Excuse my shitty English, but in 2004 I could not really speak well and the grammar was deep space for me to discover. I am sitting in front my laptop and thinking what I want to write as a introduction for this interview. The first thing that popped into my head is the scene in London particularly. Great gigs, nice smiling people, but communications is something unknown to the UK / London kids from my experience. I understood from day one it is filled with foreigners from all around the world and they might be bit tired of new faces coming and going at all time. Only one soul from the scene answered my email since I had arrived to UK. That person was Sheep.

We dont need to be friends or trying to pretend to be friends, its not necessary. The thing which is putting us “together” is subculture called hardcore. I have never met him before, he doesn’t know me, I dont know him, but the attitude is what we probably sharing also with another passionate kids (note, obviously we have met since).
I am feeling the gap between myself and the UK scene at this point. Its not good, who knows if that will change or I will be little island in the ocean. We have to break down the walls of our ignorance and start to work together and have a fun…right?

3rd. of december 2004, by:xjesusx and xsheepx

J: When and where were you born? What were your favorite cartoons when you were a kid and do you have any siblings? What bands were your favorite one when you were young and teenager?

S: I was born in St Lukes hospital in a shitty town called Bradford at about 7pm on the 7th of February 1980. As a child i was quite partial to uslesses & thundercats. I remember some other cartoons I thought were pretty neat but I cant quite remember their names. When I was 10 I dont think I had a favorite band. Probably Phil Collins or Michael Jackson or maybe Clannad. My parents made me listen to lots of christian rock music which haunts me to this day. When I was 15...mmm. Hard one. I discovered unbroken around that time so I ques it would be them, or maybe Schmuck. At 20 it would be Unbroken. Always has been ever since I first heard them...

J: How did you get involve with hardcore? What was the first thing that made you decide this is the right thing for me. The right ideas and aims...etc. What were your goals back int he day?

S: I first got into it through skating. I wanted to be cool and I thought hardcore was. I guess I just stuck with it because I get along with hardcore kids better than most other people. I was a reject at school which is something I guess I share with more kids in the hardcore scene...as for the future, Id like to graduate from University sometime soon, then travel the world and get paid to do it by selling my pictures or something, playing in a hardcore band and having kids kill themselves when we played would be pretty neat too…

J: People do recognize you within the scene a lot. What do you think about the UK scene at the present? Don`t you think that it is bit closed for people from aboard? Is it more about local scenes and american bands. Do you remember any band coming from Easter part of Europe play in UK?

S: Haha i dont think so. I just have a stupid nickname thats easy to remember, thats all. I think the UK scene is doing better now than it has been for a long time. I dont think its that closed to outsiders though, no more than any other western country. Sure hardly any Eastern European bands tour here, or Asian or whatever, but the harsh reality is that it would cost a LOT of money for them to come here and they wouldn’t get it all back. I doubt many bands can afford to come tour here from the east, but I do agree that Britain concentrates too much on US hardcore, and western hardcore. I used to trade with Eastern European countries and Asian ones when I ran my distro, and I just couldn’t sell their stuff. Its a shame, but hardcore imperialism is something that permeates our scene and is very difficult to tackle…

J: Thats pretty cool you were trading tapes with bands outside United Kingdom. Apart of the money behind it what do you think it is that people do not pay attention to South american or Asian bands? What do you think about the bands from unknown countries or forgotten ones ? Could you recommend me some interesting bands from the edge of the world, if you remember…

S: Well the distro wasnt specifically aimed at getting records from distant countries, it was just a result of running a record label. I had to trade records to survive. Sometimes id trade with other labels in Singapore, Australia, Hungary etc. It was never intentional. I just traded with whoever wanted to. I guess there are many reasons why British kids aint interested in non western hardcore. Firstly, theres hardcore imperialism.

Its something we suffer from ourselves. The US dont give our scene much recognition /except when they wanna tour here, of course/, so in turn we dont give other scenes as much recognition as they deserve. Its also to do with the language barrier. People dont want to listen to bands singing in other languages really. That much is understandable I suppose, if not a bit single minded. And then there are many bands who attempt to sing in English, but their grasp of the language isn’t good enough and they end up sounding worse than if they´d sung in their own language...and finally, I ques the main reason is that its just not cool. The US is cool, after all , they`re the godfathers of hardcore, right? /note: sarcasm intended/ But bands from elsewhere in the world will probably never get the recognition the deserve … things are looking up though. South america seems to be doing well, exporting plenty of good bands /Point of no return, Nueva etica, Children of gaia, Carahter etc/…Maybe things will change?

