Hardware Media & Radio Interview
By admin on Jul. 20, 2009.
I have republished the now defunct Hardware Media & Radio’s interview with me from back in 2006 about Signifying Nothing. Thanks to Dave K for letting me put this back on the Internet.
Absolution Reunion
By admin on Sep. 22, 2008.
For the first time in a very long time I drove up to this show with my friend John. We hit a ton of rain on the way up but, thankfully, by the time we got to New York City it was gone besides some lightning. John and I caught up on what each other was up to and laughed at the antics of the world around us.
On the way up we listened to Dave K’s 1988-1990 NYHC mix.
Upon arriving in Hoboken and trying to find a parking spot for probably around twenty to thirty minutes I quickly realized why I can’t stand that city. Yuppies and “norms” everywhere going to bars and other social gathering. On the way home we had to watch adults stumble out of bars bombed out of their minds. Pathetic. Thankfully, we went directly to the PATH train and got to 9th street pretty quickly where we met up with our friend Dave.
A cab ride later we were in front of the club. I have seen a variety of bands at The Knitting Factory, from 7 Seconds to Kristin Hersh’s solo act. These days I am not really a people person, even worse than before, so when we got in the club I tried to make my way inside as quick as possible to check out whoever was playing.
We ended up getting inside while Maximum Penalty was setting us, which was fine by me. I had not seen MP in many years (I think the last time was in 1996 with Hogan’s Heroes and Vision…) so I did not know what to expect from them. The records they released in the nineties weren’t too hot but I love their demo from 1989, which is one of the best attempts at combining Bad Brains style hardcore with Alleyway Crew style mosh parts.
Despite some new songs that were a bit on the long side, I thought MP played well enough. They busted out most of the demo plus the songs from the Blackout! compilation. A huge pile on for Acceptance ended their set in excellent fashion.
Now this a reunion I just did not think I would ever see. After that haphazardly put together discography CD in the late 90′s (98? 99?) I perceived bad blood between band members and the chance of a reunion being near zero. I made my way up front and slid off to the side where some friends stood so I would be out of the way of the kickboxing (take it back to the nineties, please) and other jerky bullshit. My original plans had been to dance and dive and generally have fun but after running earlier in the day my stomach never settled (at the time I was a little under the weather) so I decided to pass. Soon enough Gavin came out along with Sergio (Collapse, Quicksand), who was filling in on bass, and their fill in drummer Doug (formerly of Slapshot, Speak 714, and other bands).
After a few minutes of tuning Djinji came out to a rather loud round of applause. Quickly they were flying into As We Are (no intro?!?) and from there they proceeded to play a pretty good set. In the beginning they were a little sloppy but that changed after a few songs. For some reason Gavin’s guitar was really, really, low in the mix for a handful of songs as well. Djinji had great things to say between songs and the band went off hard.
I was hoping on the way out to find Djinji so I could mention how much I appreciate his father’s playing with John Coltrane on the Ascension album, but the band had disappeared into the backstage area. Ascension is one of my favorite Coltrane albums. There is an excellent reissue CD from a few years back which combines both versions (as the story goes, I guess, one version came out but was recalled and the second version was then released in subsequent pressings) onto one CD. I tend to like the second version (they are long suites) more, but you can’t go wrong with either one.
After getting the cold shoulder from a few long time “friends” I decided to go find Dave and John and start heading back to New Jersey. We ended up at the World Trade Center PATH station and from there parted ways and headed home. Absolution and Maximum Penalty are playing ABC No Rio in a few weeks. I don’t think I am going to be able to make it, but I would advise others to check them out while they can. There are rumors of a more organized discography CD in the works as well.
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Rain On The Parade
By admin on Mar. 2, 2006.
This is the interview I did with Rain On The Parade in April of 1997. Originally in What Was Said Fanzine.
1. Okay, who is in the band and all that crap?
My name is Ronnie and I sing. DII plays one guitar. Justin plays the other. Matt jumps around with his bass. Chris just joined the band. He plays drums.
