Agnostic Front Interview from Ink Disease #10, 1986
For the last two years Agnostic Front have been one of the most controversial bands in the country. Like them or hate them, the band can and will speak for themselves so give 'em a listen and think what you will. The interview took place on the eve of their biggest show to date, at the Olympic auditorium. Al, Thomas, Gus and a few skinheards were there to ask the questions. Answering for Agnostic Front were...Al: What does Agnostic Front mean?
VINNIE-GUITAR: Every time I explain the name it could mean something different.
ROGER-SINGER: Agnostic: meaning not knowing the absolute truth.
Vinnie: To be in doubt.
Roger: It could be politically, socially or religiously. It could go any way. Front meaning...
Vinnie: Your point of view, your stance, your morals. Where you stand and what you believe in.
Roger: Or a group of agnostic people, Agnostic front. Not just the four (of us), it's going to be big. We had a fanzine about two years ago, that we never put out, it was called Agnostic Front: A Growing Concern. Not just the band, we wanted to make it the whole...
(Unidentified Skin #1): Why don't you make it fucking one band?
Roger: It can't be one band. There's a lot of people who like Agnostic Front. We don't put no one down for being different. That's not what Agnostic Front is about. Not what Maximum Rock n' Roll has got to say, not what anybody else has to say, it's what we say. Everybody's got their own beliefs in the band.
Skin #1: They can't be just like a skin? Is Agnostic Front a skinhead band?
Roger: No. Agnostic Front is not a skinhead band. We first started out as a unity band. Uniting everybody together. Just because we dress like skins, and we are skins, does not separate us from anybody else. We don't need any more battles. We've got to all unite.
Skin #1: (There) only can be skins. Skins unite.
Roger: There are a lot of coll people who are just not skins. We meet a lot of people on tour, and not everyone is a skin.
Skin #1: The only ones who establish themselves are skins.
Roger: I don't know what you mean.
Skin #1: Are you a skinhead or what?
Roger: That's what I am now.
Skin #1: Are you a punk or a skin?
Roger: To me it's the same. See, we have different beliefs.
Skin #1: Would you stick up for skins or hawks?
Roger: We stick up for whoever has the right point of view.
Skin #1: Do you stick up for punks or fucking Hiations? I'm just fucking for myself. That's it.
Roger: Most of these skinheads right now were punks at first...
Skin #2: See, what he's saying is most of these skinheads were punks so they're still punks.
Roger: In L.A. there are a lot of gangs, (but) in New York it's not like that.
Skin #1: There's skins and mohawks that's all there is.
Roger: No, man.
Skin #1: If you're a skin you're on the skins' side. If you're a mohawk you're on the mohawks' side.
Roger: Have you ever been to New York?
Skin #1: I've been there.
Roger: When?
Skin #1: A fucking half a year ago.
Roger: I don't know man. It's not the way New York is.
Vinnie: Yo! Punks and skins are on one side and the rest of the world is on the other side...
Roger: Skinhead is more than a haircut.
Skin #1: Skinheads are more than punks. Aren't they? Skinheads are in a class by ourselves.
Roger: Maybe out here, but not in New York, where we are from.
Skin #1: Are they both the same?
Roger: We both stick together. We might have opposite beliefs but we stick together and talk.
ID: How was S.F.? (Skin #1 leaves)
Roger: S.F. was great. They liked us a lot. There were no fights whatsoever until at the end of the show. There was a little fight.
Vinnie: It wasn't with punks and skins. It was an outsider.
Roger: We played in a bad neighborhood. Our show at the Mab was cancelled so they moved it down to a place called Sound of Music. They didn't want punks there. It had nothing to do with the show. The show went real well.
Al: How do you feel about people who want to divide up punks and skins?
Vinnie: There sould b e no barriers. Racial unity. See our tour shirt, it says it right there. It says it on our record. We started out a unity band. Hey man, I've got a lot of punk friends.
Roger: I don't know where that guy came from. That guy's drunk. (Skin #1)
Al: There's a lot of people like that. I saw them get up their sig-heiling you guys.
