Episode 34 Norman Brannon. A Journey from New York Hardcore to Post Hardcore and Back.

Episode 34 Norman Brannon. A Journey from New York Hardcore to Post Hardcore and Back.

Norman’s story has more turns than most of our guests. But like many of our recent ones, it starts in a familiar place: Queens. From Queens, to the LES and the world of hardcore shows, Norman is someone who fell in love with the culture and street movement and found a family he was looking for within the NYHC world. He’d later find his way from bands and briefly starting a zine to becoming a Krishna Monk, which would later take him all over the country and world with Shelter. In the aftermath of touring, He’d create Anti Matter, the magazine that would change not only the way zines in the 90s read but the way that I personally saw how interviews could work. Though only a few issues, AntiMatter shaped many people’s perspective of the growing and changing hardcore world. So many prominent guests and deeper questions than your average fanzine of the time, AntiMatter was the high water mark for zines and its impact would have direct influence in how I do this very podcast. Norman would go on to create Texas Is The Reason and that band’s music was a huge inspiration and impact on me as well. There is alot in this story that I want to leave out of the description just so you’ll have to listen to the whole thing, but this is a fantastic story that goes many places more than you may think and Norman being in the center of so much of hardcore, punk and emo from 1986 to the present has such a great perspective and as a journalist as well, a truly powerful way to describe the culture and the going ons of the times. There is alot here and its real and deep and at times dark, but the story is truly inspiring and beautiful as well. I am indebted to have this time to talk to someone whose zine and music influenced me at an age where I was looking for things beyond what was already out in the world. This is chock full of history and insight and also a blueprint on how to not give up on yourself and find the strength to move forward and to create your own voice in the world through any means necessary.
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AntiMatter Instagram

Episode Opening Track
Time ” Burden” (Unreleased Track from Upcoming LP”)
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