The Truth Hurts. Part One Continued...

PART ONE (continued)

George : The Guy in Blacklisted.

I am really having a difficult time trying to introduce such a person to everyone. He is truly a legend in the making. For such a young age to live as he lived and did what he did is pretty incredible. His insight and vulnerability really shows in these answers. I asked George to be a part of this discussion because I honestly value his opinion beyond most. There was a time when I would make tapes for him to rock out too, and maybe we would enjoy them in my busted white camaro on death rides throughout the knowne world of Philly. I can’t think of what my life or hardcore could would have been like without his presence. His words and actions stand for themselves and this passage is inspiring and exactly what this 50 days and following discussion was meant for.

There seems to be a void in sincerity and concentration in Hardcore if you ask me. I'd like to hear what you'd like to see kids focus on? Where is there too much focus these days?

It seems to be that people within this genre of music struggle with their social identity now more than ever. It seems to be making people in the scene just latch on to the latest thing and trying to ride the wave and remain faceless so they can eventually feel some quick and easy form of acceptance. Which, when/if they get it, they will just abuse and take advantage of. Its sad. If you take a look through out hardcores history, these people were outcasts, they were confused, angry, and didnt fit in so they created their own outlets, their own concerts, their own bands, their own art work, their own record labels to put out their own albums and friends albums. Its was and still can be a very radical thing. I wish more emphasis would be placed on that aspect of this community and more people would stand up and be proud of the ability this community has for change, and what it has done for me and countless others. Acceptance comes through the understanding of oneself. If you are searching for it, but the only true effort you are making to find it begins and ends with just riding a wave and blending in, you are not going to find it. More than likely you are going to blow right by it and not even recognize it time and time again. Because that acceptance must first come from inside of you. Be comfortable in your own skin.

Most people when asked the question on what there is too much focus on, automatically go with "Fashion". Id just like to counter that a little bit. When I first got into hardcore (Which was not so long ago, Only the mid 90s) I could walk down South Street or anywhere in downtown Philadelphia and recognize other hardcore kids, I could tell them apart from everyone else by the way they dressed, bottom line, and it gave me a great comfort, a feeling of community, that aspect to me had a very tribal vibe to it and it was exciting. From there I would recognize them at shows and we would build relationships. Not that all of them dressed the same, but their was an individual yet recognizable style to it, especially to a 13-14 year old kid like I was. Just like in the early 80s there was a certain style. If you look through out Hardcore/Punk culture the fashion element is right there. People constantly blast it as a problem in hardcore but the truth of the matter is anything in life is fashion oriented, there is no way to escape it. Everything from the guy decked out in the latest designer gear to the one with a bone through his nose and wearing a dress. Anytime a human being gets up in the morning and makes a decision on what to put on, they are playing a fashionable role in society. However there is a difference in being fashionable for yourself versus being fashionable to fit in. I think more emphasis should be put on doing it for yourself. Wearing what you want to wear because it is what you feel comfortable in and how you express yourself. But that is just common sense.

I believe more emphasis should be put on younger kids. The whole "Each one teach one" vibe. If you are only involved in hardcore to climb some social ladder, sleep with unbalanced/confused people or to try to make some monetary gain, young kids are going to see that and think it is ok and do it themselves. Whether they stick with doing that is up to them at the price of their own free will, but everyone is impressionable one time or another. Letting that happen further removes this community from the basic fundamentals and destroys the capabilities it possesses.

Lastly I think more emphasis should be placed on the way people with in the scene get treated/treat each other. Whether it be directly or indirectly. I will call this the trilogy. Countless times I have been on tour and have heard people use words like "Faggot", "Nigger" etc etc, with little to no understanding of the weight some of those words hold. "Faggot" and "Nigger" are so blatantly obvious on why NOT to use them and the fact that I even have to explain that disturbs me greatly and makes me wonder why some people are even part of this community. Homophophia and Racism are obviously two things that can NOT be tolerated, its that simple. The third of this trilogy is the way we treat women. Is it necessary to call them sluts, cunts, bitches and whores? Do you have a mother? A sister? Do you struggle with your masculinity and self that much that you have to degrade a woman to make yourself feel good? It is 2008, I mean really? We have an African american leading the polls as our future President. Even if he loses, We will have a female Vice President, second in command in leading our country. A human is a human, No matter what their sexual preference may be, the color of their skin or gender. I think the sooner people in this community realize that, the better off we will all be.


The line that hits home for me from you has always been, "I've put my life on a shelf while everyone else around has found happiness and wealth". Is there a point where you will decide that this shelved life will need to be unearthed from the years of dust? Could your happiness be found outside of what you're doing right now? Could your wealth metaphorically be your experience in what you're doing today?

I go back and forth daily. I am 26 years old. All of my belongings are in boxes in my ex girlfriends living room while I tour. The truth is, I dont know how to find happiness. Personally, I have never been a particularly happy person. But I would like to be/find it. I want a job. I want normalcy. I question if that will bring me what it is I need to be happy. Ive spent far too long living outside the grid and traveling. Blacklisted is not a big band. We barely manage. It always comes back to the issue of "Experience". Something I have learned with that is, all of the experience I have found in blacklisted, whether it be meeting new people, traveling places, Europe, Japan, Australia, etc etc. That experience and $ 1.50 could barely get me a cup of coffee in any major city. The point is this, Ive traveled to places that my financial upbringing would never afford me. And for that I am lucky. That is about all I have. I have traveled/toured so heavily, I lost most of my friends I had at home, varying from them finding families to them just writing me off as thinking I am better than everyone because now I am "worldly". There were two worlds I was familiar with throughout my life. The first was my relationship with loved ones. The second was hardcore. Somehow hardcore/blacklisted has managed to ween itself in as the major thing in my life and it pushed out a lot of the first. In a way that has made me out of touch, like a man without a country, I am still as confused as ever. If that makes sense.

