9. Black Flag
Punk rock might be about anti-establishment, but if it wasn’t for the establishment, punk rock might not exist and in more ways than just fighting against it.
UCLA breeds thinkers and believe it or not, so does punk rock.
As one of the pioneers of west coast punk rock, former Bruin Greg Ginn had led the charge in the L.A. and South Bay punk scene with his in-your-face, DIY attitude. Ginn is an accomplished guitarist and is highly skilled in various musical genres aside from punk such as metal, jazz, and classical music.
"My war you’re one of them You say that you’re my friend But you’re one of them You don’t want to see me live"
Excerpt from “My War” from the album My War
His style and approach to music made Black Flag stand out in the punk scene, (1) because they did not resemble punks as they were fine going on stage with jeans and a t-shirt (sans the mohawks, metal studs, and leather) and (2) because they just didn’t care.
Later in the life of the band, Black Flag added another Bruin to the lineup as engineering major and bass aficionado Kira Roessler joined for a brief stint to replace Chuck Dukowski.
After Black Flag broke up in 1986, Ginn formed his own label and produced bands such as The Minutemen, Husker Du, Meat Puppets and Sonic Youth.