What do you think?
Rate this book
Barred for Life: How Black Flag’s Iconic Logo became Punk Rock’s Secret Handshake
“ The Bars represent me finding my people. We were like a tribe. Together we are strong whereas before we felt weak and ostracized. ” Barred for Life is a photo documentary cataloging the legacy of Punk Rock pioneers Black Flag, through stories, interviews, and photographs of diehard fans who wear their iconic logo, The Bars, conspicuously tattooed upon their skin. Author Stewart Ebersole provides a personal narrative describing what made the existence of Punk Rock such an important facet of his and many other people’s lives, and the role that Black Flag’s actions and music played in soundtracking the ups and downs of living as cultural outsiders. “ The Bars say ‘I’m not one of them,’ and it also lets the right people know that I am one of them. ”
Stark black-and-white portraits provide visual testimony to the thesis that Black Flag’s factual Punk-pioneering role and their hyper-distilled mythology are now more prevalent worldwide then when the band was in service. An extensive tour of North America and Western Europe documents dedicated fans bearing Bars-on-skin and other Black Flag iconography. Nearly four hundred “Barred” fans lined up, smiled/frowned for the camera, and issued their stories for the permanent record. “ It is the black flag of anarchism, and that is the opposite of the white flag of surrender. ”
Barred for Life expands its own scope by presenting interviews with former Black Flag members and those close to the band. Interviews with alumni Dez Cadena, Ron Reyes, Kira Roessler, Keith Morris, and Chuck Dukowski, as well as photographers Glen E. Friedman and Ed Colver, and the man responsible for tattooing The Bars on more than a few Black Flag players, Rick Spellman, round out and spotlight aspects of Black Flag’s vicious live performances, forward-thinking work ethic, and indisputable reputation for acting as both champions and iconoclastic destroyers of the Punk Rock culture they helped to create.
“ When I see The Bars I think ‘Black Flag the band,’ but they also represent an entire movement of people that are not going to conform. They are part of a culture of people that stand up for themselves. ”
Stark black-and-white portraits provide visual testimony to the thesis that Black Flag’s factual Punk-pioneering role and their hyper-distilled mythology are now more prevalent worldwide then when the band was in service. An extensive tour of North America and Western Europe documents dedicated fans bearing Bars-on-skin and other Black Flag iconography. Nearly four hundred “Barred” fans lined up, smiled/frowned for the camera, and issued their stories for the permanent record. “ It is the black flag of anarchism, and that is the opposite of the white flag of surrender. ”
Barred for Life expands its own scope by presenting interviews with former Black Flag members and those close to the band. Interviews with alumni Dez Cadena, Ron Reyes, Kira Roessler, Keith Morris, and Chuck Dukowski, as well as photographers Glen E. Friedman and Ed Colver, and the man responsible for tattooing The Bars on more than a few Black Flag players, Rick Spellman, round out and spotlight aspects of Black Flag’s vicious live performances, forward-thinking work ethic, and indisputable reputation for acting as both champions and iconoclastic destroyers of the Punk Rock culture they helped to create.
“ When I see The Bars I think ‘Black Flag the band,’ but they also represent an entire movement of people that are not going to conform. They are part of a culture of people that stand up for themselves. ”
- GenresMusicPhotography
328 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2012
1 person is currently reading
70 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 12, 2013
I had hoped for a more straightforward presentation of The Bars' history and analysis of the logo's propagation as an icon, but... Having that expectation, I would've preferred the author's essays to be lumped together on a few pages of solid text, rather than sharing so many pages with the photos. The 'zine-ish appeal soon gave way to distraction, IME. For that matter, the essays themselves felt kind of meandering and repetitive. But the interviews with Black Flag members and associates were very good, and their layout appealing. So even though the book is not what I expected, I really enjoyed it. This is a beautiful book of photos and personal stories about people's tattoos of the iconic Bars.
May 9, 2015
Written By A Douche Canoe.
I love Black Flag and everything that comes along with it. When I seen this book, I thought i'm not the only one. Looking at all the awesome tattoos and what the bars mean to others was amazing. Until you get the the part the actual author wrote. He has no mind what so ever. He thinks like a typical poser who thinks hes loves Black Flag. I was highly annoyed at what he had to say and offer. His views and opinions just made me scream douche bag in my head. Spoiled rich trust fund kid. The best part about the book was the interview with Kira. And to why he said Sir Henry Rollins wouldn't do an interview, well lets see... you basically tore him a new one so I wonder why he wouldn't comment on this. I would of told him to shove it also. But besides the author, the book is actually good.
I love Black Flag and everything that comes along with it. When I seen this book, I thought i'm not the only one. Looking at all the awesome tattoos and what the bars mean to others was amazing. Until you get the the part the actual author wrote. He has no mind what so ever. He thinks like a typical poser who thinks hes loves Black Flag. I was highly annoyed at what he had to say and offer. His views and opinions just made me scream douche bag in my head. Spoiled rich trust fund kid. The best part about the book was the interview with Kira. And to why he said Sir Henry Rollins wouldn't do an interview, well lets see... you basically tore him a new one so I wonder why he wouldn't comment on this. I would of told him to shove it also. But besides the author, the book is actually good.
May 21, 2025
Spoilt by the narrator
December 31, 2016
This book is an interesting and visually compelling collection of interviews with iconic punk musicians/artists, memoir-like excerpts by Ebersole about his life as a punk rocker well into middle age, and photographs of people with the iconic Black Flag bar tattoo, each with a little excerpt about what the bars mean to them. (Granted, those last bits get a bit silly at times). I admit, I related to Ebersole quite a bit, and thought this project was a terrific celebration of a life as an American punk fan.
March 31, 2013
an international survey of Black Flag faggotry, includes yours truly on page 250. best part is the interviews with Kira, Dez, Keith, Ron and Chuck.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews