IE: So the last time we talked (with Jesse for In Effect issue #5… late 1994) we were talking about the band breaking up due to Joe moving to San Francisco and Steve living in CT and being busy with a tattoo business. How surprised or not surprised are you to be back here in 2012 with 3 quarters of your original lineup intact with a new 6 song EP?

Steve: Us pulling this off really kinda defies the odds if you think about it. All things considered, this represents a real middle finger to the status quo that says you have to grow up at some point and forget about playing punk rock!

Jesse: Well we all missed it when we weren't doing it and I think we realized how much once we got back together to play the 2010 Black N Blue Bowl and promote the release of the “Anthology” CD. The only thing that changed in our line up since we first started recording is our drummers. Jay is our 4TH and a very welcomed member to the line up. Other than being a great drummer, he is always a great guy and some one I'm pleased to have reason to spend time with.

IE: Can you tell us a little about what the movie soundtrack was all about?

Steve: Jay and I ended up recording some songs, and they used an instrumental version of “Dead Inside” on a documentary about the “El Diablo Motorcycle Run”. We recorded under the name “SpeedTwin”. We were working with our buddy Antoine on rhythm guitar and this gal Steffi K did some vocals.

IE: Out of these 6 new songs what is the time range from when these were written? Are some of these old or re-worked tunes from the old days or are these all brand spanking new?

Steve: The music for “American Oblivion” is actually a “lost track” from the Yuppicide 1998 demo session and at that time we were calling it “Asshole”, but we didn't end up putting it on the ’98 demo. It got lost until Jay and I revived it last year. “Flies On” was something Jay and I cooked up last spring, and Jesse came up with new lyrics for it. “There's A Line” was written earlier this year, and Jesse’s lyrics were really inspired by events surrounding the “Arab Spring” and the “Occupy Movement”. Jay and I were doing “Dead Inside” and “Not With You”, and Yuppicide decided to adopt those songs. “Too Late” sort of existed musically in another band i was doing (FTE), but was brought forward to Yuppicide when Jesse asked about doing a very fast, thrashy punkier jam, to which he provided the perfect lyrics.

IE: Out of the new songs I think the title track “American Oblivion” stands out as the one with the message and music that represents what Yuppicide was always about. Can you tell us about this track?

Steve: I presented Jess with the lyrics, and he molded them to fit as he needed, and he added his own spin on them, which is what I love: everyone contributes to the songs. From a musical standpoint, sometimes I like catchy melodic stuff that's still abrasive, and has a breakdown that is gnarly, but sticks in your ears for days. It should come as no surprise that I kind of worship Bad Religion's “Suffer” and “No Control” LP's… But lyrically, I wrote those a few years ago, after I had transitioned into a corporate office work environment and I noticed the uncanny parallels between “office politics” and “political politics”..,people don't like someone who is different or who bucks the status quo. And with the present American political climate of “this post 9/11 world” (I hate that phrase), Jesse rolled in the concepts of people trading their civil liberties for false promises of “protection” from all kinds of imagined/supposed “threats”. It's about living under a regime that rules by fear and people falling in line without even a whimper.

Jesse: “American Oblivion’s” lyrics were a collaboration between Steve and I but he wrote most of them. The song deals with how America is now more focused on fear than freedom. The government and media constantly reinforce an atmosphere of paranoia, to the point that people don't realize or care that their civil liberties are being stripped away. In fact most people seem grateful – just as long as they're “safe”. America is becoming either progressively conservative or apathetic. Black Water Mercenaries were used on American soil during Hurricane Katrina, this shit is happening now, and people don't care or don't notice! This is a private army run by a Christian fundamentalist with none of the legal restrictions that would apply to the regular army – very scary shit.

IE: You guys recently played a free show on August 5th at Tompkins Square Park in NYC which served as sort of an anniversary to the Tompkins Square Park riots in 1988. Can you think back to that time period and comment as to what was going on down there at that time.

