Documentary About CRO-MAGS Founder HARLEY FLANAGAN To Premiere Next Month

"Wired For Chaos", a gut-wrenching documentary based on the life of one of punk rock's most notorious figures, Harley Flanagan, is set for premiere on November 14, 2024 at the DOC NYC documentary festival in New York City.

This film is not about punk rock — it's about an extraordinary life and surviving astounding circumstances against immeasurable odds. "Wired For Chaos" touches on child stardom, trauma, child abuse and neglect, violence, depression, and the evolution of a boy into one of modern music's fiercest personalities.

Flanagan burst on to the punk music scene at the age of 11 in the late 1970s as drummer for his aunt's New York-based band THE STIMULATORS, later founding the seminal hardcore act CRO-MAGS. Flanagan tells his inconceivable story through gritty footage of NYC's downtown 1970s and '80s music scene as the backdrop, alongside stories from friends and peers like Flea, Ice-T, Henry Rollins, Michael Imperioli, members of BAD BRAINS, BEASTIE BOYS, CIRCLE JERKS, ANTHRAX and many others.

"Wired For Chaos"'s world premiere screening is Thursday, November 14, presented by DOC NYC in New York City at the Village East Cinema. A limited online screening will be available for fans worldwide from November 15 through December 1, 2024. A repeat screening will play November 21 at the IFC Center in NYC.

Thursday, November 14 at 9:30 p.m.
Village East Cinema By Angelika
181-189 2nd Ave.
New York, NY 10003

Following this screening, there will be a question-and-answer session with film subject Harley Flanagan, director Rex Miller, and producer Laura Lee Flanagan.

Friday, November 15 - Sunday, December 1

Worldwide online streaming limited release

Thursday, November 21 at 9:15 p.m.
IFC Center
323 6th Ave.
New York, NY 10014

For more information, visit www.docnyc.net.

In April 2019, former CRO-MAGS frontman John Joseph McGowan and drummer Mackie Jayson reached an agreement with Flanagan over the rights to the CRO-MAGS name. At the time, it was announced that going forward, Joseph and Jayson would perform as CRO-MAGS JM while Flanagan would get to use the CRO-MAGS name for his own version of the band.

When Flanagan, who founded the CRO-MAGS at the age of 14 and toured with the band for some 20 years, sued members of the group for allegedly using the CRO-MAGS name without his permission, he claimed that CRO-MAGS was his idea when he formed it back in 1981. Flanagan filed a lawsuit against the then-most recent lineup of the group — including Joseph — in part for copyright infringement, saying he trademarked the "Cro-Mag" name for recording in 2010 and for merchandise in 2009 and then again in 2017.

According to the New York Post, Harley claimed in the lawsuit that the other members of the CRO-MAGS took over the band around 2002 when "Flanagan's first son was about to be born… and Flanagan had to stop touring to help with the baby."

Back in 2012, Joseph told the New York Post he and Flanagan started the band together in the early '80s, but Flanagan continually took all the credit for himself. McGowan claimed the situation got so bad, Flanagan pocketed every cent from their 1986 tour. "That caused me to lose my apartment and be homeless in 1987," John said. "I lived hand to mouth."

In a separate interview with The New York Times, Joseph said that Flanagan "has been a negative thorn in the side of this band forever."