There’s a term in hardcore that’s thrown around quite a bit, but that stems very directly from the mindset of Bad Brains, and that is PMA or Positive Mental Attitude, an ethos that informed and drove that band to be the wildly unique, incalculably influential (but still widely uncompensated) force that they remain today. If I’m not entirely mistaken, I believe the origins of the PMA date back to book by a flamboyantly named self-help guy named Napoleon Hill called, somewhat dubiously, “Think and Grow Rich.” I can’t say I’ve ever read the text, but I believe the Bad Brains essentially co-opted the essence of Hill’s philosophy and applied it to their own circumstances and the circumstances of their listeners. As a result, what may have initially been a bit of frankly quacky psychobabble turned into a genuinely inspiring code for living. Never mind cartoony punk rock nihilism, as professed by Bad Brains and their many acolytes, PMA is the core of a meaningful, purpose-driven existence.
The only reason I’m bringing up any of this is because, as you may remember me mentioning on this post, iconic Bad Brains guitarist Gary “Dr. Know” Miller was recently beset with some serious health issues, compounded by some equally serious expenses in the wake of them. Despite his inarguable status as a punk pioneer, Dr. Know isn’t especially wealthy, nor does he have medical insurance (click here for more information).
But this isn’t the news that surprised me today. It’s not shocking that there’s a groundswell of support for Dr. Know’s benefit. No, what’s somewhat surprising is the endeavor of Harley Flanagan, founding member of the Cro-Mags.
As detailed on quite a number of past posts, the original line-up of the Cro-Mags -– arguably the preeminent NYHC band and inexorably direct descendants of the Bad Brains –- simply do not play nice or get along with each other. That’s a long established fact, punctuated by a violent episode at Webster Hall a couple of years back … one that no one really expects them to bounce back from.
Regardless, Harley Flanagan took to his blog over the weekend to propose that the long-since-warring factions of the original line-up of the Cro-Mags briefly put aside their differences and reconvene to record a single track –- produced by Bad Brains’ bassist Daryl Jennifer -- with all proceeds going to aid Dr. Know’s recovery. You can read his full statement here, but I thought this `graph summed it up nicely…
Forget all the talking about PMA that everyone does; how about we actually show some. Then we can all go back to our lives and know that we did something good; that we did the right thing for the best reason.
Say what you will about Harley Flanagan, but that sounds pretty damn solid to me.
Personally speaking, I hope it happens. It’d be nice to see the bad blood in that band put to rest, and it would be nice to see them actually achieve that goal -– helping their friend and mentor when he needs it most.
Given the current climate of the world and the escalating ugliness, I’m clinging to every sign of hope for human decency I can find. Let’s please treat each other with kindness, tolerance and respect. Let’s please do endeavor to understand each other and get over our differences. Let’s all be a bit more forgiving of past mistakes, keeping in mind how short and precious life is.
And for fuck’s sake yes ---- let’s keep that PMA!
Recent Comments