Steve: It was interesting in that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Playing that show a few weeks ago, it all came back to us in a sense- that feeling of us being young kids, playing this show and having Allen Ginsberg open for a young Yuppicide! Those old days were fun- all the punkers and hardcore kids hanging out. You'd meet some kid downtown or something, and he'd see you had Doc Martens and say "you're new? you gotta come down to TSP and meet everybody!" It was a lot of crusty kids, and the squatters, and the skinheads, skaters…all sorts of kids just hanging out. It was pretty gnarly in that neighborhood and it was pretty hectic, but The Pyramid had good shows and there were plenty of places to eat. The cops ran hot or cold at that time. They'd either leave you the hell alone, or they'd be f*cking with you in a major, heavy way. The August 5th show was an absolute blast. It was so much like the “good old days”…a bunch of good bands and a bunch of speeches and political types, and a bunch of people there to see the bands, and then people there just to see the spectacle. In the back of our minds was “how are the cops gonna be? They had such a heavy hand at so many of the occupy events…how are they gonna be today?” And the cops just were there, hanging back.

Jesse: New York was a different city back then. I wasn't involved in the demonstrations or riots. The park had become a camp for the homeless, squatters and junkies. It wasn't organized and due to lack of toilets and washing facilities had become a shanty town slum (I think John Joseph in his book says the ground had hepatitis!). The cops cleared it and set a curfew. Demonstrators came out to oppose the curfew. I think the main cause people wanted to fight for was affordable housing…there were buildings that could have been used for housing but were boarded up. Or it was people who felt they didn't want to be apathetic and wanted to show that they didn't agree with what was happening. When the cops came, they had removed their name badges and covered their badge numbers with black tape. This meant one thing: they were there to fuck people up and not be held accountable. And that’s what they did. That act right there made the cops the cunts regardless of your opinion about the curfew, the park or affordable housing. When the police blatantly break the law, then they create a situation where the law is void. Actually that's what “There's A Line” is about, although it was inspired by Anthony Bologna who maced a group of Occupy Wall Street protestors for no reason. His punishment? He was transferred to Staten Island. In the end we out number the police force and when they act for complete disregard for the general public that they are supposed to serve and protect, well they run the risk that the general public will return the favor. As far as the show, it was fun, if a little hot. It was a weird and mixed crowd, but what else would you expect at a free show in a public NYC park?

Jesse: Yes the LES and all of New York is clean, safe and very bland. New York used to be a sketchy town which required street smarts to survive and anyone who knew how to hang out in the dodgy neighborhoods was proud to wear that badge of courage. But pining for the old days is just futile and you end up sounding like an old fart.

IE: The term yuppy isn’t used as much anymore and the term hipsters has grown into the mainstream, any chance of a possible name change? May I sarcastically suggest Hipstercide?

Steve: We in the band always say that we're dating ourselves with our band name. What kid nowadays even knows what the hell a “yuppy” is? I think to us though, “yuppy” is a mindset, more than an actual word or person. And that mindset has not gone away- it's gotten worse…a culture that promotes conspicuous consumerism at the cost of the rest of society. It's flaunting luxury earned off the sweat of working people; it's skimming off of other's actual labor.

Jesse: I don't think Yuppies exist any more and I think we can take sole credit for that. We've been told by a lot of people that Hipsters replaced Yuppies, but I don't think it’s true. A Yuppie was easy to spot and a perfect example of capitalism gone too far. They were self involved, greedy and supported anything that would gain a profit for them. Now we have that on a much larger corporate level. Hipsters are a silly outfit. They are hard to define – but you know one when you see one. They offer no threat or need for the attention we can't help give them – even if it’s negative. They may be pretentious posers but that just makes us haters. I live in Bushwick and there are times when the hater in me rises up and wishes some of these scrawny wankers would get mugged, but then I remember I went to art school and dressed like a dick as well, at one time.

IE: Your 3 main members that started Yuppicide, Jesse, Joe and Steve, have known each other since the late 80’s when you met in art school. Was there ever a time when you all did NOT get along and hated each other?

