Anti Flag Interview with Justin

Oberhausen Altenberg, Germany . 20.08.2003

Oliver (Punk76.com): You have a great label, called A-F Records. So, which criteria has a band to fullfill to get on your label?
Justin: Obviously it´s important that the band be good, that we think they sound good and make good music.But we also try to pick bands that we think have a social message; think that have a political idiologie behind them, because these things are important to us, so those things interest us and gain our attention.

Oliver: It makes me wonder , that you have so many music styles on your label (AF) like HC, Streetpunk and Skatepunk.
Justin: I think the reason that the bands on the label are diverses is because that each of us from the band like different styles ( Anti-flag runs the label together). We like all kinds of music, and i´m attracted to more than just one style of music and that seems to be the reason why the label has different bands on it.

Oliver: Seems that running a label is pretty much work. How much time do you spend for a-frecords?
Justin: When we´re at home we spend all day at the office and when we´re not at home i just left a computer while i just work on something, so it´s a lot of time running the label.

Oliver: Can you get rich trough running a label?
Justin: Maybe we could, but i don´t think so. Mostley we use the money that we make trough Anti-flag, wich is a lot and but it´s something that keeps the label going.There are a couple of bands like Virus nine, Endless struggle, Pipe down, The Code- those bands becoming more popular in the States, so i think there is a lot of potential there for the label, but none of these bands have really broken trough to a level like Anti-flag or Propagandhi or Millencolin or a band on that level.

Oliver: What does A-frecords stands for? Maybe for Anti-flag records?
Justin: Well, it actually stands for “ah..fuck!” but it also stands for Anti-flag records as well. We thought it is kind of funny.

Oliver: Yes, it is! Justin, how did that idea grow to do an solo-project under your name Justin Sane. So what´s behind it?
Justin: Actually i write a lot of songs on my own, wich i couldn´t do with Anti-flag. We don´t get to do every song that i write, so i just basically thought to do an side project on my own, just play guitar and sing. It´s a lot of fun for me. It´s not something that i do outside recording, i don´t have the time for it.

Oliver: Somehow your songs remind me on Dashboard confessioanl, just without piano or violins.
Something else: How did you all met?
Justin: Pat and me knew each other for a long time and we played together and started the band together. The time went on and different members came. But now we have Chris and #2 and that´s the basic line up.

Oliver: Does it helps beeing on Fat?
Justin: Fat is a great label. It´s an independent label wich cares more for the music than for the money. I think these things are important. I like beeing on Fat. It is very helpfull to be on a very good label.

Oliver: Does a major ever bugged you?
Justin: Yes, but we never signed to a major.

Oliver: Would you do it for money?
Justin: No, that´s a stupid reason to sign. I would sign to a major, if they could help to spread our message to a larger group of people. I would sign to a major label if i felt like it could make a big impact in the things that we want to do accomplish; if we could accomplish something socially to get our message out to a large group of people and be able to have a lot of influence. And if i felt like we can do this on a major label, maybe we consider, but at this point we´ve never had an offer that we felt like giving us the power to do that. A lot of people think they get rich trough a major label but often you get ripped off. I am very sceptical towards major labels because i think you give up a lot of power You have to be careful and make good choices.

Oliver: Can you tell me what the new Anti-flag record is about?
Justin:Yeah, we have recorded a new record on Fat, called “The terror state”. We are making a refference to the news media, cause everthing is terrorism, terrorism, terrorism!
We try to figure out who are the terrorist and who not. In the end it´s get´s up to everybody to make up their own mind. Anti-flag does not teach people how to see things or how things have to be, but it helps to evealuate things.

Oliver: Can you list some of your favourite bands, that you really like to listen to?
Justin: Bands that i like to listen to a lot are like Billy Brag, i like Liz Fair, i was also influenced by that old school punkrock thing, like The Clash or The Sex Pistols and Black Flag. Bands that i like to listen now a lot to are Saves the day, Whatever it takes and Hot water music. I´ve been recently listening to a lot of books on tape. I haven´t been listening to music that much recently, i also like Sherlock Holmes the famous detective- so i´ve been enjoying that and taking a little break from music. To be honest with you: I listen to the bands on a-frecords a lot.

Oliver: Do you intend to sign some skatepunk bands in the future ( like Much the same)?
Justin: Oh, right now i think that we have a very full rooster on the label, maybe we sign one or two bands a year. If we come across a band that´s really amazing than we probably sign them, but outside of that you won´t see a signing of new bands.

Oliver: There are so many cool bands that come from Chicago, like 504 Plan and many many others. Yesterday i saw a report about Chicago on television. Seems to be a pretty cool place to hang out!
Justin: Well...you know, as far as “hanging out”, just as you´re gonna hang out at the street ( people in Europe) like in a square with your friends or whatever: Europe is much better than America, cause in America not many people hang out on the streets and just talk and drink or.. you know? I just came from Italy and in Rome there´s the “Spanish steps” and everybody sit´s there and play´s guitar and sings. It´s very cool. We don´t really have anything like that in the States. But there are things in the States that we do have wich are very intersting and cool, they´re different kind of things. Well, in California people hang out at the beach and that kind of thing, but it´s not like it is on TV- hehe..

Oliver: David Hasselhoff and so on!
Justin: Yeah, totally Dude! To be honest with you: It´s much easier to spent time with people in Europe because in the States people- i guess stay to themselfes a little more, in Europe people are much more friendlier. But even like friends: Friends don´t hang out on the street, but in Europe it´s intersting like you see poeple at the Café and that kind of thing. People don´t really do that in the States. So, enjoy you´re for that reason.

Oliver: But that´s a little hard to understand, cause when i do contact people from the States, most of them a so nice and really friendly. Here in Germany i often recognized that lot´s of people wich are involved in Punkrock music really suck.
Justin: What i´m finding is that no matter where we go there are people that suck and people that are nice! Even in Italy; i was there for two weeks, some of the people was so friendly and welcome you and other people... You just ask them a question and they won´t even look at you; they just keep walking. I think you find that everywhere and Anti-flag remind people that there are good people and bad people everywhere and in the end we´re pretty much the same. No matter what country we are from, weather the colour of our skin, what kind of music we are into. That´s we´re so Anti-war, like we encourage people to work their problems out instead of killing each other.

Oliver: The last and a very serious question: How did you became so political?
Justin: Oh, my parents are very political and i was influenced by them very much. They really believed that you should try to make the world better for people who are less fortunate. But they also believed that you should not be used or manipulated by people for things that do not benifit you or things that hurt you or hurt others.

Oliver: Do you parents support you?
Justin: Yes, they are great. They´ve really been a big help for the band many times. They alway´s giving us money when we needed it and sometimes they didn´t have money and they borrow money and we still haven´t pay them back. But they´ve been very supportiv.

Oliver: Have they ever been with you in Europe?
Justin: No not in Europe, but maybe next tour my Dad will come.

Oliver: Ok, thank you for your time.

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