IE: Can you remember where you were or what you were thinking when the idea to start the NYHC Chronicles page came to you?

NYHC: I had the idea for a while but at some point I was down in lower Manhattan on jury duty and figured it was as good as a time as any to launch it. I went online with the page while I was sitting there rotting in the jury duty pool waiting to be called for a case. I got called for a DUI case and ended up telling the judge that because of my past history "I wasn't the man for the job" and ended up being excused. When I checked the page a little while later I was a bit shocked to see that there were already a few hundred people on it. Things started moving pretty fast after that.

IE: Why have you chosen to stay anonymous when it comes to running this page?

NYHC: I really don't need the hassle or the accolades. I get all that shit elsewhere and besides it's not really "My" page, it's more like "Our" page. It's a group effort that runs the page and I'm thrilled people are enjoying it so much. 

IE: For people who have not visited the page yet can you tell us what you think its appeal is to have drawn in so many fans in such a short period of time?

NYHC: In a way it's like a high school reunion. It's a chance for old friends to reconnect and catch up with each other as well as get back in touch with a time in their lives that was very vibrant and important to them. The page has an amazing amount of never before seen flyers, photos and footage. It also has a little bit of a sense of humor which people appreciate in these trying times as well as zero tolerance for hateful banter. Also for people that don't live in New York or even have never been here and yet are fans of "New York Hardcore" per se it's a chance to have a conduit to some great material. 

IE: The page had 4000 fans within a month of it starting and currently has close to 13,000 fans. How much of a surprise has it been to get the kind of response you have been getting?

NYHC: "If you built it they will come". People are just looking for a good excuse to finally dig that stuff out of the closet, scan it and share it with everyone and this is certainly the forum for people to do that. The page also has an appeal because it's not cluttered with people pushing their personal agendas and that's appreciated these days.

IE: You were telling me recently about plans to produce a documentary surrounding NYHC using the page as a home base of sorts. Can you tell us more about your plans?

NYHC: It's NOT going to be "The History Of New York Hardcore". We are going for something a little bit different here. Hopefully it will mirror the page a bit and touch on some of the other elements of "NYHC" like graffitti, urban renual /decay just New York City life in general.

IE: What kind of time frame would you like to follow as far as starting production and actually having this out for the public?

NYHC: These things usually take about 3 years top to bottom. 

IE: When we talked recently you mentioned a concern that NYHC has such a long history that it would be impossible to cover every angle. You had an interesting idea on how to mix in old school bands with the newer ones. Can you tell us more on how you plan to take on a topic with such a rich history?

NYHC: We are approaching it in a "episodic" format. Have you ever seen the movie "Creepshow"? Something like that. A bunch of episodes that have the thread of NYHC running thru them. This way the story can jump around from the past to the present and everywhere in between.

IE: You are also kicking around the idea of making this documentary free or as close to free as possible. What are your plans as of right now?

NYHC: Well "free" isn't really "free". Electricity to run the edit system to cut the film isn't free nor are the external hard drives needed to store the hours and hours of footage for the film and so on and so forth so it's going to cost somebody something. As of right now that somebody is me which is fine but we'll see what happens down the road. It's a little difficult to spend 3 years working on a project and spend a bunch of money out of your pocket only to put it up on the internet for free. That said we have some ideas on how to fund this thing so it'll sort itself out eventually.

IE: Getting back to the Facebook page I noticed that you had a bunch of administrators helping out. How many are there and how much do they help you in alleviating work piling up on yourself?

NYHC: There are about 20 people that are "content contributors" to the page. Most of the time it's a good thing but once in a while it can be a little bit problematic. 

IE: The page has a few simple rules…and at times they have not been followed. What are they and how many people have you had to boot so far?

NYHC: Not that many people have been "banned" from the page but if you have a "No tolerance" policy towards that sort of pathetic hateful internet drivel most people won't even go there. Those that do never have a chance to do it twice.

The Ten Commandments Of The NYHC Chronicles Page;

1) Post shit up!!! It's a group effort!!

2) Don't talk shit (Save that nonsense for the "Old School Hardcore Kids Page")

3) No Cro-Mags drama on the page!! Enough already.

4) Post shit up!!! Don't be a fucking "Lurker"!!!

5) Tag some fucking people will ya?

6) Don't post wack ass metal shit on the page. Old school NY hip hop shit might get by though.

7) If you think you can do better start your own fucking page.

8) Don't post any pictures of your dogs or kids (No one gives a flying fuck)

9) Talk shit = get banned.

10) Post shit up!! "What the Fuck Have You Done"????

IE: The page has the title 1979 to 2015 in it. Why 2015?

NYHC: 2015 is when the Zombie Apocalypse will happen. There's not much sense in keeping the page up and running if flesh eating zombies are rampaging through the 5 boro's of New York City and chances are the rest of the planet earth. 

IE: Does NYHC’s seemingly endless popularity ever surprise you after all these years?

NYHC: Not really since New York City is the greatest city in the word and a very vibrant place. Unlike many other cities the hardcore "timeline" here stretches over many years. Actually over 3 decades. Like any other social movement the wave goes in and the wave goes out, then it comes back in again. There's an ebb and flow to something like a "hardcore scene" and hopefully we'll capture some of that concept in this documentary film that we are gearing up to do.

IE: If you had to give us a few of your personal favorite NYHC bands from the past and from today who would they be?

NYHC: I'm pretty much a "first wave" hardcore guy so as far as bands from back in the day that are still around I'd say Agnostic Front, Cro-Mags, Madball, Sick Of It All, Urban Waste, The Misfits and of course Antidote. As far as bands that are NOT around anymore Cause For Alarm and Leeway. Lots of great new bands as well from Abject to Last Call Brawl to The Blackout Shoppers. 

https://www.facebook.com/TheNyhcChronicles19792015