Hey Jim, thanks for taking the time to chat with me.
I want to start off by saying that my first ever show was Vatican Commandos, Lost Generation and Dead Kennedy’s at the Metro in New Haven, so in a sense your band was very influential to me in my youth, so thanks for helping me get into the crazy world of Hardcore Punk. Since you’ve done a million interviews, I’ll try to focus this interview on more recent events.
Let’s start with the Radiation Reissues. How did that all come about? Did Radiation approach you first, and what was the process like getting all of the old tapes and artwork together?
We got contacted out of the blue by Radiation Records. They were interested in our 45s first but then released our 12” EP and a CD discography as well. I had to dig through the archives to find original materials for all the inserts and other items. I am glad I did it though as I did organize all my fanzines and other items and put them in archival boxes. This was helpful too when the Punk Rock Museum was asking for some punk rock artifacts.
Did you have any problems with them as a label, or were they pretty cool? I’ve heard some things.
Marco and Radiation Records are great! I visited them in Rome in 2021 which was a lot of fun.
I wanted to thank you for putting this out because the Bill Knapp sessions and the other session stuff I had never heard before. It was also a nice tribute to Bill, who was such a fixture on the scene.
Bill was great and he contributed to the CT scene in so many ways. He was one of the best drummers from that era, but also for recording—he was key. We did two sessions with him for the Hit Squad for God 7” EP. The first wasn’t released (although most of the songs are now on the Discography CD).
One of the other things I noticed when reviewing the Discography package was that it was not in fact a complete discography, and you guys were pretty damn prolific for a hardcore band.
I was wondering what you can tell me about a few of the sessions that didn’t make it on there, such as:
• the BCT tapes session (I think those were different recordings?),
• the Connecticut Fun tracks (Carry It Forward, Things Are Not the Same),
• the track with Dusk from the Attack is Now Suicide comp,
• and perhaps most intriguing to me, the La Nouvelle Frontière... Pas De Frontière comp from France. Those five tracks seemed pretty late in the game for VC. Were those the last tracks you recorded, aside from the Moby reunion session?
There were some songs we decided not to include. Honestly, I am not sure exactly why some of those decisions were made. The final tracks were ones we recorded with Moby. We had a few sessions, one in Brooklyn which Moby released on Sound Cloud. The other new songs we recorded in Hollywood and then we went to visit Moby and mixed them down over a weekend. It was fun to create completely new songs. The ones on La Nouvelle Frontiere were from an unreleased session. I believe that was recorded with Bill as well, but at that point I think he had a four track, not just a two track cassette recorder! As a band we had lots of unreleased material—more than we released! Those days were somewhat chaotic and honestly we just weren’t that serious much of the time.
Who were some of your guitar heroes at the time, and what was your rig like typically?
I was a big Motorhead fan, so I loved the way the bass sounded. It tried to key on that, but my rig was a dismal Fender copy and I had a terrible amp. At one point, I had speakers I built with Radio Shack gear. We used to joke that we were sponsored by Miesterbrau and Radio Shack.
Did VC split amicably? How did the decision to end the band happen?
Yes. We did. Chuck and I were in College. Dave and Mike had other interests. Moby had left the band a few years earlier and he had started AWOL and then had started DJing. So everyone went their own way. Chuck and I are still good friends, I just saw him last month.
I know I said I wouldn’t mention him, but how did the whole thing with Moby come about? How did the session come together, and would there ever be a possibility of further shows, with or without him?
So, I was the last hold out to do the reunion show. Which is sort of funny, because once we got back into it, I decided I wanted to play again (and again). We were offered some shows in Europe but Moby wasn’t interested. So, I don’t think we will play again. I would love to play in Europe, but it is a lot of work and we are all busy. I have company with 40 employees, Chuck is a brain surgeon, and Moby is Moby—so I think it would be hard to pull off.
And while we’re at it, how did Rob Zombie end up drawing the cover for ‘Frisbee’? He was at Parsons then, right?
Yes. We were roommates at Parsons / the New School. I was going to the New School and Rob was at Parsons. All the first year students were in housing in NYC. I turned Rob on to Void and Misfits etc. He drew the Just a Frisbee cover in our Freshman year. One of the original guitarists for White Zombie, Tim Jeffs was a suite mate who also went to Parsons. Tim and I are still in touch.
Also, what are you digging for tunes right now, and do you still play?
I listen to everything. I still listen to punk and hardcore, but I like all sorts of music. I don’t play often, unless I have a show and its been years.
You did a millions shows, but was there one that just really stuck out in your mind, either as a performer, or just a fan?
We played in Orlando in an abandoned house with a generator out back. We were touring with Battalion of Saints. During our set, the crowd tore down a wall so there would be more room to slam! We also played a house party in New Canaan that was out of control. If I remember correctly there were some hallucinogenics involved and were hanging out with Youth of Today, now that is funny!
I recently got a chance to go to the punk museum in Vegas, have you been? Any impressions?
I just went there a few months ago. I had a great time. We donated our first test pressing, some Rob Zombie artwork, and an Anthrax t-shirt. I was also surprised to find a flyer in the New York Hardcore section I had drawn for Cause for Alarm playing at the Anthrax. I met Rob Ruckus and we all jammed a bit. It was a memorable visit. I will go again. I am in Las Vegas next month.
The worlds in a pretty crazy place right, or maybe it always has been. Do you think HC Punk is still a valid outlet for kids like ourselves to channel some of this angst, or is it’s time passed forever, to be tragically overshadowed by the Swiftites?
I think it is great that this genre is still going strong and reinventing itself. We thought it would come and go, but in retrospect, we were already listening to revival genres such as SKA and Rockabilly — not sure why, at the time, we didn’t think punk would last. Long live punk rock.
Do you still eat Wonderbread?
Never really liked it much. We did have memorable show at a private school in CT where lots of WonderBread got thrown around during our set! If I remember correctly, teachers were pissed!
Jim, thanks again for doing this interview, it means a lot!
Thanks for your interest.
For anyone interested in the Vatican Commandos reissues on Radiation, they can be found here:
https://shop.radiationrecords.net/search?q=vatican+commandos
Also see my earlier post about the band:
https://tippingcowscthc1980-1989.blogspot.com/2023/05/band-focus-vatican-commandos-vatican.html
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