Coming up with a stellar intro for Klint's interview has literally been driving me crazy. It's hard to sum this fellow up in a mere paragraph. You already know that Klint is a NBD, as well as a genuine fucker. He knows how to rock. He once swapped an engine out of one car and put it in another. He's a funny mother fucker. Shit... There's a lot that can be said about Klint. Go ahead and read the interview. You'll ROTFL and other internet acronyms.

Yo, Klint, how's your edge? Have you ever prayed to fucking god that someone ODs on that shit?

My edge is sharp and arrogant, just the way it should be. It also doesn't partake in animal derived activities.

I'm not a religious man, but I will admit to the occasional prayer to fucking god. The militant edge is not a joke, you know.



What's your story? How did it all begin for you and hardcore?

Like most kids my age, I blame skating for all this. Except I was never any good at it. Awful, actually. I have the balance of a giraffe with an inner ear infection. Over a decade later, I can barely ollie. Literally terrible. But the way it works is my friends and I were all into Nirvana and Soundgarden and then started finding out about Sub-Pop grunge and punk. This older dude Gian lived up the street from my good friend Bucky and hung out with the Atari and Rancor dudes. So Gian would skate with Bucky and give him Youth of Today tapes and get him to buy Floorpunch records, and then Bucky would tape them for me. He had a paper route, so he was the one who had money, and it all basically went to records. But I'd get first and second generation tapes of everything. We'd mailorder things and trade tapes among our friends and it all spiraled out of control from there. I quit skating long ago out of respect for my body and ackowledgement of my talents, but I'm still going to shows and haven't slowed down since.

When did you fully realize what straight edge was? And what does it mean to you now?

All my friends jumped into straight edge right away. I was a little slower on the boat. It took a few shows for me to get a real grasp of how it all worked. I came from the sickeningly typical abusive- alcoholic father background, and my experiences because of that really polarized my worldview. I never drank, never smoked, never did drugs. None of it appealed to me. So I was kind of a goofy bookworm nerd. I guess that's how I figured kids who didn't party were supposed to be.

Straight edge really changed all that. A few years prior I'd made the difficult decision to cut my father totally out of my life. I took a stand. I figured out that I didn't have to just keep to myself- there was a whole group of kids who felt the same way. And they were a threat- physically strong and morally straight. It was okay to be pissed off, arrogant, and openly hateful of all the things I refused be a part of. Once everything sank in, it just clicked.

Straight edge is still a huge part of my life. It's reinforced the fact that I don't need a father or a substance to control my life. I've done just fine for myself. I finished college, I've traveled more than most people can dream to, I teach, I get by, and I think I'm happier than a lot people are- and the straight edge has been, and continues to be, a huge part of why I was able to do all that.

You play in a band called Reign Supreme. How were you lucky enough to land that gig?

I've known Jay for years. We actually met in the bathroom at CBGB at the final mosh, right before Breakdown played. Anyway, they weren't happy with their current bass player. I have a ton of gear and wanted to tour, so I learned the songs, tried out, and now they can't get rid of me. Seriously though, I love my bandmates, playing music, playing shows, meeting people, and traveling. It works out really well.

Reign Supreme seems like a non-stop touring machine. Any plans for global domination? When are you coming to my town next?

We're working on an LP now, and there's way more touring after that. My dream is to be able to do a world tour. Tons of people are touring places that no one even thought of playing in the late 90's, so I think the door for us to be able to do that is slowly opening.

We were supposed to play Boston on August 17, but it got moved to Providence. I've never been to a show in Worcester, so I have no idea when we're coming to your town. We'll be near it sometime soon, though. Probably in September.

The local alternative rock radio station has a weekly segment about creepy guys doing internet personnels. One guy said a date would be ruined if the girl peed on him. Why am I telling you this story? How does it relate?

Ah crap. First, the links:



Now the backstory:

I was a part of the Drexel radio station (WKDU) when I was still doing my undergrad work. One day a girl came down and asked if I wanted to be on a blind date show. My immediate response was, "Fuck yes I want to be on a blind date show!" The results are what you saw above. The profile had to be made for the show, which was supposed to fake how the Dating on Demand profiles were intended to work. So the profile didn't air until way after the date did. But, apparently the production company thought it was super funny, so I got on. Two bits of trivia: That girl is now Brandon Wallace of I Hate You and Champion's sister-in-law. I was also very into the idea of 90s hardline bands, so my Dating on Demand username was "birthright."

