N.M.A.- s/t EP review

Powerviolence is one of those extraordinarily touchy things:  It can be too epic (Mind Eraser), too straight-edge (Crucial Unit), lacking a bass player (ironically, the band being reviewed here), or too elusive (XBraniax).  Though I love all of these aforementioned bands, it’s rather difficult to get past some of these shortcomings.  However, I will periodically discover a good powerviolence band, one that breaks away from these negative attributes and manages to pound (grind?) out some snappy, short sonic bursts.  This is one such band.

On an alternative note, it seems that there is a growing powerviolence and grind scene here in Michigan, and to a greater extent in the Midwest.  How the hell so much work goes into such short songs confuses me, but I shall relish it nonetheless.  Anyway, onward with the review.

N.M.A. (short for Negative Mental Attitude) is a three-piece group based out of Jackson.  Though they are somewhat new to Michigan’s punk scene, they’ve already gained a reputation (good or bad reputation, you decide).  Though this E.P. clocks in at just over six minutes, it leaves one feeling satisfied, fulfilled, and beyond.  The guitars are down-tuned as hell, and it sets the ominous tone of N.M.A.’s angry anthems; it chugs and grinds as is appropriate for the speed set by the drums, which is bass-heavy and snare-plenty, so to speak.  In fact, the bass drums are a bit too heavy, overcompensating for the lack of a bassist.  The vocal point of N.M.A. is a bulldog roar, frequently indecipherable and always powerful.  Lyrical content is only describable as pissed off; it lives up to the name N.M.A. well.

I was pretty impressed with this E.P.; the passion, lyrics, and music, it’s all there.  Given a bass player and some higher quality gear to record with, this band would absolutely be vinyl worthy.  It’s also worth mentioning that N.M.A. is a great contrarian take on the “PMA”; the positivity of a “PMA” is generally overshadowed by the laughably stereotypical nature of those who use the term.  Remember, it is a negative attitude that prompts the discovery of life’s problems; it is the positivity that solves them.

-Aunty Social

Public Sex- the How Vulgar EP review

80s hardcore never died, despite what some people will say.  It has never been as much of a popular movement as it was when it started, but still it persists, much to my delight.  There are notable resurgences in places like Toronto (Molested Youth, Hazardous Waste, Urban Blight) and Minneapolis (Triple Crossed, In Defence, Question); however, what about the hometown of the ever-worshipped Negative Approach?  Are there still enough pissed-off kids to get together and make some music that they enjoy and everyone else hates?  My confidence wavered for a while, since it seemed everyone liked a specific sub-genre and ran with it.  These kids, though, have their own little slice of 80s hardcore to offer in 2011, and it’s as raw, real, and pissed as it was understood by 15-year olds back in the day.

It was recorded in a goddamned basement, and despite the obvious rawness to the sound, it works very well for them.  It is 80s hardcore as it was fucking intended:  misanthropic, dirty, misunderstood, and more real than most music produced, then or now.  The sound has unlimited potential, as even this basement EP smokes the shit out of any wall-breaking or floor-punching hardcore.  Soon, this band (if they stay on track) will be one of the tighter, (hopefully) more prolific groups out of Detroit, despite being kids from downriver (not that there’s anything wrong with that).  The best song on the EP is “Personal Damage”, and the band does justice to the three covers they do, putting their own spin on “Ugly Bastards” and satisfactorily covering “Ready to Fight” and “Minor Threat”.  Already, a ten-song EP (yes, covers DO count), and only one live show (at least, at the moment this was written, Nov. 12^th, 2011) under their belt, this band knows and understand that there’s work involved and for Public Sex, it will surely be worth it.

