Welcome to the Lost in the Archives feature, in which we meet people who feel the urge to dig ever deeper to uncover every bit of music documentation available.
Spoiler was a natural choice for this first installment. He’s played in a ridiculous number of bands, including Justice and Omegas and currently plays in Stigmatism, Impotentie and Vitex. He’s designed countless album covers, shirts and posters (check out #spoilerart on IG). He’s published zines (Pushing the limits, etc) and books (The Ashes of Howard Beach). In fact, this versatility would have made him a great guest for any of our features but, being the bottomless source of music trivia he is, Lost in the the archives feels right at home.
-Ben F.
What type of archive (videos, photos, text) do you spend the most time digging? What has been your latest obsession?
For a long time I was a Hardcore fanzine archivist of sorts, though in the last few years there’s been such a mass production of books on Punk and Hardcore that I’ve been digging into a lot of those. Probably too many. I’m no stranger to digging for records, photo archives, videos or tracking down members of old bands just to talk to them about it.
Which genre/ era/ specific scene do you typically concentrate on?
My field of expertise is NYHC, particularly the first wave of 1979-1984. I spent a few years trying to write a book on how NYC Punk transitioned into early Hardcore. There’s a lot of great stuff from that era that gets overlooked, and I think it’s an interesting story altogether. I’ve written two long articles that I’m trying to get published before I get back to work on that book. I listen to and research tons of different kinds of music, but I’ll stick with the NYHC theme for this!
Name your favorite piece of archive for each of these categories:
- Live videos – First one that comes to mind is the YOUTH OF TODAY footage where Nazis are taunting them for playing an anti-racist song and you can see Cappo calling over their roadie Steve Reddy from NY WOLFPACK to come and punch them in the face as the band keeps playing.
- Article/interview/zine – I think one of the best interviews I’ve ever read on the subject was the two piece Mike Judge interview on Double Crossed (no longer up, unfortunately). His life stories and explanations of some of the Judge lyrics were mind blowing and gave so much perspective to that band.
- Biography/documentary/biopic – Roger Miret’s biography is one of the best I’ve read. Unlike most of the other famous Hardcore frontmen, not that much was known about his life and early days in the band. It was great to finally read all the stories, and I appreciate that he was honest about some of the worst parts of his life.
- Demos/bootleg – The CRO-MAGS demo and bootleg 10” has to be the best one in all of NYHC. There’s no way around it.
Are you constantly looking for something new or do you find yourself revisiting your faves over and over again?
Both. I’m old enough to mostly listen to faves on repeat, but I am always trying to find new music whether it’s obscure old stuff or new active bands. I’m pretty up to date with current Punk and Hardcore, though it’s definitely not all I listen to. It’s just what I know best.
Name three shows you wish you’d have attended?
1- BAD BRAINS opening for THE CLASH at Bond’s, NYC, 1981.
2- CRO-MAGS first Montreal show, 1985.
3- WAR-ZONE in Belgium, 1996. My mom wouldn’t let me go and said I could see them another time when I was old enough. A few months later Raybeez was dead. Thanks a lot mom.
Name 3 venues that you wish you’d have experienced? What attracts you to them? Have you ever talked to people who’ve been?
1- CBGB. For such a NYC Punk and Hardcore nerd, I never went. When I moved to Canada in 2005 I couldn’t cross the border until my paperwork was done, and it closed a month or two before I got it.
2- A7. The venue where NYHC was truly born. Unlike the matinees that NYHC became known for, this place was a late night shit hole where no one played before midnight and any band that showed up and put their name on the list could play. I’ve been to the building just to see the checkered tile floor.
3- Shamus Pub in Queens. Even before A7, some of the earliest NYHC bands like The MOB, HEART ATTACK and The INFLUENCE were playing out there. I’m sure it was just a random shitty pub, but this stuff matters to me.
Is there any memorable show you’ve seen and for which you’ve been trying to track down footage for a long time, to no avail?
I can’t think of anything in particular. There’s tons of stuff I want to see but I wouldn’t know where to start looking. If anyone has any footage of any band playing at A7 other than the YouTube footage of AF and PSYCHOS covering VOID with Jimmy G., please let me know.
What are some of your favorite bootleg recordings? What makes them so special?
My copy of AGNOSTIC FRONT’s Victim In Pain with the United Blood tracks added. The CRO-MAGS Age of Quarrel demo 10” from 1991 and Live at Wellingtons because I heard them both before I ever heard the Age of Quarrel album and it was a magical thing to hear these harsher, meaner and unpolished versions of the songs first. Also, almost all of the Lost & Found releases from the nineties because that was the only way to hear any of that stuff back then. The Reagan Era HC 7” series, the four way split LP with the URBAN WASTE, MOB, THE ABUSED and ANTIDOTE 7”es on them. I basically lived off bootlegs in my early days.
Top 3 demos that sound better than the subsequent album cuts? What puts them on top?
Some days I think the CRO-MAGS 1985 demo is better than AOQ, other days I don’t. The bass sound is way better on the demo, and it sounds more like early Hardcore (it was recorded by Jerry Williams who recorded almost all of the early NYHC records). In comparison, AOQ sounds like a Metal album.
Have you ever spent hours trying to figure out the words to an album that didn’t have any printed lyrics?
Tons and tons of them, especially bootlegs. Most legit Hardcore records come with lyrics. I think I probably spent most time figuring out all the words to Victim In Pain.
Top 5 zines all time?
- Mouth of the Rat
- In Effect
- Agnostic Front
- Hardware
- Impact
Is there any footage or bootleg of your own band that you’re dying to find?
Nothing I can think of, but I do have a VHS/PAL of the JUSTICE & MENTAL show in Belgium where I did the JUSTICE rap with MENTAL in the break of UNDERDOG’s Say it which I have never seen because I’ve never managed to get it transferred or digitalized. Probably for the better since I forgot my lines halfway through.
Do you have any favorite iconic or live pics?
I don’t have any favourites, but I am pretty proud of tracking down some mostly unseen AGNOSTIC FRONT photos with first singer John Watson, as well as AF pics of Todd Youth’s first show with the band. I posted those on the NYHC_screenshots instagram if you’re curious.
Name 3 inactive and overlooked bands?
- MONEY DOGS. Members of NO THANKS and VIRUS, did one demo tape in 1983. Very primitive but catchy NYHC.
- BLOOD. All-female NYHC band from 1983 with Montreal’s own Manic Manon on drums. Only live recordings exist.
- CRACKED ACTOR. Three Jewish high school kids in 1981 singing about Nazi school. Fetches top dollar amongst collectors but otherwise seems almost unknown.
Name one or several cover songs where the cover is better than the original? What makes them superior?
MADBALL’s version of It’s my life is maybe not better than the ANIMALS version, but it sure is fucking cool. Same for CRACKED ACTOR’s cover of Judy in the sky.
What is your absolute favorite piece of archive, that you’ve seen and enjoyed a million time?
FEAR on Saturday Night Live. Before YouTube existed I had to track down someone who would make copies on VHS for me. I asked for two; one to watch and one to keep in the vault forever. Every single person in that video is an absolute legend. I’ll never tire of that one.
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