What bands get you psyched these days? Psyched on the edge and psyched on the core?

Have Heart and Let Down are my two favorite straight edge bands. Let Down has the intensity and balls to just come out and say that drinking is bullshit, and I love that. And they're not shitty and 7th Dagger about it. Have Heart is great because they're a much more thoughtful band- no tough guy acts or songs about fist fighting. They have a way more personal intensity that I can't get enough of.

Honorable mention goes to The First Step, even though they're breaking up. They've been a huge part of my life for the past few years, and it's really sad to see them finally hang it up. I'm very upset that I'll be on tour during their last show.

As for bands that get me stoked on the core? The Carrier, Foundation and End of a Year are my big three for that. They're all doing things that aren't entirely straight forward, and don't come off with a sort of snooty forced progression that some other bands exude. And they're all undeniably hardcore bands, with an appropriate amount of sincerity and intensity.



Which would you rather?

a) Own a PC?
b) Break edge?

Own a PC. A beer won't run Linux.

a) Break edge?
b) Punch a baby and steal its candy?

Punch a baby. I don't particularly care for babies at all. They're not good at anything.

a) Be seen riding dirty in a japanese tuner?
b) Eat a tunafish sandwich?

Gas is expensive as hell, so I'll take a free ride in anything. Supra, CRX, Tibouron, whatever. I much prefer traveling in something VAG or pedal powered, though.

How important is vegetarianism to you? How important do you think it should be to the hardcore community?

I'm vegan, so vegetarianism is hugely important to me. I'm not a particularly political person, but it's one of the causes I do feel passionate about. Everyone has heard the statistics and all the information on the subject is easily accessible. Therefore, there is no reason to still consume animals.

Anyone who considers themselves even remotely progressive should not eat meat. There is no justification for it. Society has progressed to a point where animal based food is no longer required for survival. It's a simple choice and an easy transition to make, so any excuse you come can come up with just boils down to a blend of selfishness, ignorance, and lack of control over your own life.

I honestly find it difficult to respect the opinions of anyone who still eats meat in 2008. Especially in a community full of supposedly socially aware and intellectually proactive people, not expending the absurdly low amount of effort it requires to be vegetarian is an act of stupefying hubris.

You have a widely read blog. What prompted you to start one and how did you decide on the question/answer format?

First, I'd like to apologize openly for slacking on that. I have submissions, I just haven't had the chance to answer them with the attention I like to give them. Expect more after This is Hardcore.

Anyway, I do a dating advice blog called Dear Klint (http://dearklint.blogspot.com). A friend of mine decided that it would be entertaining for me to give her friends dating advice. So, she made me start the blog and had them submit questions to me. Then the links got passed around, and it kind of took off. A lot of people were surprised that I'm actually a solid writer. Apparently you don't expect that from men with science backgrounds, let alone hardcore kids.

For the record, every post has been a legitimate question someone has emailed to me. I know some of the people, but definitely not all of them. It's really bizarre how a complete stranger will open up to you and hold out hope for that one brutal nugget of truth, even though they're fully aware I'm just going to crap all over them and their ridiculous problem. But, it's super fun. And people need to know that their awful relationships are completely their own fault.



What's the best piece of dating advice someone ever gave YOU. What's the best you ever gave someone else?

The best piece of dating advice I ever got came from my friend Patrick: if you fight twice with a girl, break up with her. One fight can be a fluke, but two establishes a pattern. Sadly, I'm not smart enough to follow through with it.

On the other side of the coin, all of the advice I give really just boils down to "open your fucking eyes." If you're in a shitty relationship, it's probably because one or both of you are idiots. Nothing more, nothing less. So why do we act like solutions are on par with rocket science? Most dating situations (and their subsequent resolutions) are about as simple as the minds of the people involved.

That said, my favorite (though by no means the best) pearl of wisdom I've ever passed along has to be, "Never love a woman."

What music have you been giving a lot of play lately? Would it shock you if I said my friend likes to listen to Madball during romantic moments with his lady?

Not shocking at all. I've always got Lungfish and Youth of Today on heavy rotation. Sometimes I listen to a shameful amount of the early Ebullition catalog. Recently I've also been listening to a lot of Uniform Choice, End of a Year, Outspoken, CIV, Merauder, Farside, A Chorus of Disapproval, Tad, Undertow, the new Have Heart, tons of science and math lectures from iTunes U, stand up comedy (Patton Oswalt and Louis C.K.), and the Gangsta Rap: A Glockumentary soundtrack.

