1. Tell us how Dignified Bastard Records came about and what happened to Striving for togetherness?

Dignified Bastard came together in 2006 and released our first CD in 2007. I was still working in the video game industry, but I missed the feeling of doing something strictly for the underground. Dignified Bastard was formed to be a company that could take on cool projects. I wanted to re-issue classic SFT joints; along with new stuff if it came out way, maybe do some clothing, etc. I was talking to Myke from District 9, and they were putting together a series of reunion shows, so it gave us a deadline to work to, and we're happy to say we had the cd's done in time for their shows. I want to thank everyone around the world that has supported Dignified Bastard! You guys are why we do this, and I think the response to District 9, Six and Violence, and No Redeeming Social Value has been AMAZING.

On a side note, one of the first projects I wanted to do was a documentary about independent wrestling, which would have been pretty fresh, but I had two different film crews flake out at the last minute which totally sucked. Frank Pavich (NYHC Documentary) and Scott NRSV (NRSV DVD) were down to pick up the slack for these other flakes, but we couldn't make the dates work so it went on the back burner.

With SFT, Striving For Togetherness Records was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. I got to live out a lot of dreams, have a lot of fun, travel around the states and Europe, sing for a band, etc It was also pretty tough day to day. I put my whole life into SFT, and had no financial security, was in debt, and was finding when the chips were down, you really find out who your friends are.

I was tired of having no money, and living in a shithole apartment that was also a warehouse and office. I felt really depressed because I had given it my all, and was really disgusted by the "Music Industry" itself. I met with several labels about getting a proper distribution deal, and it was all bullshit. A new indie distributor formed and was gonna take over the world, we put a lot of faith in them, but they ended up flopping and we had no money coming in.

I realized that the reason bands like VOD, 25 TA LIFE, District 9, NRSV weren’t getting signed (at that time) was because the music industry FUCKING SUCKS. It's full of people who hate music and are just bitter ass haters. I didn’t want to be a part of it. What do I do now? 19 records into SFT, still broke as fuck. We sold more records than I ever imagined possible, put a lot of bands on the map, and put it down for HARDCORE for a lot of years. So that's great!

I've always been into video games and wrestling (Surprise!) and in 1998 we were working on expanding the "Striving Newsletter" into a full on lifestyle magazine covering underground music, games, girls, wrestling, etc. I had been doing some Wrestling Interviews for Chord/All That Magazine in Philly and really loving it. So Basically our magazine was gonna be everything we liked, therefore we could get everything we liked for free, write about what we liked, and all that. It would be perfect.

I was working with a photographer on the magazine and Grand Theft Auto (The Original) had just come out for Playstation 1, I had been waiting a long time for this game to come out, and after our meeting we played it for a few hours. We talked about our desire to interview some people from the gaming industry, as we really wanted to show what it was like behind the scenes in Video Games, and how we never met anyone from the business or even heard of anyone who worked in gaming. How could we break in and meet someone?

As fate would have it, the Photographer (Jenn Macfarlane aka Torpie) went to the Lower East Side that night and met a British dude at a bar. He seemed to like her, and was chatting her up. He mentioned he worked in gaming. She was like, oh really, what games? and he's like "Grand Theft Auto", and Jenn got his name and stuff and contacted me that evening from the bar to confirm he was legit. I always remember opening the Grand Theft Auto manual to look up his name, and his name was like the first in the credits. Like Sam Houser, Executive Producer. So I wrote up an interview for him that night, and Jenn went and met up with him again and did the interview with him in the park. Eventually they started dating, and invited me and Barbara out to dinner. We had a great meal together and a lot of laughs and stories. I had my SFT and NRSV stories of Europe and all that, and Sam had worked for BMG (Huge Media Conglomerate) and had dealt with a lot of colorful people.

I was super interested in gaming, and he had come over to NYC a lot in the late 80's and early 90's and saw several hardcore matinee's at CBGB and he had a lot of respect for the Hardcore scene, so we had a lot to talk about. We had so much fun we were thrown out of the Sake Bar we went to for dinner.

