When Lynyrd Skynyrd Tried to Ditch the Rebel Flag
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| Skynyrd's Rickey Medlocke, Johnny Van Zant, and Gary Rossington |
So for the past week, in the wake of the horrific shootings
in South Carolina, the argument over the flying of the confederate or rebel
flag has raged on, obviously in lieu of more productive discussions about guns
or violence. However, in spite of the fact that I believe that there are bigger
issues to address, I do think that it is a positive thing to address the fact
that for over a century, African-Americans (largely) in the south have had to
contend with a symbol of their oppression shoved in their face every day by
their neighbors, and even be forced to see it flying on government buildings.
Though I hardly believe that it will solve the problem of
deep seated racism in America, to see the rebel flag removed from government
buildings would be a nice symbolic victory. Also, though the rebel flag has its
defenders, I don't think that they have a lobbying organization with the power
of the National Rifle Association, so it's a more realistic goal. Just in the
last week, we have seen many unexpected people come out in support of taking
the flag down from state Capitol buildings (though, again, it's probably easier
for the likes of Mitt Romney to come out as anti-rebel flag than anti-gun), and
even seen it removed from the Capitol grounds in Alabama.
Still, this will probably not have a huge effect on people
who wish to fly the flag on their own property. In fact, it has already been
seen that some wish to deny the racist aspects of the rebel flag, and see this
movement as an assault on their culture and their rights. (Surprise, surprise,
most of these people are white.)
You may remember when the classic southern rock band Lynyrd
Skynyrd stated in 2012 that they would be no longer be using the rebel flag in
their concerts. Their fans had a shit fit.
When promoting their latest album Last of a Dyin' Breed, band members Johnny Van Zant , Gary
Rossington, and Rickey Medlocke said in a CNN interview that they had stopped
using the flag because of the racial connotations. "We didn't want to be
associated with that particular thing," lead singer Johnny Van Zant said.
It was an admirable step forward, albeit of a bit late one, for a band whose
members and fan base largely consist of self-proclaimed rednecks. It should be
noted, however, that they still remained ignorant of the fact that the flag's
racist meanings are inherent, believing that the negative connotations are
somehow something new. Guitarist (and sole remaining founding member) Gary
Rossington asserted that "through the years, you know, people like the KKK
and skinheads and people have kind of kidnapped the Dixie or rebel flag from
the southern tradition and the heritage of the soldiers. That's what it was
about. And they kind made it look bad in certain ways." One could say that
he's kind of full of shit and that he is deluded in thinking that the flag did
not represent racial oppression from the very beginning, but on the other hand,
at least it's clear that Lynyrd Skynyrd doesn't want to be associated with the
KKK. That's a step, right?
Don't get me wrong. I think that Lynyrd Skynyrd is a fine
band. Sure, those who know me will remember how, in that past, I've referred to
them as a "second rate Allman Brothers," and I do stand by that, but being a second
rate Allman Brothers is better than being a first rate Grand Funk Railroad (if
that makes any sense). With their powerful three guitar line-up they were a
force to be reckoned with. At their best, they were powerful, hard-rocking, and
lyrical at the same time, bombastic, yet unpretentious. Though they didn't flaunt the influence of
black artists, it was clear that their sound was a marriage of all the sounds
of the south, from country, to blues and soul. I do not have a single bad thing
to say about the original Skynyrd (which disbanded in 1977 after the plane
crash which took the lives of guitarist Steve Gaines, and leader and front-man
Ronnie Van Zant among others).
Sure, many of their fans were rednecks. Sure the band flew
the confederate flag at their concerts. I'm not going to defend the use of a
symbol that is so clearly associated with racism and slavery, but I will posit
that there was a time when it was easier to be blissfully ignorant of that
association. Even the Allman Brothers, who, unlike Skynyrd, tacitly
acknowledged the influence of black artists and proudly had a multi-ethnic
line-up, occasionally used the confederate flag in promotional materials.
Thus, I will not begrudge Lynyrd Skynyrd's for their use of
the confederate flag during the 70s (I'm sure it's easier for me as a white
dude), but I will be fiercely critical of anyone who continues to fly that flag
now that its true meaning is clearly known and emphasized. It is amazing to me
that there are people who still maintain that it is a symbol of southern pride
and nothing more, declaring that it is not racist in the slightest in spite of
the fact that it is a symbol of an insurrectionist movement originally based on
preserving the right to own human beings.
Well, these people exist, and a lot of them are Skynyrd
fans.
The outcry that erupted among the band's fan base in 2012
was swift and vicious (as swift and vicious as internet trolling gets, I
suppose). It was so bizarre to see how many Skynyrd fans were so vocal in the
defense of the flag and their anger at the band for abandoning it. They took it
really personally, and vented in their messages. A beautiful example comes from
some dude calling himself celtwarrior who wrote "skynyrd scalawags: now
there is a catchy name. Love that Yankee money don't you Rossington and crew."
(It should be noted that were a number of fans who applauded the band's
decision, and also noted that the original band was considerably more left-leaning.)
It takes a special kind of asshole to defend an indefensible
symbol. It also takes a special kind of asshole to try to tell artists what
they should do. And so it saddened me to see the group bow to the wishes of
this bunch of highly specialized assholes and declare that they would continue
to use the flag as a backdrop at their concerts.
Soon after the announcement and the backlash, Gary
Rossington wrote on the band's website: "Myself, the past and present
members (that are from the South), are all extremely proud of our heritage and
being from the South. We know what the Dixie flag represents and its heritage;
the Civil War was fought over states rights."
Way to take a stand guys.
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| A less seditious makeover |
To their credit, looking at the Lynyrd Skynyrd website
today, the confederate flag was hardly to be found. I didn't see it in any
stage photos. Looking hard, I found that they still sell some guitar picks that
have the rebel flag in their design, but most of the website made prominent use
of the American flag instead. Perhaps they ultimately did what happened at the
Alabama Capitol building and should be done all over: Take it down when no
one's looking and unceremoniously let the symbol disappear.
A little disclaimer here. I am aware that not all Skynyrd fans
are idiotic reactionaries. At the same time, I don't feel bad making fun,
particularly after reading comments fans left on the CNN website ("'Sweet
Home Massachusetts' has kind of a nice ring to it") made me realize that to
a number of these people, an association with my home state is the worst insult
ever.
