Loud! Fast! Philly!

Joseph A. Gervasi interviews Ralph Darden, also known as DJ Major Taylor, who played in the bands Random Children, Franklin, AM/FM, Jai Alai Savant and more. While Ralph now lives in both Chicago and Los Angeles, he grew up in Philadelphia and spent much of his youth in the racially-mixed Mt. Airy neighborhood. In this long and frank interview, Ralph talks about the racial divide in Philadelphia, growing up in a world where he didn’t quite fit in with either while or black folks, discovering punk through BMX bikes (RAD!), playing in early bands and seeing shows in Philly, playing one of the greatest Philly punk shows of all time when Random Children played with Fugazi at Drexel, and much more. The discussion of race may be the most provocative parts of this wide-ranging conversation. Ralph talks about what it was like to have a song sung about him that called him “fucking disgusting” and how that made him feel as scores of people sang along to the lyrics yet never knew him personally. Ralph works with at-risk kids, DJs high-end parties and events, and may be engaging in a special project in Africa that is best explained by him in the interview. He also appears in the recent Afropunk documentary. For as long as this interview runs, the pace never flags as it rides on Ralph’s good humor, hilariously spot-on impersonations, and heartfelt and passionate insights. I trust listeners will find this to be one of the best interviews in the L!F!P! project. Plus: his mother pretty much invented voicemail.

Joseph A. Gervasi interviews Neil Robinson of the bands Nausea, Slaughter, Warning, Final Warning, and Jesus Crust. Neil co-founded Squat or Rot and ran the Tribal War label and distro. He was also active in ABC NO RIO. Neil is now one of the founding members of the Farmageddon Growers’ Collective in Oregon/Washington. Neil and I spoke in his hand-made and electricity-less shack on the Farmageddon property just outside Portland, Oregon after a tour of the (very impressive) veganic farm. This is a long interview, every minute of which is well worth listening to. Neil recounts his life from growing up in and around London in a working class (and later middle class) family. Neil was taken by punk from its frenzied emergence from the muck of feel-good ’70s music. Soon Neil was immersed in the thriving anarcho-punk scene in London. (When he mentions some of the amazing bands he saw at that time, you will weep in jealousy.) We discuss Neil’s move to New York City and his immediate love affair with the Lower East Side and its thriving scene. Neil is frank about his involvement in the drug scene. Our talk ranges through squatting; the formation of the seminal crustcore band Nausea; starting Squat or Rot; dealing with skinheads in the ’80s NYHC scene; why he left Nausea; his other bands; and the long-running label/distro, Tribal War. We dig into Neil’s eventual disillusionment with NYC (part of it involves a pit bull biting off a girl’s nose) and moving to Portland, Oregon. In Oregon he was involved with some social/political/environmental activist organizations (one of which distributed communiques for E.L.F., the Earth Liberation Front, a domestic environmental terrorist organization). Neil’s involvement put him and his fellow activists under some serious scrutiny. We discuss the creation of and ideas behind the Farmageddon Growers’ Collective, which takes a radical approach to organic, ethical farming. This is an interview filled with colorful stories, a lot of history of the NYC hardcore punk and squatting worlds, and Neil’s thoughtfulness and good humor.

Please note: As with a few other interviews I’ve conducted for this project (e.g. Martin Sprouse and Mark Anderson), Neil is not a Philadelphia person (though he played here with some of his bands and knows many fine Philly folks). I elected to interview Neil because all of his projects have had lasting influence on punks around the world (including me and many people I know). My own curiosity to meet the man himself coupled with the opportunity to do so when I was in Portland, Oregon to visit my friends Kathie and Jason led to this interview. I’m delighted to have Neil Robinson add his voice to this project.