-Aunty Social

Vivisect/ Black September tour show review (Scum, Perversion, Shitfucker, Black September, Vivisect) at the C.A.I.D., August 13, 2011

It’s pretty rare to come across a new venue and a relatively new bands; though I won’t invoke the classic static versus fluid existence (in this example, whether bands and venues should be changing or unchanging), but that’s what it boils down to.  Sometimes it’s the same bands at the same venues; though I love these venues and bands, they grow dull through prolonged exposure, and soon lose their charm.  So this opportunity was not one to miss; three bands I had not seen yet (granted, one was a band no one had seen yet), and two I’ve seen just once before.  It was time to open up a punk rock investigation…

First on the line-up was newcoming/ freshman band Scum, who has members of Live to Kill and Cocaine Orgy.  These guys are traditional, stereotypical, (yet) awesome D-beat straight out of Europe (Sweden, Britain, Japan, they’re all better at D-beat than the U.S. is), at least sound-wise.  Half of their set were covers, half originals, all done with the angry energy D-beat requires.  To top it off, the band is new, and NOT played out enough to get boring.  I hope they never get boring, because if this set is anything like the future for them, I’m looking forward to seeing a resurgence of anarcho, crust, D-beat, and DIY punk rock return to Detroit, both in touring bands and hometown ones.

Second was local blackened thrash-tards Perversion.  Once a four-piece that had disbanded a couple of years ago, they returned as a three-piece only recently (within the last year or so).  Sounding like a mix of early Venom and early Sodom, with a shit-ton of reverb, the band is pretty tight musically; it’s a headbanger’s heaven for those who enjoy the double bass drums with echoing vocals and ricocheting riffs.  Though the band doesn’t play out often, members are often seen at local shows, and the band has begun (in the last few months) to incur some hype; suffice it to say that all hype is well-deserved.  Perversion is a blackened thundering cloud ready to unleash a fierce windstorm, and now is sudden drop in temperature before a storm is unleashed on the unsuspecting world.

Next was local metal-punk group Shitfucker, who have released a fresh 7” on Black Shit Noise called “Sex Maniac”.  With nods to black metal, old-school D-beat, and Japanese hardcore (G.I.S.M. being a strong, apparent influence), Shitfucker is a strange, yet highly enjoyable and euphonious group.  Singer/ bassist Dik-Beat mixes European D-beat and black metal, and adds reverb to his vocals, uttering the occasional grunt and the ever-favorable false falsetto.  To sum it up in short terms, the band is very bass-heavy, opting to use Tim Shagrat’s guitar sounds for background fuzz as the thumping bass guitar and rolling bass drums take center stage.  Oddly enough, this band has a very dedicated out-of-area fanbase; though still a major player in the Detroit crust and punk scene, the higher numbers of their fans and the strength of their fanbase is undoubtedly outside of Michigan.  Very entertaining, somewhat sloppy, and approved by me.

Next on the bill was Black September, a group of Chicago crusty black metal-heads.  They took after Shitfucker’s sound, in a way, as their sound was incredibly cranked on the low end, on every cylinder.  The female vocals, the guitars, the (probably single-bass) drums, and the bass guitar, all were cranked on the low end of the heavy metal spectrum, like most black metal.  However, much has been done to separate the band from most of the black metal “scene”; though the songs are very epic, the sound very dark, and the band very blackened (in terms of dress, they are not dissimilar from metal-punk crusties minus the studs), something is just different about them, and it makes the band work.  Most notable about the band that clicks is the female vocals that are not too much higher than standard male vocals; there’s a sense of pissed-off-edness only able to emanate from a female with something to say, and that is definitely a positive trend-setting action for both crust and black metal.

Closing a show at 2:15 am (holy shit, work in the morning, Batman!) was Texas anarcho (not peace) punk group Vivisect, whom I had inadvertently met three months earlier at Midwest Hell Fest as attendees.  The heavily…heavy British-style anarcho punk kicked into gear, and the first four songs were definitely ragers; their anthem “We’re Keeping Our Teeth” is the ultimate mission statement, one that goes in the right direction for anarcho punk as a whole.  “This ain’t peace punk, we mean war!”, uttered in the guttural vocals styles of the bassist and drummer (who switch off lead vocals), is the ultimate fuck you- a declaration that something needs to change in the way that we try to bring change.  It’s got both middle fingers firmly pointed at the conventional normality within punk AND within the normal society with which most are accustomed.  In any case, after four songs, I noticed it was 2:30 am, and having to arise at 9:30 to be a worker be once again, I high-tailed my lethargic ass out the door, not far behind those in the more adult world of punk rock.  Still, the band was fucking sweet just for those four songs; I’d like to see more shows like this pass through Detroit, since we clearly have the space to host them.  Profane Existence bands, heed this call:  come to Detroit, the land of wasteland anarchy!