J: First time we met, you said to me that you used to live in Russia. Can you compare the lifestyles here and there? What was the worst experience in your life when you had to start to think about your life or lifestyle or whatever …? What did you do in Russia?

S: Sometimes I dont think I have the right to make comparisons. Russia is VERY different, but far be it from me to cast judgement on them. Obviously there are a lot of very poor people there, but there are also a few REALLY rich ones too. The police are fucked up over there. Total bastards. Lots of fascists & skinheads there. Despite all these things I loved Russia. I hope to return one day. The hardcore scene out there is very small and has to struggle against things that would make our middle class white boy scene die. I was a volunteer there, working with underprivileged children. 1st in a prison, then in an orphanage. It was a really rewarding experience…as for a the worst experience of my life? Hahahaha, the worst things are things I wont mention here! The reason I went to Russia in the first place was that I thought I was lacking in direction a bit and wanted to try and help people.

J: Interesting, respect for that. Could you tell me more about your work in Russia? So what did you exactly do there and could you see any progress from your work? Was it hard to work with youth from criminal backgrounds? Weren`t you afraid about your life? Clearly Russian underground is the toughest one. What was your job description? How does it work out there with social work and social care? Could you compare it with care system in UK as this is my background of interest.

S: When I first started work in Russia I worked in a young offenders institute. It was a temporary holding house for kids while their “fate” was being decided. They weren’t supposed to be there any longer than 30 days, but you know how that works…when I got there any it was pretty harrowing. The place wasn’t run by screws as they are in the UK, it was run by the militia, the same guys that police the streets. These ones had just pulled prison duty, thats all. So they all had batons and shit like that. The kids often had cuts and bruises that were treated with some kind of purple disinfectant that stained the skin / similar the iodine spray the nurses at school used to use on me as a kid/. That looked pretty freaky. They all looked seriously malnourished & unhappy too. Pretty bleak really. I was to work in the arts and crafts classroom, helping the kids with their arts and shit. The woman who ran it was fucking nuts. Absolutely insane. She wasn’t even 5ft tall but she was nearly that in width. In the old regime she was state sponsored artist /something that gained you much prestige I am lead to believe/ and she never seemed to have gotten over it. She used to get me doing some crazy shit, i can tell you. I dont really know how effective i was there, because i was learning Russian from scratch, so my ability to communicate with the kids was limited and by the time i learnt anything everything went tits up and the classroom kinda closed.
I ended up spending a month doing back breaking removal work, moving everything from the prison classroom to a room in a clown theater. Yes, you read that right. A fucking clown theater.

You see, my boss wasn't part of the prison, she was an independent charity or something. A bit sketchy if you ask me. The building in the prison where we had been housed had been allocated to an orphanage / an orphanage in the prison grounds ???/ so we moved to this clown theater. There is more to it than that, but suffice to say i grew a little disillusioned with her and quit, moving to another placement in an orphanage on the edge of town. That was a lot better as by then my Russian was workable and the atmosphere was more laid back. No guards or fences and the kids seemed happier. I dont really think ill ever know what impact i had there, but i like to think i brought a little happiness into their lives. I organised parties, games, play time...shit like that. It was fun. Best job I have ever had.
You cant really compare their social care systems to ours. I wouldn’t even know where to start. Suffice to say that shit is fucked up over there.

J: If you would have a chance to live somewhere else where would it be and what person you would like to have besides you?

S: Well, the question would be better phrased as where WOULDN’T I wanna live ? Which is England. Hahaha. I want to live in so many other places…China, India, Japan, Australia, Russia , America…blah blah. As for who Id take with me, right now Id take my girlfriend, but if I didn’t have her, Id just go alone. I think Id have more fun that way…

J: Back to hardcore. Tell me more about your music background? You said that you used to play in a hardcore bands? What style of hardcore did you play and what instrument you used to hold in your hands?

