Youth Defense League (U.S.A.)

Is there any filmmaterial from Y.D.L.?

I do not know, I just found this radio interview some time ago.

Probably the firt RAC band in the USA.

Probably. I read an old interview with them in which they said they had plans to appear on one of
the No Surrender-compilations, also I heard they were good friends with Brutal Attack etc. as one of their band members was
originally from England I think.
What is funny is, that actually quite a few NYHC-bands back in those days liked to play with a little bit
of RAC/"right-wing" image. Warzone for example, YDL used to play with them, there is a picture of an old flyer
somewhere on one of their cds with a white fist on it and the words skinhead security with S in runes/ancient sigmas.
Maybe they thought that was part of the skinhead image and very hard, a band like Warzone played for squatters and
the likes of those, they were antiracist, so that is quite funny and confusing.
Members of Agnostic Front and a few other bands would also wear Skrewdriver-shirts etc. Imagine that today!

I'm really into all those old (and some new) HC/ NYCHC bands. Warzone are one of my favs.
There's a new book: Vol. 2 of the NYC HC book, with a lot of interviews. You can read, that YDL were a part of that NYC scene, and also anarcho and left wing bands/ people. There was no homogen scene - but unity?!

Well, it really seems they were all part of one scene, guess NY was different from the rest of the world then
and actually I belive that most NY bands just wanted to shock with "RAC"-lyrics (not YDL though).
Remember the horrible shit band Biohazard and their Demo with "WP-lyrics", as they say.
They embraced hip-hop later on, got famous through MTV and their bandleader is a jewish porn movie actor.
Then take Carnivore, although they were more metal, their first lp I believe is a classic, real savage atmosphere,
they had triskelons everywhere and songs like "Jesus Hitler" or "Race war". More of a joke, I think or maybe
being pissed off by some things. Agnostic Front had a song "Public assistance" against social welfare and of course Billy Milano
pissed off people with songs like "Speak english or die". I really really think they just wanted to shock and did not take the whole
thing too serious themselves.
I mean, look who they were or who they hung out with.
Maybe YDL was the only serious band about that topic, but maybe with a "USA-point of view".

You must know better, I did not read those books, but I like some old NYHC.
Sheer Terror are still the best for me when it comes to NYHC, they managed to piss off EVERYONE, I love them, haha!
Gorilla Biscuits was a great band too! I prefer that 1988 Youth-Crew sound anyway.

For hardcore in general I must say that there seems to have been a big revival some years ago.
I like some newer bands, Champion for example were really cool. Pointing Finger and The First Step are good too!
In My Eyes from Boston, THEY WERE AWESOME !!!!!!
For the lyrics, they are not always speaking to me exactly, haha, but who cares......


What I do not like at all is that new trendy crap that is more Death Metal than hardcore to me.
Awful shit !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stephanos wrote:Well, it really seems they were all part of one scene, guess NY was different from the rest of the world then
and actually I belive that most NY bands just wanted to shock with "RAC"-lyrics (not YDL though).
Remember the horrible shit band Biohazard and their Demo with "WP-lyrics", as they say.
They embraced hip-hop later on, got famous through MTV and their bandleader is a jewish porn movie actor.
Then take Carnivore, although they were more metal, their first lp I believe is a classic, real savage atmosphere,
they had triskelons everywhere and songs like "Jesus Hitler" or "Race war". More of a joke, I think or maybe
being pissed off by some things. Agnostic Front had a song "Public assistance" against social welfare and of course Billy Milano
pissed off people with songs like "Speak english or die". I really really think they just wanted to shock and did not take the whole
thing too serious themselves.
I mean, look who they were or who they hung out with.
Maybe YDL was the only serious band about that topic, but maybe with a "USA-point of view".

You must know better, I did not read those books, but I like some old NYHC.
Sheer Terror are still the best for me when it comes to NYHC, they managed to piss off EVERYONE, I love them, haha!
Gorilla Biscuits was a great band too! I prefer that 1988 Youth-Crew sound anyway.

For hardcore in general I must say that there seems to have been a big revival some years ago.
I like some newer bands, Champion for example were really cool. Pointing Finger and The First Step are good too!
In My Eyes from Boston, THEY WERE AWESOME !!!!!!
For the lyrics, they are not always speaking to me exactly, haha, but who cares......
U

What I do not like at all is that new trendy crap that is more Death Metal than hardcore to me.
Awful shit !!!!!!!!!!!!!