Top 5s
a) Current Releases

Have Heart - Songs to Scream at the Sun - Record of the year. Cleaner guitars, more midtempo songs, and great lyrics. I've met a lot of people who don't care for this, or don't like it as much as the previous record. Open your fucking ears- this is great.

The First Step - Connection - Anyone who knows me knows I love this band, and it pains me to miss their last show.

The Cancer Bats - Hail Destroyer - Call it party metal or whatever else, but it sounds like Jesuseater. Riffy and driving rock.

Verse - Aggression - Another band I absolutely love.

The Carrier - No Love Can Save Me - Until we played with this band, I didn't fully appreciate them. Great live, and the record absolutely blows their demo out of the water.

b) Current Bands

End of a Year - They hate the comparison, but I love their Revolution Summer vibe.

Have Heart - Best record of the year.

The Carrier - Young kids, awesome song writing, and great live.

Foundation - They absolutely nail the weird/aggressive style that's very popular nowadays.

Bitter End - Perfectly executed New York hardcore, without the meaningless lyrical content.

c) Shirts

Chain of Strength - Navy Blue TTD - The absolute perfect hardcore shirt, and my all time favorite design.

Uniform Choice - 4 Sided "Use Your Head" WW - Very clean, and very straight edge.

Black Flag - White Minority - A very in your face design that captures the intensity of the band perfectly.

Bold - Standard design, navy with yellow letters - An absolutely iconic and striking shirt. Simple and effective.

Embrace - Alex Brown boot - A great band that deserved great shirts, and this was the best design that someone ever made for them.



d) Vegan restaurants

Horizons (Philadelphia, PA) - Upscale and delicious. Seasonal menu and always impressive. Only downside is the high cost.

Vegan Treats Bakery (Bethlehem, PA) - I don't know if this counts as a restaurant, but you can sit down and have coffee and donuts inside. Absolute best vegan bakery on Earth. You've had their cakes in NYC and Philadelphia.

Basic 4 (Philadelphia, PA) - Some black lady has run this stand in the Reading Terminal Market for years. Only open Sunday-Friday for lunchtime hours, if you can make it here, check it out. The hands down undisputed best vegan chicken salad in the universe. This place was a hidden gem, but I guess I just blew it up.

Govinda's (Philadelphia, PA) - Service sucks, and everyone who works there is retarded. But fuck, their food is great. It's the place that you automatically take out of towners, and you always get requests for. They also serve Vegan Treats desserts.

Red Bamboo (New York, NY) - Overrated and overhyped, but still great. They serve Vegan Treats, and the food is really good. I can't get enough of their mashed potatoes.

DISHONORABLE MENTIONS:
Foodswings (New York, NY) - Go here if you want to pay some bike punk $8 to cut up a Tofurkey Sausage.

Gianna's (Philadelphia, PA) - My list of grievences with this hellhole are longer than most. I orginally decided to go vegan while sitting in a booth at their old location, and subsequently ate here 3-4 days a week for years. As it turns out, they lied about their food being vegan for their entire existence. They fucked over Robby Redcheeks. They also stole all of their cake recipies from Danielle who owns the Vegan Treats Bakery, and then had the audacity to shit talk her afterwards. Fuck them. They don't care about the vegetarian or vegan community at all. I don't respect a single person on Earth who supports these people. Even though they fixed their foods, I firmly believe that if you eat there, you are NOT vegan. Attempting to argue otherwise will just get you on my shit list.



Due to extreme temps at the Have Heart record release show, there were many dudes moshing and stage diving in just boxers. How do you feel about that? What about people moshing or even playing bass naked?

Desperate times call for desperate measures. At an exceptionally hot show, removing your shirt helps A LOT. That said, I don't have a particularly impressive physique, so I save that for dire emergencies. As for playing bass naked... the guitar covers everything you want to see. And Louisville, KY was the hottest show I've ever played in my life. I almost passed out at the end. And I may or may not have thrown a Barbie doll and hit someone in the face with it.

Any closing thoughts, shout outs or words of PMA?

Thanks for the interview. Stay edge, go vegan, and reclaim it from the dirty bike punk xvx bizarro scene. If you don't like Youth of Today, you're not straight edge. Come see Reign Supreme on tour, hang out with me, bake for me, and follow me on Twitter.

Sincerely,
Klint Kanopka