S: My background? Haha…I dont think I have much of one, other than hardcore. I am into classical music too though, I got that from my parents…as for bands, I sang for a Slayer esque metal core band called 12th ANGEL CALLING. We sucked. Played a bunch of shows with IN THE CLEAR and CANAAN about 4 years ago then split up. I drummed in a screamo style band called THIS DAY MUST DIE, but my drumming sucks. I sang for a band in Russia called MY OWN WORST ENEMY. We were a bit more moshy…we actually have a track on a live tape released in Russia. Then more recently I was drumming in a band called…um. I cant actually remember what we were called. That was earlier this year. It was kinda moshy. We kind of played a show then split up. I really do suck at creating music, I should stick to consuming it.

Note: Later Sheep sang in band called Honour among thieves and The seventh cross.

J: Do you think that it is important to sing about politic and mention the political issues during the hardcore shows or it could be just about fun and friends in the pit or combination of both?

S: I think its important to have both. It shouldn’t be all fun and games as hardcore is supposed to be more than music, right ? But there does need to be a certain element of fun to prevent if from getting too serious and boring. These seems to be a bit of a backlash against politics in hardcore these days, which is a real shame. People seem proud of having no message at all and thats a shame.

J: What are your activities in hardcore scene now? I saw some of your pictures in HC zines. Are you taking pictures for hc punk zines or just for yourself. Are you involved in any other activities?

S: Well, thats pretty much it at the moment. Since i moved to London I stopped booking tours and shows, so right now the only thing I am contributing are my pictures, and I dont even know if you can count those cos I stopped uploading them. At various points in my past I`ve run a record label /which went bust/, a distro, done zines and played in bands…but right now I am just taking a break from doing stuff and concentrating on uni…

J: I love your pictures, really inspirational. I love taking pictures as well. Who is your all time favorite photographer and why? Do you like portraits, landscapes or social topics in photography? Personally I prefer portraits / people in social background setting, something like Mr. Kallay from Slovakia is doing…have you ever seen his pictures? Tell me more about your love to take pictures…

S: Thank you, I am glad you liked them. I have favorite photographers for different topics. Glene Friedmann for live / skate stuff…for documentary it would have to be Enrique Metinides. Im not familiar with Mr.Kallays stuff, maybe you could point me out a good link? As for my love of photography…I dunno what to say really. I just like taking pictures. I`ve never been good at anything, and it seems that sometimes i can take a good pictures, so its a new experience for me, actually being good at something…

J: Seems like in a UK scene everybody is wearing black at the moment haha. What is wrong with old school white t shirts? Whats yours favorite t shirt color ???

S: I know, I am beginning to hate black shirts. Too many of them by far. I prefer grey to be honest, although I bought red t shirt recently and I like how that looks…but normally its white, black or grey for me…

J: What kind of tattoos you prefer? Could you tell me something more about your tattoos? Do they have to have meaning?

S: I guess I prefer the old school sailor style. Not a fan of Celtic shit at all. I like plenty of color…as for my tats…what do you want me to say? I got my first tat when i was 16, though considering that I am not that heavily tattooed. My legs are pretty full these days, but I dont have much on my upper body. I figure i`ll start on my chest next, when I can afford it… there are meanings behind all of my tats, but the meanings themselves are fairly easy to recognize as must of the tats of accompanying text…

J: The last question. Whats your favorite skateboard company and why? And who is doing the best skate artwork in the world?

S: Well one of my tattoos is the zero skull so that partly answers the question. My other fave would be Consolidated. They`re not about big business & they hate Roller bladders. Good call !

Ok, hope you like the answers…see you sometimes soon I ques ?

Quick catching up with Sheep after the long period and finding out how he is doing now with the Covid 19 hanging around all of us.

J: How are you coping at the present with your life? Is your family and friends alright? How is life in isolation? What is making you going through the Covid19 time?

S: Well, its not that bad for me. I’m used to spending weeks at a time at home in-between tours, so this kinda just feels a bit like being off tour. I live with 2 friends so I’m not alone, we’re all getting on well and none of us have tried to kill each other, yet. Family is doing ok, my parents are taking it seriously and taken the necessary steps.
I initially slept a lot and vegetated as when I got home after the tour I was on got cancelled half way through, I hadn’t been home since October 2019 so it was nice to have a bit of me time. I played a bunch of xbox online with my friends, then my xbox died. Since then I’ve been a bit more productive, finally trying to get my photo book out, only 15 years late!