You're right and i agree in the most points!
But why do you think YDL were so much more serious on that RAC thing than the others?
Did YDL ever play outside NY? Were some bandmembers active in politics?
I'm really interested in!

Off topic: i like the youth crew sound too and can't wait to see gorilla biscuits this year again. Even Up Front are playing one festival gig in Germany this year. And i hope Ray Cappo will come back with Shelter.

Well, first of all, of course, I believe YDL´s version of RAC was more or less strict anti-communism
and less the racial issues, in old interviews that I read it appears like that to me.
With more serious I mean that maybe the connection to the die-hard RAC scene in Europe was
stronger through their english bandmember, I have no clue what the rest of the band was like.
They were sending regards to Skrewdriver and Brutal Attack one one of the NYHC-compilations
(I think on "NYHC-The way it is") and I also read somewhere that when Brutal Attack toured in America
in ´93 still that english guy would go to one of the gigs to meet the people.
(That is what I heard, correct me if I´m wrong).
So I think the connection was more real, the other bands might have flirted with the image, but more
for shocking people. It just appears like that to me, you know?

I did not know that GB were playing in Germany this year, never seen them play before!

I don't want to correct you, maybe you're completly right. Yes, they did send regards to RAC in the booklet of that compilation and in the linernotes you can read, that all bands were friends, or at least well known to Revelation Records/ themselfs.
I only thought so, 'cause they were def. part of that NYC scene, but also left wing/ non whites too. Maybe you're right, strictly anticommunist, less a racial message. I'm interested in those old interviews. Can i find them online, or in which fanzines?

GB did some european gigs in 2007 in this year in april too. They play the Groezrock Festival in Belgium and 2 gigs in Germany, maybe some more, don't know.

The two interviews that I have are from local German fanzines (1990s), that stole and translated them into German from the old SCHISM-zine and the British B+H mag.
Of course you are right, they were part of that scene, no doubt about that!
Maybe the political fronts were not existing back then the way they already existed in Europe.

Thing that sums it up best I think that I foundon the web is this (it is from some blog):

"YDL - a bunch of racists, right? Let's see...

YDL had a member by the name of Nadeem Haj who was from the Middle East. Rishi Puntes was from Spain. YDL - a multicultural racist Skinhead Band?

Don't get me wrong. Of course they were fencewalkers and everything, but so many people in the NY scene back then used WP, Skrewdriver shirts and shit for shock value or whatever. Things weren't always just black and white these days.

Nevertheless, do-gooders who can't cope with that, quit hardcore. Hardcore isn't politically correct, never was and never will be. Hardcore is a place where you don't belong. Without you, a scene less hypocritical could evolve and that sounds just too good!"


"Anonymous said...

I went to school in Brooklyn, NY with both Rishi Puntes (actually originally from Spain) and Nadeem Haj, their bass player, who was of Middle Eastern origin. Rishi initially was the first punk rocker I ever met. He had a 2 foot mohawk at 12 years old, but eventually traded that look in for the boots and braces style once joining YDL. Neither Rishi or Nadeem were fascists, racist, or whatever."

"Anonymous said...

I was there. I knew these guys.

"Voice of Brooklyn" is a slightly modified Skrewdriver cover. Nuff said there.

I got very, very drunk with English Nick (vocals)and the guys from Brutal Attack at the largest WP music fest on the East Coast ...Pennsylvannia...I think it was 92.

YDL was YDL. The only serious WP was English Nick, but they were all far from SHARPS. Back in those days. Of course, things were different. A NY Skin back in the 80s / early 90s could sieg heil, scream "white power!" and go fag bashing one minute, then go have a beer with Charlie Hankins and a Jewish punk rocker at a matinee the next minute.

Go figure.

Now I am just an old guy. I was looking up old friends for nostalgia, and I find they are at the center of a raging debate. As if what a bunch of screwed up teenagers believed 25 years ago matters. Here's a hint: If you like the music, be it Skrewdriver or Crass (or YDL) enjoy it. If it sucks, don't listen to it. If you disagree with it politically, enjoy it all the more cos it makes you think.

The irony is that the SHARP types are the REAL fascists cos they are the ones who are bothered by this nonsense and try to "Wipe out" any band that is not politically correct."


Source:

http://mikesangle.blogspot.com/2008/02/youth-defense-league-interview-on-wnyu.html


I know of the GB 2007 tour, a friend was there at some gigs, I could not go.
Maybe I am lucky this year !!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrfO7z3irk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi2Z6SeuihA