Day 3: Bad Brains and Ahistorical Whiteness
February Third, 2022: Day 3 Bad Brains: Jah moshes at CBGB Band : Bad Brains Media : Big Take Over Dear Reader, I'm coming back to punk rock again today [probably not for the last time], because today I want to talk about Bad Brains . But first, a brief detour: I'll start my discussion of Bad Brains in 1859 in Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Wow, I made until day 3 before I started talking about slavery; cute! If you don't know the story of John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry, I'm not going to tell it to you here. I am vastly unqualified to speak about US Civil War history. What I will tell you, with some moderate degree of authority, is that John Brown has been canonized in American music and culture. He is referenced ad nauseam, and his insurrection at Harper's Ferry is often treated as one of the most important moments in moving the United States towards Civil War. I'm no fan of the "great man" version of historical interpretation, but I...