Hard-Core: Life of My Own

by Harley Flanagan, Steven Blush (Introduction)

Overview

Harley Flanagan provides a fascinating memoir: a homeless child prodigy and family friend of Andy Warhol and Allen Ginsberg, at a young age he became close to many stars of the early punk rock scene like Joe Strummer of The Clash and was taught to play bass by members of the famed black punk band Bad Brains. He went on to start the notorious hardcore band Cro-Mags.

From the memoir's introduction by American Hardcore's Steven Blush: "Harley Flanagan is not like you or me. Most of us grew up in relative safety and security. Harley came up like a feral animal, fending for himself in the '70s Lower East Side jungle of crime, drugs, abuse and poverty. By age 10 he was a downtown star at Max's Kansas City and CBGB, drumming in his aunt's punk band The Stimulators, and socializing with Blondie's Debbie Harry and Cleveland's Dead Boys. Everyone thought it was so cute, but it wasn't."

Currently an instructor for the famed Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, Harley was never shy: making friends with important figures like Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, defending himself in street battles, and, most recently, finding media play and court battles after former band members betrayed their one-time friend and bandmate.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781627310338
Publisher:	Feral House
Publication date:	09/27/2016
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	255,153
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Harley Flanagan: Harley Frances Flanagan (born 1968) is the founder and bassist of the hardcore punk band, The Cro-Mags.

When he was nine, Flanagan published a book of poetry with a foreword written by family friend, Allen Ginsberg.

He is a father and martial arts instructor living in NYC.

Table of Contents

Introduction Steven Blush 6

Introduction: Life of My Own 10

Chapter 1 My Childhood 13

Chapter 2 37

Part 1 NYC - "Howl" "Low-Life" "Hitmen" and "Hell" on East 12th 37

Part 2 Hardcore De-Evolution 50

Chapter 3 69

Part 1 The Stimulators - The Clash - The Beastie Boys 69

Part 2 Ireland '80 87

Chapter 4 95

Part 1 The Lower East Side - A,B,C Land 95

Part 2 The Beginning of "Mew York Hardcore" 111

Chapter 5 Going Out to Cali 127

Chapter 6 Skinheads - And The Great White North 147

Chapter 7 162

Part 1 Cro-Mag - Skinhead - Break Out - Now! 162

Part 2 The Scene / NYHC / My Skins 178

Chapter 8 New York "Krishna" Core 187

Chapter 9 'The Age of Quarrel' 215

Chapter 10 'The Age of Ouarrel' Tour 235

Chapter 11 'Best Wishes' to You 257

Chapter 12 285

Part 1 "Alpha Omega" the Beginning and the End - Bloodclot Returns 285

Part 2 The Dark Swami - Prthu Putra Swami A.K.A. "Devil Man" 300

Part 3 NYHC New School "A Story of Crews and Sheep" 302

Chapter 13 After the Omega and Before the Revenge 311

Chapter 14 335

Part 1 Drugs and Debauchery to Gracie Jiu-Jitsu 335

Part 2 Cro-Mag Reincarnation/Revenge 348

Chapter 15 Why Can't We All Just Get Along 382

Chapter 16 'The Finale' - Stabbing Slashing Biting at the CBGB Fest 411

Epilogue 437