TRUTH AND SOLUTIONS - A Conversation About Writing, Hardcore And The Strangling Of Information

Steven Storrie and Michael Marrotti

SS; Ok, three songs on the jukebox. What are you playing?

MM ; "My Way," by Frank Sinatra. "Guilty Of Being White," by Minor Threat. "Shine," by Motorhead.

Nice! You mentioned Minor Threat before. Are you a big hardcore fan?

Absolutely. I love hardcore so much that I wrote a story about it, staring one of my favorite bands, Agnostic Front.

I love Agnostic Front. Jimmy Stigma is the man. I'm listening to Gorilla Biscuits as we speak. I can't get enough of hardcore. The book I'm hoping to publish in the summer is all about hardcore and 80's T.V shows. It’s a niche haha. What was your story called? Has it been published?

Yeah, Vinnie Stigma is definitely that hardcore legend, although I have been known to give candid reviews of his live shows, and enthusiasm. Best of luck finding a publisher, bro. Shit, if you find one let me know. The short story I recently wrote about Agnostic Front is conveniently titled, "Agnostic Front, Live In Pittsburgh." And no, I haven't found a publisher yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Time is precious.

How did you get in to Hardcore?

I got into hardcore because of the shit selection of mainstream mediocrity. I remember seeing someone wearing a "Misfits" shirt and thought, who the fuck is that? I went on the primitive computer (this is back in 2006) looked up the misfits and the floodgates were opened. I immediately became enthralled with the speed, hostility and clever lyrics. Glenn "Misfits" Danzig is and always will be the best American punk voice in my righteous opinion. If you travel back in time to the doo wop era you'll hear where punk got its beat from. A little punk rock trivia for you. My other favorite bands are Cro-Mags, Black Flag, Madball, Sick Of It All. A band named "Subzero" put out the best hardcore album of all time called, "The Suffering Of Man." It tells a story of struggle and perseverance. That's what I find so alluring about the NYHC scene. It's music that'll entice you to carry on in this strenuous world.

Yeh I think hardcore is the best kind of music out there. It's truth telling, folk music in the modern sense. I remember John Joseph once saying 'English punk bands did nothing but complain about how bad things were but offered no solutions. Hardcore offers those solutions.' And that's what hardcore is to me, truth and solutions. I'd agree with your list of bands. I'll have to check out Sub Zero but to the list I'd add MDC, Gang Green, Gorilla Biscuits, Jerry's Kids, Warzone and latterly Gallows and Aleixisonfire. But I think Black Flag did it better than anyone else. It's the cool, hipster thing to say nowadays of course, but a cliché tends to be a cliché cos it's true. I loved all three versions of the band mainly cos Ginn is a beast on guitar, but I'm a big Rollins fan. He has his critics these days but he was always an inspiration to me.

You're right about truth. Punks always been informative. I like those bands too, but nobody had the signature guitar sound of Black Flag. Or two of the best punk rock frontmen. Keith and Henry. That's legendary! Speaking of Keith, his new band Off came to Pittsburgh and went vigorous. I'm also a big Off fan. They're one of the few who's still able to make worthwhile contemporary punk rock music.

Yeh there's a real lack of new bands that have any worth. It's still the old guard that keeps the fire burning. I still plan to go get tattooed at NYHC and at Civ from Gorilla Biscuits place in Long Island. But yeh I wouldn't fuck with Rollins even on a good day! If I can be as vital as him at 55 then I'll be pretty happy with that. Did you really get banned by AllPoetry by the way?

Yes, I was banned numerous times because of my candor. I originally joined that fascist site in the hopes of advancing my writing. They have a policy that makes you read and make encouraging comments on two random poems before you can upload your own. The poems for the most part were written by amateurs who had no idea of what they were doing. Most of the comments below the poems were words of praise. I knew they were misleading, which made me think of the comments on my poems. Anyway, if the writing was atrocious, I'd kindly let them know. After that came suppressive moderators equipped with reprimands. It quickly became evident how this site prohibits candor and encourages deception. After the third time I was banned, I told them where to shove it.

