Greg Ginn reveals unlikely way Black Flag recruited new singer for Gen Z line-up
Greg Ginn has shared the unlikely way that he scouted Black Flag‘s new singer Max Zanelly.
In June, Ginn, who is the only original member of the iconic punk band, unveiled the brand new Black Flag line-up, which also features bassist David Rodriguez and drummer Bryce Weston.
Zanelly and Watson are both 22, while Rodriguez is 21, which makes him half a century younger than his bandmate, Ginn.
In a new interview with the New York Times, Ginn revealed that he first saw Zanelly when she was in the front row of a Black Flag show and was singing along to every work throughout the night.
Therefore, when a decision needed to be made a few months later for a new Black Flag singer, Ginn thought “she was the only person I could imagine doing it”.
In the same interview, Zanelly said about joining Black Flag, “I was just like, ‘OK, [expletive] it. Like, when is an opportunity like this going to come in my life ever again?”
She also revealed, “The first day at practice, I was like, ‘Yo, I’ve never screamed into a mic before.’ I remember driving home from my waitressing job and losing my voice in the car because I would be screaming the Black Flag songs.”
Before joining the band, Bryce Weston was teaching drums at a local School of Rock, which including passing on the music of Black Flag to the next generation. He recalled, “It was cool being able to go back and tell my students. ‘I’m now the drummer for this band I was teaching you the songs of, like, a year ago.’”
Ginn, who is not on social media, has ignored the backlash regarding the age of his new bandmates, stating, “I mainly listen to people that come to our shows, and I care about what they think.”
The guitarist elaborated, “Because there’s always somebody in their mom’s basement on a keyboard that knows how to run the world.”
Black Flag are currently on tour in North America until next year, and were also recently confirmed to appear at Coachella in 2026.
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