A little snippet of local punk history inspired me to create the band name. A few months ago, Antigravity magazine interviewed visual artist Skylar Fein. Fein had an exhibit at NOMA[!] titled "Youth Manifesto". One of the pieces in the collection referenced a local punk band from twenty years ago named "Harry Lee and the Black Problem".
[AG] Tell me more about that Harry Lee and the Black Problem piece.
[SF] Harry Lee served for decades in Jefferson Parish and in that time he managed to make dozens of incendiary comments about people of color. A New Orleans punk band took that name as a way of memorializing his [alleged] racism and of protesting it. What I’ve done is, I’ve made a giant eight-track tape that looks like one of their tapes. I don’t know that they ever had an eight-track tape; in fact, they undoubtedly did not. But I just thought it would look cool if this really radical, controversial punk band had what looked like an eight-track tape. Some of the song titles are their actual songs and some I made up. And I’ll leave it to viewers to figure out which is which. It was only since coming here and reading about New Orleans history—and New Orleans music history—that I found out about them. I think it’s great to find role models like that in your past and to realize that people have been fighting for what’s right for a long time. It was probably really scary for them to do that. Harry Lee is still such a beloved figure. He’s dead, but he’s beloved—by white people, I might add. And I want to keep the memory alive of both of him, the work Harry Lee did and the things he said, and the music that was made about him. It’s all part of our history.
Skylar Fein's wistful adulation of this punk band (in his view they fought for "what's right"), is kind of charming. But I do think he's right about it being "really scary" for some of the controversial punk rock bands back in the day. They were largely flying under the radar in the 80's and early 90's, but I do think many acts did some pretty brave things that would be unthinkable in the current decade.
For example, the Fearless Iranians from Hell were a punk/hardcore act from San Antonio who dressed as terrorists in ski masks, while the Iranian born lead singer (Amir Mamori) shouted lyrics penned from the perspective of a hash-smoking Iranian terrorist. This was a joke, of course, but it was such an edgy, uncomfortable joke that it went over some people's heads. Others didn't find it funny in the slightest. At least one member from the Fearless Iranians went on to the Butthole Surfers.
As my punk historian friend Mark Owens said, “At this late date it’s probably a little difficult to untangle the odd mixture of humor, progressive politics, and wise-ass nihilism that was the stock in trade of thrash bands of this period...”
Indeed. Honestly "at this late date" I don't think the equivalent of a "Fearless Iranians from Hell" could perform without everyone getting bent out of shape and throwing a major sh-tfit. Such an act would be destined for a segment on Beck or Hannity, and the group's lyrics would be read on air, with no context, in order to panic patriotic Teabag-Americans who believe the jihadic takeover is already in progress. An Iranian-born singer surrounded by menacing men in ski masks, singing "Die for Allah"... are you kidding me?
There would be death threats, protests... I truly think it would blow up into a national issue.
Link to FIFH flyer
