Henry Flynt, The Insurrections

LP version. After nearly a year on the assembly line, we're tickled to unveil the 5th in Locust Music's ongoing archival releases of Henry's work. He's made his mark with his brand of ecstatic North Indian Raga inspired minimalism on C Tune (Locust3), the full bodied experimentalism anthologized on Raga Electric (Locust6) and the avante-hillbilly bumpkin fiddle joyride on last year's Back Porch Hillbilly Blues Volume 1 & 2 (Locust 16 & 14). Now it's time to make a place in your heart for I Don't Wanna! in which our man Flynt shatters the categories once again with this surprise collection of his short lived 1966 basement rock protest band, The Insurrections. Let there be no doubt in anyone's mind: Flynt's version of protest music isn't your cultural-commissar school of folk posturing. It's agro punk & Flynt is an unhinged showman on helium induced vox and electric guitar (his teacher was none other than Lou Reed). Imagine a mix of Sky Saxon (of Seeds fame) with a dash of Roky Erickson on vocals, a little bit of the Cramps' scary monster dramatics thrown in for good measure & the swamp chugalug laziness of vintage Pussy Galore and you get an idea what Flynt was up to at this phase in his non-career. Features legendary sculptor Walter De Maria on drums, confirming our hidden suspicion that in every great artist there's a desire to rock & beneath every fine gallery, there is a basement. Photos by George Maciunas.