J: Its been a while since Honour among thieves came out and called it a day. Can you tell us more about how did you guys come together? Whose idea it was to name the band such way? Why did you call it a day?

S: Well my good friend Imran moved to London from Brussels. He wanted to do something and kinda put it together, if I remember correctly. He asked me if I was interested and of course I was. I think like any band we had a bunch of ideas thrown into a pot until we could all agree on one. I think it was me that threw HAT in there and everyone was into it so there you go. We broke up because Immy quit, and I wasn’t willing to do it without him so I quit too. Immy & I had always done all of the work in the band, booking, merch etc, which is fine as not everyone can do everything. However, I think Immy got tired of the other guys not being able to take care of some of the more basic stuff we asked of them and got too frustrated. I was also getting super busy with touring and didn’t have so much time to do it anymore so the timing was right for me, at least.

J: As far as I know you released 7″ under Damaged done records from Prague called Nakatomi Plaza (should really check the name before typing it, but guessing it was called that way haha). Loads of references to Die hard movie including the artwork. What is the story behind the Die hard theme songs and artwork? Who in the band is the nerd for the movie?

S: It was the Nakatomi Plaza demo, as he basically just pressed our demo onto wax. The Die Hard stuff was all me, I just thought it was funny. Big fan of the film!
J: Since we talked last time in 2004, damn man its been 16 years, loads of things has changed. You got your chest tattooed obviously and you toured the world with Bring me the horizon and other famous bands. Pretty good for a white guy – referencing Offspring song. How crazy it is reflecting back on it? Tell us something more how have you got involved with the touring business and managing bands? What is the hardest part of the job? Must be nerve wrecking, I guess, putting a band members on schedule and get them all safe to next venue.

S: The more things change, the more they stay the same I guess. I still love hardcore, still go to shows, still ride my bike as much as I can. I got an awful lot more than my chest tattooed and I’m fucking over that shit, it hurts.
I don’t think it’s crazy, it’s always felt fairly natural, every step of the way. I didn’t go from hanging out with shitty hardcore bands in pubs to arenas overnight! My first gig was SOIA, their UK booking agent offered me the gig as I was booking shows with her at the time, they liked me and it took off from there. I had no fucking clue what I was doing at all, but I learnt as I went on and I’m still doing it now so I guess I’m not failing too badly. I think the hardest part of the job is not forgetting things. There are so many moving parts on the bigger tours and you need to stay on top of it. I have a lot of check lists and reminders for stuff like that but I’m always worried that I’ll forget something important.

J: How do you think the whole Brexit will impact on touring bands and Britain in general. 16 years back you said you dont want to live in UK, has it changed since? You lived in Berlin for a while, is that the destination you would like to return or enough of travelling and its time to settle down…?

S: It will definitely have a negative impact, that much is certain. The border will slow down as the checks increase, meaning bands will probably need to book an extra day off between Europe and the UK, which costs money. We’ll need Carnets (a customs document), which is money and also hassle to deal with. Touring budgets are already stretched as it is and additional costs are going to lead to either higher ticket prices or lower wages, maybe even both. It’s a disaster for the touring industry, we’ll just have to wait and see how badly it impacts us.
Since 2004 I’ve lived in New York and Berlin for periods, along with countless trips around the Globe. If I were to add up all the time I’ve spent away from the country it would be interesting to see how much it amounted to. Got to be at least 12 years or so, since I was 18. I moved back from Berlin just over a year ago & I’m happy to be home right now. Not opposed to moving elsewhere in the future but for the next few years I definitely plan on enjoying the stiff upper lip and beans on toast whenever I feel like it!

J: Thank you Sheep, you are an inspiration, good luck in the future and have fun. He is amazing photographer, shame he put it on hold nowadays, you should come back and do something about those banger on your hard drives. Keep checking folks for Sheep, I bet he will one day release his own photography book and it will be smashing.

