rogermiret

-DISASTERS VS. AGNOSTIC FRONT-

INTERVIEW OF ROGER MIRET- VOCALS

BY BRANDY STAYDOHAR

-PRESENT LINE UP-

THE DISASTERS; Roger Miret, Rhys Kill, Johnny Kray and Joe Naylor
AGNOSTIC FRONT; Roger Miret, Vinnie Stigma, Jimmy Colletti and Mike Gallo

�We don't promote violence within our scene. This is our scene and we need to take care of each other. We prefer to aim our agression at other outside parties that aim their hostilities at us. We realize that violence can be a part of the punk and hardcore scene, but we are sometimes disappointed to see punks fighting each other at shows.� �Roger Miret

BRANDY:HOW LONG HAVE YOU WANTED TO DO THE DISASTERS?:
ROGER: I've had the itch for years! Finally after just collecting my songs, wich I presented to A.F to be dismissed for one reason or another, I found the time and people to support me in creating the Disasters. I'm proud of our self titled release on Hellcat Records and proud of my band.

BRANDY:DO YOU WRITE ALL THE DISASTERS SONGS YOURSELF?:
ROGER:I originally started all the writing because it was gonna just be a solo debut but I liked some of the songs that my guitarist Rhys was contributing so we got some of them in the record. I would say that 3/4 of the records music was written by myself and all the lyrics as well.

BRANDY:WHAT PERCENTAGE OF AF SONGS DO YOU WRITE?:
ROGER: A-very little. the most contribution I had was for the Riot,Riot Upstart record. I did write more songs but they weren't into them and this is how the Disasters came about.

BRANDY:HOW OFTEN HAVE THE DISASTERS BEEN TOURING AND WHERE?
ROGER: We have just begun hitting the road. So far we have been to Europe and about to hit the States for the 2nd time supporting for the Voodoo Glow Skulls. Unfortunately, there still aren't any west coast dates but I am anxiously waiting.

BRANDY:WHAT TYPES OF VENUES HAVE YOU PLAYED FOR THIS NEW GIG, BIG, SMALL, BOTH?:
ROGER: I would have to say both.

BRANDY: TELL ME ABOUT RECENT DISASTERS SHOWS AND HOW IT WENT:
ROGER: so far it has been great! We enjoy playing and the audience seems to be really liking it. I have gotten plenty of positive feedback so we are moving along.

BRANDY:I KNOW YOU ARE ABOUT TO DO A MINI EAST COAST TOUR WITH DISCIPLINE (MARCH) WHO ELSE WILL BE JOINING THE DISASTERS AND WHAT OTHER BANDS HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS WITH AS OF LATELY?:
ROGER: For the March dates with the Disasters and Discipline it will be the Lower Class Brats and the NY Rel-x. We do have 1 date with the Dropkick Murphys!

BRANDY:HOW DID YOU END UP WORKING DISCIPLINE IN WITH YOU GUYS?
ROGER: Discipline are my friends. I have toured with them twice and played numerous club dates with them from their beginning.

BRANDY:DO YOU PLAN TO GET DISCIPLINE OUT HERE MORE WITH YOU?:
ROGER: yes I would like that alot. this mini tour is just a start. There will be 4 dates with the Disasters and 5 dates with the Unseen, Murphy's Law, A.F and Hatebreed.

BRANDY:YOU PUTTIN DISCIPLINE BOYS UP AT YOUR PLACE FOR THE LOCAL GIGS?(heh)
ROGER: They will be in my hands the whole time. I will make sure they enjoy the trip so they can come back!

BRANDY:YOU SAID YOU HAVE BEEN BUSY WITH BOTH AF & DISASTERS RECENTLY, WHAT BANDS ARE PLAYING WITH AF AT THE MOMENT ?:
ROGER: well, the only thing confirmed are the Unseen, Discipline, Murpy's Law, Agnostic Front and Hatebreed dates

BRANDY:HAVE YOU EVER TRIED DOING BOTH DISASTERS AND AF ON SAME BILL/EVENT AT ALL?:
ROGER: no and probably not because it will be to much on my vocals. I like keeping it seperate. Keeps me traveling and ALIVE!!!!!

BRANDY:THE DISASTERS ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM AGNOSTIC FRONT. TELL ME THE DIFFERENCE FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE:
ROGER: The Disasters is a lot more melodic musically and the vocals are very anthemy. The vocals are similar but not. You can still tell it's me. I like it because it is me and not what people picture of me. No one to push the screaming anger stuff. A.F is the greatest american hardcore band ever. It is for me the best of that style so why should I start another one like it? The Disasters is more my personal portrait.