Sam was a very charismatic guy and was just about to make his mark on the world. I was obsessed with the N64 wrestling games and WCW/NWO REVENGE was coming out a few weeks later. Sam offered to get me a FREE COPY of the game, which was great, cuz I sure didn’t have $59.99 or $69.99 for the cartridge at that point. I called him to follow up a week later to touch base with him, and I'll always remember the conversation. It was around 5:30 pm and I was doing mail order. He got on the phone and said "Kevin, What are you doing?" and I was like I'm doing mail-order, getting this order for Japan packed up" and he says "I mean, What are you doing with YOUR LIFE". And I was like, "to be honest, I don’t know anymore". And he says, "Come and Work for me!” So I'm like "OK!” He said, "When can you be here?" And I was like well, it's 5:30 now, if I take the subway I can be there by 7pm, or I can hop on the railroad and be there at like 6:30. And he's like "NO! I mean when can you start" and I'm like whenever you want.

Unbeknownst to me, Sam and his small team of guys had just gotten funding from Take Two Interactive to launch a new videogame company. I was one of the original handful of employees for what would be a cultural revolution, Rockstar Games. During the interviews and stuff, they were concerned that I would be 100% dedicated to this new project. I told them I had no problem walking away from the label for this new opportunity. Plus, I was going to get paid to work. I hadn’t experienced that in years. So at that point I was thrilled to get a new chance at life, and a new chance to succeed. I worked with incredible people and learned a lot from everyone there, it was a great couple of years.

I had a Christmas show set up at Under Acme that I told them I was still gonna do, and that was my last show (That I put on) for a long while. It was the amazing NECK, and then due to politics, I actually had to go "Outside of SFT" to get a headliner and got E-Town Concrete. I can’t remember who else played that day, but it was called "The Nightmare Before Christmas” with me DJ'ing and NECK fucking destroyed. E-Town was very cool too. To be honest, a lot of people had bad stuff to say about E-Town at the time, and I said I'm not going to go by what everyone else says, I'm going to talk to these guys, treat them professionally, and see how it goes. They were 100% pro, did the show for their guarantee, and were cool to deal with.

So, basically Rockstar saved my life. All the music industry scumbags and such who just wanted to exploit our stuff and cherry picked our bands and ideas didn’t believe in me enough to do anything with me other than try to exploit me. But these Rockstar guys put their money where there mouth was and believed in me, and gave me a shot doing what I love, and 10 years later I'm still grateful. So basically, that was the end of SFT. I started paying back money to people I owed, and got a fresh apartment, and could afford to eat food and go places.. Life was good.

2. I picked up the NYHC documentry .. finally after all these years a official copy... and you were one of the interviews... How was it being involved in that project and putting out the soundtrack?

Wow. Yep, it's finally official!!! Being involved in the NYHC documentary is also one of the best things that ever happened to me. There was this awesome scene going on in NYC at the time. SFT was in full swing, the bands were killing it, In Effect was writing about it, etc. Shit was tight. It's similar to the Rockstar thing. Frank Pavich (The Filmmaker) was a friend of mine; we met and bonded over Six and Violence demos. I was so blown away by what was going on in New York Hard Core at the time, but I started putting out records cuz none of these awesome bands could get a break, so we created an opportunity. And we got no love or props from anyone outside of our scene. I would talk to Frank all the time, and send him mix tapes and stuff, and he was so blown away by what was going on he decided to put his life savings into flying a film crew to NYC for a week or two and filming all this in the summer of 1995. It's funny that Frank could see how amazing this shit was, I could see it, and the fans could see it. But the A+R staff at all these big labels were too worried about putting out some shitass rather than the real deal. "If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, did it happen?" That's the question, and shit needs to be documented or it does not exist. Thank god for the NYHC documentary, for In Effect Magazine, and for SFT records! These memories can now live forever. Being involved in the film was great, and putting out the soundtrack was an honor. Frank captured a moment in time that is truly magical. I wish it were still like that today. Also, I just found a box of ORIGINAL NYHC SOUNDTRACKS SEALED IN THE BOX from TEN YEARS AGO!!! We're doing a special "get the movie DVD and original soundtrack together" at Dignified Bastard for a limited time!