-Aunty Social

My photoblog

A good amount of the pictures I have taken at local shows is here.  For anyone interested, click the link.  Photos are my property and may not be used without the expressed consent of the photographer (me), blah blah blah just ask if you want to use the photo, and credit me if and when you do.

Issue #6 out now

Issue #6 of Criminal Behavior is out now!  Pick one up for $2 or $3 PPD.  Comes with a free CD!

Note for Readers

A Note To The Reader




I am new to the area and I have been involved in the scene in some way shape or form for about 15 years. I write reviews for a few different zines, play in a band ( Discrumt) and have been a promoter,roadie/driver, stage hand etc, in that time. If you would like me to review your stuff I would be more then glad to do so. However, as you can see I am not always kind with my words and some reviews are simply just longer than others. I am a fan of, but not limited to Punk,Anarcho, Death Rock, D Beat, Experimental, and GOOD Grindcore. I will review everything sent to me, in the order it was received and in accordance with everyone's press schedule.

Send review materials to



The Scum of Discrumt
202 College PL#1
Ypsilanti,MI

Witch Slut- Demo- review by Scum of Discrumt

Witch Slut-Demo


(Self Release)

1 out of 10

Let me start of by saying that I do not know anyone in this band. (Normally when I read a review this bad I wonder) I hate to do this to someone. But, here we go. Witch Slut comes from Harrisburg,PA (my home town). This CDR/coaster was sent to me by a friend back home that sends me demos etc from time to time to keep me in the know of who is doing what/who. I kind of figured by the shit drawing on the cover that it would suck but I gave it it's day in court. The only good member of the band is the girl playing the keyboard other then that I have heard better noises coming out of my ass. I would have just taken the drums and guitars down to the zoo and let the animals play them.

Burning Image- 1983-1987- review by Scum of Discrumt

Burning Image-"1983-1987"


(Alternative Tentacles)

7 out of 10

Burning Image strolls out of Bakersfield,California. This discography encompasses their entire existence (pre-reunion). This is pure dark death rock. While it is not everyone's cup of tea, I like it. Granted this release is more for lovers of Christian Death,TSOL and Arcana (whom I also enjoy), it is simply just a matter of taste. I will not lie I can not connect with the message in the lyrics here, and I do feel they did the best job on remastering this one either. But, for you cutters out there this is a great one to latch onto for a minute. In some spots it does get really avant garde, which breaks it up nicely. Another rad find.

-The Scum of Discrumt

Guarpita- Like a Huelepega- review by Scum of Discrumt

Guarpita-"Like a Huelepega"


(Self Release)

10 out of 10



HOLY SHIT! This record kicks ass. These guys come skanking out of Venezuela by way of Val d’Oise,France. The lyrics switch back and forth between both Spanish and French. The best parts of ska,reggae,South American style punk, and experimental. Imagine Mano Negra having a bastard punk child with Bob Marley. If you can imagine that then you are about half way there.Extremely catchy and fun lock stock and barrel. By far one of my better impulse buys.-The Scum of Discrumt

Burnt Cross/ AUK- The Earth Dies Screaming split- review by Scum of Discrumt

Burnt Cross/A.U.K.- "The Earth Dies Screaming" (split)




(Tadpole Records,Active Rebellion,Rusty Knife Records,Pumpkin Records,Crazy Peace Records, Sound For A Pound Records)

