Kill Your Idols

Interview réalisée le 29.10.2006
avec Gary Guitariste de Kill Your Idols

English

Hi Gary. First, can you please introduce yourself ? Can you also tell me
who are the other KYI members? Can you mention who plays which  instruments?

I play guitar, Brian plays guitar, Andy sings, Paul plays bass and Vinnie plays drums.
Paul had quit for a while to tour full time with None More Black and Mike D. was in the band for about 2 years, but Paul is back

So, I heard that the band was going to split up. Can you explain why you decided to break up?
Any specific reasons?

We have been doing this for 11 years straight and have been all over the world, released several good releases, and after all this time we are out of things to say with this band.
It's time to move on and either do new things or just reflect on all we have done.
I'm not gonna say it's permanent, because if the time is right and we have new ideas and reason to play together, we will do a record and play shows again.
But we wont just be a band who sticks around to play the hits and be a cover band of ourselves.
If there is no new material to write, our job is done here. We are happy with all we have done and our last record "Companionship" is our best record yet. We do not feel we can top it, musically or lyrically, so we won't dissapoint our fans or ourselves.

You are going to record a Sick Of It All cover for an upcoming tribute record.
Do you know the SOIA guys personally?
How many times have you played with them?
How important is this band to you?
And also, do you think it is politically correct to release a tribute to a band that actually still exists today? Isn't it like burying them alive?
I mean, I love Sick of it All, they're great, but I know that some people within thehardcore scene think that it's not ok to cover a band that hasn't split up yet...So what do you think?

Sick Of It All is one of the most important bands to Hardcore, definitely one of the top most important to NYHC. The fact that they have stood the test of time and always put out good Records for 20 Years deserves some kind of tribute.
They only picked bands that they are friends with and have played shows with to do this, bands who have a close relationship to Sick Of It All.
We have played with them a bunch of times and they have always supported us. I don't think it's a bad thing, it's just a celebration of what they have done and what is to come.
I wish we could make music for 20 Years just like them.
They are one of a kind. People make rules for covering Hardcore bands... I Think if you like a song and you want to play it, whether the band is together or not makes no difference.
It's a tribute. I wouldn't be into Hardcore if not for bands like Sick Of It All and i have been listening to them for 20 years ! I can't believe it.

How is the Long Island hardcore punk scene like? Any interesting bands?

The Long Island scene is weird.
We mostly play NYC shows. We play on Long Island once in a while, even though we are from here.
Long Island is more "POST" Hardcore... Screamo, EMO, Indie-Rock vibe... Some spikey haired punks... and alot of thug core guys.
It's a weird place, any band i have ever been a part of has not sounded anything like any band from Long Island that was around at the same time.
right now, great bands are Sick of Talk, Capitol (Ex. Silent Majority singer TOM), Crime in Stereo and Celebrity Murders.
I have another band called Deathcycle, a darker, heavier band. Definitely not Long Islandsounding at all.

You've been touring a lot with Kill Your Idols, in different parts of the planet.
Have you noticed a lot of differences between the USA and Europe?
And I mean within the hardcore scene and outside of it as well?

Europe and USA differs in some ways but are similar in others.
We feel very much at home in Europe, i think the biggest difference is that music is taken much more seriously in Europe and if kids pay money for a show they demand their money worth.
In the USA, no one ever wants to play last cuz kids will leave and go to the bar... Most shows we play are in DIY places where kids cannot legally drink, but in Europe, no matter where we play, kids will drink... so the shows last longer and go later.
Shows in the USA end by 8:PM sometimes !!!

What about the evolution of the scene?
Do you think 2006 is very different than 1996?
If it is, what are the main changes? Do you have any regrets related to these changes?

The only change that has ever really taken place is the popularity of Hardcore itself...
It is much more widespread now and trendy. I felt that way in 1996, but more than ever now.
I never dreamed it would be exploited to this point. This has alot to do with why we are breaking up !
we don't feel we really relate to the new generation.
What can we teach them ? We are old enough to be their parents now and who listen to their parents ??
No, it's time for new bands who will hopefully follow our lead... and it's their job to enlighten kids.

