Next on the block—our weekly riot of New York City hardcore punk sermons continues, pulled from the pages of Tony Rettman’s big, meaty NYHC book.
Rob Kabula, Cause for Alarm/Agnostic Front: “I’d say the False Prophets were the NYHC version of the Dead Kennedys.”
Jack Rabid: “Until the first time I saw the False Prophets, every gig I’d been to, I was the young man.”
Steve Wishnia, bassist, False Prophets: “The scene that the False Prophets came out of was not the original people. We were the kids and twenty-somethings who had gotten inspired by it, and we were trying to do the loud, fast rock ‘n’ roll thing… The first time we played out was a block party on Fifth Street across from the Ninth Precinct. We got the plug pulled on us after five songs.”
Jack Flanagan, Heart Attack/The Mob: “I remember a show at the Playroom when HR from the Bad Brains threw a garbage can at [the singer] Stephan onstage. Hardcore kids are the worst critics in the world, and if they don’t like you, you’re were fucked.”
Kite Hawk: “They were sort of an outcast band, but a lot of us still loved them. They were almost an avant garde rock band. They were sort of like Crass, who didn’t really fit into any scene but their music was so abrasive, they had nowhere else to go but the punk scene. I loved them.”
Pick up the whole head-cracking neighborhood of NYHC mayhem! Read Tony Rettman’s NYHC: New York Hardcore 1980–1990.
Literally just listened to them on Tuesday!! Love them and completely underated.