Blog post

White Riot editors on WNYC Soundcheck

Phan Nguyen28 September 2011

White Riot editors Stephen Duncombe and Maxwell Tremblay were recently interviewed on WNYC Souncheck, where they discussed the complicated and problematic racial politics of punk rock.

Using Black Flag’s “White Minority” as an example—a song proclaiming “white pride” but sung by Puerto Rican Ron Reyes, accompanied on drums by Colombian American Roberto “Robo”  Valverde, and produced by African American Glen Lockett (a.k.a. Spot)—Duncombe and Tremblay demonstrate that

The “white riot” was never white from it’s conception, yet it’s been remembered and thought of and articulated as white. And this creates an immense amount of frustration, of course, for punks of color.

Ducncombe and Tremblay took questions and comments from listeners with varying perceptions on punk and racial politics.

Listen to the interview in full below.

Filed under: broadcast, interviews