Oh, and I want to know more about the people involved in the hardcore punk scene. Do you think they're younger or older than before?
Do you think there are more or less people involved? Are they more focused on politics?

There are definitely more involved now than ever before of all ages.
There are still a lot of older people involved from way back and twice as many younger kids alot of people frop out as soon as they join a college frat or go to work, but alot stay involved as well.
Many are politically involved... More now than before.
There are alot of problems in this world and Hardcore enlightens people to those problems. But it's reactionary it's like, "Well, What can i do about it...Instead of just sitting here yelling about it ?" Every little bit helps, whether you are raising money for a cause with a show or if you are actually protesting, boycotting. But even picking up the litter next to your car is a step in the right direction, you must be conscious of the things you do and how they affect the rest of the world !

Have you read the American Hardcore book by Steven Blush?
What do you think about it? I think it is a good book, mainly because it is essentially made of pertinent comments by activists of the "era", but it's pretty controversial. I know a lot of people strongly disagree with  Steven's views on hardcore as he clearly claim it died in 1986...

I read the book and i loved it. I found hardcore in 1986-87, and didn't really start going to shows until 1988. i understand where he is coming from with his thoughts and he has every right to feel the way he feels. He was one of the ones who was there when it began and saw the degredation of it first-hand. However what he fails to see is how the stuff coming out post 1986 was affecting the young kids that were around then, for them, it was brand new.
Also a lot of Kids do their research and get into the older bands who were the influence on this whole thing.
I know a lot of young kids who own SSD Records it's always like that. I suppose if i never started a band, i may have gotten a real job and lost interest in the scene by 1995 and that's when it would have died for me. So i think for Steven Blush, it was dead by 86... but for so many it was only the beginning.
I will agree that by now things are still so watered down and safe compared to original Hardcore, but there is always an underground and always important newer bands to spearhead a movement of some kind...
but it's all about youth agression. I have a lot of respect for Steven Blush and his opinions like i said earlier.
He was there to see it from the beginning. I wonder what he would think if he came to a real good Hardcore show nowadays. It would be Interested in what he thinks of some new bands.
Objectively ...Like, try and put himself in the shoes of a 17 year old kid seeing Kill your Idols for the first time or something.

What do you think of Myspace?
I think it can be really useful, but I feel most of the people today use it in a wrong way and sadly become addicted to it!
I also think it is superficial and contrary to the HxC punk diy ethic. So what are your views?

Like anything, it can be misused. But i think it is very useful for promotion and gathering info !
The internet is the greatest invention in terms of information. People need to learn how to seperate themselves from gossip. They choose to blame the internet but maybe it is themselves they need to blame. Stay out of other people business, worry about yourself. Avoid trading useless non-sense commentary with stupid people. Every band has a MySpace page now and it is helpful to promote shows and releases, as well as keep in touch with awesome people we have met at shows and on tour

After all those years spent as a KYI member, can you tell me what are your best and worst memories? It can be events that happened on tour, in a recording studio,...

So many, too many to list.
my finest memories of Kill Your Idols will be the friends we have made on and off the stage and the brotherhood that we have as band members. We have been through the best and worst together, like a family. We are more than best friends, we are brothers. We have played and toured with our favourite bands... People ee look up to.
Kids all over the world have our skull tatto, these are priceless memories.

I know some of you guys are in other bands. What are these bands?

i am in a band called Deathcycle, it's with Paul from KYI, Jay from Cause for Alarm, John from Mind Over Matter and Ron from Leech Implant.
it's Heavy, Dark, Trash Punk Hardcore.
Brian is in Celebrity Murders with Mike D. our old bassist. Also Vinny and Mike D have a project called Skinheads Still Scare people (SSSP). All Great Stuff !!!

Do you have any future musical projects, for let's say the end of the year and 2007?

We have some sort of release in the works to say goodbye properly... It will be a retrospective thing.
We also have a split with Poison Idea coming out !

Do you want to add any comments?

Thanks so much for the interview and your support to everyone everywhere we have been. It's been real.
we loved every minute of it !!!

Interview : Bastien

More Infos about Kill Your Idols :

Genre : Hardcore Punk

Pays : USA

Webpage : www.killyouridols.net

Myspace : www.myspace.com/killyouridols