2. Have you guys gotten any shit for the lyrics to Body Bag?
You know, with the way all this metal slop has taken over hardcore in the past few years, you’d think we’d catch some slack for writing a song like Body Bag. You’d think somebody would stand up and say, “hey fuck you man! You’re talking about me, aren’t you?” Well, the record is coming up on it’s first anniversary and I’ve never once talked to anybody, or gotten a letter from anybody about that song, unless it’s along the lines of “it’s a funny song,” or that they think I’m hitting the nail right on the head. I think the reason I don’t hear from any of these kids who like all of the shitty bands on Victory’s payroll comes down to one thing. Deep down inside, they know how lame that music is. They know it’s not hardcore. They’re just having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that they belong on the couch banging heads with Beavis and Butthead instead of being at a hardcore show. I’ve got some news for you kids-it’s not too late to come back. Just head on down to your local record exchange with your Victory collection in hand and trade that useless slop in for some good old tyme hardcore. Then write a letter to Tony Brummel and tell him that if he wants to push his label as a “hardcore” label maybe he should put out some hardcore bands Victory Style. Who the fuck are you trying to kid?
3.Where do you think the hardcore scene is going right now?
I think hardcore is back on the upswing. There are a lot of good bands out there right now, and I’m sure a lot will follow. It seems I am seeing more bands like Floorpunch and less like Autumn. To me, that is a welcome change. It just amazes me how hardcore could get so untracked. I mean what were a lot of these kids thinking when they started their bands? How did the guys in Earth Crisis arrive at the conclusion that they were a hardcore band? I know that Karl has been around for a while, and he knows the difference between Slayer and Minor Threat. Their sound falls next to Slayer, so how can anybody in that band say they were a hardcore band? If you want to play metal, play fucking metal, but don’t slap the name “hardcore” on it and pretend so you can sell a shit load of records. I think one thing that Earth Crisis and Victory Records both know is that if the descriptor “metal” had been hung on Earth Crisis, a lot of hardcore kids wouldn’t have given them a chance. They lied and a lot of kids took the bait. If any of the aforementioned bands have a problem with my line of thought, that’s just fine by me, because I’m pretty damn offended by their version of “hardcore.”
4.What do you think of the “PC”ing of the hardcore scene?
Actually, I think a lot of that is starting to die down. I’ve heard the word “faggot” being tossed around quite a bit lately. I mean, for PC kids the only word more offensive is the “N” word. Does that mean the scene is suddenly turning into a sea of homophobia? No, I don’t think so. Kids are calling each other names. Nobody is running around New Hope saying it. I think a lot of kids just like to push the envelope and say what’s forbidden. When I was in fourth grade, all we did was run around and call each other “fag.” I didn’t know what it meant. It was just a funny word, and my parents got upset if it came out of my mouth, so that made it pretty cool. I think that’s what is starting to happen now. PC is cool when it applies to the situation. It just gets tiring when you’re not really doing anything terrible but some Buddy Holly look-alike in five dollar duds is always in your face anyway. Some of those kids need to calm down.
5.Any thoughts on all the big reunions coming up like Agnostic Front, Bold, Up Front, etc?
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t totally stoked for the Black Flag reunion tour to roll into Philadelphia. They broke up just as I was starting to get into hardcore, and they are definitely one of the bands I wish I had the chance to see. Now, because Ginn is running out of money, I’ll get the chance and I’m real happy about that. I think bands like Black Flag and Agnostic Front should be able to do reunions just because they were such prolific bands. I think it’s good for kids to see these bands doing it the way it used to be done. Bold and Upfront are kind of a different story for me. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen both several times. I don’t know. They were good bands, I guess, but why not just do new bands in the vien of Up Front and Bold, instead of rehashing? I see Black Flag and Agnostic Front as timeless music, where Bold and Up Front were just another generation of straight edge. Don’t get me wrong, they were both good bands, but they were easily replaced.
6.When did you get into hardcore?
