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I sometimes feel that way about some of the late 70's bands also, but classic is different to everyone I guess. Ramones/Pistols is a very early incarnation of punk. You've got to be older to really see them as the classics, not the forefront of punk. Do not get me wrong, I loved The Ramones. They were my first show ever, after it all I think I saw them about 9 times when I was in my teens. The 10th time should have been their last show in the NY area .

Black flag is definately up there with shaping the direction of what punk is today, and I don't know how many arguments me and my buddy Jeff had over what was the best line up.I'm a Keith Morris fan, he was a Rollins fan..he would always try to argue the Bill Stevenson angle and play my love of the Descendents against me. Either way punk/hard core was a huge impact on my life. I felt I found something that accepted me.

Here is another question I'll ask you all. What was the album that turned you on to punk?

Mine was Minor Threat's Out of step. I remember that day so clearly now. A late autumn day in 1987. My friends and I had just gotten back from skating the curbs down at the A&P(Slappy grinds were all the rage then!) and one of them put the album on. The first song on that album is Betray. That song makes me stoked to this day. I made of copy of it on tape. After that, my whole life changed, I was opened to this entire new culture that I could identify with. I'm thankfull I heard that album that day. It made me realize how important music would be in the rest of my life.