Special thanks to Lonnie Elder for this amazing interview with the living legend that is Mike Vallely!
Lonnie Elder; Black Flag has been a band now for almost four decades and the four singer before you all brought their own style to the mic, what do you believe is your biggest strength you bring to the role as front man of Black Flag?
Mike Vallely; My ability to honor the past, build on it and move it forward.
Elder; As a huge fan of Black Flag all your life what did it mean to you to get the call from Greg Ginn to do Vocals for the band?
Vallely; It’s an honor for sure but it is also something that has happened over a long period of time and at a certain point just really made sense.
Elder; I have read you are in studio working on some new tracks does that mean a 8th Black Flag studio Album maybe be slated to be release? And if so what is your roll in the writing process when it comes to releasing new song?
Vallely; We are always working on new material. At this point we are just recording without any kind of designation for what we are working on. And so at this point, there is no set release date of any kind and we are not rushing the creative process. It will happen when it happens. Right now our focus is the upcoming tour dates.
Elder; When a person comes to a Black Flag show how do you want them to feel when they leave out the front door when the show is over?
Vallely; Inspired.
Elder; Who are some of your major inspirations as a singer?
Vallely; My favorite singers are Bon Scott, Ronnie Van Zant, Klaus Meine and Gene Simmons. Vocally and beyond I wouldn’t say any of them are direct influences on me or inspire my singing. I just do what I do.
Elder; I have read a little bit of push back on the internet about the current line-up of Black Flag, How do you plan on changing those people’s mind and turning them into fans or getting a new fan base?
Vallely; Nature of the beast I suppose — but how can someone judge something before they’ve actually seen or heard it? I can tell you this, the band is in a good place… There is a lot of strength in what we are doing now. These shows are gonna’ be worth checking out. The music comes first with this line-up and the songs will be fully realized.
Elder; How does touring with a band differ from touring Skateboarding? Is it more enjoyable to tour with a group of people you get to interact with on a more personal level or do you enjoy having time to be alone and think about how the day went?
Vallely; I’ve been touring since ’87… No difference between the two really. My approach is the same. I live in the moment and enjoy it all.
Elder; Last question and thank you so much for your time. What can we fans expect from Black Flag when they get to you see you in on the 14th or whatever date they get the chance to see you?
Vallely; They can expect a fun and intense night of music.
