In a new video interview with music journalist Joel Gausten, author Laura Lee Flanagan and her husband, CRO-MAGS frontman Harley Flanagan, discuss Laura‘s new book, “Hardcore Vegetarian: Welcome To The Vegedome!”, and the new documentary on Harley‘s life, “Harley Flanagan: Wired For Chaos”.
Recently published by Process Media, “Hardcore Vegetarian” is a cookbook full of plant-based meals and Laura‘s perspectives on adopting a largely vegetarian lifestyle thanks to her relationship with Harley, who stopped eating meat in the early 1980s. Built on the premise that “food is love,” the book’s tone is warm, welcoming, and nonjudgmental, delivered without the slightest hint of preachiness — perfect for anyone curious about incorporating more vegetarian options into their diet and ultimately making a positive impact on other animals and the planet.
“I try to be inclusive, because I do believe that food is love, and it’s the spirit of sharing and nurturing and giving your creativity to people you care about,” Laura says in her interview with Gausten. “I feel like discourse around food has become strange, political, aggressive, and preachy, and I don’t understand that. I wasn’t raised a vegetarian, but food was not that complicated. It was about food and joy and creativity and getting together and doing something fun and positive that’s also delicious and nutritious… This [book] is just an introduction to people who might want to eat more plant-based stuff and not feel that they’re losing out — not feel that they’re deprived.”
Harley credits vegetarianism as one of the critical contributors to his ongoing physical health, which had been challenged in years past by reckless behavior.
“Throughout my life, I’ve had a history on and off with my struggles with drug use and so on, but one thing I was always very consistent with was being a vegetarian,” he says. “I kinda think that had a little bit to do with my survival and my recovery.
“I’m not pushing vegetarianism on anybody,” he adds. “I just know that I’m 58 years old, and I do about 1,000 pushups a day. I train jiu-jitsu; I do Muay Thai. I’m very active, and I’m very physical all the time. I’m not showing any signs of slowing down; I’m not showing any weakness. I’ve got injuries, [but] I’ve been alive a long time; that’s all. [Laughs]”
Harley also discusses “Wired For Chaos”, the new documentary that offers an unflinching look at his chaotic and often violent life and career and his ongoing efforts to experience a more positive and fulfilling life.
“It’s a disturbing film in a lot of ways, but I think it gives a lot of hope — even to the total underdog and the total person who’s in the gutter feelin’ they ain’t got a hope in Hell. I think it proves that you can definitely pull your shit together […] When you get knocked down seven times, you get up eight. I don’t know how many times I’ve gotten up at this point in my life, but I’m a gettin’-up motherfucker!”
The complete video interview with Laura and Harley is available below.
“Hardcore Vegetarian: Welcome To The Vegedome!” can be purchased at feralhouse.com.
Flanagan burst on to the punk music scene at the age of 11 in the late 1970s as drummer for his aunt’s New York-based band THE STIMULATORS, later founding the seminal hardcore act CRO-MAGS. In “Wired For Chaos”, Flanagan tells his inconceivable story through gritty footage of NYC’s downtown 1970s and ’80s music scene as the backdrop, alongside stories from friends and peers like Flea, Ice-T, Henry Rollins, Michael Imperioli, members of BAD BRAINS, BEASTIE BOYS, CIRCLE JERKS, ANTHRAX and many others.
While Harley‘s journey as a musician is certainly explored, “Wired For Chaos” centers on the lasting effects of trauma and its integration into his present-day life. Harley Flanagan was a child prodigy musician, who raised himself in the very adult world of rock ‘n’ roll. He was born to a Warhol Factory “it” girl, enmeshed in the Lower East Side artist sub-culture of the late ’70s and ’80s, surrounded by copious amount of sex, drugs and violence (as victim and later perpetrator),simultaneously achieving punk rock legend status.
In addition to touring with his band CRO-MAGS all over the world, today Harley Flanagan is also a jiu-jitsu professor (under the tutelage of Master Renzo Gracie),devoted husband (having married a Park Avenue attorney),the father of two sons and a deeply introspective human. He confronts his past, hoping that it can bring him some peace, and pass what he’s learned forward to others struggling. Though he has moved on from the violence of his youth, it is never far away as he works through his very pronounced PTSD. His primal instincts to survive remain sharp. The film is built around a vast archive of material, scenes with Harley and his friends, several intimate interviews with Harley and his wife, and abstract imagery and animation.
Harley‘s childhood with iconic artists (Andy Warhol, Debbie Harry, Joe Strummer, Alan Ginsburg) looks enviable on the surface, but ultimately his DNA is riddled with the trauma of abuse and sexual violence, laying the groundwork for an unstable adolescence and rocky young adulthood.
Filmmaker Rex Miller‘s career spans more than 25 years and has yielded two Peabody Awards, several Emmys and two Oscar shortlists. He recently directed (with Sam Pollard) the film “Citizen Ashe” (CNN Films),which won “Best Documentary” at both the 2022 Critics Choice and Grierson Awards and was nominated for a Sports Emmy for “Best Feature Documentary”.
Source: blabbermouth.net