S L O V E N S K Ý___P R E K L A D

Sedím pred laptopom a rozmýšlam čo chcem napísať ako úvod tohto rozhovoru. Prvá vec, ktorá mi ide hlavou je londýnska scéna. Milí ľudia, usmievajuci sa, ale komunikácia je niečo, čo tu chýba. Jedina duša z tejto scény mi odpovedala na moje maily odkedy som prišiel do UK / a to už je vyše roka čo sa pokúšam dostať in hehe/. Tou osobou nebol nik iný ako Sheep /pozrite jeho web xsheepx.com/ Nepotrebujeme byť kamoši, alebo predstierať, že nimi sme, to nie je potrebne. Vec, ktorá nás dáva dohromady je subkultúra menom hardcore. Nikdy pred tým som ho nestretol, on nepozná mňa, ja nepoznám jeho, postoj je to čo spolu zdielame k tejto scéne. Možno znovu píšem len blbosti, možno situácia je úplne iná, ale stále cítim priepasť medzi mnou a tebou. A to nie je dobre. Musíme zbúrať múry našej ignorácie a začať spolupracovať a mať spoločne zábavu na koncertoch…

J: Kde a kedy si sa narodil? Aké boli tvoje oblúbene rozprávky, keď si bol decko a máš nejakých súrodencov? Aké kapely si počúval, keď ti bolo 10, 15 a 20?

S: Narodil som sa v St.Lukes nemocnici v zasranom meste menom Bradford cca o 7miej večer, 7 Februára 1980. Keď som vyrastal mal som rád rozprávku Uylesses & Thundercats. Pamätám si ešte nejake, ale neviem si spomenuť na ich názvy. Keď mi bolo 10, myslím , že som nemal žiadnu oblúbenu kapelu. Možno Philla Collinsa alebo M.Jacksona, alebo možno Clannad. Moji rodičia ma nútili počúvať vela kresťanskej rockovej muziky, čo ma dodnes straší v hlave. Keď mi bolo 15…mmmm. Ťažko povedať. V tej dobe som objavil Unbroken , takže asi oni , alebo Schmuck. V 20tke to boli Unbroken. Odkedy som ich zazrel po prvý krát, stali sa mojou najoblúbenejšou kapelou.

J: Ako si sa dostal k hardcore? Čo ťa na nom tak upútalo, že si si povedal, tak toto je to čo chcem. Správne myšlienky a ciele…máš nejake ciele, alebo lepšie povedaná, čo by si chcel robiť v buducnosti?

S: Dostal som sa k tomu cez skatovanie. Chcel som byť cool a myslel som si, že hardcore bol. Myslím, že som v tom ostal akosi zakliestený, pretože sa mi lepšie vychádza s hc kids ako s inými ľuďmi. Na škole som bol outsider, čo si myslím, že zdielam s mnohými kids zo scény…a čo sa týka budúcnosti? Rad by som dokončil vysokú školu, už čoskoro a potom cestoval po svete. Zaplatit to predajom svojich fotografií , alebo niečo podobné, hrať v hc kapele a vidieť kids besnieť na koncerte by bolo docela fajn…

J: Takto čo sa mi dostalo do uší, si celkom známa postavička na UK scéne…čo si myslíš o Vašej scéne? Nemyslíš si, že je trošku uzatvorená pred ľudmi mimo Anglicka? Nemyslíš si, že je to viac o Vašich domácich kapelach a kapelách z USA či západnej Európy? Pamätáš sa, kedy si naposledy videl nejakú východo európsku kapelu či kapelu z Ruska či Ázie?

S: Haha, nemyslim si. Iba mám drbnutú prezývku, ktorá sa dá ľahko zapamätať. Myslím si, že sa dnes anglickej scéne darí lepšie ako pár rokov dozadu. Nemyslím si, že by to bolo nejako uzavreté voči iným krajinám, určite nie viacej ako v iných západných krajinách. Samozrejme, že len ťažko sa sem dostane nejaka východo európska kapela, ázijska či odhocikadiaľ. Klinec úrazu je v tom, že by si to tie kapely len ťažko mohli dovoliť zaplatiť a asi by ani nedostali tie peniaze naspäť. Pochybujem, že nejake si to môžu dovoliť sem prísť a hrať tu. Súhlasim s tebou, že anglická scéna sa sústreduje viacmenej na americké kapely a západne krajiny. Zvykol som vymienať s východo európskymi krajinami i ázijskymi, keď som mal vlastné distro. Nejako som nemohol predať ich nahrávky, nikdo ich nechcel. Je to hanba. Hardcorový imperializmus vládne na našej scéne a je len veľmi ťažke s nim bojovať…

J: Super vedieť aspoň niekto mal záujem, haha. Čím to je, že sa kids v UK nezaújmaju viac o kapely z južnej ameriky , ázie a pod.? Čo si myslíš o kapelách z iných kútov sveta? Vieš odporučiť nejaku dobrú kapelu z oblasti na pokraji našej zemegule?

