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The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Ep547: Greg Ginn - Black Flag, SST Records

The Vinyl Guide - Artist Interviews for Record Collectors and Music Nerds

Nate Goyer

Music, Music History, Music Interviews

4.7 • 579 Ratings

🗓️ 27 April 2026

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In a rare interview, Greg Ginn opens up about the latest Black Flag lineup, the SST catalogue, the possibility of long-overdue reissues and the legacy of one of punk's most beloved bands.

Tickets for Black Flag's 2026 Australian Tour

Topics Include:

  • Greg Ginn is based in Texas but currently in Long Beach after a tour.
  • Black Flag is heading to Hong Kong and then Australia next.
  • This will be Black Flag's third tour of Australia.
  • Rumors of new recordings remain unconfirmed — Ginn stays tight-lipped.
  • The current lineup has been together for about a year.
  • Band plays nearly two hours a night across two full sets.
  • Proximity of bandmates in Texas keeps the band constantly tight.
  • Ginn discovered punk through the Stooges, MC5, and New York bands.
  • Television, Ramones, Blondie, and The Damned were early major influences.
  • Ginn identifies more with open, varied 70s punk than 80s hardcore.
  • He never planned to be in a band — guitar was a personal outlet.
  • Finding like-minded people in the mid-70s was genuinely rare and meaningful.
  • Ginn started a business at 12 selling ham radio equipment he built.
  • He published his own amateur radio magazine as a teenager.
  • Black Flag's first EP was recorded as a demo, not a label release.
  • Nobody wanted to sign them, so starting SST was a reluctant default.
  • Ginn has applied the same DIY experimentation to an organic fertilizer brand.
  • He gets bored easily and improvisation is central to keeping music alive.
  • Ginn stays connected to a song's emotional meaning, not just its notes.
  • Seven band members once lived in a single room during Black Flag's peak.
  • Lineup changes were mostly practical — commitment and lifestyle demands were extreme.
  • Ginn isn't interested in nostalgia-driven reunions; best music matters most now.
  • Fans frequently thank him personally for helping them through difficult life periods.
  • He avoids fiction, movies, and video games — prefers reality and constant learning.
  • SST vaults are mostly bare — nearly everything recorded was officially released.
  • Ginn is open to remastering but skeptical of padding albums with leftover cuts.
  • He notes Dead Kennedys recently remixed Fresh Fruit — and wants to hear it.
  • Ginn doesn't own a working turntable; portability matters more to him than format.
  • SST catalog reissues — including Stains, Dicks, Overkill — are a genuine possibility.
  • Ginn believes Black Flag's songs remain timeless, attracting both parents and their kids.

High resolution version of this podcast is available at: www.Patreon.com/VinylGuide

Picts by Edward Colver

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Welcome to the Vinyl Guide, the podcast for record collectors and music nerds.

0:10.0

Here's your host, the biggest record nerd of them all, Nate Goyer.

0:13.0

Well, hello everyone, it's Nate.

0:15.0

Welcome to episode 547 of the Final Guide, the podcast for record collectors and music nerds.

0:22.1

And today, ladies and gentlemen, I'm sharing an interview I've wanted to make happen for many years now.

0:28.2

Greg Ginn of Black Flag, and of course who runs SST Records, and Greg and I cover a lot today.

0:35.7

I want to acknowledge up front.

0:39.6

Greg is a controversial figure in punk rock.

0:43.3

Many former bandmates struggle to find good things to say or even swear off talking about him altogether.

0:49.9

And to be clear, this interview is not about that.

0:56.0

Right up front, this is not a gossip fest. I wasn't going to ask about his personal fallouts or why he does or doesn't talk to so-and-so or disagreements with former band members.

1:03.0

That's totally between them. They're adults. They can speak for themselves.

1:07.0

What I wanted to find out, I wanted to find out what's up with the SST catalog,

1:12.4

the records, the tapes, the catalogs, unreleased recordings, reissues of some label rarities.

1:18.5

I want to talk about the current inception of Black Flag, three very young band members,

1:22.8

and what his thoughts are on the legacy of Black Flag. So we cover those topics and a lot more today.

1:29.1

And I think you'll enjoy and everyone I'm sure will learn quite a bit about Greg in this conversation.

1:35.6

And again, just being up front, you know, being in a band like Black Flag, that's a hard shift.

1:41.4

I'm not going to judge anyone who's done it and what they all made it mean when they came out the other side.

1:47.4

I'm also very aware of the suspicion of the latest lineup where it's Greg at three players in their early 20s.

1:54.7

Sure, it's out of the ordinary. And quite frankly, here's how I see it.

1:59.3

I came late to punk rock.

...

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