*from
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Lounge/3106/henry.html
Flipside: How do you like being in Black Flag?
Henry: I like it fine. It's real good. I'm
working out fine.
Flipside: Have you brought your DC influences
to the band?
Henry: I brought myself. My DC influence is
basically me.
Flipside: I mean as far as anti-drugs, anti-
alcohol...
Henry: I don't drink, I don't smoke, I don't
take any drugs...I don't care what anybody else
does, it's not tempting at all. Never has been.
I don't feel any kind of peer pressure. People
can do what they want, I don't igve a fuck.
Flipside: What brought on this philosophy that
you and Ian share?
Henry: Yeah, Ian is my best friend in the whole
world and he doesn't take drugs either. I've
seen so many people from Washington, friends,
people I've grown up with, you know herion, all
the lumpy headed herion people...People that
get drunk and stupid offend me. Now like I'm
not into enforcing stuff. I don't care if
people drink or not, but to me it's a lot
better to be alert and aggressive, rather
than get wasted and fucked up. That's a good
chance to get your ass kicked, and to me it's
just not a good time either.
Flipside: How do you like the new album?
("Damaged")
Henry: I like it, I think we played really
good. We worked on it till it came out the way
we wanted. Black Flag songs are...they take a
lot out of you. After you even do a practice
you're emotionally and physically drained. At
least that's the way I am.
Flipside: Wasn't it the same with S.O.A?
Henry: Yeah. S.O.A. was a very very intense
band, that's one thing that made us different
in the whole DC scene. Like Ian's band was
intense, cause Ian is prbably one of the best
singers I've ever seen. But S.O.A. had this
whole cohesive thing, everybody in the band was
just doing this one big thing. I used to come a
lot more unglued than a lot of people in other
bands in DC. Black Flag songs I think hit a
little more deeper than the songs I was doing
in S.O.A., they hit home a little more.
Flipside: When did you first meet Black Flag?
Henry: Ummm, last year when they came out to
New York. I talked to Chuck a couple of times
before they came out. They were my favorite
band so Ian and I would call them just to talk
to them. By the time they came out we knew them
kind of, adn they stayed over at Ian's house in
DC. When they came out again, I drove to New
York to see them of course I hung out with them
and when I was at my job one night about a week
later, they said "Why don't you come up to New
York, get up here and let's do it". I didn't
really understand what tehy meant. They were
just saying Dez wanted to play guitar and I
thought they jsut wanted me to come up and jam
with them because I knew all the songs. Just to
have a good time. So I went up there and they
said "Here's the deal..." and we practiced and
they said "It's happening, do you want to do
it?" and I said "Yeah". Quit my job. Sold my
apartment. Sold my car. Took off on a bus and
here I am
Flipside: Have you been out here before?
Henry: Yeah, a couple of times every summer for
the last 4 summers. I used to come out here
just to skate. As far as bands I came out here
with the Teen Idols last summer when I was a
roadie. I saw the Circle Jerks up in San
Francisco and hung out with all those HB
guys...
Flipside: Is awful busy around here.
Greg: It's not usually this busy, but we have
our label and we have this tour...
Henry: Plus we have this unbelieveably handsome
guy, and like all these people call up and say
"Can I have you mail me some of Henry's dirty
socks so I can touch them?", I'd like to say it
right now in Flipside, I'm sick of all the
groupies, thousands of them (yells out of the
window) "Get out of here, I told you not to
come back!" Yeah, so we have these groupies
with blue uniforms, they like to check us out
(
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