As we reported a few months ago there is still major beef between Harley Flanagan and the current Cro Mags lineup. Reports out of New York indicate the beef has reached a whole new level with Harley stabbing current Cro Mags bassplayer Mike Couls (formerly of Sworn Enemy) backstage at a Cro Mags show. Given the previous rant from Harley one would presume the attack was a fit of jealous rage about being left out off the current lineup.
As we've been updating this story, the original new post is below the line..
UPDATE (09/07/ 9:00 am EST): John Joseph posted this on the Cro Mags Facebook around 6 hours ago (it has since been deleted):
WE... as a band are truly sorry for the way it all turned out in every regard even the ex-member who's family is now effected by his choices. Our prayers go out to them as well as Mike C., and the others who were hurt, but it was 'his' choice to come to our concert with a hunting knife, standing by our dressing door. Who knows what his actual intent was, obviously he wasn't there with it to cut bread for a peace offering as he was heard saying outside he was putting an end to us playing without him. Let's move on now & stop the trash-talking. Keep that PMA - that's what we are all about. There's bigger issues on planet earth that need solving and if any group of people can work towards that it is this community of intelligent people. God Bless.
UPDATE (09/07/ 12:20 pm EST): Dennis Nemitz has set up a contribution fund trying to raise $50,000 to cover Harley's legal fees. So far $449 has been raised. You can find the fund here.
Below is his speil proclaiming Harley's inocence:
On Friday July 6th, 2012 an incident occured at Weber Hall. It involved Cro-Mags founder Harley Flanagan. All of the details arent out,though certain stories are being bandied about in the court of public opinion. All of the details aren't going to get out,or get presented properly in a court of law if Harley doesn't get top notch legal representation. And he's going to have a nightmare mounting a defense rotting in the Tombs or Ricker's Island in lieu of bail.
C'mon people,everybody knows Harley,he doesnt react short of reason.So he didnt just show up and do things because it was a dull Friday and he was bored. When I last heard anything from him, he's was exceedingly happy about passing his black belt test,and wasnt even discussing the Cro Mags.
Harley, no matter what you may think of him, has provided the NYC punk scene entertainment since his 1970's days in the Stimulators.The guy is a legend. And right now he's up against it big time,and needs a helping hand.
If you can't contribute a lot, understood, everyone is tight these days, but you can still help by getting the word out. You can contribute as little as $10 to as much $1,000. We are trying to raise $50,000 for his defense.However we will be able to help him and his 2 little boys with whatever we do raise. Please give and spread the word. Thank you.
The inital report below was lifted from GLUEHC and the photo above of Harley being arrested with a broken leg from Bowery Boogie.
Although details are sparse, it has been reported that Harley Flanagan (founding member and ex-bassist for Cro-Mags) entered the VIP area at Webster Hall tonight during the CBGB Festival show featuring Cro-Mags, Sick Of It All, and Vision Of Disorder brandishing a knife and possibly stabbed at least one person before being subdued by venue security. An eye witness account, available via Metal Insider here, states Flanagan was taken away by police in handcuffs and that someone left with an apparent stab wound to the chest. Other sources have told us that current Cro-Mags bassist Mike “The Gook” Couls (also formerly of Cold As Life and Sworn Enemy) may have been the stabbing victim, although that cannot be confirmed. More information will be reported as it becomes available. UPDATE: New York City’s WABC have reported that two people were stabbed during the incident, but the victims’ conditions or identities are not known.
UPDATE (10:31pm ET): Horns Up Rocks blog have cited someone known as “Rat Bones” as claiming that Mike “The Gook” Couls was in fact one of the stabbing victims, but again that hasn’t been confirmed.
UPDATE (11:25pm ET): WABC have now reported that one of the victims was “slashed,” with the other being “bitten.” They are also reporting that both victims are members of bands scheduled to perform at the show and seemingly confirm Flanagan’s arrest by stating “a former member of the band has been taken into custody.”
UPDATE (07/07 5:13pm ET): This Is Hardcore Fest organizers have posted a photo on Instagram reportedly of Mike “The Gook” Couls in the hospital with the caption “Mike the Gook is okay!” The photo can be seen here.
From the information supplied in the video below, it appears that security intervened rather quickly and stomped the shit out of Harley, snapping his shin bone, causing it to protroud from his skin.
