Greg Ginn

“There are several books out on punk history, but I haven't read any of them. I was there.”

“As a label, you have to treat every group and every record as a unique entity. I think that that has been our success, rather than relying upon a fan base.”

“We aren't as concerned about the live aspect as other labels. The best live bands are the easiest to record.”

“I still think the best metal bands have a blues feel. The first Black Sabbath album is kind of a bludgeoning of blues. Deep Purple also started out as a blues band.”

“The biggest disappointment has been seeing the number of people in this business with very shortsighted views.”

“I listen to everything that comes in. I'm not real worried about demo sound quality. I can hear through that sort of thing. If a band can play, then they can play.”

“We had a lot of riots. We came under attack from many of the police departments. It certainly wasn't some publicity thing. I was afraid for many years. We couldn't play in LA for many years. A lot of people got very cynical.”

“The small companies who feel that the majors are a threat, or are predators, will use that as an excuse for their eventual downfall. Don't blame others for your own inadequacies.”

“I didn't want to wait around for some business entity to come around and give me money and tell me what to do. We just started releasing records as best we could.”

“Punk rock really came out of N.Y. as a philosophy before the groups were ever recorded. I had a kind-of intellectual interest in the idea of creating a new scene that could be a grassroots thing.”

“There aren't enough people who are scaring the kind of people who work at these record companies.”

“SST was formed to put out the first Black Flag record. Basically, there wasn't anyone else to do it. I felt that what I was doing with Black Flag was very worthwhile, and I wanted to get it out there.”

“Putting out the things that I like best hasn't been the easiest way to run a label, and it still isn't because it requires finding an audience for each record.”

“I didn't have a lot of overtly political songs. I think it was more the actions of the group that were threatening to the authorities, and also our political philosophies apart from the music.”

“You have to keep the business side together as well as the creative side. We have constantly surprised people and stayed with bands until they have grown on people.”

“We're not good at propping up old carcasses. We want to be on top of what's vital at any particular time, and not just hold onto something because it has a name.”

“The REM and Nirvana successes don't mean much to me except as a potential distraction for bands who want to cash in on the trend. Don't try to sound like someone else. REM and Nirvana don't sound like anyone else.”

“There's not much music I'll listen to if it doesn't have pretty heavy swing. Rhythm is so important. Punk rock would have more power and feeling if it had swing.”

“People from major labels were afraid to go to Black Flag gigs throughout most of the band's existence. They treated our gigs as something threatening. I'm sure that it probably was. They probably had reasons to be scared.”

“Stores can be indifferent to something new.”