Human Err0r

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts in their original lineup (l-r: Gary Ryan, Eric Ambel & ex-Avengers drummer Danny “Furious” O'Brien), in London ca. spring 1980. while on their first european tour.

Patricia Morrison, aka “Pat Bag“ (later on member of The Gun club/The Sisters Of Mercy/The Damned) & Alicia Armendariz, aka “Alice Bag” (later on legendary punk rock female icon) of the seminal first wave LA punk band The Bags, photographed on stage by Ann Summa in 1979 at the Hong Kong Cafe, Los Angeles.

Kira Roessler, legendary bassist of Black Flag (photos by Richard Hogge and quotes from a truly interesting interview, originally ran in #26 of Razorcake magazine in 2005).

Pain is an unfamiliar term for a member of Black Flag:

“…Ryan: One thing I get out of it is the dedication your band and SST bands had. One other thing that was interesting: he talks about you getting into a fight with a girl in a bathroom. Is that what hurt your hand?… Kira: …My hand was already injured when that happened. I was in Long Beach and Black Flag was playing an instrumental gig. Ten minutes before we go on, I go into the bathroom and this very large woman kicks the crap out of me, and grabs my right hand, which has all these problems, and bends it back, which is why I know that it’s an inside job and that someone told her I had a hurt hand (…) Her goal was for me not to play that night, so I played that night. That’s what it comes down to. That’s my ego and my competitiveness again. It hurt and it hurt later. I think both my weaknesses and strengths are that I really don’t want my weaknesses to supercede. When I hurt my hand, which was the first week I was in the band, my doctor said don’t play for six weeks. I’m a girl and I just joined Black Flag. Am I not gonna not play for six weeks ‘cause my hand is hurt? Four days later I’m back at practice and my hand has never been the same. That was my choice. They would have let me not play. They said take whatever time you need. My ego wouldn’t let me do it. I gotta be tough. I’ve suffered everyday since. It’s not as bad as all that, but my hand didn’t heal properly because I did that. It was the same thing that night in the bathroom. She kicked the crap out of me, she won, it hurt, I could have gone crying home, but you know what? I’m looking at these guys and they’re ready to play and I’m like, “Can I play?” And I decided I could…”

The Dilemma: school or Black Flag?

“…Ryan: When you started playing in Black Flag, what year were you in at UCLA? Kira: I had completed three years, so I really only had one more year to go, which was part of why. I had never considered quitting (…) They kicked me out right before my final quarter… …Ryan: So, literally, it was either school or Black Flag for that period of your life? Kira: …I would go to school and play or tour. When we recorded, and this is probably just how I remember it, somehow I was always studying for midterms. We would have these forty-eight hour lockouts and we would play till no one could play anymore and I would be in the corner studying calculus. I could tell you the number of times that I was literally dropped off at UCLA out of the van from tour. My memory of it was that it happened more than once. You can imagine the look on the UCLA sorority girls’ faces when Kira falls out of the van having been on tour for months, ready for the first day of class…”

FYI, Kira Roessler not only graduated from UCLA, majoring in applied engineering, but has enjoyed a successful career as a dialogue editor in LA, working on movies like “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind“ and “The Twilight Saga: New Moon“. She has won an Emmy for her work on the “John Adams” TV show and was part of the sound editing crew that won the Oscar for “Mad Max: Fury Road” a few days ago.

Patti Smith not leaving much to the imagination while Allen Lanier of Blue Öyster Cult is trying to stay focused on her awsome smile?

Well, not really, since the two of them were long-time partners during the ′70s. Roni Hoffman was also there, capturing this sweet moment back in 1972.

Tell my wife I love her very much

Tell my wife I love her very much

C Major Completely Pure. Its character is: innocence, simplicity, naïvety, children’s talk.

C Minor Declaration of love and at the same time the lament of unhappy love. All languishing, longing, sighing of the love-sick soul lies in this key.

Db Major A leering key, degenerating into grief and rapture. It cannot laugh, but it can smile; it cannot howl, but it can at least grimace its crying.–Consequently only unusual characters and feelings can be brought out in this key.

C# Minor Penitential lamentation, intimate conversation with God, the friend and help-meet of life; sighs of disappointed friendship and love lie in its radius.

D Major The key of triumph, of Hallelujahs, of war-cries, of victory-rejoicing. Thus, the inviting symphonies, the marches, holiday songs and heaven-rejoicing choruses are set in this key.

D Minor Melancholy womanliness, the spleen and humours brood.

Eb Major

The key of love, of devotion, of intimate conversation with God.

D# Minor Feelings of the anxiety of the soul’s deepest distress, of brooding despair, of blackest depression, of the most gloomy condition of the soul. Every fear, every hesitation of the shuddering heart, breathes out of horrible D# minor. If ghosts could speak, their speech would approximate this key.

E Major Noisy shouts of joy, laughing pleasure and not yet complete, full delight lies in E Major.

E minor Naïve, womanly innocent declaration of love, lament without grumbling; sighs accompanied by few tears; this key speaks of the imminent hope of resolving in the pure happiness of C major.

F Major Complaisance & Calm.

F Minor

Deep depression, funereal lament, groans of misery and longing for the grave.

F# Major Triumph over difficulty, free sigh of relief uttered when hurdles are surmounted; echo of a soul which has fiercely struggled and finally conquered lies in all uses of this key.

F# Minor A gloomy key: it tugs at passion as a dog biting a dress. Resentment and discontent are its language.

G Major  Everything rustic, idyllic and lyrical, every calm and satisfied passion, every tender gratitude for true friendship and faithful love,–in a word every gentle and peaceful emotion of the heart is correctly expressed by this key.

G Minor  Discontent, uneasiness, worry about a failed scheme; bad-tempered gnashing of teeth; in a word: resentment and dislike.

Ab Major  Key of the grave. Death, grave, putrefaction, judgment, eternity lie in its radius.

Ab Minor  Grumbler, heart squeezed until it suffocates; wailing lament, difficult struggle; in a word, the color of this key is everything struggling with difficulty.

A Major  This key includes declarations of innocent love, satisfaction with one’s state of affairs; hope of seeing one’s beloved again when parting; youthful cheerfulness and trust in God.

A Minor  Pious womanliness and tenderness of character.

Bb Major  Cheerful love, clear conscience, hope aspiration for a better world.

Bb Minor A quaint creature, often dressed in the garment of night. It is somewhat surly and very seldom takes on a pleasant countenance. Mocking God and the world; discontented with itself and with everything; preparation for suicide sounds in this key.

B Major  Strongly coloured, announcing wild passions, composed from the most glaring colours. Anger, rage, jealousy, fury, despair and every burden of the heart lies in its sphere.

B Minor  This is as it were the key of patience, of calm awaiting ones’s fate and of submission to divine dispensation.