Big thanks to Bianca from Conversations With Punx for sending through the video links, the ongoing updates and the really interesting story below from Rob Fish (108, The Judas Factor, Ressurection).
"I gotta say unfortunately it wasn't such a surprise this happened... Rob from 108 shared a Harley story on his Facebook page... not sure if you saw it? Just in case you haven't":
Here is the story of Harley and 108:
In 1995 108 returned from a US Tour with Bloodlet and Coalesce and entered Salad Day studios to record an EP for EVR. The recording session quickly became a disaster because the drumming was an utter train wreck. We quickly decided to throw out the session with the exception of Arctic, which appeared on the Anti Matter comp, and that we would have to figure out a way to get someone else to play on the record. A few days later we headed off to Europe and while there we decided that we would clean up and finish a few songs that were almost completed and just record an entire LP as well as to contact other drummers about playing on the next record since we didn't think the current drummer could pull it off. It sucked because we really liked the dude and he was still in the band but realistically it had to happen.
When we got back from tour Triv and I had dinner with John Stanier (Helmet), who was an old friend of Triv's, about him playing on the 108 record. When we got into details it was clear that his schedule and our schedule didn't work out. As Triv and I left Zen Palate Triv decided we should contact Harley about playing drums on the record. I chuckled and that was that. A few days later we learned that our drummer had disappeared so there was no question of our need to find a drummer quick.
Two weeks later Triv tells me that the two of us are gonna jam with Harley. We had a show coming up in a few weeks and had no drummer so... why not? I head over to a rehearsal space and when I walk in Harley and Triv are laying into Invocation.
Dude is going fucking crazy with his shirt off, covered in sweat, his arms flailing in every direction, legs pumping the double bass like a fucking jackhammer and he is screaming at the top of his lungs as he is playing the song. Harley looked like Animal, from The Muppet Show, and played with a ferocity that I had rarely ever seen before. Dude was spot on. When the song ended we chatted for a few minutes and then he laid into When Death Closes Your Eyes and a few other tunes and it was absolutely fucking sick. I couldn't fucking believe how amazing he sounded. Sure it was a bit sloppy but the potential was fucking insane. It was surreal.
After he went through like 6 or 7 songs he starts talking:
This fucking record will be amazing. We will be fucking huge and unstoppable. He then went on to describe, in detail, how much havoc we would cause together for like 10 minutes.
I explain that after the recording and next tours that the band will break up as Vic wants to be a monk. "Fuck that, we will not break up after we record this record. Krishna wants us to destroy the earth and no one will stop us." Um, okay.
Then he asks what our touring and recording time lines were and I explain the dates, etc.
Finally he starts going off again about the havoc we will cause. Then he asks "Seriously I have been listening to these demo's for two weeks. Why the fuck did you want to get rid of this drummer? He is fucking incredible. It took me weeks just to figure out what he is playing and how to pull it off." He then pulls this fucking Fishers Price boom box out of his bag, you know one of those little boom boxes with a microphone for kids to sing in, and plays a part of When Death Closes Your Eyes and then he pauses it and starts to play that same part. "That is almost fucking impossible! Why the fuck would you not want this dude on the record?". I then inform him that the drums on the entire demo were done by drum machines. He stares at me with this look of disbelief. "You motherfuckers".
Triv and Harley jam for another 40 minutes or so and seriously I couldn't get over how fucking good he was and how ferocious those songs sounded. Having known him casually for a few years and knowing all of the stories about him I still seriously considered saying fuck it and giving it a whirl with him playing drums for 108. I mean, fuck.
When practice ended my we were walking in the same direction as Harley. Dude starts talking about his wife and kid and it is seriously fucking cute and heartwarming. He tells us about how much of a fuck up he has been, how many people he has hurt and what he is doing to turn around his life. He then says that doing this record could be something that really turns around his life spiritually and shit. Fuck, how can I not have this dude play drums?
As we get to Avenue C he all of a sudden changes the topic into John Joseph as John hung out at this little Krishna place by there. All of a sudden Harley pulls out a fucking serrated 12 to 14" knife and describes how if he sees John he will kill him.
Needless to say we decided that as amazing as the dude sounded playing our songs that we would probably be better to go in another direction.