Dicktatorship of the Proletariat: A Chat with Gary Floyd
They might not be a household name like the Ramones or Dead Kennedys, but anyone who has passed through the punk rock movement in the last few decades has probably heard of The Dicks, a pioneering hardcore band with cutting political lyrics and fronted by an unapologetically gay, and unapologetically Communist singer named Gary Floyd. Those who do not know the band directly, will likely know of their song “Hate the Police”, widely considered a punk classic.
Known for wild shows that pushed the boundaries of public decency, Floyd and his comrades played slick blues-laced tunes with lyrics challenging the bigotry and injustice of capitalist society. The Dicks are no more, but this has not stopped Floyd from continuing to prolifically practice his art. We reached out Gary Floyd to ask him about his career as a musician and political activist, as well as his ongoing efforts to make the world a better place.
CoE: Despite both having had important influences from LGBT people in their pasts, both the Communist movement and Punk Rock didn’t really have many prominent gay members during the period you became involved. What was it like being an openly gay communist, and punk at this time — especially in the South?
GF: I look back and think…I’m so glad I did it then…I’m not sure I’d have the guts to do it now. I didn’t ever think of myself as brave, but I was, headstrong and never thought of backing down. Many of the communists who were visible in Austin and around U.T. who were parts of organizations were anti-gay, telling me if I studied more Marx I’d find I wasn’t gay at all.
I was sickened by their narrow and blinded view. A stupid and small minded non thinking view. We would argue and struggle over this, I never joined any one movement because of this nonsense. Whatever pro or homo positive groups I did find were super intellectual and lacked any working class or common folks, so myself and a few friends made alliances with some straight down to earth people and lived as we wanted to see society live.
Preaching a little but acting accordingly. This was before the Dicks. I was so happy when my lifestyle and the music hit it together and punk broke out. I was very ready, Commie drag, Commie queer — It was scary but fun and alive.
CoE: Your politics seem to have been pretty hard line, with pictures of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao on some of the album covers. Were you involved in a specific organization, or more of a fellow traveler?
GF: As I said I looked past their misguided line on homosexuality, I saw it was an example of other flaws that lay within their dogma. I was approached by RCP and a few other Maoist organizations. We would get along fairly well because, I think, they liked the Dicks and liked me as a person. We chatted and debated on campus at U.T. I always felt they knew how they were peddling hogwash party line.
My whole outlook was, and is, that Gays are an oppressed minority and should be seen as such. Excluded, as they were, by many organizations some were almost forced to take shelter in the shallow protection of capitalist day dreams, believing money would buy equality. The same myth all those being squeezed by the big bosses are fed. I’m probably a “fellow traveler” as you say.
CoE: The Socialist movement is starting to show some life in this country again, is there anything you’d like to tell young Socialists today? What about the young punks?
GF: Under Trump things came to a head. It was shown to everyone in the bright light. No denial, half of this country are more than willing to embrace and fight for fascism. It’s a fact — Blindly worshiping an icon, a stooge, they will kill you and they do most of it while praising their gun-toting god.
The big problem is a grotesque class society which wallows in racism, homophobia, a need to crush the human spirit. It seems people hang up on one point and don’t see the big picture connecting the dots. The fascist ruling class will crush and distort and do anything to stop the equality needed to advance our lives. Trump might run again in 24 and either him or one of his myrmidons are ready to get power and hold it like never before. Punk rocker, factory worker, or check-out clerk, it’s time to unite and get ready.
CoE: After moving to San Francisco the Dicks was reformed for a while, but you eventually moved on to Sister Double Happiness, the Gary Floyd Band, and other projects where you have experimented with a lot of very different genres. It’s all very good, and it feels a lot more optimistic than much of your earlier music. Was there something new happening in your life at this time which you think led to this, or did you just feel like making a change?
