Brob's Tilt! fanzine

Ludichrist (interview Tilt! #2)

Short interview with Tommy ‘Christ’ * 1986

(translation below)

You people probably all read the review of the ‘Ludichist’ tape in De Nieuwe Koekrand [Dutch fanzine]. After that much praise, I just had to contact these guys. Unfortunately their tape has sold out but don’t worry: they recorded an LP that will soon be released by Combat Core recs.

A little interview…

HISTORY: A long time ago on Long Island there were a guitarist (Mark Durnex) and a drummer (Al ‘Batross’) that jammed together and wrote a few songs. They found a singer (Chud) and a bassist (Chuck Valle), and called themselves ‘Intestinal Militia’. Later Tommy ‘Christ’ started to sing and ‘Ludichrist’ could start doing gigs. They went into studio (June ‘85), added a second guitarist (Glen) and got back behind the mxing-desk in November ‘85. This all resulted in ‘The Demo’.

TILT!: Who play in ‘Ludichrist’?

Christ: Tommy ‘Christ’ (vocals), Glen Cummings (lead-guitar), Joe Butcher (guitar), Chuck Valle (bass), Al ‘Batross’ (drums [also ‘M.D.C.’]).

TILT!: What does the name stand for?

Christ: Al thought of the name…

TILT!: Have you played in other bands?

Christ: Yes, we all have played in silly bands before. Glen played for ‘Horror Planet’ at one time and these put out an EP.

TILT!: When did you start?

Christ: We’ve been going since March ‘85.

TILT!: How do yourselves describe your music?

Christ: Loud, fast, aggressive, powerful hardcore rock’n’roll.

TILT!: Tell us a bit about the es New York hardcore-scene?

Christ: It’s a very big scene, where people play different styles and you can have lots of fun.

TILT!: Are you guys in N.Y. in touch with Californian bands?

Christ: Some of them, yes, but Californa is 3000 miles away.

TILT!: What do people in the U.S. know about European hardcore-bands?

Christ: Everyone knows the big bands such as ‘Exploited’ (?), ‘UK Subs’, ‘Cheetah Chrome Motherfuckers’, ‘B.G.K.’, etc.

TILT!: What are your plans for the future?

Christ: There’s gonna be a live-tape by CBGBs and our LP will be out shortly.

TILT!: Gigs?

Christ: We’ll be doing a U.S. tour soon and perhaps we’ll play outside of the U.S. in the future.

The band says that they want to express their feelings and energy in their music. “We’re inspired by the things we see. We hate oppression and deceit. Other things, like god and soup, make us laugh. The meaning of life is to have as much fun as possible. If there’s really something wrong, then we have to speak up. If we don’t do it, who will …?”

The lyrics are about catholicism (God Is Everywhere / Blown In The Arms of Christ / Immaculate Deception), multinationals (There’s No Place For Sentiment In Big Business), pollution (Government Kids / Tylenol), oppression (Murder Bloody Murder), society and morals (Young , White And Well Behaved / Only As Directed), and are piece by piece very sarcastic and cynical.

For info, write:

LUDICHRIST – P.O. Box 3407 – Farmingdale – NY 11735 (USA)