In a 1994 episode of Sound fX, former Black Flag frontman Henry Rollins endured a bit of a cringe-worthy interview. Maybe it was the questions, or the attempts at banter, or maybe Rollins just wasn’t in the right mood. But he still provided some insightful comments, even if he seemed to mentally check out near the end.
Around that time, punk was having a resurgence. Show host Karyn Bryant referred to it as “corporate punk,” citing bands like Green Day and Bad Religion. Although Bad Religion did find renewed popularity in the 90s, they were already an 80s punk scene staple, so lumping them in with this generalization seems a bit misguided. But with the topic being major labels signing punk acts, there’s possibly a certain truth to that.
When asked if major corporate labels and punk bands are inherently opposed, Rollins replied succinctly, “They’re inherently in bed now.” He added that a big aspect of the 90s punk revival was actually those earlier staple bands coming back just to make money. It’s still happening today, even. But his thoughts about Green Day set them apart at the time.
Henry Rollins Clarified His Thoughts on Green Day as ‘Corporate Punk’ in 1994
In 1994, Green Day released Dookie, their major label debut. Before that, they had two independent albums, 39/Smooth and Kerplunk. So really, it could be hard to categorize Green Day as part of the 90s punk revival. At least in the terms Henry Rollins considered at the time.
“I think a band like Green Day,” he began, “I don’t think they’re consciously trying to [be] like, ‘Oh boy, let’s go to the bank.’ I think they were just doing their thing and all of a sudden everyone went, ‘You.’”
He continued, “Because I met those guys a few months ago and they’re just like, young guys having a band, having fun, very nice people. Can’t say I even remember their names, but [they’re] like, ‘Hey, how you doing,’ nice guys. And they became the flavor of the moment.”
There’s Room For Everyone At Punk Rock’s Dinner Table
Then, Rollins explained that hearing Green Day and the Offspring play reminded him of the bands he used to listen to. So, was the 90s punk revival made of old bands trying to cash in again? Or was it young bands borrowing from their predecessors? The answer, confusingly, is yes. As in, it was basically both.
“When I heard [Green Day] play and the Offspring play, I went, ‘Oh yeah, I remember that stuff, I remember that stuff from when I was 21 years old,’” Henry Rollins added. “But I think that there’s room. And I think that if you go to kids and say, ‘Forget them, you should be listening to the original version of that,’ these kids will go, ‘Well, yeah, but those people are older [or] dead.’”
Essentially, said Rollins, kids then wanted to listen to new, young bands. They “want to go see that band because they’re in the house now.” He continued, “I think there’s definitely a retro love of the punk rock thing going on … I think the young guys are kind of doing an older thing, digging the records they came up on and their older brothers came up on.
“I think the world is very huge,” he added, “And there’s room for Kenny G, and Michael Bolton, and Soundgarden, and me, and everybody, and I see no harm in any of it.”
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