Recent interview subject Stacey Finney nee Gold sent me the below message on Facebook earlier today and I thought I'd share it with you, Dear Reader and Listener, since it acts as a sort of addendum to her interview. Please note that this is a direct lift from what she wrote and I did not copyedit her writing.

Stacey Finney nee Gold:

"As I sift through all of the L!F!P! interviews, I’ve been thinking about the common theme that weaves through these conversations and the relationship to the duration of hardcore/punk, the whole DIY thing and why HC/Punk continues to be so influential amongst youth, especially. While it has certainly been touched on, the idea of critical thinking hasn’t been pointed out specifically. In hindsight of our interview and hearing most of the others, I realized (though already knew on a subconscious level) that the common denominator that keeps this thing alive is that it opens youth up to critical thinking during a time where they are most open and vulnerable to such an experience. It’s a hungry time for the mind! The HC/Punk music itself challenges one to look at things through a different lens. The fury of it all! The sound, the speed, the rawness, begs to be heard and questioned...Lyrically it isn’t the typical Rock and Roll experience of sex, lost love and drugs. The themes are so varied and unlike anything being shoved down throats through sub par radio and media. Not only does the music influence one’s view, but the culture of the scene as a whole seems to impact one’s overall mental experience. Through music, a whole other world is exposed via movies, literature and politics, and people! (As there is certainly diversity) At a time of development when youth are sponges and beginning to question the self and the world around, it seems a perfect melding for those who have a thirst for out of the ordinary, meaningful engagement. Clearly critical thinking is lost on at least half the population (which might explain the douche bags who come to shows to fight and inflict injury in the pit). For those who “get it”, it’s a place to be actively involved, explore and expand thinking. Unlike any other genre of music in the last 40 years, HC/Punk seems (in my estimation anyway) to truly offer a unique opportunity to youth that isn’t found anywhere else. When I taught middle school and then at the college level, the one thing I understood about learning is that people of all ages crave to be actively involved in their learning and thrive on what they gain from the interaction with others (social learning, Vygotsky...look him up). My feeling is that for those who are capable and desiring to experience life with a deeper meaning will naturally gravitate to an alternative life style. The one thing I noticed from the interviews is the majority of participants are intelligent, thinking people who truly have something to offer in terms of perspective and commonalities of experience. Maybe there is something to it and not just an idealistic view held by sentiment."