6 out of 10

This has to be one of the most backed releases I have seen in a while. Count them up six record labels backed this one. It is nice to see there is still unity in the scene, to make sure that these records/cds/tapes/mp3 (for all you ipod toting hipsters) get into your grubby mitts. Burnt Cross kicks off the first 1/2 of the split with ten tracks of pure anarcho and rarely deviate from it. Burnt Cross comes from Brighton,UK. This two piece is two brothers that record on a little home system. Despite their lack of facilities, they maintain a pretty clean recording. The only short coming I can remark on is the lack of a human drummer. While mechanical drum machines have come a long way, I just think there is nothing like an acoustic drum sound. And in the realm of anarcho it is kind of a staple. However, regardless of this they still write rather captivating tunes, inborn with lyrics about various political ideals and causes. In my opinion rather well thought out and written. In short, great lyrics and catchy tunes that will keep you bobbing your head. One can just hope they find a cousin or something to throw behind a real trap set.

A.U.K. follows up with their nine tracks. A.U.K. arise from Fife,Scotland,UK. They are another two piece with similar ideals and political ideas as Burnt Cross. And they also use mechanical drums. However, they bring something entirely different to the table. There sound is a mixture of early metal, dark anarcho, and a hint of post punk. While the drum machine is programed well I still think it could be vastly improved with a live drummer. Production is passable. The songs have good hooks in them. While the lyrics were okay I think they could have done a little more with them. To me it just come off as rather dry. And for the most part it is preaching to the choir.

The album looks great, but is for the anarcho listeners only. I could not see anyone outside of that being moved by it.-The Scum of Discrumt

The Last Supper with Steve Ignorant- show review by Scum of Discrumt

THE LAST SUPPER


The Steve Ignorant's Last Supper show in Chi-town was both amazing and disastrous (on the promoters end). I thought it was rather odd that my girlfriend and I were going down, and despite our offer to drive people it would seem no one from our general area was down for the trip. It worked out fine with us since we didn't have to take any detours to pick people up and it gave us a chance to just hangout with each other and enjoy each others company on the way down; something that has become somewhat of a rarity as of late.

First up was Jewsus, (Chicago locals) which I thought sounded great. Super experimental, punk-ish versions of polka chaos. To be totally honest, this is, in my opinion what the scene should be doing. As soon as they hit the stage, I literally said "What the fuck, are these guys setting up for?" followed by my somewhat creepy laugh of anticipation. They said each song was about "Loneliness" followed by a promise of "We'll knock your socks off." They used a little bit of everything in their arsenal to give the set a little extra something: a keg, an old bass drum, scraps of metal, coils, trumpets and trombones. All backed by a descent drummer, spazzy guitarist and (what I like to call) a human statue on keyboard to provide the low ends. The entire time they were on stage I was wearing a smile on my face and could not take my eyes off it. As they got off the stage they informed the crowd that they were handing out free cd-r's (wrapped in a pre-me diaper), and that their merch table (which consisted of moth balls,combs,tape,and various other assorted items) was open.

After their set I went for a smoke, despite the fact I had quit. I chatted it up with random people about various bullshit. The crowd itself was a mixture of just about everyone: 15-50 and rich-poor.

Next up was supposed to be some crappy local band, followed by Goldblade. They were no shows. For one reason or another no one felt the need to announce this. But, that is okay because they both suck anyways (trust me I researched this shit).

Steve Ignorant took the stage very early. The crew he has with him for this tour did a great job. No one missed a note, they played at least an hour or so, and maintained a stage presence for the entirety of the set. Every Crass hit you can think of was played and even a few of their b-side tracks. The big surprise for me was Carol the new singer. (I knew that Steve would still be good, since I got a chance to catch the same show in England a year back or so). She fucking killed it. The crowd went nuts with just about every song, yet for the most part were really respectful. After the show, they made themselves available to chat and do snapshots, signatures and what have you. Despite the promoter's short comings it was still an affair to remember. And these two bands represented everything that keeps me involved in the scene today.- The Scum of Discrumt

Agrimonia- Host of the Winged review-by Scum of Discrumt

Agrimonia- "Host of the Winged"


(Profane Existence, Skuld Records)

9 out 10



For those of you who got their first release Agrimonia need no introduction. For the rest of you, you do not know what you are missing. Agrimonia hails from Gothenburg,SE. With these 8 new tracks they have now become a essential for collectors of doom, sludge metal or down tempo. I would not say they entirely fit into the either genre itself but rather expand on it. These songs are some of the most beautiful riffs followed by a swift kick in the junk. As far as music composition goes you could not want better written songs.