I got my first dose of hardcore in a ninth grade remedial reading class. Mark Cozgrove gave me my first taste of Suicidal Tendencies and I’ve been hooked ever since. I guess that was around May 1986. I didn’t get to my first show until a year later when I had friends that could drive to Trenton. Agnostic Front, Underdog, Mcrad, and Timmy and The Dub Warriors. I remember it well.
7.Are you doing anything for the last Hardware?
Definitely. I want to be there when Hardware takes its last breath. Originally, I had a Circle Storm interview, along with a column set up for the next issue; but Brett told me that the deadline was for June, so I’ve decided to use the material for another zine, just because it would be outdated by the end of the summer when I guess the last Hardware is supposed to come out. I’m not sure what I want to do for the last issue. Whatever I do, I want it to be absolutely awesome. I really want to help Hardware go out with a bang! Dave and Brett, thanks for taking me on board. I don’t think all of the zines in this scene can fill your shoes. This is just a huge loss. Hardware will be missed.
8.What are the future plans for Rain On The Parade?
We’ve got a bunch of shows coming up throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania. We’d really like to play outside of the area, but we apparently don’t have those kinds of contacts yet. If anybody out there is interested in having us play their area, please drop us a line. What else? We’re recording our album at the end of the month (March). It’s going to have fourteen songs on it, and hopefully we’ll have it out in time to tour it this summer. We plan on heading out west for a couple of weeks during the summer, hitting California, Washington, and Arizona, to name a few off the top of my head. We’d also like to tour the east coast for a couple of weeks as well. Like I said, we just need to establish some out of state contacts. We also have tracks coming out on compilation records. We’ll be on the compilation that will come with the new issue of Tension Building. Also, we’ll be on the Growing Stronger compilation and the sampler CD that comes with the next issue of Extent Fanzine. I think I covered it all.
9.Have you been in any other bands?
Chris used to drum for Ensign. Justin used to sing in a band called Disregard. DII, Matt, and I had all dicked around in small local bands before, but nothing that was memorable. Before Rain On The Parade my claim to fame was that I used to do Fuck You Fanzine.
10.What is the history of Fuck You Fanzine?
That was a time in my life when I was absolutely disgusted with just about everything in the scene. A lot of good bands broke up, and a lot of bad bands took their place. Metal was starting to creep into things. The kids playing their guitars started caring more about playing intricate, skilled music rather than jumping around playing the simple three chord music that I grew up on. The scene was just turning into something completely different and I didn’t like it one bit. To make matters worse straight edge kids were turning into real pricks. At that point (1992) I had been straight edge for six years and I couldn’t remember a time when all my brothers were so snobbish, petty, and just flat out retarded. I was all tourqed up, but I was pretty much the only person I knew who felt this way about how things were turning out. One night, I was watching a movie called Pump Up The Volume which is about this guy (Christian Slater) who runs a pirate radio station and basically pisses off all of the right people with his broadcasts. Nobody knew who he was, which drove them all more crazy. That really stuck with me. I liked the idea of being this kind of voice coming out of nowhere, hitting as many nerves as possible. So I sat down behind my trusty Macintosh one night and whipped out a four page zine that made fun of a few people and praised a few others. I had originally signed my real name on it, but my girlfriend at the time had told me that it was so bitter that she would have thought somebody else had written it if she hadn’t seen my name. So I kind of took that to heart and decided to choose a pseudonym. I settled on Chuck U. Farley, The Sargent of Straight Edge. Chuck U. Farley because that’s the name that Slater’s character in Pump Up The Volume used to register his post office box. The Sargent of Straight Edge because I saw myself as the guy who was going to kick the scene’s ass back into shape. So I finished the zine and sent it out to any band or zine whose existence just really stuck in my crw, and then I sat back and waited to see what happened. A week later, just about everybody I had sent the zines out to had written me back. The responses ranged from “what’s your fucking problem?” to “I’m going to kill you!” That, coupled with the mail I got from write ups in fanzine reviews, made me want to do more. The more mail I got, the nastier the zines got; I was pissing off everybody that I thought was killing hardcore and I kind of got off on that. So I was always thinking about what I was going to do for the next one. The shit hit the fan when I endorsed an idea called “moderation” which basically said you can still be straight edge if you drink a beer (and only ONE beer) because hey, in moderate amounts, beer is just a beverage. Just about everybody who read that wrote to me to tell me that now they were certain I was an idiot. That whole theme pretty much overshadowed the zine until its demise after issue seven. I wrote a farewell letter explaining why I was ending the zine and why I had decided to hand over my x’s and try out the party thing. As lame as it sounds, I was so at odds with straight edge kids at that time that I just questioned why I was doing the whole straight edge thing anymore. I know you’re supposed to do it for yourself, but I literally hated 95% of the kids that were around at the time, and I think I just started grabbing beers to separate myself from those kids. Of course, looking back now, that was probably the most idiotic movie I’ve made in my life. It seemed like the right thing to do at the time, but in hindsight, I really blew it. It took me a couple years to realize that.
