OKLAHOMA PUNK FLYERS part 4

More flyers, and more to come. Here's a batch from OKC, Tulsa, and Norman.

OKLAHOMA PUNK FLYERS part 3

OKLAHOMA PUNK FLYERS part 2

Here's some more flyers from Oklahoma in the Eighties. Hard to believe there was a punk scene there. Even then at the time when it was happening...

AGNOSTIC FRONT interview from 1986

This was done through the mail in the summer of 1986. This ended up in the final issue of Schizo, the zine I was producing while living in Moore, OK. Surprisingly it was a popular zine (and the only zine!) among the student body. Be aware, there were only a couple other punks at this school in 1986. There were a few hanger ons, but for the most part it was jocks, rednecks, and Christians. From what I was hearing, students liked it because the bands and opinions were saying the things they were thinking. Yet, I was still a target of persecution. One girl, can't remember her name, but she bought it, censored it, and handed it to me at lunch, telling me she liked the zine but that it doesn't need all the swearing and to "get right with the Lord". I also know that my zine was more popular than the school newspaper, which angered the journalism teacher. She worked with the principle in stopping the distribution of the zine on school grounds. Through the principal I was told that if I really wanted to write that I should contribute to the school paper. I just saw that as compromising my ideals. Whatever those were!
At that time Agnostic Front were one of my favorite bands. I had made my own shirts of them with a marker, as well as writing their name on a painters hat I wore throughout the summer until it became gross and stained beyond anything Shout could take out. All they had out at the moment was their "United Blood" EP and the "Victim In Pain" LP. I remember a friend and I spending many a weekend listening to that album over and over. It just seem to capture what hardcore punk was at the time. At least in my opinion. That album still holds up. The later stuff not so much. But that's the way it goes I imagine.

Years later, in 2000, I'm walking around NYC in Chinatown going to lunch, and lo and behold I'm on Mott St. I suddenly think about Agnostic Front, and tried to imagine what this place must have looked like back in the Eighties. There were no skinheads or punks there in 2000. Just tourists and plain people.

Who are the members of Agnostic Front, and is there a reason behind choosing the name?

Rob : Rob Kabula - Bass, Vinnnie Stigma - guitar, Roger - vocals, Gordon - guitar, Joe - drums. Alex (ex C.F.A.) recorded the new album with us, but left to be in a heavy metal band.

Did the band go by any other name before arriving at Agnostic Front?

Rob : No, not really.

Who started Agnostic Front?

Rob : Vinnie Stigma in 1982.

Are there any influences on this world that affect what you write in your songs?

Rob : Just what happens to us and how we see things that are going on around us.



What are your feelings toward Jerry Falwell and his Moral Majority?

Rob : Fuck them. They are the Nazis.

How do you feel about the movie about Sid Vicious that will be coming out sometime? Do you think it should be done?

Rob : Yeah, why not. Sid Vicious is dead anyway, but Vinnie Stigma is in the movie.

How long to you think trendies will try to be part of the scene before moving on to something else?

Rob : It's happening right now.

Is CBGBs bringing in a lot of good bands now?

Rob : Yeah, tons of great bands.

Who are some of the New York bands you like to do shows with?

Rob : Murphy's Law, Sheer Terror, Token Entry, Carnivore, Crumbsuckers, Whiplash.

What are your favorite TV shows?

Rob : Kung-fu movies on Saturday. Professional wrestling.

Any plans to release a new record soon?

Rob : Yes. It will be out soon on Combatcore Records.

What are your feelings toward the following : the rich, the government, preppies, jocks, and money?

Rob : We hate preppies and jock attitude. The government could use some improvement. The rich and money, well, I wish I was in their position.

Any final words you'd like to say? Or would you like to ask us a question about this zine?

Rob : No questions asked. Agnostic Front will be touring with GBH starting in May through July.

OKLAHOMA PUNK FLYERS part 1

Below are a few flyers from the Oklahoma scene in the Eighties. This batch largely from Tulsa, and Norman. Flemed Lumps on the Stark Raving Mad bill is actually the Flaming Lips. I'll post more flyers from Oklahoma later this week. So stay tuned...

DOWN SYNDROME interview

Here's one with Down Syndrome, from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Another one conducted through the mail. This may have ran in the second to last zine I did in Oklahoma called Schizo. At the time I didn't give it much thought, but for Jan to even take the time to answer five questions was pretty cool. Most bands or people could have told me to fuck off. Maybe these days, but I think back then was very different. This was done in early 1986. I have no idea if they ever released the LP mentioned in the interview. I do have the EP they put out themselves on Black Sun in 1984. The band name had nothing to do with the genetic disorder. Instead, the meaning of their name, as they state in the EP cover fold out, "is derived from the direct definitions of the words in reference to humanity's condition. DOWN - to a lower or worse condition. SYNDROME - a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular abnormality."

Who are the members of the band, and how did you get the name?

A brief history: Sjor (drums & vocals) and Bob (bass, vocals) coined that troublesome moniker in late '82. After a few short lived guitarists came and went, Laurie and Dave came into it, around May '83. That line-up released the now unavailable "Dark Age" cassette. Then Dave went and Jan came in for guitar and vocals, around May '84, then the EP was released. In the spring of '86 Bob moved out of the house and distances set us so decided we needed a new bass player. In June '86 we began working with Scott, whom we'd known personally for a while and seen in some recent local bands; Fetish, Primitive Ballet, and Ghost Shirt Society.
Eight months down the road, we've done a lot of road 'round these parts (Vancouver, Portland, Winnipeg, etc), are currently working on a demo that is preparation for an LP that we've been longing to do - and which we need to tour.
Our sound has changed a lot since the EP. We play with lots of power and emotion still, but it is a lot less narrow of a genre than the EP's material was in. To me, it sounds much like a hard rocking HC band, with heavy tribal rhythms and jazzier / funkier / pop melodies...

Who writes the songs, and where do you al get the ideas for the songs?

Musically, our riffs for one song may be entirely individual, at times riffs are reworked by the band. However, our parts are distinctive and individually created and, for example, Sjor's rhythm will ulitmately affect the result of a riff made by one of the guitarists. It's equal musically. Lyrically, it's left up to the vocalist, either Jan, Scott, or Sjor.

Do you all think drugs are ruining the scene?

Excessive use, habit, and dependance is harmful in whatever "scene" you're in. You wanna get free right? Letting others tell me what to do or don't (like drugs do), ruins my scene! Think for yourself.



If you could say anything to the world today what would it be?

After thinking about all I could say... (Vivisections is another inhumanity, .... is my favorite beer, Reagan is wrong, unite, etc) I realize it would be just garbage. Give this world a few seconds of silence.

Do you have anything to say to the people of Oklahoma?

How about to the people of Portage La Prairie, Manitoba? That's my home town and I miss it bad, the mess of a hole it was. I love my family there. Hey, Laurie's from there too. I'm playing in a band up in Edmonton. We've got a good crowd, and they're a blast to play for, bands from Oklahoma should see them! We sell some records and T-shirts too. Well, I got to go, kettle's boiling.