Ass- self-titled review-by Scum of Discrumt

Ass-S/T


(Ass Records)

7 out of 10

Ass comes to us from Minneapolis,MN. They have a little something for everyone with their eclectic sound. They would have fit right in with Filth, Butt Trumpet, or Blatz. Their message is a lot different from all three however. The singer belts out messages about everything from opposing wars, animal rights to keeping the scene open for the younger kids (which I fully agree with).

Blood Spit Nights- Complete review-by Scum of Discrumt

Blood Spit Nights-"Complete"


(Hardcore Holocaust)

8 out of 10



This record is beyond intense. Blood Spit Nights from Portland,OR, delivers pure distorted power in this discography. Part D-beat, black metal, and trash punk. I would say Nefarium jamming with Destroy, might come out with something along these lines. These are great quality recordings, something extremely important for music along these lines. Each song could stand alone as a good single, yet flow seamlessly together as well.

- The Scum of Discrumt

The Orphans- Raise the Youth review- by Scum of Discrumt

The Orphans-"Raise The Youth"


(Fistolo Records)

5 out of 10

This band here takes me back. This discography cd has all 21 tracks released by these then teenagers from, the suburbs Philadelphia,PA. The most notable thing about this band is this was Erik Petersen's (Mischief Brew) project, long before becoming the king of the east coast folk punk scene. Equal parts skate punk, street rock, and folk-ish riffs. Memories aside, this is not really a must have record. Production quality is pretty rough in some parts, they never really solidify a solid sound, and the passable record tracks are not really all that catchy. It is worth a listen and, hell if you find it in the discount bin, you would not feel ripped off. -The Scum of Discrumt

Burial- Never Give Up...Never Give In album review- by Scum of Discrumt

Burial-Never Give Up...Never Give in


(Deranged Records)

5 out of 10

I have no idea where these guys are from. This has to be one of the most unoriginal sounds I have ever heard. Their lyrics are weak. It honestly comes across to me as though they're forcing themselves into a dated sound. Heavy guitar tones with a killer bass player and a passable drummer (thus 5 out of 10). Equal parts of d-beat, metal guitar riffs and the dullest parts of street punk. Something for everyone to get bored with. If it was just the drummer and bass player it would have rated higher. - The Scum of Discrumt

Gudon- self-titled album review- by Scum of Discrumt

Gudon-S/T


(Blood Sucker Records)

10 out of 10

Gudon comes swinging out of Hiroshima,Japan. Both the recording quality and the tone of the songs paint a very vivid picture, of what the scene must have been like there, at that amazing time for the Japanese punks (80's era).While they were primary a brutal band, they did give a slightly different feel to each set of recordings. Which is evident upon hearing this 20 song discography-ish cd. I will not lie I have no idea what they are saying since my knowledge of Japanese is extremely limited. In my opinion these guys blow Gism, Gauze, And Lip Cream right out of the water with their musical talent while being inside the same realm.
- The Scum of Discrumt

Hibernation- Xeimepia Vapkn album review- by Scum of Discrumt

Hibernation- Xeimepia Vapkn- "Into The Silence Of The Eternal Sorrow"


(Skuld Releases)