11.Hypothetically, who do you think would win in a fight: Earth Crisis or Vegan Reich?
Most definitely Earth Crisis. As much as I don’t like that band, at least they played out. They get up on that stage and say what they mean and take a certain amount of abuse for it. Especially in New Jersey. It’s not like they don’t deserve all of the shit they put up with, because they do. I just think it takes a certain amount of balls to get up on that stage, like they did at Chatam, knowing full well that while half the kids in attendance were there to see them the other half were there to see them fall. Vegan Reich wouldn’t even play out because Sean was afraid he’d get his ass kicked. He just hid behind his records.
12.What bands today do you think are really doing something good?
Bands like Hands Tied, Purpose, Rancor, Over The Line and Atari have been rocking my world lately. Youngblood is a brand new band that I think is going to take a lot of people by surprise. Then there is the cast of usual players who got things rolling again like Floorpunch and 97a. There’s so many great bands nowadays and not just because the whole hardcore revival thing has caught on fire. I don’t consider any of these bands “rehash” like some assholes would like you to believe. People are just playing hardcore again. There wasn’t a whole lot about hardcore that was “hardcore” from like 1991 to 1995, if you know what I mean. Sure, there were some bands, but a good band like Mouthpiece was far and few between during those lean years. I like the way things are turning out and I think things are heading in a good direction.
13.What do you think of hardcore getting attention in the mainstream press like MTV, CNN, etc?
Hardcore is just too underground for your average Rage Against The Machine jock to find. “Normal” kids read magazines, not fanzines. They buy stuff on CD not records. They go to concerts, not shows. They don’t get it and they never will. I don’t think the occasional feature on MTV or CNN is going to change that anytime soon. These kids just don’t get it. Rage Against The Machine has a lot of good things to say, but the only words these kids hear is fuck you I won’t do what you tell me. Hardcore kids are evolved. Many of them care. Many of them act. Many of them are open to new ideas and new ways of thinking. A lot of “normal” kids just spin their wheels all their lives. They don’t fit our mold. I don’t think there is anything to worry about. If this scene survived Victory Records it can survive anything.
14.Will there be another issue of Unsportsmanlike Conduct?
There will be another column of Unsportsmanlike Conduct that will be included in the final issue of Hardware this summer. I’m not sure whether that column will leave the pages of that zine though. I’ve been telling a lot of people that I’ll help them with contributions for their zines but I may just end up doing one of my own. I went to a couple of shows this weekend and didn’t come home with any zines. Anytime that happens I get bummed because I love zines. There just aren’t enough out there right now. Unsportsmanlike Conduct sounds like a good working title. Or maybe I’ll just start doing Fuck You Fanzine again.
15.On Sunday you seemed very baffled by positive and negative atoms. What are you going to school for?
