The Anti-Matter Anthology – A 1990’s Post-Punk & Hardcore Reader – Norman Brannon

Revelation Records, P.O. Box 5232, Huntington Beach, CA 92615-5232, Usa

As far as I remember I have never heard of the Anti Matter Fanzine. Reason for this might be that by the time their first issue came out in the summer of 1993 TRUST was publishing and having a strong opinion towards all sorts of macho/krishna/vegan-right-wing-socio-politics/etc. since good 7 years. So whats new? Anyway, the author, Norman seems to have gone thru a lot of shit (incl. krishna just to mention one) before he starts doing his zine. Reading interview after interview in a book can be pretty boring, but it is not in this case and you can believe me. Most of the conversations he had with (usually just one, not the whole band) various bandmembers are far apart from your „standard interview“.

They are very personal and he sometimes „gets“ the musicians with very unusual questions, that are not only that, but most often turn the interview in interesting directions. It does not always work, but most of the time, therefore almost all interviews are worth a read. He talks to: Samian, Into Another, Quicksand, Rage against the Machine, Glen E. Friedman, Mike Judge, Sick of it all, Ellioth Smith, Ian Mackaye, Orange 9 mm, Mouthpiece, Outspoken, Endpoint, Shelter, Rancid, Ressurection, Jawbox, Garden Variety, Stormy Shepard, Down By Law, Snapcase, Sunny Day Real Estate, Chris Toliver, Farside and Shudder to Think. Considering most of the interviews occurred between 1993 and 1998 (very few of them not in Brannon’s zine) I was surprised how many of the people that are (& some of them still are) in a „certain scene“ did realize that a lot of it was a bunch of crap, looking back at it from a small distance. Well, whats new?

But due to the interesting interview style Norman has, you find out a lot about the people, their motivations, what they learnd and experienced and of course about their bands. For a interview book, this is outstanding. I finnish with a quote of the last paragraph of the „Writers Block“ by Norman: „In the ten years since, I’ve established myself as a musician and writer, came out as a gay man, left New York for Chicago and San Francisco (only to come back again), helmed a house-music record label for several years, survived a near-fatal collision with a tow truck, defected from the Hare Krishna movement, and eventlually changed my legal surname from Arenas to Brannon – the symbolic conclusion to an essay-length story of its own. Still, I can’t help but smile at all the ways in which I’m the same: I’m as curious as ever, occasionally inappropriate, and painfully self-conscious. It is all in here. Today I live in Brooklyn, New York. I’m almost 33 years old. It’s felt like forever.“ (dolf)

Paperback 250 pages 15.- $

Isbn 1-889703-01-X

[Trust # 130 Juni 2008]