I love music documentaries. Especially, when they deal with one of my all time favorite bands, namely Agnostic Front from New York.
These guys have been around since the early 80-ies becoming the epitome of New York hardcore punk scene.
When I was a kid, I learned about hardcore punk through bands like Biohazard, Sick Of It All, Life Of Agony and on the back of one Biohazard t-shirt, their guitar player Bobby Hambel wore a hat or a t-shirt with the title Agnostic Front, so I thought to myself, cool name for a band, it can`t be bad when Biohazard Bobby wears their shirt/hat. I was a kid with wide eyes exploring for me every day growing hardcore punk world.
Then Madball˙s first record Set It Off came out and there was that famous Dynamo 95. special episode of Headbanger`s Ball, hosted by Biohazard themselves in which they interviewed Madball ant they talked with pride and respect about AF. I went out and got myself the Last Warning/United Blood AF cd with their last show and I was stuck with the power impact of hardcore force in the music and the lyrics. Couple of years passed and AF re-formed, Something´s Gotta Give album came out and upon hearing that album in combination with their older songs I became total fan and they had so great influence on me and my hardcore philosophy that they made me a better man I am today. Their songs were with me through both good and bad times in my life.
Now, this movie came out, I long awaited to see it and I did see it yesterday. It tells the life story of AF through life, eyes and philosophy of two main men, the singer Roger Miret and iconic guitarist Vinnie Stigma. It made my heart warm to see how simple these guys are, how they still live what they sing about although both in their late 50-s/early 60-s. I read Roger˙s book a while ago, so I knew the kind of hard life he had with abusive stepfather and why he rather chose to live in the streets, so the music saved his life in a way. Stigma is also one of the most sincere, friendly and larger than life characters in the hardcore punk scene. This movie made me nostalgic, inspired, touched, heartwarming and only tightened my strength and resolve to persist in doing fine work to improve our beloved scene.
KRAYKULLA-WEBZINE 