents & Screws

Date: October 31, 1980
Venue: Rat’s Palace
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with No Alternative, Impatient Youth, Nubs

Date: November 1, 1980
Venue: Urban Noize
Location: Portland, OR

Date: November 1, 1980
Venue: Baces Hall
Location: San Diego, CA
Notes: with UXA, Adolescents, Skrewz

Date: November 3-5, 1980
Venue: Gary Taylor’s Rock Room
Location: Vancouver, BC
Notes: with The Dickies

Date: November 7, 1980
Venue: Urban Noize
Location: Portland, OR

Date: November 18, 1980
Venue: Starwood
Location: Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Eddie and the Subtitles, Minutemen

Date: November 22, 1980
Venue: Baces Hall
Location: San Diego, CA
Notes: ‘JFK Memorial Show’; with Stains, Violent Children, No Alternative, Mau Maus, Castration Squad

Date: November 28, 1980
Venue: Verne Auditorium
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Circle Jerks, Mad Society, Plugz

Date: November 30, 1980
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Notes: CANCELLED – original start date for the Creepy Crawl tour, but this show was cancelled well in advance

Date: December 1, 1980
Venue: Night Train
Location: Tucson, AZ

Date: December 2, 1980
Venue: Zero’s
Location: Fort Worth, TX

Date: December 3, 1980
Venue: Hot Club
Location: Dallas, TX

Date: December 4, 1980
Venue: Raul’s
Location: Austin, TX
Notes: with Recipients

Date: December 5-6, 1980
Venue: The Island
Location: Houston, TX
Notes: with Stains

Date: December 7, 1980
Venue: Jimmy’s
Location: New Orleans, LA

Date: December 8, 1980
Location: Baton Rouge, LA

Date: December 12-13, 1980
Venue: Stages
Location: Chicago, IL
Notes: with Effigies; 13th was CANCELLED

Date: December 13, 1980
Venue: Oz
Location: Chicago, IL

Date: December 14 1980
Venue: Starship
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Notes: may have been cancelled?

Date: December 15, 1980
Location: Madison, WI
Notes: CANCELLED – well in advance due to fears of “punk violence”

Date: December 16, 1980
Venue: Sugis
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Notes: probably cancelled

Date: December 18, 1980
Venue: Rock Lounge
Location: New York City, NY
Notes: CANCELLED

Date: December 19, 1980
Location: Boston, MA
Notes: CANCELLED

Date: December 20, 1980
Location: Boston, MA
Notes: CANCELLED – show moved to (or from?) the 19th

Date: December 21, 1980
Location: Washington, DC
Notes: CANCELLED

Date: December 30, 1980
Venue: Cuckoo’s Nest
Location: Costa Mesa, CA

Date: December 31, 1980
Venue: 10th Street Hall
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with Impatient Youth, Two Tones, Toiling Midgets

1981

Date: January 6-7, 1981
Venue: Starwood
Location: Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Adolescents, China White, Middle Class (on the 6th), Social Distortion (on the 7th)

Date: January 18, 1981
Venue: Urban Noise
Location: Portland, OR
Notes: with Toxic Shock

Date: January 22, 1981
Venue: Polish Hall
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Subhumans, China White, Mad Society, The Runns, Assassins; Black Flag replaced Circle Jerks who cancelled at the last minute; there was a riot

Date: January 23, 1981
Venue: North Park Lions Club
Location: San Diego, CA
Notes: with Minutemen, Cheifs

Date: January 28, 1981
Venue: Cuckoo’s Nest
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Notes: postponed until March 3rd

Date: February 11, 1981
Venue: Stardust Ballroom
Location: Hollywood, CA
Notes: with Fear, Circle Jerks, China White, Minutemen

Date: February 13, 1981
Venue: The Laundromat
Location: Vancouver, BC
Notes: with DOA, No Alternative, 7 Seconds, Bludgeoned Pigs

Date: February 14, 1981
Venue: Danceland USA
Location: Seattle, WA
Notes: with No Alternative. Kyle Nixon (ex-Solger joined them on “Louie Louie”

Date: February 20, 1981
Venue: Barrington Hall
Location: Berkeley, CA
Notes: with Flipper, Sick Pleasure

Date: February 27-28, 1981
Venue: Mabuhay Gardens
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with Eddie, The Subtitles, Stains, TSOL (on the 27th); Adolescents, Minutemen, China White (on the 28th)

Date: March 1, 1981
Venue: Vex
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Notes: with Minutemen, Girl Scouts, Deprogrammer; benefit for Greg Ginn’s legal defense

Date: March 3, 1981
Venue: Cuckoo’s Nest
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Notes: CANCELLED, rescheduled from January 28th, but cancelled again due to the Cuckoo’s Nest licence being revoked

Date: March 4, 1981
Venue: Tumbleweeds
Location: Tucson, AZ

Date: March 6, 1981
Venue: Raul’s
Location: Austin, TX
Notes: with Big Boys, Raidy, Killerwattz

Date: March 7, 1981
Venue: The Island
Location: Houston, TX
Notes: with Devices, Derailers

Date: March 8, 1981
Venue: Jimmie’s
Location: New Orleans, LA

Date: March 14, 1981
Venue: Peppermint Lounge
Location: New York City, NY

Date: March 16, 1981
Venue: Decade
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Date: March 17, 1981
Venue: 9:30 Club
Location: Washington, DC
Notes: with Minor Threat, Youth Brigade

Date: March 21, 1981
Venue: Rat
Location: Boston, MA

Date: March 22 1981
Venue: Club Doo-Bee
Location: Lansing, MI
Notes: with Fix, Necros

