> When does it start with punk-rock and what were the reasons to stay
> punk for you?

- Well, I've been into hardcore/punk since I was a little kid. The first
show I went to see was Suicidal Tendencies (when they only had their
first record out), and Jerry's Kids. That was 1985. I was like 12 years
old! Reasons to stay punk/hardcore? - that's an interesting question. I
think what it comes down to is that when you live it, there's no choice.
I listen to a lot of different types of music - as does the rest of the
band - but to me hardcore is the most raw, sincere, and honest type of
music out there. Same goes for a lot of indie rap. There's no escaping
it for us!

> Civil Defense is not the first band you are playing in. In which other
> bands did you play before??

- Me and George were in an old Boston hardcore band called "Intent to
Injure". We released stuff in the late 80's and 90's on Overkill,
Nemesis, SFT, and appeared on a lot of comps and whatnot.  Kevin and
Adam are also in a band on Metal Blade records called "Beyond the
Embrace"

> When did you get the idea to start Civil Defense and how does the band
> develop since the beginning (releases, shows, members)?

- Well, Rahji had already had the name Civil Defense. He had been
wanting to get a project together for sometime, as did I. We just pulled
it together and started rocking the house. The lineup has pretty much
stayed the same, except the Adam has replaced our original bass player
(Chris Casali - who runs www.howsyouredge.com).  Not much has changed in
our sound - we play raw, brutal, intense and sincere hardcore.

> Your CD "Enough" was released on the german Label SFT Records. How did
> you get in contact with the german label and why didn't you release
> the CD on an american Label??

- Well, I had already worked with SFT back in 93 - they released one of
the Intent to Injure 7"s (Habit of Thought). Markus had contacted me
about doing another top secret ITI project, and I also sent him the
Civil Defense stuff. He liked it and wanted to do the Civ Def stuff,
too. So we got busy. It's cool working with people that you know are
trustworthy, so it was an easy decision to work with SFT again.

> Have you been on tour yet or is a tour planned?? With wich bands did
> you play together and which was the favorite band you played with??

- Well, no tours are concrete yet. But we'd like to get on the road
soon. We've played with a lot of bands along the way - some of the
standout shows were with 9 Shocks Terror, Close Call, Fit for Abuse,
Kill Your Idols, Good Clean Fun, Police Beat, and The Screwface.

> I think you surely can't do your living with the band. I heard that
> you have your own motorbike store, is it true?? How long do you have
> this store and how man employee do you have??

- Haha - you've done some research on me, man! Yeah, I build custom
motorcycles/choppers. My company is called "Choppahead" - Its' just me
and my partner that do it (Jay - he was from a band called Emission -
they did a record on HydraHead years ago). Choppers and bike shit are
just another progression in the lifestyle, man. Here's a shameless plug
-  check it out at www.choppahead.com

> I also heard that you have got a girlfriend in denmark. Isn't it very
> difficult to have a shop, a band and a girlfriend who didn't live in
> the same country?? Do you have enough time for this three things???

- What are you a stalker? How do you know all this? haha. I'm a master
juggler. I also work another day job as an anthropologist. I just dont
sleep. I gotta keep busy to stay off the streets and out of trouble.

> What is the punk-scene in Boston like?? Are there many places where
> punk shows take place and many record stores?? Are there perhaps some
> squats??

- Boston fluctuates - sometimes the scene is strong and happening,
sometimes it hibernates. But it always comes back.

> In the lyrics from the CD "Enough" you are very pissed off by the
> actual punk/hc scene. Is the scene really that bad??  What are the
> problems in the punk/hc scene??

- Yeah, I mean "Enough" was a conceptual record, not all our stuff will
be about the scene. We just wanted to vent some anger. There's a lot of
good things about it, but there's a lot of bullshit going on. Everyone
can read the lyrics in the record and see what issues we are pointing
out.

> What do you think about politics?? I didn't see any political
> statement in your lyrics. Doesn't politics matter you??

- I am active in politics. I mean, who isn't in this day and age?
There's been some big wake up calls for those who've slacked. I'm sure
some stuff will come out in future records. Like I said before, with
"Enough" we were writing on a specific concept.

> Many american punks are patriotic. Are you patriotic too?? What does 
> patriotism mean to you??

- Well, I can't speak for everyone in the band here - so I'm only
speaking for myself. I'm registered as a Libertarian - I'm Patriotic in
the sense that I believe in the US Constitution and what it lays out. I
love my life, and I love where I live. There's a lot of positive things
about America, and there's a lot of negative things, too. But EVERY
country has it's good and bad things. I think we need some major reforms
and restructuring in the country to get things back to how they are
supposed to be. It's easy for things to get out of control- the US is so
huge, and there are big differences in the population and attitudes in
the different geographical areas of the country. In general, we are also
a young country that's going through some major growing pains. I also
think that big business is fucking a lot of things up.

> What do you think about the war on iraq and what do you think about
> the german and french standpoint in this war??

- I'm torn on it. My sister is actually out there. I think we went in
there for the wrong reasons, at least initially, but I hope that the
outcome is good for the people. But its always that question of do the
ends justify the means? Most of the Iraqi people seem happy that Saddam
is gone. So I hope that they get to form a government for themselves, by
themselves, that works for them. It's a complex issue. Im more concerned
about the UN than Germany or France individually - the UN seems like a
big clusterfuck - I mean the UN had Iraq in charge of the commission on
disarmament? What does that tell you? No wonder things cant progress
diplomatically at times. I could ramble on about all this stuff for
hours - so if ya'll see me at a show feel free to come up and discuss
things. Man, you are asking some heavy questions and I'm trying my best
not to give you thesis sized answers!

> What do you think about the D.I.Y. Idea??

- I full-heartedly embrace, support, and promote that idea and DIY
endeavors. I think everyone in the band feels that way.

> The only well-known american fanzine here in germany is the Maximum 
> Rock'n'Roll and the Profane Existence. Are there more fanzines out
> there??

- There's plenty out there. But isn't half the fun of things hunting
them down? I wont make it any easier for you. haha.

> What are your 5 favorite Records in the moment and which bands do you
> listen to??

- Well, right now I'm actually listening to a lot of mix CD's that I've
made from albums and CD's that I OWN - I don't support bootlegging or
downloading from artists (especially indie artists). But what I've been
listening to a lot as far as punk/hardcore albums are: Blast "Power of
Expression" LP (they are an old LA punk band), Cro-Mags "Age of
Quarrel", Zeke "Death Alley", Scissorfight, and Nashville Pussy "Let
them Eat Pussy" - if you asked me my five favorite bands/records of all
time, that would be a different story!

> What was the last record you bought and what was the last show you
> visited??

- The last record I bought actually was Black Flag "Damaged" on CD
because I only had it on vinyl, and was out and fiending to hear it. 
The last show I went to was Motorhead - they played out here last week
and still kick ass!

> What do you think about drugs?? 

- None of us do them. But if you want
to, it's your life. I don't stigmatize people for that shit. But if
someone close to me has a problem with drugs or whatnot, I'd sure as
hell sit down with them and try to straighten them out.

> Ok, that's it. Thank you very much for the interview. Some last
words??

- Thanks a lot for the interview. People can find out more online at -
www.rahji.com/civildefense or write us at Civil Defense/423 Brookline
Ave. #275/Boston, MA 02215/USA