That's fucking bullshit! I think I saw a site like that, with the having to comment to get your own story published. I don't understand that premise. I understand it even less if they aren't looking for honest feedback, just a bunch off ass kissing. I think you did the right thing. There's few things I hate more than bad writing, especially the ones that think they're great. Bukowski once said that bad writing was like bad women, sometimes there’s just nothing you can do about it. But like rich scumbags and lying politicians, they need to be confronted at the source. So fuck AllPoetry.

Bad writing is one thing, but when you add force (fascism) that's when I get really hostile. I've enjoyed reading Hitler and Mussolini biographies, but I'll be damned it I'm going to submit. These are strong words coming from someone who's living in the paradox of America. The home of the free.

Yeh I think that kind of resistance is needed now more than ever. What the rise of The Donald...

It's needed for the most part because the people are becoming timid and docile.

Yeh that's the scariest thing isn't it. The people who should be fighting back are content to watch the Kardashian’s and the X Factor. As long as they've got an Ipad and a big T.V they're quite happy. I don't know about where you are but here the libraries are closing down faster than the reporters can keep up. I don't think it's a coincidence. I think the system has found a smart way to win. Less people read, so less people bother to write and everyone gets dumbed down. It's a strangling of information. When Marx said religion was the opium of the people, I think he really meant T.V.

I concur with all the platitudes mentioned above. As for the libraries, they're all throughout Pittsburgh and usually packed with people. Yet for some odd reason, the close minded people of Pittsburgh lack critical thinking skills. Speaking of discord and expulsion, the libraries here in Pittsburgh have librarians who are psychotic and belligerent. I'm beginning to believe there's a link to psychosis and librarian work.

Ha I think you're right! I wonder why that is? Of course the libraries here are filled either with old men reading the newspaper and nodding off, dribbling on themselves, or woolly old women reading the 'wrong' books. Reading terrible authors, or reading just for pleasure. I never understood that. I never read just for pleasure. I read to learn something and to get better at what I do, not just to pass the time.

Yet again, I couldn't agree more.

I know you were pleased yesterday to have gotten your story 'Anti-Semitism, Beer and The Pittsburgh Steelers' published. Great title by the way. Had you met resistance to that? Because of the content? And did it really happen?

I was ecstatic! Thanks. Surprisingly, no, I received no resistance. It's a story you have to approach with an open mind. It covers both sides of the spectrum. I consider it in a way to be an educational piece of literature straight from my imagination.

I like that, 'an educational piece of literature straight from my imagination.' It's even more impressive then that it didn't happen because, reading it, it really felt like it was something you'd experienced. It felt lucid and real, which is not easy to do. I think the first thing of yours I read was 'The Wilted Hipster', which I absolutely loved...

Thanks, bro! "The Wilted Hipster" was an absolute pleasure to write. When I write and put out stories like that, I feel as though I'm making the world a better place in my own morally bankrupt way.

Definitely. Gauguin once said that "the duty of the artist is to affirm the dignity of life." I'm beyond in love with writing, the whole process. When done right there is no better feeling and I find nothing else in the world to be half as rewarding. I think writing, for those of us who wade into the guts of the thing and can't give it up, is a brave and noble pursuit. We do what we can. Speaking of which I wanted to touch on your volunteer work with the Light Of Life homeless shelter because that sounds truly brave and noble. What does it involve and what got you started in on it?