Date: March 23, 1981
Venue: The Space Place
Location: Chicago, IL
Notes: with Effigies, Strike Under, Naked Raygun. The show was originally scheduled for Oz, but moved to The Space Place. The afterparty was at Oz though, where the band saw Husker Du for the first time

Date: March 28, 1981
Venue: Old Waldorf
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with Flipper, Adolescents

Date: April 25, 1981
Venue: 10th Street Hall
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with Flipper, Minutemen, Stains

Date: May 15, 1981
Venue: Belmont Ballroom
Location: Fresno, CA
Notes: with Nazi Bitch Und Der Jude, Dog Meat, 666

Date: May 17, 1981
Venue: H.O.L.M.S Hall
Location: San Jose, CA
Notes: with The Lewd, Los Olvidados, The Ghouls, Happy Death; SHUT DOWN before Black Flag could play

Date: May 21, 1981
Venue: ?
Location: Tampa, FL

Date: June 12, 1981
Venue: 10th Street Hall
Location: San Francisco, CA
Notes: with No Alternative, Saccharine Trust, 7 Seconds

Date: June 19, 1981
Venue: Civic Auditorium
Location: Santa Monica, CA
Notes: with Adolescents, DOA, Minutemen

Date: June 26, 1981
Venue: The Showplace
Location: Dover, NJ

Date: June 27, 1981
Venue: Irving Plaza
Location: New York City, NY
Notes: with Bad Brains, UXA; at the afterparty held at A7, Henry Rollins sings with Black Flag

Date: July 3, 1981
Venue: Simons
Location: Pawtucket, RI

Date: July 4, 1981
Venue: Electric Banana
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Notes: with Prototype, The Five, ICU, Blue Collar, Whereabouts, Rumhounds

Date: July 8, 1981
Venue: City Gardens
Location: Trenton, NJ

Date: July 9, 1981
Venue: The Mistake
Location: Cleveland, OH

Date: July 10, 1981
Venue: Starlite Ballroom
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Notes: with SOA, Autistic Reactions; this was SOA’s final show, the show degenerates into a riot

Date: July 11-12, 1981
Venue: The Paradise
Location: Boston, MA

Date: July 12, 1981
Venue: Mill Hill Club
Location: Cape Cod, MA
Notes: with The Freeze

Date: July 13, 1981
Venue: Agora
Location: New Haven, CT

Date: July 14, 1981
Venue: Bookies
Location: Detroit, MI
Notes: with Necros; Henry meets up with Black Flag and for the rest of the tour he’s a roadie and comes out to sing the encores as a way of learning the tunes

Date: July 15, 1981
Venue: Tut’s
Location: Chicago, IL with Effigies, DV8

Date: July 16, 1981
Venue: Merlin’s
Location: Madison, WI

Date: July 17, 1981
Venue: Starship
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Notes: with Stellas

Date: July 18, 1981
Venue: Sam’s
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Notes: with The Replacements

Date: July 20, 1981
Venue: Indian Center
Location: Salt Lake City, UT

Date: July 25, 1981
Venue: Cuckoo’s Nest
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Notes: with Stains

Date: July ?, 1981
Venue: Goofy’s Upper Deck
Location: Minneapolis, MN

Date: July 28, 1981
Venue: Destinations
Location: Oklahoma City, OK

Date: July 29-30, 1981
Venue: Bongo Syllys
Location: Tulsa, OK

Date: July 31, 1981
Venue: Duke’s
Location: Austin, TX
Notes: with The Stains

Date: August 2, 1981
Venue: The Agora
Location: Houston, TX

Date: August 3, 1981
Venue: Baton
Location: Rouge, LA

Date: August 8, 1981
Venue: The Agora
Location: Atlanta, GA

Date: August 10, 1981
Venue: The Agora
Location: Tampa, FL

Date: August 13, 1981
Venue: The 9:30 Club
Location: Washington DC

Date: August 14, 1981
Venue: City Gardens
Location: Trenton, NJ

Date: August 15, 1981
Venue: East Side Club
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Date: August 20, 1981
Venue: Rahars
Location: Northampton, MA

Date: August 21, 1981
Venue: Cuckoo’s Nest
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Notes: with Wasted Youth, Circle One (at 3pm show); with Saccharine Trust, Overkill (at 9pm show); Henry’s first gig

7" vinyl, Los Angeles, Punk Rock

The Cheifs

In November of 1979, Bob Glassley and a few friends piled into his car for a road trip down the West Coast. It was a retired police cruiser from the Dorris California Police Department, an all-white Plymouth with a souped-up engine. At the time, Glassley sang for a young punk band from Portland called the Rubbers. They were on a mission that day, to make some alliances in the Los Angeles music scene, and to line up some shows for a touring caravan of Portland bands. “We set out for L.A., and the motor blew somewhere outside of Stockton,” Glassley says. “When we got back on the road we found out it was the day they were taping the Hollywood Christmas parade. All of the freeway exits were closed, so we just kept driving around the city, looking for an off-ramp.”

Eventually they made it into the city and crashed at the Holly-West in Hollywood. The space was a former MGM studio and office building on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Western, housing everything from a porno studio and a church led by a gay preacher to rehearsal spaces where musicians lived, practiced and spent most of their time hanging out.

One day, Glassley was listening to a group making noise in a nearby room when a young man with bright blue hair — George Walker — poked his head around the doorway and asked if anyone played bass. “I said I did, although that was a serious stretch,” Glassley says. “I owned a cheap bass back in Portland, so I felt qualified.”

Walker was a gay black man in the late ’70s L.A. punk scene at a time when there were few out gay or black punk musicians.

The two became friends, and after sticking around and playing music for a few days, Glassley was invited to join the group and play bass alongside Walker on guitar with singer Jerry Koskie and drummer Kenneth “Rabit” Bragger. Soon they would come to be known as Cheifs. (further reading…)