I'm certain most Philly folks know about the Ruin reunion show this Saturday, August 31 at Union Transfer. You may not know that I'll have a small table there selling L!F!P! shirts. Come up and say hi! If you want a shirt, score one while they're still available. Some sizes are starting to run low.

I'm also hoping to conduct one, possibly two, interviews that day. I hope they work out, as I've been wanting to speak to both individuals for some time.

See you there!

The results came back from the doctor:
You do not have an allergy to gluten.
You are just an adult-sized baby in need of diaper change.

I will open a cupcake truck to cater to your needs. Like the theory that propels sales of homeopathy, the less of something you consume, the more effective it is. Thus, my cupcake truck will sell nothing, which is the least amount of less, and you can pay a premier price for this and know there are no allergens present in my [invisible] cupcakes.

I recently conducted what will likely stand as one of the most popular interviews of this project. I spoke with Dan Yemin, a Philly scene vet who's played in three of the most popular hardcore bands of the last couple decades: Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, and Paint It Black (along with other bands of note). Dan was kind enough to write a paragraph about L!F!P! on the Paint It Black Facebook page, so I thought I'd share it as his words mean a lot to me.

Dan wrote: 

"This is worth checking out and checking into, not so much because of Dan's interview, but because this whole project is pretty crucial and inspirational. It's an interview archive addressing the history of Philadelphia punk/hardcore, especially the DIY variety. The project as a whole is refreshing and invigorating in the face of the proliferation of documentaries in which punk veterans complain about how punk ended or became irrelevant after they dropped out. All history is revisionist to some extent, but Loud! Fast! Philly! shows history for what it really is: multiple narratives, multiple truths. Drink deep!"

Once upon a time a man suspected of being the Unibomber, then a terrorist spreading anthrax, drew a picture of me with a lightbulb protruding from my stomach, a reaching six-fingered hand-wang, and lady-breasts. That man was the writer William T. Vollman, whose article about being under FBI surveillance was published today in Harper's magazine and online (behind a pay wall). 
Here's an NPR piece from this morning about Vollmann and his relationship with the Feds.
I've long been an admirer of Vollman's brilliant and provocative writing. In 1994 I had the opportunity to interview him in Philadelphia for issue #5 of my long-defunct publication NO LONGER A FANzine. It was then he drew the picture of me that I'll always treasure. This is a photograph of its reproduction in my 'zine. The real drawing is in my archives. Cheers to Vollman for calling out the decidedly unAmerican activities of those who suspected him of domestic terrorism. Vollmann is a seeker and a man of empathy and vision. The only scutiny he should be subjected to is his writing should be widely read and appreciated.