I go to Kutztown University where I am a telecommunications major. I also have a minor in speech. Yeah, I kind of blew that joke as far as my terminology went. I think I meant “ions” but I’m not sure. I heard that joke in my Biology class where I am currently riding in the valley of C & D land. I’ve never been too good with either science or math. One thing a lot of people throw in my face is the whole don’t mix an acid with a fucking base/because it will blow up right in your face part of Body Bag. I’ve had people tell me that they would neutralize each other. Recently, when I was in the studio laying down some vocal tracks I asked Pete the engineer about that one. Before he brought his studio, he was an engineer for NASA. He’s had intense schooling and the guy is just brilliant. So I asked him about that one. He told me there are several cases where mixing an acid and a base would cause an explosion, so I was relived. I thought I had pulled a real boner there for awhile.
16.What do you listen to when you’re not listening to hardcore?
Outside of hardcore my favorite music is probably the kind of stuff I grew up on. ACDC’s Back In Black, all the Van Halen records with David Lee Roth singing, and early Cheap Trick stuff. All of that stuff was kind of hard for its time. When I was in 6th grade I used to come home from school when my parents weren’t home from work yet and pull out the tennis racket and jump around my room pretending I was in ACDC. I always played the rhythm. I never wanted to be the lead guy tied down with all of the finger work. I just wanted to play the chords and jump around. I still listen to that stuff when the mood hits me. I found The Beatles a few years ago. I also dig Weezer and Social Distortion as well.
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Hardware Fanzine
By admin on Jun. 16, 2005.
This interview was done in late 1996 for my old fanzine What Was Said. I have always been rather fond of this interview. I was interviewing Hardware! That was a huge deal to me because after having read a few issues of Hardware, these guys were legendary to me. They covered the stuff I loved the most (NYHC) and introduced me to so many cool bands like Devoid of Faith, Heroin, Mainstrike, etc. I think I first checked out Raw Power and other Italian bands after reading reviews in Hardware. If Hardware said a band was good, I had money in the mail a few days later to hear that record. Hardware rarely let me down. Hardware first made me question the straight edge and many bands involved with it (especially Youth of Today). At the same time, Hardware was proud of the straight edge and pulled no punches. Hardware Fanzine changed my life.
I remember I was dreading a family vacation my senior year of high school. A week with my extended family when all I wanted to do was be left alone and not have to be ridiculed for not eating meat and being “out of step†in general. Conveniently, a brown envelope showed up the day before we left with the new Hardware (#9) in it! I spent most of the vacation on the couch reading and rereading #9 repeatedly. Thanks guys for saving me for a hellish vacation. Thanks also for the inspiration to use Rusty Pipes for a class assignment about student life for a class junior year.
This interview also began two friendships that I hold very dear to my heart. Dave and Brett are two of my favorite people in general, but especially out of the hardcore scene. This interview is also going to be included in the Hardware Fanzine retrospective CD that will be out soon.
This interview is with David Koenig. If I remember correctly I was also going to do something with Brett, but I did not really know him that well yet so I never got to it.
1. Ok so how did Hardware start out?
Ok Hardware started in February of 1993 as an idea while sitting bored at Jon Hiltz’s at some boring show. Brett (my fellow editor) was bothering me to do another zine ever since I ended In Memory Of… a couple years before. It was a split second decision that fateful night, I said, “Let’s do it,” and made the announcement to a couple people. In the second week of June, at Rorschach’s last NY show we had the first issue ready, sixteen pages of offset paper stapled together the night before. While it had no band interviews, it pretty much was the framework for future issues that you might see today. The reason for doing Hardware was A. There really was not many good zines coming out at the time and B. Practically all the zines coming out were terrible. Luckily as bad as the first two issues were, people caught on to what we were doing. Oh and to people who do not already know,HARDWARE is the title to our favorite Septic Death song.
2. How did you meet Brett?
I meet Brett in the summer of 1988 at Cbgb’s while selling off some of my records. My memory does not serve me too well of all the details but I am sure he could tell you. Eventually we just started talking and became friends. Out of all the people from the Cbgb’s days, he is the only one I am still in contact with on a regular basis. At the time, he was the biggest Supertouch fan.
