I’m a huge Russ Rankin fan. I love Good Riddance, Only Crime. and his recent solo songs. So you can only imagine my excitement when I got a chance to interview him.
We discuss all things music, politics, Music 4 Cancer, straight edge, veganism and more. You can check out my interview here.
DS: So far you’ve posted some new solo songs on MySpace. Are you planning a release anytime soon?
Russ: I would love to release an album of my solo material. I need to finish writing a few more songs and I need to find a label willing to release it. It’s definitely my plan but as of yet I have no label.
DS: What can fans expect from these new batches of songs?
Russ: I’m hoping that my passion for empowering people socially & politically will still be a major part of what I write about along with some more personal stuff (relationships etc).
DS: Only Crime’s latest album was 2007’s “Virulence.” Are you planning on touring / writing new music with Only Crime anytime soon?
Russ: Only Crime is currently working on material for a new album which we should be finishing up by August. We always love to play shows but with everyone living in different states and all of us super busy with various projects, jobs, family etc it’s difficult for us to tour as much as we’d like. That being said, once we have a new release I’m sure we’d be out supporting it as much as possible.
DS: One of my favorite Good Riddance songs is “A Credit to His Gender.” I love it particularly because it has narration from both a male / female perspective which is rare in music unless it’s from a purely superficial standpoint. What do think about women’s role in the punk scene?
Russ: I think it has always mirrored women’s various roles in society in that it has progressed slowly but lagged behind men. I always love bands with women in them or when women promote shows or do sound at venues, etc. I respect women who are able to make their way or find their niche in the scene because I know how difficult it is.
DS: It’s seems rather male dominated at times. Why do think that is?
Russ: I don’t know. Again I think it’s an unconscious mirroring of inherent societal roles that we inherit from our parents or from the world at large.
DS: Do you find that you are able to identify with the current Hardcore / Punk Rock bands?
Russ: Not really. I have a low tolerance now for a lot of the music which seems to be popular now but at the same time I understand that music is a cyclical thing and this time belongs to people younger than me and I don’t have any desire to be judgmental or tear anybody down. I wonder sometimes how these guys would handle touring without the Internet or cell phones the way we did for so long but it’s irrelevant.
DS: What do you think of the Obama Administration?
Russ: It’s about what I expected. I’m a registered Green so I voted for Cynthia McKinney but I was hopeful that the President would pursue the platform he outlined in his book “The Audacity Of Hope” and unfortunately it hasn’t been the case. Much like Bill Clinton, who was never more than a moderate Republican masquerading as a Democrat, I see the current President forsaking what we might call his “base” in order to protect the interests of America’s corporate elite. Unfortunately I think a lot of Americans still believe they only have two parties to choose from and so consequently this is what we get.
DS: In other interviews you’ve mentioned that you’re a strong supporter of The Green Party. Do you think third parties will ever be able to compete in the current two-party-system that is held in place by money and oligarchy?
Russ: Not if we keep playing along and allowing ourselves to be marginalized into buying into the so-called “two party” system. I don’t consider the Greens or Libertarians “third parties.”
DS: I watched the documentary film “Edge The Movie” which you were featured in recently. I found myself being able to identify with your perspective the most out of all of the Straight Edgers. As a straight edger myself, I feel like sometimes people like to label themselves that for the wrong reasons. Not because their heart’s in it, but because they think it makes them cool. Sometimes I feel like Straight Edge in music subcultures is abused like the term “Christian Music” because they know they have a built in audience so they take advantage. What are your thoughts on this?
Russ: I agree and I think that a lot of straight edge kids (including me) are too willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. Bands can take advantage of that I think because they know that lots of edge kids are trusting almost to the point of gullibility.
DS: What are some positive and negative things you see in the punk scene?
Russ: I don’t even really see anything I’d call a scene anymore. Once this music and lifestyle allowed itself to be co-opted by the mainstream culture industry I think it became just another vacant commodity. I suppose it was inevitable and like I mentioned earlier things will always change and there will never be a sustained utopia.
DS: With the answers to that question in mind, how do think we’ll resolve the problems and make sure the good aspects continue?
