Vinnie Stigma of Agnostic Front: The Self-Proclaimed First New York Punk

Photo by Yasir Kahn

Thirty years after Agnostic Front started New York hardcore with seminal releases Victim in Pain and United Blood, AF is back. The American Dream Died is the band’s 11th studio album, and it is out next month on Nuclear Blast. The album’s songs are a collection of homages to and reinventions of their distinct musical moments of their long career. It’s all here, from classic hardcore punk to melodic crossover to oi-influenced sing-alongs.

We caught up with legendary hardcore personality and guitarist Vinnie Stigma in his shop, NYHC Tattoo, where we discussed the new album, early days of New York punk and hardcore, stage diving for his upcoming 60th birthday, and cooking Italian food.

Noisey: So you guys have a new album coming out. Tell us about it.
Vinnie Stigma: New album coming out the seventh of April. We’re gonna be doing a quick tour. Next week we’re going down to Florida and Puerto Rico with Coldside, which should be fun. It’s been a long winter, you know?

You been to Puerto Rico before?
Yeah, it was great! Dollar Coronas! [Laughs] Anyway, I was in Puerto Rico one time, and across the street, I was with my friend Black Joey, and across the street from where he lives is where Camacho got killed. The boxer. It’s like the worst project in the world. All my friends live in there. So I go in there, I ring the elevator, I open the door. A fuckin’ horse comes out! A guy with a horse! I said, “What the hell’s going on here?” He says, “My neighbor, he keeps his horse on the balcony.” I’m like, “imagine that!” You’re watching TV, a fuckin’ horse walks by. Lays a lump of shit or somethin’. It’s true! I couldn’t believe it, I said, “I’m in Puerto Rico now!”

What’s going on in this new record?
Well, it’s a throwback, kinda. I’ll tell you right now. I got a new guitar player, my friend Craig Silverman, he was in a band, Blood For Blood, he’s from Boston. They had the worst winter in the whole world. He just had a baby, little Henry. Anyway, we’re getting back into rehearsals. Of course, we laid the album out on my birthday. We were in California, we made the record. We did a great record. We got really short hardcore ones, like Victim In Pain, United Blood, then we got My Life My Way. It has a great pace to it. You got short, hardcore songs. You have a regular-length song. A melodic song. It takes you really on a ride. Love this album. This one will stand the test of time.

So you’re doing a throwback to multiple eras?
Kind of, yeah. We’ve got a new school song on there. You know, we’re so diverse after being a band for almost thirty-five years. There’s a lot that we did, you know. Through all our travels. Through all our battles. Anyway, but yeah, it’ll be really great, I think you’ll like it.

You got all these news clips coming in on the intro. Tell me about lyrically what you’re doing on this record. What’s the theme?
Okay. The anti-society, which we’re always about. We’re a social band, I don’t wanna be too political. Of course, policies change. Even in my life, the world changes. You know how that goes. Okay, you hold your politics. But don’t condemn people or demigod people. Because that’s annoying after a while, you know? “Yea yea, I’ll go along with you. Enough now.” You know? It’s just that we’re out, we got a new record, it’s anti-government, anti-police, it’s really hardcore. It’s unity, it’s family, it speaks of us today. What we’ve been through.

What’s it like playing for Agnostic Front after all this time?
Don’t forget, Agnostic Front: stabbed, in prison, shot. I mean, family, death. After thirty years, a few members went to jail, so we had to, you know, wait for them to come out.

So what’s it like? How has hardcore changed in the last 35 years?
It’s changed a lot. “I’ll be right back, I’m gonna go tweet myself to fame.” You know? There’s that grassroots level. Passing out flyers. I met all my friends at the hardcore show. Not on the internet. Which is fine… It’s fine. Make a friend, don’t make an enemy. It’s a lot easier. A lot easier. I still play guitar. I’m still loud. I’m still fast. I still play hard. I got a great guitar player, Craig Silverman. He’s great, the guy. He’s one of the best guitar players on the east coast. Besides me. But uh, he’s great. Roger Miret. I got Pokey Mo on drums. He was in Leeway. The great Mike Gallo, who was out cutting hair. Sometimes he cuts hair. He does the barber shop tattoo thing, you know?

I need a new barber.
Yeah, yeah!

I always go to Astor Barber, but I hate that place.
No way! Come to Mike! He’ll cut your hair, he’s great! We’ll go to my house! We’ll do it in the house. You can do an interview on the chair, we’ll chop you up! I can set that up for you.

That would be dope.
We’re gonna do that. And we can give you a tattoo if you want, too, you know, while you’re around! A little makeover for this guy, eh? Get rid of that mustache. Keith Hernandez won’t recognize you! Keith Hernandez wants his mustache back!

So let’s talk a little bit more about old New York shit. What can you tell me about The Eliminators?
Old New York band with The Stimulators, Dead Boys, my band The Eliminators. I always had a good New York band. I was always in the pit. I was always involved. I was a punk rocker to the max. Man, I had the nicest punk rock hair, too. See, I still got it! If I spike it up, throw a little dye job in there, you never know.

