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We
suggested some topics fro discussion to an imaginary friend
of ours - an aspiring alter ego - who made some equally imaginary
questions.
If you feel curiosity, have questions or perplexities about
Kafka, tell us. Demetrio is always ready to play a bit with
them...
1) Demetrio: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?
1) Kafka: Even if we should disillusion you, Demetrio, we
must "confess" that the choice to make and play
hardcore was more the result of a series of coincidences rather
than a decision consciously made, maybe supported by those
political- ideological motivations one might expect to find.
They actually arrived later. We formed in 1994 thanks to the
usual ads you find in the boards of music shops and reharse
rooms.
The punk hardcore we had in mind at the beginning was simply
a "noisy" and "heavy" music.You might
consider them as generical adjectives, but ones you can't
do without, if you consider that during our first reharsals
we played everything: Bad Religion, Nirvana, Metallica, CCCP
and others. Someone of the band desired playing metal stuff,
someone else was ::::::::::::: because of the cliché
- not only musical - typical of rockers, someone else again
wanted to write lyrics and to sing being neither a poet nor
having a "golden" voice. The hardcore we play today
is the result of a slow and continuing evolution, both in
our attitude and in our music.
2) Demetrio: BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB?
2) Kafka: The name Kafka was chosen because we quickly needed
to find a name. In our first month of "pre-kafkian"
life, we changed so many names: at every rehersal we had a
different one, and we'd better not even mention them.
Then one day, Luca (the bass player) and Alejandro (the guitar
player) came to rehearse wearing a smile and proposing: Kafka
band. The singer was immediately enthusiastic because of his
passion for literature; the drummer considered Kafka an original
name. And so we started naming us Kafka, actually Kafka band,
and we used this last part of the name until our first demotape
called "Tensione del Niente" (Tension of Nothing,
1995)... Kafka band's demo. Later The name Kafka showed to
be a good choice. We are a band whose lyrics are in italian
but we play many shows also abroad, so, how to say, an international
name, thou not english, was an ideal choice.
Well, someone also said our lyrics are somehow kafkian, in
the writer style... Who knows, maybe some of them may seem
so, but it sounds like one of those post mortem comments and
they are not very convincing.
3) Demetrio: CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC?
3) Kafka: Actually, with respect to our origins, we really
changed a lot. The reasons, you may imagine, are many and
different and often not following decisions made beforehand.
Consider that when we started, new school hardcore was emerging
and we had to cope with it; we can say we went into it and
through it. Our most "new school" experience was
our mcd "truths" (1999).
Why the new school choice? The metal origins of some of us
was for sure an important factor, moreover you must remeber
that we didn't directly experienced the golden years of hardcore
in the 80s (both the italian and the american one). Being
honest, we never shared the extreme and fashion-like excesses
of some of the new school branches (which in Italy stupidly
and superficially "copied" the north european scene,
the belgian one especially) and we never were on the point
of doing it... We always kept a simple and quiet attitude...
We always were ourselves. We assure you, anyway, that touring
abroad in the 90s it was almost impossible to avoid the influence
of band like Indecision, Congress, Primal Age, Course of Action,
when we played with them. We really liked new school (and
we still like it). We were mostly struck by it sound's impact,
it's rhythm, which in the end Kafka more or less tried to
recreate in their songs.
Nowadays we reached a more mature and personal sound and we
feel we can draw "inspiration" from where we prefer:
new and old school hardcore, punk, noise, death metal, rock
n' roll. Everything can be good... if it's good for us.
3.1) Demetrio: DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD?
3.1) Kafka: About the lyrics, you can almost clearly distinguish
two tendencies. The first one stronger at the beginning, was
introspective and personal, the second one, which has lately
been dominant, is socio-political. This changed is due on
the one hand to the exhaustion of the creative vein of the
first tendency, on the other hand it depends on the awareness
o fhaving gained a certain "authority" (which ourselves,
obviously). Thi sauthority is the result of many years of
action and events we took part in and promoted (social center
collective, gigs organizations, and benefit events), which
allow us to say what we think without blushing.
4) Demetrio: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE?
4) Kafka: You are using big words, dear Demetrio, noone in
Kafka follows the hardcore way of life bacause, thou it may
seem strange, we still don't really know what it is. It is
more honest and simple to say that, during the last years,
in the variegated hardcore world we met situations, ideas,
tendencies and attitudes - even contrasting sometimes - we
anyway made ours as individuals. It is true anyway, that being
part of the scene, we made some rather marked choices (in
good or evil). For example, we completely refuse copyright,
we chose DIY and still believe in it, we organized many hardcore
shows in an apathic city as Genoa, we also took part in and
organized benefit compilations and gigs, and lately we've
taken part in the publishing of the italian version of the
handbook explaining the ideas of Food Not Bombs. These ideas
got stronger and stronger with time and we somehow feel ideologically
responsible.
We don't like preaching from the stage - prophets are often
false. We always did what we liked and enjoyed it. It is a
pleasure we can look at ourselves in the mirrow and we are
not ashamed of our past.
5) Demetrio: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF?
5) Kafka: We usually prefer to take into consideration those
basic elements which theoretically at least, should unify
the scene. For this reason sometimes we have been defined
"too good". We know differences exist, but we don't
like instisting on that. This choice is firstly due to Kafka's
heterogeneous character (two of five are sxe for example)
and it probably depends even on our individual disposition,
which somehow lead us to build up - it was called unity -
rather than to divide and destroy.
Naturally, being forced to have a position, we don't like
certain wings in hardcore which are extremist and sectarian
(whatever their side is), and we don't like trendy and stylish
tendencies... they better fit other kind of music. After it
we can say we like confronting ourselves with all the ideas
which animate the scene, and maybe growing with and through
them. The important is that those who say certain things,
deeply believe in them (passion) and that they are supported
by clear and coherent ideas. Total refuse is obviously for
every kind of machism, homofobia, right winged political ideals.
In these cases, there's no chance for any contact.
6) Denetrio: GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG?
6) Kafka: Difficult question. Both in good and evil, we're
part of the scene and it is difficult to judge it from the
outside. Some friends of ours, who are not into hardcore,
sometimes consider us as "aliens", they hardly understand
the reason why we work so hard (organizing gigs for other
bands, very expensive tour...) without desiring a big success,
mtv, a huge contract with virgin or maybe sony... It's a matter
of values, priorities which are probably too different and,
therefore, difficult to explain or simply communicate. Anyway
we don't like imagining hardcore as a ghetto. We do what we
do 'cause we like it, we enjoy it and not because we feel
better or worse then other people who don't share our ideas
and choices. At the same times if you make certain decisions,
the risk of isolations exist. And then, what to do? We can
discuss, confront ourselves without prejudices, to a certain
extent, as I said before. There are, of course, barriers we
cannot forget: what's the use of talking to a nazi, for instance?
What's the use of talking to those who consider profit and
consumism as the most important things? Anyway we don't like
preaching to the flock. Hardcore is not a religion, it doesn't
need cards, thou is not only music. And this is its beauty,
after all. |