The only thing that rivals the rewards of writing for me is having sex with a new beautiful woman. I'm many things, being a hedonist is one of them, and it’s also one of the reasons I volunteer twice a week like clockwork at the Light Of Life homeless shelter. I've always been an altruistic person. Every payday at my old auto detailing job on my way downtown to catch the 41E I'd find a homeless person and give him or her a ten dollar bill. My obsession with Cuba and a movie titled, Being Flynn changed my perspective on everything. Fidel and Che taught me about the moral incentive. Communism to me at the time sounded awesome. The eradication of the monetary system and the sacrifice to benefit the all. It's the complete opposite of the self-obsessed culture here in America. The indifference of all. The concept to me was romantic and foreign. It seemed like an answer until I realized I enjoy both coke and Pepsi, but I still practice the moral incentive every day of my existence. Then I came across a movie with my new favorite actor, Paul Dano. The movie based off the book with the best title of all time called, "Another Bullshit Night In Suck City" changed my life. I watched as this guy worked at the homeless shelter. I was infatuated. It seemed like one of the few jobs that had meaning. After that I set up an interview, and have been volunteering their ever since for the moral incentive. I thought I could help other people and possibly redeem some of the morally reprehensible things I've done. Try to balance the scale, you know? I've met authentic Christians there with good intentions. I've also met pseudo-Christians there that have inspired my writing. It's truly a benefit for all, and everyone prospers. I work in the soup kitchen. So obviously the work entails prep work, cleaning, stocking, et cetera. I've also volunteered at their donations building during the winter season, organizing winter jackets. I only did it once, and probably won't again due to the paradoxical actions of a pseudo-Christian who almost enticed me to break his God fearing jaw. I've never had a problem at the soup kitchen. In fact, I've written a short story about that titled, "Living Life On The Other Side." It's one of my best! I also periodically volunteer at the local food bank. Someone’s gotta do it besides retired Christians approaching the twilight of their lives. It's another blatant display of the callous nature of the indigenous peoples of Pittsburgh. Let the record show that I'm not a saint, and that I'm also spiritually bankrupt.

Well, firstly I commend you on your actions. Not many people have the guts to put their time where their mouth is. I think it takes an incredible person to do those things, and we need more of them. Can you believe homelessness still exists in this day and age? Along with the inherent racism that is festering in society's underbelly, homelessness is our other great shame. I read and saw Another Bullshit Night In Suck City. Dano is great, he doesn't get the credit he deserves as an actor. I know exactly what you mean by trying to balance the books in terms of the things we've done in life. Only now am I trying to be less selfish and self-involved and it's taken a lot of hard work and self-analysis, something I think not enough people do. Not enough people have the courage or ability to critique themselves and face their failings. And then do something about it. I'm a big Springsteen fan, so I think I naturally write from an altruistic standpoint and stand up for the downtrodden and disenfranchised, but going into the homeless shelter and actually DOING something to help? That's amazing, man. Good for you. Did you hear about the incident in Denver recently? Where the authorities tried to move on a homeless camp and told them if they didn't take their belongings with them then they would be 'confiscated'? I can't believe there's still such a stigma attached to it. As a society we need to do better in both eradicating the problem, and helping the people suffering from it in the meantime. I always look at it as 'there but for the grace of God...'

And yes, you're right, entering a woman's bedroom for the first time is definitely right up there! I always remember Pacino mentioning that in 'Devil's Advocate' for some reason...

Thank you very much. As cliché as it sounds I'm trying to lead by example. Some people actually enjoy the homeless lifestyle. As for racism, it'll always be available. It's human nature, man. To love is to hate. The negative and the positive. Both are expedient to the creative mind, and who wants to live in a social utopia anyways? Eve ate the apple for a reason. Peace and love in my opinion is overrated. It's also bad for writing. That doesn't mean that people should pursue personal reformation. I just caught myself in a paradox, but then again, life is a paradox so I'm giving myself a pass. I didn't hear about the Denver fiasco. I abstain from the news. I have enough of a headache dealing with the quasi-liberal filth here in Pittsburgh, and I'm running low on Tylenol. Thanks for this bro, it’s been an honor. I hope this shit takes off like soccer moms on adderol.

Any time, man. Your time was greatly appreciated. Here's to soccer moms on adderol. Long may they run.

Michael Marrotti is an author from Pittsburgh using words instead of violence to mitigate the suffering of life in a callous world of redundancy. His primary goal is to help other people. He considers poetry to be a form of philanthropy. When he's not writing, he's volunteering at the Light Of Life homeless shelter on a weekly basis. If you appreciate the man's work, please check out his blog www.thoughtsofapoeticmind.blogspot.com for his latest poetry and short stories.