Vinnie: We can't control that. People think we are a big nazi band but if you reall read our lyrics... We're not for the nazis but then again we're not against people who are chaotic and nazism. We're the middle guy. ? We're not going to say you're wrong because everybody has different beliefs. There's a lot of chaotic people that are not skins. Alot of crazy people are into swastikas and stuff. I'm not saying you're wrong if you've got a swastika. they might be right. I wear a swastika for chaos, and wear it for white pride. That's what I wore it for in the beginning, that's what I always thought it meant. Just to have people make a big thing about it and go, "Oh no, you're a dick!" I like attention. Chaos that's what we got into. I don't wear it for anything else. Now the swastika means what power that's why I don't wear it anymore myself. Right away people jump to, "You're a nazi. You're into white power." those people don't understand it's for chaos. It's what it was originally for.
Al: You say you're a unity band, so if everybody united what would that be for?
Vinnie: We're out of step with society. Basically that's what it is. That's what I'm doing right now. I live in a van, day and night. Everyday is Friday & Saturday. I play for the kids. I play for them, not against them.
Roger: Tell the kids not to fight against each other, (but) unite to fight against the outside world, (and) people that hate us. We're all in it together now for the same reason, or almost the same reason.
Al: What do you want to fight the outside world about?
Vinnie: Discrimination. That's a big word right there. Discrimination. That says it all in one word. Why should I be discriminated against because I have a mohawk, or a skinhead, or a tattoo, or whatever. If I walk out of step iwth society why should I be discriminated against? I'm a human being too. We fly the flag of america because we believe in America. We travel the country, I see America, and it is a beautiful country.
Roger: We're fighting for what the flag stands for. What it should stand for. Land of the free, the glory, and justice for all.
Vinnie: Democracy.
Roger: America's beautiful, but then we are aware of the government. The government's fucked up. We all know that but the country itself is beautiful.
Al: Doesn't it bother you that you're flying this flag for what it should stand for but a lot of people, or maybe even the majority of people see it as meaning something different?
Roger: A lot of people don't understand us. Why does everybody jump to conclusions? Why can't they come up and ask the band? "Why are you flying the flag?" Am I wrong? I don't think I'm wrong...
Al: I don't think you're wrong.
Roger: If people just come up and ask us... Stop fucking sending little messages here and there with all this fucking bullshit. Come take the time to ask the band. Write us. We'd be more than willing.
ID: What about your tattoos? You seem to have a lot of them.
Vinnie: It's just body art, that's all.
ID: Did you do them yourself?
Vinnie: We had a tattoo parlor in my house. We'd get together every Saturday. I fill in the big spots. I'm not that good.
Roger: We're into tattoos.
Vinnie: I'm proud, I'm proud...
Roger: See, this one right here is dedicated to a friend of ours who was killed two years ago. Our e.p. was dedicated to him, John Nordquest. He was crucified. He was beaten to death by some people in his neighborhood. They cut his ear off and bead him so badly, that when they laid him on the train tracks, he couldn't even get off and the train ran over him. That's what this one is dedicated to.
Vinnie: We all got them.
ID: Is that what the album cover is about?
Roger: Let me explain the cover. The picture is of a nazi shooting a Jew through the head. The reason why we used this one is to make people aware that this happened and it could happen again. You shouldn't shut your eyes. We picture ourselves as the guy getting shot in the head. The ones who do the shooting are the big class of society, the big class that want us dead. It's us picturing ourselves as this guy.
Vinnie: He looks like a regular hardcore kid.
Roger: It's taken out of a World War Two book. A lot of people misunderstand that too. They're out to get us. They'll do anything.
Vinnie: They'll use any excuse.
ID: What do some of your other tattoos mean?
Roger: This is anti-war, anti-religion. It's not even done. It's supposed to be anti-war, anti-religion, anti-society. The whole thing. Jesus Christ with the American flag. Right here I'm thinking about putting a swastika so it says religion is fascist. Three very important reasons why I'm into hardcore. I have no religious belifs. I hate religion. Originally I was Christian. I did my communion. I've done all that shit. I'm against it. It's just a way to get everyone together... I think religion is very fascist. That's why there are so many religious cults. Just imagine, a world with no religion, how great it could be.
