Bill Bartell (top row, center), of White Flag, is surrounded by the cast , extras and the McWhorter family on the Darby Crash biopic “What We Do Is Secret.” (Greg McWhorter/Contributed Image)
I spent the day working on a story about the life of of Bill Bartell/Pat Fear of White Flag. The punk legend was found dead in his Moreno Valley home on Tuesday, Sept. 24. I’ve also been putting together condolences from friends and fans.
Two of the people I had the privilege of speaking to today were Greg McWhorter, who owns Moreno Valley’s Artifix Records with his wife, Kim.
The first White Flag album Greg McWhorter owned was 1984’s “Third Strike,” but he didn’t meet Bartell until 2001 after the McWhorter family had moved to Moreno Valley, where White Flag started in the early 1980s when the area was known as Sunnymead.
The McWhorters founded Artifix Records and one of the first people they reached out to was Bartell. The label put out a CD of White Flag’s earliest material, from the first year of the band’s existence.
He said he once heard someone say that putting together a complete discography of White Flag would be impossible, and that he agreed with it.
“White Flag has put out more records in more countries than any other band in history,” Greg McWhorter said, who is also a punk rock historian and collector.
Artifix has some great material on White Flag over at their site, too.
But more than the music, the McWhorters said Bartell treated him like his own extended family.
“He touched so many people,” Greg McWhorter said.
He also said Bartell was one to tick people off, but did it in a good-natured way.
Their kids were even in the video for “Danger Island.” Kim McWhorter said only Bartell would make their kids burst into flames at the end of the video.
“It was hilarious,” she said.
When Bartell was consulting on the movie “What We Do is Secret,” about Germs’ lead singer Darby Crash, he invited the McWhorters onto the set, too.
Kim McWhorter had a fond memory of Bartell getting her into the photo pit for Os Mutantes, a Brazilian band that he helped gain an American cult following.
A very special thank you to the McWhorters for sending photos over for us to use, too. They often photographed White Flag and Bartell over the years.
Greg also sent this over a little bit after we talked:
“I just wanted to add that Bill Bartell’s level of energy was maddening. He never took breaks, he never stopped. He gave everything he did 110%. His enthusiasm was infectious, and it was this enthusiasm and energy that allowed many to see past his smart-aleck nature. He loved to tease everyone and nobody was safe from his barbs when he was around. Going back to his energy…We never figured out what made him tick, but he really sucked all of the life out of living that he could. He often amazed us with his daily and non-stop exploits. His declining health he referred to as “an annoyance” and never really let on just how bad his health was getting.”