10 out of 10

Hibernation hails from Athens, Greece. And in my humble opinion will surely become become a force to be reckoned with. The album opens with a rather opaque,dark instrumental setting a rather gloomy mood, just to give you a swift kick in the ass. Production quality is bang on,the band itself is amazing, and the message in the lyrics has something everyone can relate to. Musically I would say it is a mix of everything I love about Crust,Death Rock and Goth with none of it's short comings. I am hard pressed to find anything to really compare it to. Imagine Amebix getting together with Damad and The Struggle (Boston,MA) for a jam session. Truly this is one of the most original and intriguing albums I have heard in the last 5 years. A MUST HAVE.- The Scum of Discrumt

http://www.myspace.com/hibernationcrust

To My Love- By the Scum of Discrumt

Scum of Discrumt- Four Submissions


To My Love



Watch her working by the window.
Sweaty palms I clutch the pillow.
Her long black hair clinged to her face.
Gaze upon forget my place.
She glances over send me shiver.
Muscles tense, wide eyed and quiver.
She smiles, a wave, a blush, refrain.
Back to her task. Oh what pain.
She must know for her favor I do lust.
Need work for courage I know I must.
We never met, No introduction.
Our relationship only my minds construction.
In that place we float we dance.
There she goes another glance.
She must have knowledge what this does.
Or at least idea, who I was.
Hands now placed upon her waist.
Sweat protruding from my face.
At our tryst we laugh, we sing.
To this thought I often cling.
Her notice again my way does come.
Advert my eyes night has just begun.
Twilight just passed gave way to night.
Mind is caught in perpetual flight.
I wounder what my love she toiled.
Loves embrace always foiled.
Time to stroll around the block.
Walk to long forgot the clock.
Dash through the door, ascend the stairs.
Give a scream no one cares.
Drapes now closed, lights they're out.
Sit alone, lonely pout.
For long my love I gave you space, your time to work and concentrate.
Oh my dear why? What a twist of fate.

For now I sit in my solitude. And think.
How could this be she broke our link.
Grab the gun.
For the bullet run.
Open my mouth, good bye, I'm done.
Body lay, soon to decay.
Farewell my love,
and
Fade away.

- The Scum of Discrumt

Interview with Dick Lucas of the Subhumans

Subhumans interview


1. When and how did the band get started? Did you adopt the anti-system, prototypical anarcho punk sound straight out of the gate or was it a forthcoming change?

We were all in various bands that split up in the summer of 1980, and me, Bruce, Grant and Andy got the Subhumans together as a result. We didn't consider the sound we had as adopting anything; our musical influences were from all over the place, not just punk, although mostly early punk [Pistols etc]. The lyrics were sometimes anti-establishment, sometimes not; they became more so as time went on through increasing awareness of all the bullshit going on.

2. What in England inspired your anti-system sentiment? Do these feelings you had then still hold true now?

Mostly it was global things, not so much English ones- police brutality, ignorance, mainstream media shallowness and distortion of the facts, animal rights, the insanity of war, meaningless suffering and death....

3. Why do you think people are so blindly trusting in authority? Is this true in both the culture and the counterculture?

I don’t think people are so trusting of authority at all- those 'in charge' have always been maligned for being useless and making false promises, etc, and are even more so now people are better informed through the internet: what people are is RELIANT on authority, either cos that’s the way it’s always been, or cos the alternative seems too vague or 'too much like hard work'. Those in power are not just politicians, the web includes business leaders, heads of finance and media moguls, who between them control the picture we have of how things work, and the bottom line message is- if you're not working with the system, you're going to find it very hard to work without it. Alternative economics, food or power sources [barter systems, bio-culture, veg oil instead of diesel], as well as the mass of alternative philosophies and ideas, are below most people's awareness radar, and that’s the way the state likes to keep it.

4. How did you come to discover Rodent Popsicle Records in your tenure with Citizen Fish? Which of your projects do you enjoy doing more? Which do you think has been more successful?

Well we hooked up with Bill after we played a few shows with Toxic Narcotic.

I enjoy both bands! Each has something extra and different by comparison; I like the variety. Success? Ha! Well, the Fish have been going longer, although the Subs started earlier[!], have made more records, but sold less of them...both have succeeded by not selling our souls; apart from that, it’s all statistics...