S: To distro nebolo špeciálne zamerané na distribúciu veci z ďalekého sveta, bol to len výsledok robenia labelu. Musel som vymienať nahrávky, aby som prežil. Nikdy to nebolo nejako cielene. Jednoducho som vymienal s každým kto mal záujem. Myslím si, že je tam niekoľko dôvodov, prečo sa anglické kids nezaujmaju o kapely z iných kútov sveta. Za prvé tu vládne spomínaný HC imperializmus. Je to niečo, čím dosť sami trpíme. US scéna nám nedáva veľa kreditu /len vtedy ak tu chcú koncertovať/ a naoplátok zase naša scéna nedáva pozornosť iným scénam zo sveta akú by si zaslúžili. Tiež to má čo dočinenia s rečovou barierou. Ľudia tu moc nechcú počúvať kapely, ktoré spievaju iným jazykom. Myslím si , že sa to da aj pochopiť, ak nie je to aj tak dosť jednosmerne zmýšlanie. Za druhé sú tu kapely, ktoré sa snažia spievať anglicky, ale ich jazyková znalosť je horšia a v celkovej podobe to vyznie horšie ako keby spievali v rodnom jazyku a konečne…si myslím, že to asi kids nepočuvaju pretože to nie je cool. US je kuuul no nie? Oni sú predsa otcovia hardcore? /myslene sarkasticky/ Kapely z iných kútov sveta asi nikdy nedostanú takú pozornosť aku by si zaslúžili…ale časy sa menia. Južná amerika si vedie dobre. Exportuju množstvo dobrých kapiel /Point of no return, Nueva etica, Children of gaia, Carahter…atd./ Možno, že sa veci zmenia?

J: Prvýkrát, keď sme sa stretli si mi hovoril, že si žil v Rusku. Vieš porovnať život tam a v UK ? Aký bol tvoj najhorší zážitok v živote, keď si začal myslieť na svoj životný štýl či život samotný? Čo si robil v Rusku?

S: Niekedy si myslím, že nie som vhodný človek na robenie porovnávaní. Rusko je veľmi odlišné, ale ďaleko od toho aby som ho mohol súdiť. Žije tam veľa chudobných ľudí, ale na druhej strane tiež veľmi bohatých. Fízli sú tam úplný bastardi. Veľa fašizmu a skinheadov. Napriek tomu milujem Rusko. Dúfam, že sa tam raz vrátim. HC scena je tam maličká a musí zápasiť s takými vecami, že by to tu našu bielu middle class scénu úplne zabilo. Pracoval som tam ako dobrovolnik s delikvetnou mládežou. Najprv vo vezení a potom v domovoch. Bol to veľmi cenný zážitok. K tomu najhoršiemu zážitku v mojom život? Hahaha, tie najhoršie veci sú tie o ktorých nechcem hovoriť. Dôvod prečo som odišiel do Ruska bol ten, že v danom čase som nemal žiadne smerovanie, nevedel som čo robiť, či kam ísť a chcel som skúsiť a pomôcť ľuďom.

J: Zaújmavé. Vieš mi povedať viac o tvojej práci v Rusku s problémovou mládežou? Presne čo si robil a či si videl aj nejaký progres z tvojej práce? Bolo to pre teba ťažké pracovať s mládežou s kriminálnou minulosťou? Nebál si sa o svoj život? Ako to tam vypadá, čo sa týka sociálneho programu či zabezpečenia? Dá sa to porovnať s UK systémom?

