th'INBRED
from Artcore #7, 1990
What were your reasons for splitting up, and do you feel you achieved anything with the band?
We broke up because some of us grew tired of punk music. The scene, and felt it was time to move on. Our drummer, Bill Atwell, likes classical, pop, jazz-fusion, and released a solo LP featuring these styles (it includes two Inbred instrumental rejects). Bill openly stated that he was sick of hardcore and wanted to progress beyond it to something more intricate. Bob had doubts about his radical beliefs. He had been influenced by a friend who was into anarchism, especially of the post situationist variety. He felt that instead of criticizing everybody and society in general, it was time to look at himself and change on the inside. He also wanted to move into grphics work, particularly comic art. I was tired of punk music but not totally. I just got bored with what I felt was the greyness of thrash. I didn't like slamming or macho behavior either. I'm 36 years old and being a little older than most folks in the punk scene, I have influences from other music and eras: hippy music like Country Joe & The Fish, The Fugs, Captain Beefheart, early punk and new wave like Pere Ubu ,The Jam, Patti Smith, and folk like Phil Ochs, Dylan, Odetta, Incredible String Band, etc etc. So I didn't feel such a need to think of hardcore as the first or last radical music. Our guitarist Robert Bowers wanted to keep the band going on and isn't tired of punk. He also works as a soundman here in town and on the road. I think we had a few achievements. We put out three records: an EP and two LP's. We toured nationally three times (we never got out to the west coast). We were probably the most famous band in our area since the 60's band, The Mind Garage. We got to improve on our instruments and as performers. Most importantly, we were part of a fun movements that also questions authority. That we were exposed to our own contradictions and shortcomings doesn't mean it was a waste of time.
What was the idea (if any) behind the "Exercise" songs, private joke?
We like instrumental music and were influenced by Greg Ginn and his wild experiments with Black Flag and Gone. King Crimson was also a stated influence. People call us jazzy, but I disagree. Jazz was improvisation. We didn't "swing" like jazz. We thought that some hardcore had an almost symphonic power and that it could be radical without lyrics. Calling them "Exercises" was just for fun and because we couldn’t come up with clever names at the time.
What personally do you feel are the biggest problems in your locality/country at this time, and are there solutions to these problems?
Wow! Got a week? Well, our home state, West Virginia is one of the poorer ones in the USA, it is a coal producing region. Being in the Appalachian mountains, a rich culture of tradition still exists. I've heard Wales (home of the interviewer – ed) is very similar: mountains and coal. WV is an exploited place, outside interests control our wealth. Oil and coal companies are conglomerates based out of state who profit from our resources and give little back. WV is a beautiful forested state that suffers from surface mining (stripping). Acid drainage from both deep and strip mines have ruined many streams. Poverty is a constant but West Virginians are close to the land and proud folks. The miners union (UMW) has a strong history of opposing the bosses. But in recent years, militancy has dwindled. Miners are well paid but suffer from accidents, black lung disease, lay offs and shut downs. The town we live in is a university town with a big middle class and a somewhat liberal attitude, however conformity is strong now. The USA? The Republicans say they've improved the economy, maybe, I don't know my economics. But it seems to me that I see more homeless unemployed people around. They have involved us in near war all over Nicaragua and Grenada are examples of their aggression. But they say we've had 8 years of peace, they've attacked welfare and civil rights programs. They say they're for the great middle class but I think they're for the very rich and powerful. Sexism, racism and homophobia seem to be on the increase.
I used to to take a strict anarchist position against voting in capitalist elections and participating in the system. But now I'm nearer to a socialist position, the anarchist movement is very tiny here. I feel now that some reformist actions aren't bad necessarily. The right wing groups in this country all vote – reactionaries, Christian fundamentalists, neo nazis, klans, they all vote. The left needs to vote against the right. In Spain in the 30's, the anarchists CNT/FAI was very large and used their clout to vote or boycott elections. I think we need to be more flexible in our tactics, for most anarchists and libertarian socialists this is a sellout rap. I'm not so sure anymore, I think the Democrats are just another capitalist party, but I'll vote against the rich Republicans to try and move things forward.
But our problems run deeper then just elections or even left versus right, our society is in trouble. It is really a corporate–military dictatorship with limited democracy. We need more democracy, more decentralization, more popular institutions. When and how will this happen? I don't know, the ecological disaster now underway needs to be reversed. Progress is killing us, if the military and industry continue on their extremist path, we are doomed. Alternative energy needs to be utilized. Companies must be forced to comply with change.
Culturally, it's time to save the American Indians, their land must be left alone, they should have sovereignty, it is time for Americans to become Americans! By that I mean it's time for us, relative newcomers, to realize that we are dangerous brats compared to the wise people who wre here first. We must respect natives' cultures and religions and begin to listen and learn from them before it's too late. Until then, we are illegal aliens and our Christianity and democracy are so much hypocrisy.
A lot of your songs are very critical of the hardcore scene and it's alternative capitalism. What do you think went wrong with this, or it was unavoidable?