Vinnie: It's one less thing to worry about. Religion, politics you'll argue forever. We all know that. We all have our little beliefs... I don't know but at that show (in S.F.) when the fight went down... I don't care I'm not staying on anybody's side but... I seen all these kids with chaos and anarchy (on their clothes) run away when my friend was on the floor bleeding. Anarchy? When anarchy comes down they were the first ones to run. Man, that was a bad scene out there. I was afraid too, but all this anarchy and chaos bullshit, they just ran. And who stood there? The skinheads stood there. That much you got to give. Yo man, I take my shit from the street. Agnostic Front comes from the ghetto. We don't come from the suburbs of California, from a jacuzzi. We got a lot to say. We deal with street life. When shit goes down you'll see who will stand next to you, whether it'll be the anarchist or the so-called fascist who will stand next to you, and that's the God damn truth. I'be seen blood on the streets. That's proof enough for me. I don't just play a guitar in a band. I'm not into being the greatest guitarist. I deal with people.
Al: You deal with reality?
Vinnie: I deal with reality, right.
(Roger explains about more of his tattoos)
Al: When Donny the Punk did that interview with you guys (for Flipside) you had some statements saying you were originally a punk. Did you want him to cut that stuff out?
Roger: I wanted to cut things out because I kept repeating things. It still says everything. No, I'm not ashamed to tell I was a punk. I still am. It's just a haircut.
Al: It doesn't make any difference. Does it?
Roger: It doesn't. To me. I don't give a fuck. Call me what you want to call me. Except don't call me an asshole (ha ha). It's just a stupid label.
Vinnie: We don't need the punk/skin (barrier). We don't need the straight edge/no straight edge (barrier). People should be what they want.
Al: What do you think of L.A.?
Roger: We miss the east coast, that's for sure. L.A.'s wild. That's all I've got to say.
Vinnie: It's one of the biggest shows we've ever played. We've played with big bands in New York. The Dead Kennedys played to three thousand people and that's a lot. I think there's more than three thousand here tonight. Before tonight the most people we've ever played to is a thousand to fifteen hundred people. There's so much controversey with the band we didn't know what was going to happen on stage. A lot of people like us, a lot of people hate us. There's no in between. I guess that's the kind of band we are.
Al: What did you think about the barriers going down?
Roger: I don't like it myself. I like the feeling of people.
Vinnie: Vibrations - we play better.
Roger: We're used to it.
Thomas: What do your parents think of the band?
Roger: ...As long as I'm having a good time. She doesn't like all my tattoos.
Al: You wear long sleeve shirts, right?
Both: No.
Roger: Well, once in a while. I try to keep them out of the sun because it's bad for them. I try to keep them covered but I can't do nothing about this one.
AL: What do you think about facial tattoos?
Vinnie: Yeah, I've got about four on my head myself. You can't seethem because I've got hair. See, this (showing us) spider web here. Face-wise I don't know. It's (up to the) individual. If you get a tattoo on your neck it's pretty radical. You can't hide it. I guess it's like a statement.
Al: Who does them? Do you color them in?
Vinnie: Some like this big area. I don't do lines.
Roger: Elioff.
Vinnie: He's thanked on our records. Mikey in Brooklyn. He did my chest pieve. Mikey's got the good color.
Al: Have you tried any of the tattoo places out here?
Vinnie: I got one. It's alright. I got it form this Hell's Angel, Big Ace. Big, big Hell's Angel.
Roger: We don't have enough money.
Vinnie: We're on the road. We got a little tattoo. He came to our show. He really liked us and saw all the tattoos. We made friends. He ain't a punk or a skin but yet he walks out of step from society. Which is cool. Like a biker who's outside society. A free wheeler. They have no rules.
Thomas: What's in store for the future?
Vinnie: We're going to cut another record, do an east coast tour, and we're going up to Canada. We'll come back to the west coast.
Roger: We would love to come back.
Vinnie: We only played three shows.
Roger: San Francisco, Portland and Pomona. Pomona wasn't even advertised.
Vinnie: I liked that (Pomona).
(The cord got pulled out of the mic here so that's the end.)
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