BRANDY: LET�S TALK ABOUT �LADY LUCK�, WHATS UP?: (TELL US ABOUT IT)
ROGER: Lady Luck is in hiatus at the moment. It is basically my wife Denise's band and she has been working hard with her studies. I really enjoy it because it gives me time to spend with her especially when we tour wich has only been in Europe and that is also where the full length album ' Life In Between' was released on Lucky 13 Records.

BRANDY:WILL WE SEE THEM AGAIN?:
ROGER: not for a while since I am currentlly busting my ass with the Disasters.

BRANDY:WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL GOALS FOR THE DISASTERS?:
ROGER: To tour the world, hopefully write a couple more records that rock and have a great a time doing so.

BRANDY: AND FOR AGNOSTIC FRONT?
ROGER: At the moment we haven't made any plans but we have already achieved most of the goals we wanted and beyond.

BRANDY: WHICH RELATED BANDS WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY WITH IN THE FUTURE FOR EACH?
ROGER: We'll for the Disasters it would be Dropkick Murphys, Rancid, Bouncing Souls, The Business, The Forgotten, Discipline and the US Bombs. I think with AF we've already toured with most of the bands we've always loved.

BRANDY:ARE YOU MORE OR LESS INVOLVED/MOTIVATED IN AF OR DISASTERS?
ROGER: At the moment I'm more involved with the Disasters. We're out on tour at the moment and our record is still fairly new so I'm really trying to get it up and running.

BRANDY:�CLASSY CHUCK� -SKIN KID IN NC WANTS TO KNOW WHY AF DOESN�T PLAY OLD SONGS ANYMORE?
ROGER: We have 10 Albums out and we try to play a little bit of everything but we like to play stuff of the newest album. It makes it more interesting for us. Though we never skip on our classics.

BRANDY:ARE YOU GUYS BURNT ON EM?
ROGER: No but sometimes there's just not enough time to play everything you know.

BRANDY:WHAT RECORD LABEL ARE THE DISASTERS/AF CURRENTLY ON?
ROGER: The Disasters are on Hellcat Records and AF are not on anything at the moment.

BRANDY:CAN WE EXPECT ANY NEW VIDEOS/ GOODIES IN THE WORKS?
ROGER: The Disasters just finished a video for the song "Give Em The Boot" which can be seen on our official website www.theDisasters.com or at the epitaph/hellcat websites. It's really cool and features my awesome 1950 full custom car!

BRANDY:WHO DOES BOOKING FOR AF/DISASTERS?
ROGER: Ryan at Fierce Talant in the US and Mark at MAD in Europe.

BRANDY:DOES M.A.D. TOURBOOKING BOOK YOU FOR BOTH U.S. AND EUROPE?
ROGER: Just in Europe, they booked our first tour.

BRANDY:DOES MARC FROM M.A.D. FRIGHTEN YOU LIKE A LITTLE GIRL WHO JUST WET HER PANTS? (heehee)
ROGER: No. Marc is a gentle giant.

BRANDY:WHAT OTHER PROJECTS ARE THE REST OF THE DISASTERS MEMBERS WORKING ON CURRENTLY?
ROGER: Johnny Kray our drummer is in The Krays and the NY Relix and our bass player Joe Naylor is in Under The Gun a Baltimore punkrock and roll band.

BRANDY:AGNOSTIC FRONT?
ROGER: Jimmy is in Loved and Hated, Mike is in On The Rise and Vinnie is with the Zombie Vandals.

BRANDY: HOW CAN WE CHECK OUT ANY OF THOSE SIDE PROJECTS OVER HERE OR PEOPLE ANYWHERE?
ROGER: I don't know all of there websites but I think the best way is just to go out and get the records or research it.

BRANDY:GORDY SAYS THE LYRICS READ LIKE A PUNK ROCK DIARY- ARE WE HEARING THE STORY OF YOUR LIFE HERE?
ROGER: Totally. The lyrics are based on things which I have experienced. It is basically a catolauge of who I am today and the influences of those bands that got me here are clearly heard.

BRANDY: HOW MUCH MORE IS LEFT TO BE WRITTEN?
ROGER: I've got alot more where that came from. This is truelly my life. I live it and it definatelly has been hardcore. I can't keep my eyes close and choose not to ignore ignorance rather to question it till I see the truth and justice with my own eyes. A true Agnostic.

BRANDY: WHAT DRIVES THE DISASTERS/ INSPIRATION?
ROGER: We all just really enjoy playing and writing songs together. At the moment everything we do is very new so it's pretty exciting. We've all been in bands for a long time and to do something that is so fresh is very enjoyable. It's also good not having any history associated with the band. I think we're just inspired by the freshness of the band and we don't feel like we have anything to prove. We just want to rock!

BRANDY: AND AGNOSTIC FRONT'S MOTIVATION?
ROGER: really it is those who support us who keep us motivated. We definatelly can feel their honesty at the shows.