3. Which wrestling organization do you think you follow the most.. and which is your favorite?

Wow. I follow wrestling in general, worldwide. I actually read three weekly newsletters (Actual paper in your mailbox) to stay up on every detail. Attendance #'s, Merchandise Sales, Ratings By Quarter, behind the scenes drama, etc. I read the Wrestling Observer, PW Torch, and Figure 4 Weekly. I would say that ECW in the 90's was my favorite era in wrestling. I got back into wrestling because of ECW in 1996. I had dropped out for a # of years because the product got so bad. I've been hooked ever since. I think in general I follow the WWE the most, they have the most stuff going on in terms of shows, talent, etc...I really enjoy the stuff they are doing with Edge and Undertaker, the Santino Marella stuff is hilarious, and the Randy Orton return has been handled real well... I also watch a ton of vintage stuff, like tv episodes of wrestling from the early 80's, and watching "Shoot Interview" dvd's with everyone who ever laced up a pair of boots. Wrestlng is just the perfect blend of theatre, drama, sports, music, and sexy chicks. I'm proud to say I actually made a living off wrestling for several years when I was doing the Backyard Wrestling games for Eidos, I literally would eat, sleep, and breathe wrestling 24-7. Now, I do it 22-6... hahahaha... I think WWE is working hard to keep it fresh and exciting.... and TNA...is TNA.. They have some great talent, but the booking/creative is the weak link. Have a new vision. Being WCW Thunder in 1999/2000 isn’t something you should aspire to be. However, there are some great people down there. I always hated Jeff Jarrett until I met him. He's such a likeable guy, that I can't front, and his history in the business speaks for itself. Their women's division is great; Samoa Joe was great until booking crippled him. Curry Man is outstanding, AJ styles is amazing Abyss is a fresh dude, and although he recently left the company, I got to shout out my buddy Scott D'amore who is a great trainer/manager/agent/producer in wrestling and someone I always enjoy traveling down the road with.

4. what are some of the future releases on Dignified bastard?

Well, we have District 9, Six and Violence, and No Redeeming Social Value out now... and we're working on some shiz for 2009 now. Our next project is going to be a BOOK! We just signed a deal with IN EFFECT magazine to publish the complete/best of In Effect Magazine in book form. You can now relive and re-read the greatest era in hardcore history see the original pages, photo's, interviews, etc...We'd like to get some other stuff out next year too. Documenting Hardcore and preserving it's memory and best times is a huge part of what DB is all about, so with so much cool hardcore stuff going on, it just felt like the time was right, so we worked out a deal with Chris Wynne! If anyone wants to distribute our cd's or books please drop us a line at info@dignfiedbastard.com Other than that, who knows, anything can happen!!! I wanted to do a Without A Cause Discography CD, we’ll see if Lenny can dig up the tapes. What’s funny is back at the height of SFT, I offered Lenny Fahrenheit a book deal when he was at his most Rollins-Esque, but he ended up deciding he wasn’t up for writing a book of his thoughts. I still think this was a missed opportunity into the mind of Lenny.

5. have you ever wrestled in a luche libre match? if so how did it go?

hahaha. I have never wrestled a proper pro match, although me and Pete The Meat tore the house down at a No Redeeming BBQ one year, and "fought" on stage around the world... I once monkey flipped a drunk German into a wall after a NRSV show in Germany...For the record I did referee a "Lucha Libre Arm Wrestling Match" on the radio here in Cali a few months ago.