Russ: No idea. I think I’m probably too old and out of touch to have a decent perspective on what’s passing for a punk scene these days so my answers would be impractical and totally out of context.
DS: What are some steps aside from going Vegan that you think every person should take to improve themselves and the world around them?
Russ: First of all I think it’s important to say that I don’t believe myself or anyone else ought to be able to tell other people how to live their lives. That being said I do believe that the benefits, both personally and environmentally of adopting a vegan lifestyle far outweigh any negatives anyone could come up with. I’m mildly optimistic about the way things are going and I have seen a great deal of positive change and awareness since I went vegan way back when and it’s becoming less of a fringe thing which is cool. I’m hoping it’ll go the way of smoking, where less and less people are doing it or willing to tolerate it and we as a species will eventually just take it as a matter of course.
DS: In a world that’s overloaded with media and information how do you manage to narrow it down, find truth and make informed decisions in your life or politically speaking?
Russ: I think it’s up for debate whether I actually do that – a lot of people vehemently disagree with my politics and that’s okay. I think the first fact one has to accept is that the United States no longer has a free press and so it follows that the more news we can check out from other functional democracies the better. I read a lot of news from the UK, Canada and western European countries. For instance, I’m in Canada at the moment where they are gearing up for a Federal election next month (May) and it’s fascinating to observe how different the press is up here. There are five major parties in Canada including the Green Party and every day on the news they are talking to members of all of these parties and listing the cities where these five party leaders will be speaking. Also there are posters all over the city with the names and faces of each riding’s MP candidates from each party. We need to demand that the systems of information in our country (which were built at public expense) be returned to us. Bill Clinton turned them over to the elite class in 1996 with The Telecommunications Act and they have been used since then purely for marginalization and indoctrination so that now we have a very myopic and dogmatic view of the rest of the world and our (America’s) place in it. Most Americans still believe they only have two political parties to choose from and it’s not by accident. We have the apparatus in place to make real changes but we’re so effectively marginalized and numb that we don’t do anything with it.
DS: What do think about the current state of the music industry and file sharing?
Russ: I don’t really have an opinion on it. In some ways it’s fucked and in other ways it’s kind of cool in a DIY sort of way. If I was focused and obsessed with money I might have a different opinion. If I had children I might have a different opinion. Who knows.
DS: What’s one of the best experiences you’ve had while playing music?
Russ: Having the opportunity to see the world and have my eyes opened to so much and being able to touch so many people’s lives in what I hope have been positive ways.
DS: What 3 albums would your music collection not be complete without?
Russ: Adolescents first album, Psychedelic Furs “All Of This And Nothing,” The Pogues “Rum, Sodomy & The Lash”
DS: What reading material would you recommend?
Russ: I love reading anything by Noam Chomsky or Cornell West. Also anything by Linh Dinh or Chris Hedges. For recreation I’m a sucker for John Grisham.
DS: You’re playing some shows in support of the Music 4 Cancer project. How did you get involved and do you have any future plans regarding it?
Russ: They used a song from the band I used to play with for their compilation CD and they sort of sponsored the Tony Sly show I was part of in Montreal last night. Jay seems really passionate and genuine and I love it when people stop to consider music as something more powerful than just entertainment.
DS: You hold the position of California/Western United States Regional Scout for the ‘Kootenay Ice’, a hockey team that competes in the Western Hockey League. What draws you to Hockey?
Russ: I think it’s a combination of the speed, grace and violence. I absolutely love it. I also think that most hockey players, especially those playing in the NHL are some of the most down to earth, selfless professional athletes anywhere. The game fascinates me and the more I learn the more I love it. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain.
DS: You also work as a producer. What are some things you’ve produced?
Russ: Producer gigs have been few and far between but I have done a few things. The most recent thing I did was an album by a local Santa Cruz area band called “Los Dryheavers.”
DS: What’s your favorite vegan meal and / or treat?
Russ: I don’t really eat ever but I like Alternative Baking Company’s vegan cookies.
DS: Is there anything you’d like to add or tell the readers of Dying Scene?
Russ: Please check out my solo stuff on MySpace and hopefully I’ll find a label soon to put something out.