BRANDY:WHEN I SAW YOU AT THE LAST SLIMS SHOW A YEAR AGO IN SAN FRANCISCO FOR AGNOSTIC FRONT- PRIVATELY, YOU SEEMED BITTER ABOUT THE NUTTY SITUATION THAT BROKE OUT WITH THE 1 GUY THROWING PUNCHES IN THE PIT WHO GOT BEAT DOWN BY MOST OF THE CROWD IN THE VENUE AS YOUR SET WAS ENDING.- IT CARRIED ON OUTSIDE THE CLUB AND DOWN THE STREET FROM WHAT I COULD SEE. YOU WANTED TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF SF. TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS ON VIOLENCE AT YOUR SHOWS AND HOW THE DRAMA EFFECTS EVERYONE
ROGER: We don't promote violence within our scene. This is our scene and we need to take care of each other. We prefer to aim our agression at other outside parties that aim their hostilities at us. We realize that violence can be a part of the punk and hardcore scene, but we are sometimes disappointed to see punks fighting each other at shows. It's a shame that sometimes people can't act like grownups and enjoy a show or punk culture in general without trying to destroy it. We've all seen the drunken idiot at shows before engaging in inconsiderate pit conduct, shall we say. often times other kids at the show will remove them, usually by force, but sometimes we'll just stand around shaking our heads. From the stage, we try not to get too involved to avoid conflict between us and the crowd, but we are not opposed to pointing out an individual act of stupidity, and hopefully the embarrassment will help recondition them. i would suggest to anyone, and not even just punks and skins, but anybody really, to think about what you are doing before you do it. Make sure you're doing what you're doing for the right reasons. Realize what your individual fundamentals or beliefs are and let them guide you. Individuality is a big part of the punk and hardcore scene, but we've always been proud of the fact that we stick together.

BRANDY:WHAT OTHER CRAZY SHIT HAS HAPPENED AT YOUR SHOWS?
ROGER: way too much to list really. every show is a new adventure. it's not as crazy these days but me and AF have had quite a history of crazy shows. i'll just stop there.

BRANDY:WHAT IS NEW WITH AF? HOW IS THAT BEEN GOING?
ROGER: We haven't been doing a whole lot. Somewhat of a temporary break you could say. Jimmy is in Europe with Loved and Hated at the moment and Vinnie has been running the tattoo shop and playing in the Zombie Vandals. I've been spending a lot of time on the road with the Disasters.

BRANDY:HOW DO YOU ORCHESTRATE BOOKING SHOWS/PRACTICES BETWEEN AF AND DISASTERS?
ROGER: That's pretty simple, we really don't practice. We'll get together before a scheduled tour to brush up on the songs and then just hit the road.

BRANDY:DO YOU EVER HAVE ANY FREE TIME?
ROGER: Never!!! playing music is my life and i love it but it is very demanding. Any free time i have i spend with my family.

BRANDY: IT MUST BE NICE HAVING 16 YEAR OLDS THROWING THEMSELVES AT YOU ALL THE TIME..- (ROCKSTAR DREAM- HAHA) WHAT ABOUT THE LADIES? SOMEONE SPECIAL? OR YOU TOO BUSY?
ROGER: I have someone really special at home. Denise is my motivation and she supports me 100%. She does miss me a whole lot and likewise but like I always say, I always come back home.

BRANDY: WHAT WOULD BE THE PERFECT DISASTERS TOUR TO YOU?
ROGER: That's a tough question. Every tour has its ups and downs, but it's always a good time. Some shows are better than others, it can really be hit or miss. We would love to tour with the bands who sound like us or have had a great influence on us or the punk scene in general.

BRANDY:WHAT BANDS, LOCATIONS
ROGER: We'd love to tour with bands like Rancid or the Dropkicks, to say just a couple. There are so many great bands out there that we would love to play with, we meet them on every tour. We love to tour the states and europe, but we want to go even farther if we can. We'd like to spread the music out and reach as many punks in as many countries as we can.

BRANDY:COUNTRIES IN MIND YOU HAVENT DONE YET?
ROGER: New Zealand, South America, Canada and Europe. I've been to so many places with AF, but not with the Disasters. Well, we did Europe but we'd like to get back there again as we become more established.

BRANDY: AND FOR HOW LONG?
ROGER: it gets pretty long after a month. its good to do a month here, a month there hitting different locations. anything after that is just an endurance test.

BRANDY:SMALL, MIDSIZE, OR LARGE VENUES?
ROGER: Right now with the Disasters its been smaller venues. They are a little more intimate and can sometimes make for better shows. but, like with AF, as the band grows, which ofcourse we hope it does, you have to play bigger places and we always have a great time.

