JOHN JOSEPH On Straight-Edge Lifestyle, CRO-MAGS' Enduring Influence

TeamGoon.com conducted an interview with former CRO-MAGS frontman John Joseph about Joseph's autobiography, "Evolution of a Cro-Magnon". An excerpt from the chat follows below.

TeamGoon.com: Earlier you mentioned that you were living kind of a straight-edge lifestyle. What did you think of the younger bands coming up in New York that came after you guys?

Joseph: Fucking preachy, thinking they're better than everybody else and half of them are doing drugs now. You can't judge people and think that you're better than everybody else. I accepted the positivity, but like I said I don't need to wear my shit like a badge. Like this is what I'm into and think you're better than everybody else in the movement. That shit was doomed. Ian's [MacKaye of MINOR THREAT] still fucking straight edge and vegan, but I was like, "You created a fucking monster" to him. A lot of those kids. . . I accept the positivity of it, but a lot of them were fucking douche bags. Where the fuck are they now? Just like all of those Krishna bands that said I was bogus because I outed the bogus dudes that were running the Hare Krishna movement. Where are those dudes now? Cheating on their wives, beating their wives, allowing fucked up shit to go on. So it's like you don't need to think you're better than everyone else. Fucking do your think and like KRS ONE says, "Real bad boys move in silence." I've got friends that are Navy Seals and black belts, world class fighters. They don't go around bragging. Empty barrels make most noise.

TeamGoon.com: Why do you think the CRO-MAGS have been so influential throughout the years?

Joseph: Regardless of whatever went down between the band members that record captured a certain time period when . . . I can speak for me, Mackie, and Harley. We were really going through some shit and it came off on the lyrics and the record. I mean Parris was there too. He wrote the record. It just captured a bleep in time and the lyrics and the message of the band. . . What we were going through and it was timeless. It's a timeless thing. So as long as you come out and you respect the arts, respect the muse. You do it right. That's why I do triathlons. That's why I do what I do. I don't want to be old saying, "Sorry, my knee hurts tonight. Otherwise I'd be going off." I don't do drugs. I train every day almost. It's for that. You respect the arts, you respect the music, you respect whatever you're into.

TeamGoon.com: What do you think the greatest contribution that the CRO-MAGS have made to music has been?

Joseph: People coming up to me a lot, saying, "Thanks a lot; The music really helped me." That's it. Anybody that's been helped out by my album, anybody that's been helped out by my book. We never preached at people. We just said, "This is what we went through. Here's how we related. Take what you want." There's different levels of meaning for different people. Some people ain't gonna go look into the spiritual depth of what was behind everything but that's cool too. If that's all you want to take from it that's cool. There's a lot of people that wondered what was up with the whole philosophy of it and that's what's up.

Read the entire interview at TeamGoon.com.

Mike of BrooklynRocks caught up with John Joseph on June 19, 2008 at the release party for Joseph's autobiography, "Evolution of a Cro-Magnon", at The Delancey in New York City. John spoke about the new book, his new band BLOODCLOT, his views on the current musical and cultural scene and his plans for the future. Watch the 12-minute chat below.