I got out of work at 4:30 Tuesday afternoon. I then met up with my man, Justin, and we high-tailed it to Philly for a night of stoner metal featuring the likes of High on Fire, Priestess, Bison B.C. and Black Cobra. After stopping for gas, drinks and over-priced pizza, we were on our way; eating up highway at 80 mph in my trusty ride. We got to the venue a bit early, so we decided to backtrack a few blocks to a Dunkin' Donuts where we could purchase cold beverages and use the facilities. On the way there, a forty-something, stocky dude told me that he liked my shirt. On the evening in question, I was sporting my Black Flag "Slip It In" shirt feature the Raymond Pettibon illustration of a nun holding onto a hairy arm (leg?). Classic. I mumbled a 'thanks' in his direction and we moved along.
****SIDE NOTE: Punk and metal shows always seem to function as pissing contests for people with band t-shirt collections. The idea is to sport whatever shirt could potentially make the most hipsters collectively share the greatest amount of jealousy. This is why I am usually more apt to wear my James Brown shirt to a show than almost any other shirt in my collection, because it doesn't really qualify in the fashion show. If I still had it and it still fit, I would also wear my 'Archie Bunker for President' t shirt that I got from my grandma years ago. On the morning of the show, I grabbed the closest non-black t-shirt I had, no agenda in mind. Big mistake.
So, anyway, Justin and I made it back to church where we meandered about for bit as we waited for the show to start. Bison B.C. came on around 7:45 and absolutely killed it. Score one for Canada! As they were tearing down and Black Cobra prepared to set-up, I ventured over to the merch tables to see if anything looked good. (Best piece of the night: High on Fire tote bag with the Pontiac Firebird logo.) On my way to said table, who do I run into but the Black Flag fan from earlier. This time, he stopped me and formally expressed his love of Black Flag. After indulging him with what seemed like half a dozen handshakes, we briefly talked about our favorite eras of the band as well as our favorite albums. I referenced Rollins-era Black Flag as sounding like a bulldozer running into a wall and he mentioned his man-crush over "Who's Got The 10 1/2?" at least once for each handshake he pressured me into only moments before. It was apparent that my portly, forty-something friend was intoxicated. I gave him the old "see ya later" but didn't mean it. He did.
After Black Cobra's painfully boring set came to a close, I took a stroll to the back of the room to flip through a couple boxes of used cds that some guy was selling. Nothing really caught my eye so I headed back to the spot that Justin and I had planted ourselves for the first two bands. I turned around and an extended hand was waiting for my shaking. It was "10 1/2 Man." It was almost like we hadn't spoken twice within the last hour. He told me how big of a fan he was of Black Flag...especially...you guessed it..."Who's Got The 10 1/2." This time, he had an open bottle of Miller Lite in one hand and an open Pabst Blue Ribbon pounder in the other. He talked about his infatuation with Henry Rollins and how Henry is really only about "this tall";according to this man, Henry Rollins is about 4'7". I said "wow" and "cool" a lot in an effort to humor him. At the end of his lengthy monologue, he asked, "So...what do you think about 'Who's Got the 10 1/2?'?" To which I said, "It's my FAVORITE album!!" He nearly lost his shit. I gave him the old "see ya later" one last time and dodged him the rest of the night. I'm not gonna wear that shirt again any time soon.
NOTE: The story behind the name of Black Flag's live LP, "Who's Got The 10 1/2?" is that one of the members allegedly had, and hopefully still has, a 10 1/2" member. Seeing as though there was a girl in the band at the time, it pretty much limits the owner to Greg Ginn, the apparently dwarf-like Henry Rollins or Anthony Martinez (?). I'm gonna go with Ginn.
Currently blasting: Black Flag-"Slip It In"
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