�EVEN THOUGH WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THE ASSKICKER & PUSSY WRECKER ROGER MIRET- I KNOW THERE IS ALSO ANOTHER SIDE� �GORDY, THE FORGOTTEN

BRANDY:COULD YOU TELL US, IF IT�S NOT TOO PERSONAL, ABOUT............
ROGER THE SPIRITUAL- (ARE YOU A PRIEST OR A HOLY MAN FOR YOUR RELIGION?)
ROGER: I'm not really religious. I do believe in a higher being, but it's so hard to subscribe to a certain faith.

BRANDY:ROGER THE AUTHOR- (WHAT MAGS HAVE YOU WRITTEN FOR?)
ROGER: I haven't written anything for magazines besides interviews.

BRANDY:WHAT ABOUT YOUR BOOK?
ROGER: I'm still working on it. I do it mainly in my free time, which we covered already, so you can see why it has been taking a while.

AND NOW SOME RANDOM ASS QUESTIONS�..

BRAND: WHAT IS YOU FAVORITE SONG IN EACH BAND, AND WHY?
ROGER: With the Disasters it's Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill and with AF it's Sickness

BRANDY:DO YOU LOSE YOUR VOICE ALOT AFTER SHOWS/ ON TOUR?
ROGER: Not really no. It's tough to keep your voice going 30 shows in a row though. I try to drink tea and of course plenty of jagermeister to keep it coated.

BRANDY:ANY �DISASTER� EVER HAPPEN AT A SHOW?
ROGER: We try hard to forget any mishaps that happen at shows, so I can't remember anything too bad happening.

BRANDY: WHAT OTHER MUSIC DO YOU PERSONALLY LISTEN TO?
ROGER: I love the Clash, obviously. a lot of the older punk, which i think you can hear on the new cd. Stiff little fingers, cock sparrer, Blitz, the Business

BRANDY:WHAT WAS THE LAST FEW CDS YOU BOUGHT?
ROGER: Haven't really bought any lately. I usually get sent a lot of new promo cds and stuff like that, so i'll listen to whatever i get from labels or other bands or even friends.

BRANDY: JUST HOW �SOFT� ARE YOU ROGER?
ROGER: Like a little Easter bunny.

BRANDY:DO YOU LIKE PUPPIES AND OTHER CUDDELY PLEASANT THINGS, OR IS THAT TOO GAY TO ASK?
ROGER: (haaaaaaaaaa!) Too gay to ask! Just kidding. I have have a little dachshund named Louie who likes to go to shows and even short tours.

BRANDY: WHAT ELSE DO YOU DO WITH YOUR TIME?
ROGER: I try to spend as much time as i can relaxing at home. as busy as i am i like to sit back at home when i can with my wife or with my daughter or work on my book.

BRANDY:WHAT OTHER SHIT DO YOU DO FOR FUN?
ROGER: I spend a lot of time with my car club, the Rumblers. we have a chapter in NYC and a few around the country, so i spend a lot of time with that and working on my cars, a '32 Coupe and a '50 Ford Custom. Check out the site at www.RumblersNYC.com.

BRANDY:DO YOU EAT MEAT?
ROGER: Yes, but not a whole lot.

BRANDY: WHAT'S YOUR FAV PLACE TO EAT ON TOUR?
ROGER: Tony Paco's in Toledo, Ohio.

BRANDY:WHAT WAS THE LAST DECENT MOVIE YOU SAW AND WHY DID YOU LIKE IT?:
ROGER: Gangs of New York. It was pretty hard and the period was really cool..

BRANDY: FAVORITE ACTOR/ACTRESS
ROGER: Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep.

BRANDY:ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIE
ROGER: Raging Bull or the Pope of Greenwich Village. Can't decide between those two.

BRANDY: WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO SHOW GOERS OUT THERE WHO LISTEN TO YOUR MUSIC AND FOLLOW YOUR CAUSE?:

ROGER: We appreciate the support and hope that they continue to support us and the scene.

BRANDY: PLEASE TELL US ANY DISASTERS & AF INFO- WEBSITE, ETC
ROGER: www.thedisasters.com check it out, we have the give'em the boot video up right now. www.agnostic-front.com

BRANDY: ANY SHOUT OUTS/ OTHER COMMENTS TO CLOSE THIS INTERVIEW WITH?
ROGER: Thanks Brandy and Gordy for helping me promote the new band, I got a whole lotta love for yous' everyone else please come out and see us. Also pick up our release Roger Miret and the Disasters at a local mom and pop store near you! Request it if you have to.....
thanks,
Roger

A MILLION THANKS TO ROGER MIRET, ALL THE DISASTERS, AGNOSTIC FRONT GANG AND GORDY FORGOTTEN FOR HIS HELP, BIG CHUCK OF SACTOMATIC WEBSITE AND TO ALL OTHER ZINES AND THOSE ASSOCIATED IN THE PROMOTION OF THIS INTERVIEW. PARTICIPATION IS KEY TO KEEP IT STRONG!! -Brandy Staydohar

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