I have refereed lucha libre matches though... The first time I ever ref'd, it was in a bull ring at a Mexican Festival, and the crowd totally hated the "Gringo" ref... There was a production glitch, and I was standing in the ring for about 5 minutes before the first match came out, and people were trying to hop over the railing to get me. I kept pointing to the Mexican Flag on my ref shirt, but it didn’t work. No Pop. Violent J from Insane Clown Posse put me on as a ref and gave me a break in the business. Since then, I've ref'd all around the county for ICP's Juggalo Championshit Wrestling (JCW) as well as here in the bay area for Fog City, Brawl, and Respect The Business. I've had the opportunity to be in the ring with Roddy Piper, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Raven, Tracey Smothers, Vampiro, ICP, Mad Man Pondo, Tito Santana, Greg Valentine, Necro Butcher, Rikishi, Tonga Kid, Human Tornado, Ian Rotten, Insane Lane, ODB, Bobcat, Mickie Knuckles, Akira Raijin, Weedman and Billy Bong, 2 Tuff Tony, Corporal Robinson, Bull Pain, Pogo the Clown, Jake the Snake and so many many many many more. I really, really enjoy being a ref, and it's great to work with these legends, and be able to contribute to the show. I recently ref'd my first barbed wire light tube match, where the ropes are replaced with Barbed Wire!

6. I see you made the move to the west coast.... do you miss NY?

I always say that I don’t miss NY itself as much as I miss some of the people. Some of my dearest friends live in NYC, and my family and stuff, and I miss all of em.. they need to come out here and visit more. Whenever I visit NY, i always have A BLAST, and I will say that love that everything is open until 4am. The city never sleeps. In San Francisco, if you try to eat dinner after 9:30pm your pretty shit outta luck unless you go to an all night spot. Bars here close at 2am, and other shit closes earlier. It's a great city though. Big Ups to the BAY AREA! Beautiful city, it's small and walk able, they got crazy weed here if your into that, and it's all medical weed and you can get a prescription real easy and be able to walk into a store and buy ounces of crazy weed...LEGALLY. I've seen some of the NRSV guys try to sign over their cars to the weed spots when they are out here... so NYC is the bomb and always will be... But I got burned out on the city, I was there my whole life, and it felt good to get out of the city and get out here where it's chill. The weather is mellow, and all that. You can always come home, ya know? I love when NY bands come to town out here. I'll hang out with my brothers from Sick Of It All and I’ll get my New York accent back for a week or so...

7. Can you tell us one of your most favorite memories with any of the bands you had on stage experiences with?

Wow. Well, I have a couple here, gotta think long and hard. Can I share a few chronologically?

-Murphy's Law. Murphy's Law caught my ear at a young age, and they epitomized everything I thought a hardcore should be. One of the most incredible live bands ever. Their attitude, style, lyrics, everything hit the nail right on the head. I used to drive to any Murphy’s Law show within a few hundred miles to see em play. I had the thrill of jumping on stage with Jimmy belting out a line or a verse whenever I could. I've seen Murphy's Law play over 100x and wish I could see them 100 more times. My favorite memory is probably standing on stage in DC or Virginia and Jimmy says to me “Kevin Gill, we need more beer!” and hands me an empty pitcher. The venue is PACKED and I look out from the stage and there’s no way to get to the bar on the opposite side of the room. So Jimmy commands the audience “Pass Kevin Gill back to the bar” and they passed the pitcher and me back to the bar to refill it and bring it back for the guys. I was lucky enough to get to know Jimmy and the guys and I can’t give them enough props. When I was recording my first record (Stick Figure-SFT 5) Jimmy came into Don Fury studios and sang on two songs with me. Rock and Roll dreams do come true.

-Without A Cause/Fahrenheit 451

They became Fahrenheit 451, and besides some members, they shared a tradition of letting KG rock the mic. I used to always sing the last verse of "Nation Of Neglect" at Without a Cause shows. I always remember doing it at Rockin’ Rex in Yonkers, and Studio One in Newark. The mighty MONDO from Fahrenheit used to have me do Myke’s Rhymes from “No More Promises” on the road and when Myke wasn’t there. I still have a picture in my kitchen of Me and Armando belting it out at the TLA in Philadelphia!