As time moves on certain customs of our culture are dying out. Which custom would you like to see get a rebirth in 09? If only for aesthetics, what do you miss most of all when you walk up to a show to when the first note of the first band hits?

Im not sure if it is a rebirth of customs I would want to see. I want to see people get involved. Get educated. Its easy to say "Yea I love hardcore." Then list bad brains/black flag/cro mags as bands you listen to. It is easy to say you love those bands. So did the hundreds of kids that would go see them when they played. The key thing I miss ties in with that. "Why" do "you" love those bands? That is what I miss, people knowing "Why" they are involved and why they love the things in this community that they do. Be proud of who you are and the things you care about. I dont see that as much anymore. Be well versed in the things you take pride in.

Honestly are there days where you wonder why you get on stage? As if these kids are just there for the moment or do you have a purpose to driving yourself 3 feet into the dirt each year so you can be out in front of the world the way that you are?

Recently there have been many days why I wonder why I get on stage and I hate myself for it. I feel like a complete failure. I wonder if when I am done in blacklisted will I ever go to another hardcore show again. Ive felt the feelings of everything I have always hated about the fraudulent factor of hardcore. I never wanted to be put in the position of feeling like that but the fact is, I am a human. There is good and bad. The spell Ive been involved in recently however only feels bad. Many people will just write this off and say "then dont fucking do it anymore", but it is not that simple for me. I have a lot of regrets regarding blacklisted. I dont know if I spoke up as much as I should have. Lyrically I dont know if I said anything important to others. I wrote about myself. It was a very selfish process. I wish I would have been more selfless with it, addressing issues that were important to me and in turn helping others, instead of addressing George Hirsch solely as a person. I wasted years writing records about my personal life, exercising my own demons and I am not sure if it helped anyone, myself included. I often regret putting myself out there in front of the world, even on the small scale that I have. I never wanted to be "known" or talked about and everything else that comes with fronting a band, but I made my decision. Hopefully through everything I have done some people have felt better about themselves and their lives, that is all I can really ask/hope for.


Today I'd say the Edge is dull. I'd say its nothing more then a bath towel to keep the kids dry til they "grow up" and want to be more like everyone else. Would you say we've homogenized the edge to the point that the "rebel" factor has completely died out?

Straight Edge is a tricky part of this community. Every era of it holds a different weight and ideal. Ian Mackayes edge, Ray and Porcells edge, Karl from Earth Crisis's edge... Etc Etc. As tricky as finding your place in straight edge may seem when looking back on the past. It is actually simple. Straight Edge is a choice you make for yourself. No more no less. You do what you feel is right and what makes you feel comfortable. As long as that is in mind and the main reason for doing it, it will never die out. And if it is your choice to stop being straight edge, so be it. Its all choice that is the key word. I think people put too much emphasis on the edge as a label put on a group of people, when in reality it is a personal decision.


I want you to name 5 bands that mean nothing to anyone the way they mean to you and why.

Music means different things to everybody for different reasons. Any band I listen to I listen to with my own purposes. I have my own feelings towards the music, lyrics, artwork. That all weighs in on the band. With that said I couldnt just pick 5.

At the end of the day when you're sitting on your porch with your lemonade and your grandkids are asking about your life, what do you share with them about your time in hardcore?

I hope I share with them, not my "time" in hardcore, but the things I have learned while involved in hardcore. Morals, Ethics, Ideals, Etc Etc. Things that will help them become better people. Things that will help them question aspects of life in order to make their lives more happy and suitable/comfortable for them. Hopefully they can build on that and be a better people than me, a happier person than me, a more loving person than me. Hopefully that will make the small dent they put in the world a better place.


I need the roster of the super hardcore band. Give them a name and tell me what they would sound like?

My super hardcore band is simple, It would be Madball via "Set it Off" era, But with their current drummer/ Ex Cro Mags & Bad Brains drummer Mackie Jayson playing drums instead of Will Shepler(Though he is great on that record.) Arguably that band that era with Mackie could be the best band ever.

What is the most fundamentally important aspect of hardcore that you see drifting away? How do we fix it?

Speaking up. Saying what you feel/what is on YOUR mind. So many times as a community we stand by and dont get involved or take action in what we feel is right. I think that needs to be fixed. You need to let others know where you stand and why it is you stand there. Im not talking about going on a message board and saying "this band sucks", That means nothing. That is weak. Im talking about standing on your own to feet and letting people know who you are, why you feel the way you feel. Being angry and trying to fix things.There is a strength in standing strong. There is an individuality to it, a sense of pride. I just wish more people would stand up and get involved.

And now the counter to that, what is the latest element to hardcore that you find to be an insult to all you love and dear and when does it end?

I find message boards/the internet as a whole to be an insult on hardcore. I miss the chase of hardcore. Finding records that were hard to find and listening to them front to back, reading the liner notes etc etc. Now you download something and it is so expendable you listen to a few songs and delete it, There is no heart in it. You immediately write it off. It doesnt even have time to develop in your mind and heart and you are already on some message board, giving heartless reasons as to why it is not good and why the band sucks and the people in the band are any slew of names you can make up on the spot. Its pathetic. Hardcore is not some expendable thing. Music period is not some expendable thing you just use up and throw away. Music in its purest form has the power to change, to make people feel different emotions, ranging from Love to hate and everything in between, Its a powerful thing. To treat it as some throw away thing like you would a napkin or old newspaper just shows how hollow some people are.



This Pic was supplied to me by George himself so he didn't get the Tim Borror Treatment. I am thankful for that. I don't have a backstory to this pic and I like it that way.