Interview with Harley Flanagan

– Are you satisfied with how this new project and your band are doing?
I’m not sure which “Project” you mean? If you mean the band, its going great, they are great players. I have been playing on and off with the drummer Gary Sullivan since the 90’s and the same with Gabby Abularch; he played on Alfa Omega with the Cro-Mags and they both toured with me in the Cro-Mags as well as Harley’s War. And now I have a new guy, Artie Alexander on 2nd guitar. They are all really good guys and we have fun on the stage and off. I have been writing and recording a lot of new music, and unlike the Faux-Mags, we actually know and play all the Cro-Mags music (not just the Age of Quarrel), as well as a ton of new music and other stuff I recorded over the years. So that is going great; we are having fun. If you mean the book, that is also going well. I just did the book signing in Rome and I have done several in the states and the response to the book has been great.

– Your autobiography has been very successful. Did you expect all this hype and public feedback?

No, but I didn’t do it for that. It’s like when I wrote my first album, AOQ, I didn’t do it to get a reaction, I did it as a reaction, and what I got out of it was more than I could have ever expected.
My message is in my music and my book.

– What do you think of the situation in Europe in recent times?

Which particular situation? I think the world seems to be getting really crazy, but I’m sure if I were alive hundreds of years ago or thousands, I would say the same.

– What are the differences between the 1980s and 1990s and now?

It’s a cut and paste world now; there is not as much originality anymore. I can’t speak for everywhere, but I am incredibly disappointed with the direction NYHC took and it is why I have very little to do with it or with those people anymore. I spend my time with my friends and family at the Renzo Gracie Academy, my wife and my band members.

– Hardcore and punk are not just music, in fact. What are the things you are most interested in communicating to the public?
Honestly I think a lot of people in Hardcore and punk are full of shit, at least in New York; and a lot of those 2nd and 3rd generation HC bands and people are full of shit. They like to try to rewrite history. All I can do is be myself and be honest with what I do, I have always rebelled against authority and bullies and rules, and people try to run scenes now, so fuck that. I am not a part of it. Besides scenes are for kids and teenagers, adults should be able to do what they want and appreciate what they want without fitting into a scene. If you are still acting and thinking the same way in your 30’s and 40’s or even 50’s as you did in your teens or 20’s, there is something seriously wrong. That means you haven’t learned anything, you haven’t grown, matured and or you’re just holding onto your “glory days” without realizing its foolish for an adult to do so. I loved the old days, but I am in a different place in my life now, a better place.

– What’s in your future after this tour? Do you have any dreams yet to fulfill?

I have a lot of stuff going on, I will be in the studio soon recording again; I have new dreams all the time, they don’t stop, and I will keep trying to fulfill them as they come, but so far, I am doing well, I have done a lot of things in my life and I still have more to do.

– Thank you so much. We leave you the usual free space where you can tell our readers whatever you like.
All I can say is, be a good person, be a fair person, be a strong person. Live, Learn and never stop learning. Life is made of experiences, take from them and enjoy the ride. You are blessed if you love, and you are blessed if you are loved. Stay positive and never give up hope when things are hard, because they get hard for everyone, sometimes harder for some than others, but that is part of what makes us stronger and wiser, so count your blessings and share the wealth.
Here is my social media for people who want to follow and stay in touch about what I am doing:
Facebook: Harley Flanagan
Instagram: @harleyfflanagan
Twitter: @harleyfflanagan

Interview by Francesco Montanari and T.S.
Translation by E.C.