GF: I grew up surrounded by music. My mother loved the blues. Ike and Tina’s early stuff was pure Blues and undoubtedly some of the best. She was a fan of my favorite, Janis Joplin. She cried with me the day Janis died. My dad loved old style country. My older sister listened to pop and rock. I took from each, and listened to all kinds of stuff. Even during the early Dicks days I never wanted to be trapped in one, and just one music category, I never will.
So by the time the SF Dicks in San Francisco formed I was feeling more free to do expanded styles Sidewalk Begging was Blues, George Jackson was folk rock, and Off Duty Sailor was just rock — the first SDH was the next step.
After that I did whatever I felt like doing. Gary Floyd Band was such a mix, country and blues mostly, but lots of folk as well. Black Kali Ma was just rock n Roll, again peppered with blues. I’ve been criticized for not being more predictable but fuck em’ — I do it as honest as I can.
CoE: Some of your old lyrics and marketing might be shocking to modern audiences. In some of your anti-racist songs you actually make use of a racial slur when portraying the point of view of a killer cop, and Alternative Tentacles marketed The Dicks as a “Commie F***** Band”. Neither of these seem like they’d really fly today, but I’ve always thought the point was to deliberately shock the audience in order to make them think. Do you have any particular thoughts about this today in retrospect?
GF: What we did and said then was an honest “in your face” — the faces of 1980, 81, 82. I made a public statement a couple of years ago that when doing songs we did back then (if we ever played them again) we would not use words we used then, we had made our point.
I still sort of like Commie Fag Band from Texas. I would do the same if I had to do it again cause that’s the way we were, raw and cutting and in 1980 it shocked people, like a good open handed slap. I was using the words of filthy rednecks to make the point how ignorant they were. They were completely criticized in those songs. Now it’s not needed at all, then it was. If people don’t understand that then they show an inability to imagine redneck Texas in the early 80s.
CoE: With the ongoing pandemic lots of people are really having a hard time with the lack of social interaction and creative outlets. I hope you and your loved ones are doing well, but do you have anything in particular you’ve been doing to keep yourself busy?
GF: To me “doing nothing” is actually something. I write a lot, little stories of my past..my imagination and of a futuristic time I’ll never know. Listening to music and writing is my favorite. Outside is the air to breath, riding my little scooter and chatting with strangers I also like…I also paint a lot.
CoE: Would you mind telling us a little bit about your religious views? I understand that you self-identify as Hindu, but you’re also very interested in Buddhism. Was there something specific that led you on this spiritual journey?
GF: I am a Hindu. I study and also practice many aspects of Buddhism. When I was in India I was seeing big posters with Hammer and sickles on them everywhere, especially in the rural areas, I liked that.
I’ve always felt if communism had been more giving with spiritual seekers, people would have flocked to it. The basic spine of pure spiritual life and socialism is dealing with the poor, the downtrodden, hungry, needy.
The piles of dogma placed on both have had a huge negative effect. The religious groups, are of course, hated by the left, while the bureaucracy and upper strata of socialist and communist governments are as hypocritical as the anti-communists. It’s a stupid ploy played to keep the two apart. Who suffers? The poor working class, of course.
Look at the great Christian worker for the poor, Dorothy Day, a true religious socialist. Dropping silly dividing bullshit dogma, especially in this day and age, is the greatest advice anyone could give themselves. Why did I follow this path? I felt dry and bored with pseudo-intellectual political meetings, always with some windbag talking on and on. I found the same with most religious meetings. Plus, I had a natural interest in Eastern thought. It paid off as my caring for my working brothers and sisters deepened. That’s my goal, be caring.
CoE: So are you still a communist?
GF: The infighting among the left is enough to compare with the infighting of all the silly religions. ”My way, no, my way!” The old Soviet vs Mao vs Castro vs Hoxha, Trotsky and this and that. Doing this for a long time can drive one crazy. All believing their way is the only way, the right way. I want the simple working class to win, and not by following Trump. I am still a communist, a Hindu following Buddhist-practicing American Arkansas communist. Love to you my brother!”