S: Keď som začal pracovať v Rusku bolo to zariadenie pre delikventnú mládež. Bol to len dočasný domov pre mládež pokial sa nerozhodlo o ich osude. Nemali by tam byť viac ako 30 dní, ale vieš asi ako to funguje…keď som tam nastúpil bolo to pekne drsne. Nebolo to vedene personálom ako u nás v UK, ale normálnou políciou aku nájdeš na ulici v meste s tým rozdielom, že týto mali väzenské povinnosti. Všetci mali zbrane a obušky a pod. Decká mali často po telách modriny a rezné rany, ktoré boli ošetrované nejakým hnusným sprejovým obväzom /akým nás za mlada v školách ošetrovali sestričky/. Vyzeralo to dosť odpudzujúco. Väčšina, ak nie všetci, vypadali veľmi zničeno a nešťastne. Dosť bieda ti poviem. Pracoval som v umeleckej triede. Pomáhal som kids s nejakými kresbami a podobnými vecami. Ženská , ktorá to tam viedla bola úplna beštia. Nejaká stará komunistická umelkyňa, ktorá dostávala štátne zakázky za komančov. Tak to vypadalo, že sa cez to celé akosy nepreniesla a dávala to značne najavo. Nebola ani 1.20 vysoká, ale do šírky to predbehla. Dávala mi robiť zopár hnusných zbytočných prác. Neviem ti povedať ako bola moja práca efektívna, pretože som sa učil rusky len z bežného styku a moja schopnosť komunikovať s týmito deckami bola limitovaná. Za ten čas som sa naučil len blbosti ako “cecky hore” a podobné triedne blbosti. Asi mesiac som strávil prenášanim nábytku z veznice do triedy a z triedy do veznice a z triedy to bábkoveho divadla. Presne tak, nerobím si srandu, zasrané bábkove divadlo. Môj boss nebol súčasťou veznice, pracovala pre nezávislu agentúru/charitu. Škrýpalo to, pravdu povediac. Budova vo veznici, kde sme bývali, domov pre mládež sa presťahoval na naše pôsobisko / o poschodie nižšie / a my sme sa museli presťahovať do tohto bábkoveho divadla. Z toho celého som si nezobral veľa dobrých spomienok a neprekusol som ani našu spoluprácu a tak som odišiel. Presťahoval som sa do iného domova / zariadenia na okraji mesta. Ten bol omnoho lepší a moja ruština sa o niečo zlepšila. Atmosféra tam bola o niečo pohodová. Žiadne stráže, alebo ploty a decká tam vypadali omnoho šťastnejšie. Nemyslím si, že som tam zanechal nejake výsledky, ale rád si myslím, že som im tam priniesol trošku dobrej nálady. Organizoval som im párty, hry, vypĺnal čas…a podobne veci. Bola to zábava. Najlepšia práca akú som doteraz robil. Nemôžeš porovnávať ich sociálnu starostlivosť s tou našou. Ani by som nevedel kde začať. Všeobecne povedané, je to tam od podlahy rozjebané.

J: Ak by si mal možnosť žiť niekde inde, kde by to bolo a koho by si si zobral so sebou?

S: Otázka by lepšie sedela, keby si sa opýtal, kde by som žiť nechcel? Odpovedal by som Anglicko. Hahaha. Chcel by som žiť na tak veľa miestach…Čína, India, Japonsko, Rusko, Amerika…blah blah blah. A k tomu koho by som si zobral so sebou, práve teraz svoju polovičku, ale ak by som ju nemal, tak by som išiel sám. Tak by som mal viacej zábavy…

J: Späť k hardcore. Povedz mi viac o tvojej hudobnej minulosti? Hovoril si, že si hrával v hardcore kapelách, tak v ktorých ? Na čom si hral a aký inštrument si držal v ruke?

S: Že moja hudobná minulosť, haha…myslím, že nemám žiadnu okrem hardcore. Páči sa mi tiež klasická hudba, to mám po svojich rodičoch…späť k hardcoreu spieval som pre slayer metalovú kapelu 12th ANGEL CALLING. Bolo to hrozné. Odohral som nejake koncerty s IN THE CLEAR a CANAAN tak 4 roky dozadu a potom sme sa rozpadli. Potom som bubnoval pre screamo štýl kapelu THIS DAY MUST DIE, ale moja technika bola otrasná. Takisto som spieval v Rusku v kapele MY OWN WORST ENEMY. Bolo to dosť moshove…máme aj kazetu z live koncertu v Rusku. Potom som bubnoval ešte v jednej kapele, ale meno si nepamätám…hmmm. To bolo na začiatku tohto roku a bolo to dosť moshové. Odohrali sme koncert a rozpadli sme sa. Myslim si, že mi to vôbec nejde tvoriť muziku, asi ostanem uviaznutý len v jej konzumovaní.