3. Supertouch is a favorite of mine too, any good stories about them?
As a band, not really, because I was not too much of a fan; I was friends with Marc Ryan though. I met him at Some Records in 1986 after I saw some girl selling her collection of MRR’s on Astor Place in NYC. A lot of people used to sell stuff on the street back then. He saw that I had the mags and we went back to check out what else there was. It ended up he got a pile of early Thrashers. Haven’t seen him in years though, keeping hearing his band is back together.
4. Yeah Supertouch is back. They were supposed to put out a new EP but I do not know what happened. What was Some Records like?
Man Some Records was probably one of the coolest record stores of all time. The guy that ran it, Duane, was much older than the rest of us but he always seemed like one of the gang. Some Records was originally just a booth at the flea market next to Tower Records. Then Duane’s girlfriend opened her store 99x and let him use the space adjoining to sell records. (Actually going back a little more 99x used to be 99x Music over by Bleeker Bob’s but she split, taking the clothing business with her.) It was also a hangout at any given time you could go there and there would be band members, scenesters, etc…Practically every NYHC record that came out between 1986 and 1988 was available there first. I used to be there every weekend getting first crack at every demo and record that came out. I remember when Lou and Pete (SOIA) came in with the first box of demos and I bought the first copy they sold. Honestly, a fucking book could have been written about this place, I cannot give this answer any justice. It was also the only store I know that you could go up and just graffiti the walls. Unbelievable. I was eventually known as “Duane’s brother” because we looked alike. Like I said, I have too many vivid memories of Some Records.
5. What were your favorite bands back then? How old were you when you got into hardcore?
I first started listening to HC in 1982 via a friend who introduced me to bands like The Dead Kennedy’s and DOA. It was that summer that I first heard WFMU (Pat Duncan’s radio show) and WKNJ and all that music that they were playing at the time. Before this, I was never serious about music, and then I was getting into new wave and punk. My first show was also my first “live” music experience, Black Flag at The Ritz December 13th 1984. I did not go to my first local show until a year later, which was at a local rec center. At the time I got into all the NJHC bands, Bedlam, AOD, Sand in the Face, Malignant Tumor etc…I started going to CBGB’s in January of 1986, blah, blah… you can read all about that in HW #9. So I liked HC/Punk since I was 14, but did not get serious about it until a couple of years later. By the time most people were getting out of hardcore I was just getting into it age wise. A late bloomer I guess…
6. What was CBGB’s like back then?
Hey, I thought this was about Hardware! (Just kidding…) Well, CBGB’s was just a small shit hole of a club that everybody went to, all the great bands played at and just happened to be “the place”. There are too many stories for me to go into here. I was there like every weekend from 86 to 89 though. Every time I go back or see the place, I get a serious déjà vu. Can’t say that I miss it though. Next question please.
7. Ok how do you go about getting interviews for Hardware?
That is pretty easy for us. If we want to interview a band, we just go and contact them. Certain bands we know exactly what to ask and others we just wing it. Lately, others have been doing the interviews, so it is a change of pace. I will tell you the toughest interview to get was Pushead. Took us the better part of a year for us and like three other people from around the country to convince him. That’s the interview I’m the proudest of. Another favorite interview of mine was Sick of it All, because I was sort of becoming friends with Lou again and it was a damn funny interview. Brett asked some
great questions! My advice to people doing zines- if you want to do an interview with a band just ask them. In most cases, they don’t bite. Also, ask good questions! Even goofy ones, bands get tired of the same old questions day in and day out. That’s why most interviews suck.
8. How do you put together Hardware?
I know many people think that Hardware must be this majorly organized production. In reality, it’s done so haphazardly. I really can’t give you a definitive answer here because the way we do things changes with each issue. As you may already know, the majority of Hardware is done “cut and paste.” People are always asking how we get the backgrounds so “black,” simple black paper. I go to Pearl Art Supply every once in a while and pick up a ream of black paper and go to town. If we had real money to spend I’d like to put the paste ups on cardboard. Photos are always a major problem. Brett and I are always looking for people to help us scan them cheaply. This is why every time you look at an issue of Hardware the pictures either look good or like crap. That’s basically it.
