It was tough to watch interviews with the guys in District 9. Those kids had it hard. It was good to see the later interview with Myke. Glad to see he's still kicking it.
Instead of interviews with one band at a time, as with Spheeris' film, N.Y.H.C. is loosely arranged by topics that flow into one another. The musicians discuss things like the scene, side jobs, spirituality, boozing and chasing women, labels, money, and tattoos. Some of the transitions are jarring. For example, the film shows No Redeeming Social Value band members performing with their pants around their knees and their junk hanging out (drunk, of course) and then shifts into profiling 108, a straightedge Hare Krishna band. Kinda makes your head spin. Diversity, right?
Although the bands profiled are '90s-era hardcore, the film includes interviews with Roger Miret and John Joseph. Their bands, Agnostic Front and The Cro-Mags respectively, were still active in the '90s but were established in the previous decade. Miret is interviewed in the hospital after breaking his back at a Madball show. Now, Agnostic Front is still touring. The band will be in Europe in July. Some of the other bands in this film have broken up, however.
And speaking of Madball, there are pictures of a seven-year-old Freddie Madball singing with his brother Roger's band, Agnostic Front.
The second disc contains updated interviews, among other treats. Toby H2O is interviewed with Freddie Madball, but unfortunately Sick of It All is not profiled in the original documentary. All of the interviewees comment on the decline of the New York scene, with the loss of important venues and perhaps the negative influence of Guiliani. In fact, the musicians all commented on how they played outside the city much more often than in the city. All music scenes ebb and flow, so I guess that's to be expected. There's some rosy nostalgia, but most of the artists are still living the life and creating music. But I guess with age, things change a little: as Freddy Madball said, "I can't wait for the day when I can sing about the Rolexes."
Highly recommended.
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