5. Do you think American citizens or British citizens are more thick-headed? Do they differ in their types of ignorance or is the only difference two thousand miles of ocean?

Most people are not willfully ignorant, and no one should make such massive judgments- we're all as dumb or smart as anyone else- what sustains ignorance is the mind-numbing barrage of misinformation, propaganda and what passes for 'entertainment', mostly initiated through the media and largely upheld by people's innate need to be socially and culturally aware [even though the level of awareness may be limited to soap opera plotlines and the repetition of yesterday’s headlines]. Any differences between UK and US levels of susceptibility to the mass dumbing-down of our curiosity may perhaps be spotted in the amount of advertising minutes per hour on TV, or the crass over-usage of laughter tracks on sitcoms [you beat us on those], or the direction of export between countries of celebrity 'talent' contests [we sell more to you these days]- or not! Cos in the English-speaking world of celebrainless-is-more, the boundaries are non-existent.

6. What are your day-to-day influences (music, people, books, etc.) and why are they inspirational to you?

Same as most people I imagine- friends, partner, fresh air, conversation....and cryptic crosswords, keeps my brain ticking over!

7. Having been around for nearly thirty years, how many times (that you can recall) have you been to Detroit? Have you played with any particularly good bands in your Detroit travels?

A lot of times, and a fair few have blended into each other! I was down with a fever after the Subs played Ann Arbor in 84...that was with TSOL, the year after that, it was at the Hungry Brain; it was on tour with the Scream...the power kept going off at 404 Willis for Citizen Fish in 92 with Inside Out...a few at the very friendly Trumbull theatre, one with Avail down in the basement bit of St Andrew's Hall which was fantastically hot n sweaty!...the rarity of bowling after the shows at the Magic Stick...playing there with LOC....

8. Is anarchism a realistically achievable goal for citizens to achieve (in any country)? What helps and hinders this?

[[Waaaay too large a question, sorry! I got another 4 interviews and 104 emails and time before touring is running out!]]



9. Is Britain really as close to resembling 1984 as those in alternative media claim it is? How so?

We in the UK have 1 CCTV camera for every 14 people, on every main street, on every department store wall- for our 'safety' and 'security'- anyone suspected of terrorist behaviour or links can be put under house arrest indefinitely, tried without jury, or summarily deported- 'Neighbourhood Watch' and similar community-bonding ideas promote reporting anyone acting suspiciously, destroying local trust in the process- legal or not, phones and emails can be tapped and read- the 'right to silence' for anyone under arrest has been abolished- roadside cameras and satellites can track your whereabouts at any point....

10. Why do you think punk garners the highest proportion of anti-establishment music, being a sort of cacophonous-sounding genre? Would protest music be better received under the guise of more euphonious music?

Cos people who are pissed off at the world tend to show it in their music? Gentle rhythm and harmonious lilts do not an angry song make! Of course, most of the anger is in the lyrics, and there have been angry words sung to all sorts of music, but punk just sort of fits the mood!

11. Do you think excessive indulgence in intoxicating substances (alcohol, drugs, love, whatever it may be) is still an anti-system action, as it was in the 60s and early 70s? Why or why not?

it depends what results from all the indulgence- far as i heard, the hippy movement largely succumbed to working for or being bought out by 'the Man' - by the mid-70s they were commercializing their originality and calling it fashion, and the 'revolution' fractured into thousands of treasured and/or hazy memories. Taking zillions of drugs is what teenagers always do, so is getting totally mashed, it is a rebellion [against parental advice, mostly], but an 'anti-system action'? Wow they must've been very good drugs!

12. Is there still value to vinyl records and the subculture surrounding them? What makes that so?

Records are BIG and three dimensional and have legible lyrics and space for masses of artwork; they need to be looked after, or they won’t play, which lends them care and respect. They vary in thickness and weight, so have inbuilt levels of quality. They can be played at different speeds!

13. Would you like to add in anything for readers in conclusion?

Go outside and get some fresh air [see you there].