9. What Happened With Pyre?
Well, Pyre was going to be my “Horror Sci-Fi” magazine separate from Hardware. Brett had nothing to do with it. The main reason I didn’t do it was because after investigation I came to the conclusion that I couldn’t get it distributed through the major “small press” channels. None of them (Fine Print etc) would carry Hardware and for them to take a proposed magazine they would want me to have a high cover price. Since they take 55% of the cover when distributing any magazine, $1.50 wouldn’t be worth their trouble. I didn’t want to charge a lot for the thing, so… Also, you know how hard it is getting people to contribute to a hardcore zine, multiply that by 100 for a Horror Sci-Fi one. People are lame in general, so I felt with all the factors it just wasn’t worth going through with it. I lost a lot of money on that venture and nothing came of it. Well, I shouldn’t say “nothing” because I did make some good friends because of it. Just to let people know, I like Sci-Fi, Horror, Anime, Comic Books, etc… and I am just as critical of it as I am with music.
10. What are your favorite Sci-Fi Fantasy writers and Anime movies?
Hmm… I’m not that big on fiction. I tend to read a lot of non-fiction stuff, but Robert Bloch is great. I love Harlan Ellison as a personality because he is so outspoken. I have never read his stuff though. I love anime and my all time favorite is Project A-KO. I can watch it over and over. Though most people will call me a pervert, I really enjoy those graphic sex animes too…
11. Project A-KO is my favorite too! Which is your favorite?
Well, Project A-KO is the first movie…I have that on laser disc. I have every other sequel on tape.
12. What is the future for Hardware?
Not much really. The next issue #10 will be the last one. Brett and I have to move on in life. It should have (so far) interviews with Circle Storm and Rain on the Parade. There will be plenty to read in this one, I just can’t honestly say what. For those who are upset about our zine ending, well that’s your cue to get something started. Make an effort and show your hardware.
13. What bands do you listen to these days?
Hardcore wise, I just really listen to all my friends bands which I feel are doing something productive. They are (in no order):97a, Rain on the Parade, Floorpunch, Devoid of Faith, etc… I really only listen to older stuff and of course all of the other music genres I am into such as film soundtracks, fifties and sixties popular vocals (1560 AM is my favorite radio station), new wave, and some other bands.
14. How long have you know Ronnie Little?
Not really all that long, a couple of year’s maybe. We met through my doing the zine. I think he has a lot of good things to say and I really love his band. One thing I am sad about ending Hardware is that Ronnie can’t be a part of our thing anymore.
15. What do you think are the best interviews you did?
Absolutely the Pushead interview. That was a big deal to both Brett and I. We worked really hard to get that interview too, so the payoff was extremely worthwhile. Other favorites are Sick of it All (#7 Brett asked some great questions), Spitboy (#4 Brett got into a shouting match with Todd and Karin), and Brett likes the Ressurection one from #4. I think we really did get a good cross section of bands and don’t think we deserved the “only straight edge bands” tag. I really liked most of the interviews that appeared in our magazine.
16. Any you really didn’t like?
Well looking back I really wish we didn’t interview bands like Heroin and Antioch Arrow because both bands turned out to be such slackers. I really think the emo punk scene is the worst. These people need to get a fucking life.
17. Where do you see hardcore going?
Into the fucking shitter! It’s not all bad because there is still many good bands around, especially from our area so I really can’t complain. I don’t go to many shows anymore so I try to just catch my favorite bands. Hardcore/Punk has broken off into too many splinter genres and it’s too tedious to try and catch what all these bands are doing. I’d say 90% of all the so-called hardcore bands out there aren’t. Different strokes for different folks but my opinions right about hardcore. Those who don’t like it can go screw.
18. Closing comments?
Just that thanks to everybody who has supported Hardware during it’s existence. Many people place it in zine history with zines like Boiling Point, No Answers, XXX, and that’s pretty good company to be in. To everyone knock off the posing, acting cool, starting fights, dressing hip; just be yourself. Oh and do not EVER talk to the mainstream media. The outside world is never going to “get it.”
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