Yes, we were critical of punk, and why not? Most things needs criticism now and then, like most other subcultures in western society, punk has its own conformism which must be made fun of or even ridiculed if we are to be free individuals. Tons of kids with the right T-shirt or haircut doesn't mean much. Although it's fun to dress like your peers but differently from your parents. When I was in high school I was a hippy and dressed like others in my group. In the early 80's I still had long hair and punkers and new wavers will sneer at me. Now in the late 80's it's fashionable to have long hair again (in the punk world, not in mainstream society). I guess a lot of Bob’s lyrics were saying that we all look a certain way, but what's inside? What's your attitude? Punk and other rebellious movements have their silly sides and we attacked them.
As for punky capitalism, I don't know. Years back we were hoping a cooperative effort would come about, but it seems like punk is a small capitalist business. Maybe that's all we can expect now, later who knows? We supported the small indie label idea, but they aren't necessarily better than big labels. We used to put down The Clash and other big label bands. Now I don't condemn bands that go over to big labels. Maybe someday punks will make a decent income if we suppoirt small labels and those labels support musicians. I'm not as dogmatic about it as I was a few years ago, and besides, before 1980, most of the music I listened to was big label stuff anyway. Maybe we can learn from a lot of the folk musicians who stay on small labels, remain socially conscious and they don't starve.
If I were someone who'd never heard Th'Inbred, how would you describe the music and lyrics to me?
Sun Ra meets the Buzzcoks! No, only kidding maybe you can get an idea of what we sounded like if I gave you some more of our influences. Bob was into the Dead Kennedys, MDC, Raw Power, C.O.C., Stravinsky and Louis Armstrong. Billy was into Minor Threat, Bad Brains and The Rhythm Pigs (who he played with also on their last tour of Europe and the US). Robert liked the Big Boys, Government Issue and Naked Raygun. I liked Black Flag (more for the music than the lyrics), Crass and Hüsker Dü. Bob also liked the wild thrash from Finland. We didn't listen to much British thrash, but we liked the older punk from the UK, the guys also liked heavy rock fom the early 70's like Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith. We were compared to the Dead Kennedys, Victim's Family, Rush (!) and the Crucifucks. Lyrically we were more social than political, we put down the behavior of punks, jocks, bosses, preachers, ourselves, etc. Our LP's do have lyric sheets.
After this band will you be carrying on with music, a new project, or have you retired?
Bob –Art is no longer performing music, he's into comics. Robert is a soundman; he'll be touring with Government Issue in September and October. Billy is in a new rock band in Rhode Island, where he moved. His solo LP is called "Ferret In a China Shop", it's on a subsidiary of Toxic Shock. Write to 'em. I'm in a new wavey–neo psychadelic band, without a name. I have also played in a reggae and calypso inspired rock band for eight years called Small Axe.
What do you think of the current elections in your country, what do you think will be the outcome, and will you be voting?
I already talked about politics in question 3 but I'll bore you some more. Jesse Jackson's campaign showed the nation that a more left leaning bloc exists than was even thought possible in this era. But the Democrats virtually ignored this and are trying to moderate to please a centrist or even rightist leadership. The Jackson people should move to the left (they probably won't) in the future. The left should be on the offensive to counter the reactionary democrats and Republicans. I'm going to vote for the democrats' candidate, Dukakis, only very reluctantly and only to vote against those on his right. Once again, this sounds strange for a libertarian. I should add that voting is one small action compared to the other things radicals do: marching, direct action, strikes, publishing, speaking, boycotting, etc.
Any last words of wisdom, prophecies?
We all still support anti-racist and anti-war endeavors. That it sounds like we've all grown more moderate (or less radical) in Reagan's America I can't deny. It surprises me. I wonder how much of it has to do with living in reactionary Babylon. I still have my general principles, I'm just not sure of my militancy as I was ten years ago. Just hang in there and IMAGINE. Peace, Duff.
Duff adds some thoughts, thirteen years later. [!]
I eventually rejected my descent into left-liberalism and electoral politics during the very late '80s/early'90s period. By the late '80s, I truly thought the anarchist movement was dead! (Except for a few peace-punk bands.) I was wrong; maybe I was just looking in the wrong places. At the time, I was around people who had dropped their anarchist politics or those who had always been leftish-liberals or social-democrats.
Later, in the mid-'90s, I discovered new anarchist groups like Love and Rage (1989-98) and Anarchist Black Cross groups, etc. Even later, in the late '90s, anarchism received much renewed interest. Seattle occurred, Quebec City, Genoa and beyond. Anarchist/anti-authoritarian groups and ideas were again becoming influential in the 2000's.
By 1995, I totally rejected the liberal reformism that I'd been espousing in 1990. Since, '95, I've been an active anarchist, involved in groups, publications, and action.
I'm still somewhat less interested in punk but not totally. For instance, I came to really appreciate the Dutch band, The Ex. Though a little less interested -- musically -- in punk these days, I'm amazed and gratified that there still is a punk scene -- or punk scenes -- and there are still bands that practice DIY and are into radical ideas.
-Duff, February, 2003.
email: gusl36@hotmail.com
street: 1820 Listravia Ave.
Morgantown, WV 26505 U$A
BACK to th'Inbred page
KILL FROM THE HEART Home