I heard you used to have a mohawk and everything.
I always had a mohawk. I’m gonna get a mohawk for my 60th birthday. Every birthday I get a mohawk, and I do a stage dive. I just say, “Bring out the net! Bring out the net!”

While you’re playing?
Yeah, yeah. Or the band I’m playing with, like Naysayer, Take Offense, somebody who I’m touring with. Coldside. Whatever. They got a new album out, too, and I’ll be touring with them. They’re from Florida. One of my friends, he’s a sommelier. Anytime I’m in a wine store I call him, I take a picture of the wine and I shoot it to him. “What do you think? What should I do?” Just to make conversation. Hey, what’s your number? I’ll crank call you, too. I’m a crank caller. Yeah, I have no life. I crank call people. It’s great!

Do you do different characters?
Oh yeah. “Can you call my friend, he couldn’t come to the show.” “What’s his name? Joey? Get him on the fuckin’ phone. C’mon.” I get the answering machine. “Joey, where the fuck are you? You were supposed to be at the fuckin’ show you cocksucker. You better fuckin’ come here I’ll break your fuckin’ legs. Next time I come to your fuckin’ town, you better show up or I’ll come get ya!” Click. Yeah.

You played bass for The Eliminators?
Yeah. I played bass. Oh, I’m a great bass player. Yeah, I think I’m a better bass player than I am a guitar player. But now I think I’m a better guitar player than a bass player.

How many shows did you guys play?
We played a bunch of shows. I toured around. A lot of DC shows. Those are old, old bands. We went out to Ohio. That was big back then. We played a lot. CBGBs, Max’s Kansas City, A7 Club when it was early.

Can you tell me what shows at A7 were like?
A7 was dark, it was late. The show started at two in the morning. Punk, hardcore was late at night. It was a late night thing. It was kind of after Max’s had closed, it was kind of an after-hours joint. A lot of good memories from there. Joe Jackson bought me a beer once. He came in, he bought me a beer. He was tall, I’ll never forget. Yellow Man, some Rasta guy, used to hang out there every Thursday. Every Thursday they’d have Rasta night. I’d go smoke pot. They all knew me because I didn’t try to talk like them. I’m not a Rasta-fluoride, I’m Vinnie from the neighborhood! I’m real, you know? My friends worked there. It was fun.

You had a fanzine, right?
I had a fanzine before when I was a punk rocker. Before hardcore was hardcore. It was called Crash Magazine. Guess who was on the cover of the magazine? Right here! What a jerk! But you know, I reported on the scene, but it wasn’t really for me, because I’m not really a writer. I write a song, the words. Throw a melody on it and get rid of it. It was no big deal.

I heard that you wrote the song “Power” in 1977. Is that true?
True.

How’d you write that song that early?
I wrote it in my mother’s kitchen. I don’t know how I did it. It was that beat! [Drums on counter] I’ll call Pokey Mo. That kind of beat, it was Charlie Harper’s band, UK Subs. Another good friend of mine. I always tell him, “I’m gonna kill you.” He says, “why?” “Cuz I wanna be the oldest punk rocker in the world, that’s why!”

Especially with Roger Miret being from Jersey, was there much crossover between the New Jersey and New York scenes?
Yeah. It was practically the same scene. To be honest with you, I know it’s crazy to make a statement like this, but I was basically the only punk rocker in New York City. I didn’t come from Queens or Jersey. I just got here because I only lived around the corner from CBGBs all my life. So I caught on really quick, I was a musician, I was in the band. I wanted to play there when it was still Hilly’s on the Bowery. Before punk rock, even! So I mean, I was in that band in ’73. This band called Black Angus. That’s my band. I used to practice in the building. 683 Broadway. I used to play in the basement.

I heard you put a nail up in the wall at CBGBs.
Yeah. That’s true. I had it in my hand yesterday. Anyway I was in a band, it was like ‘77. I was in the band The Eliminators. We went to CBGBs because we had a show. I’m moving all the equipment, the backstage, if you called it a backstage. The room was soaking wet. A pipe must have burst or something, it was soaking wet. And I’m like, my jacket, where am I gonna hang my jacket? So I went behind the bar, got a hammer and nail, went “boom boom boom,” and I hung my jacket up. That was my nail.

Do you make the best meatballs in hardcore?
I don’t know if I make the best meatballs in hardcore, but I make the best pasta dishes. Pasta fazool, pasta chic, pasticiotti, all that there I make. I can make a good dessert, or crepe. I know that’s French, but I make a good one, because I bought the pan. You gotta buy the pan. Almost $100, the pan. Otherwise you’d be scraping and it won’t come out. Yeah, I’m a very good cook.

How’d you learn?
My mom. Italian. You know how it is. Grandma making meatballs. You Italian?

No.
You look Italian, you got the mustache, eh? An Italian cop!

Anything else you wanna say?
Alright, what am I gonna say? Go out, make a friend. Come to New York Hardcore Tattoos. We got great people. Come see my band, you’re more than welcome. Come to the show, make a friend. Come visit me at the show! It’s as simple as that. Just come right up to me. I’ll hang around. If you don’t come up to me, I’ll come up to you. I want your number so I can call you, crank call you.

Reed Dunlea is on his way to the barber right now.