The Story Behind The Music

People who weren't there during the mid 80's NYHC hardcore scene don't really understand what it was really like back then. In fact, by the time I started becoming a regular matinee rat at CBGB in late '85/ early '86, most of the early bands including Minor Threat, The Misfits (w/ Danzig), and Dead Kennedys (w/Jello) had already played their final NYC shows and were on to different things. By the time I arrived, the influx of B&T kids (like myself) was already changing the direction of the downtown scene.

One of the earliest bands I can remember being schooled on was Major Conflict, fronted by the charismatic Dito Montiel. Dito was somewhat of a legend, especially to the Astoria kids. By the time I hung around he was in a band with some of the ex-members of Kraut, called Gutterboy. After that fizzled in a spectacular way, he made his way out to LA to seek fame and fortune in the film world.

A few years ago Dito contacted me for a copy of the Killing Time "The Method" CD, because there was a Major Conflict cover on it. In trade he sent me a copy of his book, called A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints. More than about hardcore, It was a memoir of sorts, about growing up in a tough city and looking to escape the economic and social barriers of a lower-middle class upbringing.

That book is now a movie starring Robert Downey Jr., Chaz Palminteri, and Rosario Dawson, and will be released on September 29. It's already won a few awards at Caan, and from what I saw of the trailer, it looks way more worthwhile than most of the Hollywood schlock out there. I encourage everyone to go and see the movie, support one of the founding fathers of NYHC, and get a window into a world that most people never even knew existed.