Steve: I'm the luckiest guy in the world to be in a band with not only some of my very best friends in the universe, but with three guys who I consider to be heroes of mine. These are some of the smartest, funniest, most hardworking, talented people you could ever hope to meet. Over the many years, I know there were times we all didn't see eye-to-eye on some small details here and there, but we all stayed on the same page on the big items. Our first tours of Europe were like 2, 2-1/2 months, so there'd be times we'd be sick of each other and ourselves, but once we got onstage and killed it, nothing else mattered but kicking ass with the band. I literally and figuratively grew up with these guys, so the impact they've had on me is immeasurable. One thing about being in a band and going places and doing stuff as a band is it teaches you to think in terms of "yuppicide versus the world", and that unity of purpose is just incredible.

Jesse: There were times when we thought that conflicts of opinion were pulling the band apart. Our first drummer left as a result of such a conflict, although it had been a while coming. Steve and I butted heads a little, but in the end we realized that us having different attitudes, inspirations, and aspirations for what Yuppicide could be just made the band more interesting. The band isn't just one of us, it’s the combination of all of us.

IE: If you had to look back at the entire history of the band, what 1 or 2 year period of time would be your favorite and why?

Steve: Lately, I've had the luxury to rediscover a lot of stuff from our earliest days as a band, and those were such fun times; but I think our best days, and my best days are right here and now and what we're doing right now and where we're going. At this point, I've really learned to cherish all the moments equally, but to especially cherish the here and now.

Jesse: I think the whole experience has been filled with great periods, even the toughest ones make for good stories now. But I think around '95 we'd built up a strong following and those shows were packed and crazy and tons of fun for everyone there. My mum came to a show once, and the safest place for her was on stage behind an amp. The PA went out and the crowd sang the whole rest of the song. That was pretty cool.

IE: To me a unique aspect about Yuppicide is your punk influenced artwork. What influences your art style Steve?

Steve: You have to look no farther than the band itself, for starters: Joe and Jesse are incredible artists: they draw, they paint, they make really incredible stuff. So right there, those 2 guys keep me on my toes internally, because in the back of my mind I'm always trying to create stuff that I think is at their level of excellence. I've always been into comic books and all kinds of graphic art, and being in the punk and hardcore scene you're surrounded by supremely talented/gifted visual/graphic artists like Pettibon, Shawn Kerri, Sean Taggart, Neils Wampum, Jaime Hernandez, and Kurt Drain. I also love 60's surf/hotrod art by Ed Roth, Ed Newton, and Rick Griffin. It doesn't hurt that I'm a sci-fi nerd as well, as well as a nerd for anything mechanical. I guess to look at my work is to see someone spitting back all the art from punk albums, flyers and shirts, not to mention sk8 art from VCJ, Jim Phillips, etc; plus a lifetime of classic comic books and schlocky sci-fi/hotrod/biker movies and art. I'm not ashamed to admit I worship Charles Burns and Jack Kirby and Moebius; and when I worked for Marvel I was super lucky to have the great Mike Rockwitz take me under his wing.

Jesse: Joe our bass player also does a good portion of the art work and they collaborate too.

IE: What is your favorite Yuppicide drawing/art that you have done?

Steve: Lately I’ve been having fun with re-visioning our logo. It seems to be getting more grind-core or crusty or even death metal-ish. As for art from the old days, I still love that thing I did with the “skull family”. It kind of speaks to my love of early 80's southern California hardcore punk. Some of my favorite Yuppicide art has actually been done by Joe and Jesse.

IE: You were doing tattoos up in CT for awhile, are you still doing that these days?

Steve: I got out of tat2ing in November of 2001, so I'm pretty out-of-touch with what's going on there. I got really burned out on the whole scene, the mainstreaming of tat2ing really got to me, not to mention working crazy long hours and fighting the town I had my shop in just to stay open. Nowadays, there's so many amazing tat2ists it's mind blowing. Many, many people from the hardcore scene just doing mind-blowing work. Some of my favs are Rich Fie at "R&D Tattooing" in Brooklyn, Mike Lussier and the boys at “Artfreek” in Providence, RI, my cousin Chris “Beaner” Rinaldini at “Hartford County Tattoo” in Forestville, CT, just to name a few off the top of my head..