J: Myslíš si, že je dôležité spievať o politických veciach a zmienovať ich na koncertoch ? Alebo si naopak myslíš, že by to malo byť len o zábave a priateloch na parkete, či najlepšie kombinácia oboch?

S: Myslím si, že to musí byť oboje. Nemalo by to byť len o hrách a zábave pretože hardcore by mal byť viac než len muzika, že áno? Ale je tam aj potrebná dávka zábavy, aby to nebola len nuda a moc seriózne. Dnes to v hardcore žial bohu tak vyzerá, že sa politika úplne vytráca. Je to hanba. Dnes sa ľudia cítia byť hrdý na to nemať žiaden odkaz a to je škoda.

J: A aké sú teda tvoje aktivity dnes v hc punkovej scéne? Videl som nejaké tvoje fotky v hc zinoch. Cvakáš ich špecialne pre nejaké ziny alebo len tak pre radosť ?

S: Hmmm, to je všetko v čom som dnes zapojený. Odkedy som sa presťahoval do Londýna som prestal bookovať koncerty a turne. Jedinou vecou, ktorou sa podielam na scéne dnes je len fotenie a ani to neviem či môžem rátať, pretože som ich prestal vyvolávať. Za starých čias som robil label, distro, robil som zine a hral v kapelách…, ale dnes len oddychujem a chcem mať od všetkého na chvílu pokoj. Sustredim sa na univerzitu…

J: Tvoje fotky som videl uz vo viacerých hc punkovych časákoch a sú veľmi dobré, páčia sa mi. Kto je tvoj oblúbený fotograf a prečo ? Máš rád portréty, krajinky alebo fotky zo sociálneho prostredia? Osobne preferujem portréty ľudí v sociálnom prostredi. Páči sa mi slovenský Kallay..videl si niekedy jeho fotky? Povedz viac o tvojej láske k foteniu …

S: Vďaka, som rád, že sa ti moje fotky páčia. Mám viacero oblúbených fotografov pre rôzne oblasti fotky. Glene Friedmann fotí život/skatove veci…dokumentárna fotografia Enrique Metinides. Nepoznám Kallaya možno, že by si mi mohol poslať nejaký link na neho? K mojej láske k foteniu …neviem čo by som mal napísať ?! Jednoducho mám rád fotenie. Nikdy som nebol dobrý v ničom a akurat sa niekedy podarilo nafotiť pekné obrázky. Je to pre mňa nový zážitok a skúsenosť byť aspoň v niečom dobrý…

J: Nikto sa nezaújma o biele či šedé tričká kua? Čím to je, že všetci chcú nosiť len čierne triká? Čo sa deje? Čo je zlé na bielych old school tričkách…?

S: Mi niečo hovor, pomaličky začínam čiernu nenávidieť. Príliš veľa v krátkom čase. Ja preferujem šedú a rád si kúpim aj červenu…ale normálne nosím bielu, čiernu a šedu…

J: Aké tetovania preferuješ? Vieš mi povedať viac o tvojich tetovaniach? Sú viac o estetike, alebo aj maju nejaký význam?

S: Preferujem starý námornicky štýl tetovania. Žiaden keltské blbosti. Mám rád pestro farebné…ako sú moje. Čo ti mám povedať o mojich tetovaniach? Prvykrát som sa nechal tetovať vo svojich 16 a ani nie som nejako veľmi potetovaný. Nohy mám docela potetované, ale hore toho veľa nemám. Myslím, že nabudúce začnem niečo na hrudi, keď si to budem môcť dovoliť. Za každou kerkou je nejaká myšlienka, je to ľahké rozoznať o čo v nich ide, len ich stači vidieť. Je v nich aj dosť textu…

J: Posledná otázka…ktorá je tvoja najoblúbenejšia skatová značka a prečo? A kto podla teba robí najlepši artwork na skaty?

S: Jedno z mojich tetovani je lebka firmy Zero to je asi tak odpoveď na tvoju otázku. Ďalšia firma je Consolidated. Nerobia veľky biznis a nenávidia korčuliarov. To je dobre nie?!
Dúfam, že ti takto odpovede stačia.