Originally published in Verbicide issue #22

Revelation Records Publishing, 250 pages, trade paperback, $15.00

The Anti-Matter Anthology: A 1990s Post-Punk & Hardcore Reader compiles the best interviews from Norman Brannon’s early- to mid-‘90s zine, Anti-Matter. A lot of people try to conduct interviews, but there are few who pull it off well by probing their subjects with thoughtful questions, getting past the surface of the performer or public figure and exposing the human element and the belief system that makes them who they are. I personally enjoyed excellent interviews with J. Robbins of Jawbox, photographer Glen Friedman, Ian MacKaye, Dave Smalley, and a rare interview with Sunny Day Real Estate. The interview with Snapcase was probably the first I’ve ever read, despite that I was a big fan circa Progression Through Unlearning. And reading Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against The Machine rattle off the facts of the 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Reservation that sent Leonard Peltier to life in prison is outstanding. There are also good interviews with bigger-name acts, including Rancid, Sick Of It All, and the late Elliott Smith, a bunch of bands I never cared about like Samiam and Quicksand, and some “shocking” revelations from some straightedge icon who performed with a hangover a couple times. Also, more Hare Krishna jibber-jabber than you could ever possibly care to read. Overall, though, a study in excellent music journalism.