Six and Violence-

One time there was a show where 25 Ta Life, VOD, NRSV, and 6 & Violence (And possibly Fahrenheit) played a show at the Tune inn in Connecticut to hardly any people, and somehow I ended up filling in for one of the singers from 6&V and let’s just say, I set new levels for intoxication on this nite. The 14 yeat old audience was not amused.

No Redeeming Social Value

On the first NRSV European tour, I would usually come up near the end, and bust out “NEW 64”. That was super amazing to do, and was the highlight of each day. Then Mike (vocals)left the tour in the middle of the night and I sang for the rest of the tour. We also added “What’s Going On?” by Sick of it All to the set for my “spotlight” song. My Lou from Sick of It All impersonation was at an all time high at this point. Crazy Europeans would grab your legs and drag you into the audience while your signing, and pour shots in your mouth. My first night singing for NRSV we ate our weight in Pasta and Wine before the show, and midway through, I knew it wasn’t going to stay down. I told Dean to go into “All I ask” which Is his spotlight track, and they usually do it a few times in a row, so I ran off and threw up 150 pound of Pasta and Wine, and returned as they ended the song and we did the next song!

-Insane Clown Posse

These guys have such an incredible, incredible, live show. I really got into them in 1996/1997 when my Intern Tom Natale brought me a VHS tape called Strangle mania that was sent to his college radio station. It was a Japanese Death match tape with Mick Foley, Terry Funk, Onita, but with ICP doing the commentary. It was, the freshest thing I ever saw. There was a music video tacked on the end of the wrestling, and it was for Chicken Huntin’. I was hooked. On the NRSV tour of Europe, I can be heard shouting out “Lama-Nama-Noo-Mee” on the break in Sanity. Anyway, I went to the Gathering Of The Juggalo’s and joined ICP on stage for the closing songs of the set in front of thousands and thousands of juggalos and sprayed soda, and threw, bounced, and kicked soda bottles into the frothing crowd and celebrated an amazing performance. To stand on a stage that big and in front of a crowd that large, with a group as fresh as ICP was truly an outstanding moment. Big shout out to ICP and don’t believe the HATE. ICP are the shit and you should check ‘em out.

8. what would be your ultimate dream show...

Wow, My Ultimate Show would be a 2 or 3 day festival.

Guns N Roses

Insane Clown Posse

Iron Maiden

Prince

Billy Joel

Green Day

Faith No More

Sublime (Back From The Dead)

Minor Threat

Sick Of It All

Cro-Mags Reunion

Public Enemy

Twiztid

Ice-T

Murphy’s Law

Gangstarr

KRS ONE

Everlast/House Of Pain

Invisible Scratch Pickles

Leeway

Prong Reunion

Black Train Jack

Kool Keith (Performing Dr Octagon Debut Album)

Anthrax (Original Lineup)

Gwar

Dirty Rotten Imbeciles

Dark Lotus

Jeru The Damaja

Tech N9ne

Kreator

Nuclear Assault

Wu Tang Clan

Suicidal Tendencies

Gorilla Biscuits

Ludichrist

Killing Time

Biohazard (Songs from first album only)

Hazen Street

Slayer

Shadow’s Fall

Cavalera Conspiracy

Kittie

Mucky Pup

25 ta Life

NRSV

Fahrenheit 451

Blaze Ya Dead Homie

Dizzee Rascal

Six and Violence

District 9

NECK

Wolfpac

Romantic Gorilla

DJ CLAY

Electronic Late Night Stage:

Bassbin Twins

Basement Jaxx

Groove Armada

Ming and FS

9. final words ... thoughts??

Wow, well thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts and such! To everyone out there reading this, thanks for your time! Hardcore inspired me to aim higher than the hand I was dealt, and I’m living proof that you can accomplish your dreams if you really try hard and make it happen. To all the bands that got me through my early days, either with their music or with their friendship or both. I want to say thank you to everyone I’ve worked with along the way, and everyone who helps out and is fresh. Please support Dignified Bastard so we can continue to do this!!!! PLEASE add dignified bastard to your myspace myspace. com/dignifiedbastard