Paci-fascist and proud of it

>> At the Drive-In's Cedric Bixler on mosh pits, selling out and nature-boy Iggy Pop

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

Signing to a major, for a punk band, invariably invites the poised and ready sellout finger. With all of the hoopla over Texas radical punks At the Drive-In signing on with Beastie-label Grand Royal, an EMI subsidiary, that finger is in full effect.

"People have this punk rock Koran that I have never seen a copy of," says singer Cedric Bixler. "In the indie scene they have all of these rules and dos and don'ts and just general snobbery and I couldn't really give a fuck about it. We have never carried a flag and championed this anti-major-label thing. Half the kids that bitch about major labels have record players made by Sony, microwaves from large corporations, the gasoline they use in their cars and so on."

One thing At the Drive-In do try to champion is a strict no-moshing-at-their-shows policy. Hand-picked by Rage Against the Machine as the opening band on their last tour, ATDI have picked up a new-found jock quotient of moshers to their own shows. Taking a Fugazi-like stance against mosh pits, ATDI will do everything in their power to prevent a pit happening during a show. "We have to stop songs because of that all of the time. Moshing or whatever is such an archaic form that has nothing to do with what punk is all about anymore. For me, it's something you learn off of the TV and if you're learning it off of the TV then it's really counter-revolutionary.

"I don't want macho, boy-oriented people at our shows. I want people to know that at our shows it's a gender-free place. If people say we're ripping off Fugazi, I have to ask if that's such a bad thing. Is fascist pacifism such a bad thing? Because I don't think it is. I became immersed in this subculture for a reason, and with this rap-metal, New York hardcore scene and the straight-edge scene making it cool to beat the shit out of people, I feel I have a right to say that it's not cool."

Already receiving some of the benefits of major distribution, ATDI have been the hot support act for a lot of big tours, got remixed by Mike D of the Beastie Boys and even had the godfather of punk himself, Iggy Pop, make a guest appearance on their record. In the intro to "Enfilade," Iggy makes a cryptic crank call and says, "Hello, mother leopard. I have your cub. You must protect her..." and goes on from there.

"Iggy came down to check out the studio that we were recording at and when we were talking to him, he was saying his lifelong aspiration was to narrate Wild Kingdom and National Geographic documentaries. So it just came together really well." :

With Murder City Devils and International Noise Conspiracy at Club Soda on Monday, Oct. 23, 8pm, $12