Greg Ginn Quotes

You have to keep the business side together as well as the creative side. We have constantly surprised people and stayed with bands until they have grown on people.

We’ve gotten involved in cat rescue – we take them in and find homes for them. I’ve always loved cats. I saw how homeless cats were living out there. We take them in, put out flyers.

We’re not good at propping up old carcasses. We want to be on top of what’s vital at any particular time, and not just hold onto something because it has a name.

We were excited when we sold our first 10 records. I always felt that if we could get the music out there, and if people became accustomed to it, then a substantial number of them would enjoy it.

We had a lot of riots. We came under attack from many of the police departments. It certainly wasn’t some publicity thing. I was afraid for many years. We couldn’t play in LA for many years. A lot of people got very cynical.

We aren’t as concerned about the live aspect as other labels. The best live bands are the easiest to record.

There’s not much music I’ll listen to if it doesn’t have pretty heavy swing. Rhythm is so important. Punk rock would have more power and feeling if it had swing.

There aren’t enough people who are scaring the kind of people who work at these record companies.

There are several books out on punk history, but I haven’t read any of them. I was there.

The small companies who feel that the majors are a threat, or are predators, will use that as an excuse for their eventual downfall. Don’t blame others for your own inadequacies.

The REM and Nirvana successes don’t mean much to me except as a potential distraction for bands who want to cash in on the trend. Don’t try to sound like someone else. REM and Nirvana don’t sound like anyone else.

The public is usually slow to catch on to new things, and it’s important that musicians stick to their guns and not look for that instant gratification.

The Minutemen were seen as more of an art thing than Black Flag, although I didn’t see them that way. It confused people when we put out Saccharine Trust, too.

The English scene got more media attention with their emphasis on fashion, with the safety pins and all. There were some really good bands over there. The Sex Pistols were great.

The biggest disappointment has been seeing the number of people in this business with very shortsighted views.

Stores can be indifferent to something new.

SST was formed to put out the first Black Flag record. Basically, there wasn’t anyone else to do it. I felt that what I was doing with Black Flag was very worthwhile, and I wanted to get it out there.

Putting out the things that I like best hasn’t been the easiest way to run a label, and it still isn’t because it requires finding an audience for each record.

Punk rock really came out of N.Y. as a philosophy before the groups were ever recorded. I had a kind-of intellectual interest in the idea of creating a new scene that could be a grassroots thing.

People from major labels were afraid to go to Black Flag gigs throughout most of the band’s existence. They treated our gigs as something threatening. I’m sure that it probably was. They probably had reasons to be scared.