IE: Jesse, you are originally from the UK. At what age did you come to NY and were you already a punk rock fan or did you discover it while here in the US?

Jesse: I originally came in 1979 and I was 13. I wasn't really into music then. I would spend the summers back in London, and would reconnect with stuff going on in London and reset my accent. The first thing I got into was Two Tone and the Ska revival. The first punk show I went to was The Effigies at a CBGBs matinee, it was '81 (OG motherfuckers!) I quickly became a regular and got to see Minor Threat, Negative Approach and all the NY bands. I moved back to London in '83 and the only hard music my friends liked was Psychobilly, so I'd be moshing at a Meteors show in a hoody and construction gloves with “NYHC” written on the knuckles – haha…ridiculous. I got into reggae for a while then came back to NY to go to college, met the guys and eventually joined their band. That got me back into hardcore and punk.

IE: So next up it’s off to Europe with 7 dates, 6 of which are in Germany. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think about heading back over to Europe with this new material?

Steve: At 43, to be honest, the first thing that comes to mind is “are we gonna lose money?” We start to wonder about people hearing the new stuff, and liking it enough to come see us, and maybe buying a shirt or something. I'd really like people who never heard us to get into us via the new EP and then get amped on us, only to discover we have all this material from the last century! With so many great bands out there now, and peoples' lives being so busy and hectic. I wonder who's gonna take the time to check out our new stuff, then make it a point to come see us live, considering they have to work the next day, or they gotta get a baby sitter for their kids. People are gonna get a great gig whether there's 10 people there or 1000…we're amped on our new stuff and we all feel it's our best stuff to date.

Jesse: Cheese with every meal – WTF? Actually Europe, especially Germany, has always treated us very well. I'm looking forward to seeing some old friends and playing new songs for an old audience.

IE: Any places in particular… like bars, restaurants, or people… that you can’t wait to get back to?

Steve: In Berlin, there was this vegan burger place that I miss in the worst way and I can't wait to eat there!

Jesse: We never get to hang out much on tour. I went to Berlin with my girlfriend for a vacation last year and that was awesome. Murphy's Law was on tour and played so we got to hang with them too which made it even more fun! It will be great to see Bader from our German vinyl label, he will be selling merch and tour managing. He takes a lot of abuse and only deserves half of it.

IE: Even though it is a short tour, to you, what is the suckiest part about being on the road?

Steve: Not too much is bad about touring…it's the hardest work you can have fun with- but I'm gonna miss my cats A LOT.

Jesse:Toilets. Having to use the seat-less, piss soaked floor, recycled toilette paper because there is not another option. Getting sick on tour sucks too. I'm allergic to cigarette smoke, so that can be a drag.

IE: What are the chances you guys go off the deep end and end up in a German prison never to be seen on American soil again?

Steve: If I'm lucky, I could see myself being sent to a German women's prison for incurable nymphomaniacs.

Jesse: Do you know something we don't? Steve is Straight Edge and I'm a light weight so you'd have to ask Joe or Jay! I think in Russia we'd be fucked. Don't take the Freedom of Speech for granted people (Google Pussy Riot)!

IE: With jobs and families taking into consideration where would you realistically like to see Yuppicide a year from now in August of 2013?

Steve: I'd love if we had another EP out and were writing new material and people were still asking us to play live shows. All things considered, it's really kind of a miracle we managed to accomplish what we've done this year- the logistics of work, family, distance, money; but we pulled it off. If I can afford the luxury of a private fantasy, I'd love to say that in August 2013, we were playing on 'Saturday Night Live'!

Jesse: It is hard. Currently this is our hobby, a lot of people our age play golf – fuck that shit - we have Yuppicide! We've said we'd keep at it as long as its fun. Sometimes it’s not much fun, but other times it’s a blast.

IE: That’s about it, anything else you would like to add?

Steve: Thanks SO much for yours and everyone's continued interest and support- we don't take anything or anyone for granted.

Jesse: Shameless plugs – You can buy music and other merchandise from us at: 

www.yuppicideMerch.com and we'll have an information site up soon at Yuppicide.net