Name: Mike "Hood" Mraz (Hoods)
Aliases: Mikey Hood, Meow, Kitty, Meow Yum Yum
Location: Sacramento, CA
Age: 94 in cat years
The beginning of it all. How did hardcore enter your life and why, so many years later, are you still involved?
I got into heavy music way way back. It started with Black Sabbath, Sex Pistols, and Jimi Hendrix. In about '84, I really got into punk rock/hxc (same shit). The bands that gave me the feeling were Fear, Circle Jerks, Cro-Mags (one of my faves), MDC, and Dead Kennedys. It was more than music, it was what I was feeling. I was really alienated in my old neighborhood being one of the only white cats. This music had a lot of anger and energy. Two things that I still have a lot of. I could relate to being a pissed of white cat because where I was from it was just my brother and me. We used to get in tons of fights and shit. So this music was an escape. I love this shit.
People tend to slap the word "crazy" onto your name when it comes into conversation a lot. Do you think you are as "crazy" as people make you out to be?
Yes and no. Like, I do tend to think some of the shit I do is fucking nuts but at the same time I pay my bills on time, work, drive, and tour. If I was fucking nuts I would be locked up, so, I think I’m a normal cat. Yea, I do some crazy shit and thank god I’m alive but it’s the other voices that do the really nutty shit, not me. Just a normal dude trying to enjoy his life.
You have 3 huge X's tattooed on your leg from your days as a Straight Edge viking. Why have you never gotten then covered up and do you ever plan on doing so?
Because that was 7+ years of my life. I think it was a great time and feeling for me. And as the fore mentioned crazy question... yea, I was fucking nuts when I was XXX. I had no fucking release and tension would build and build. I wanted to fucking kill everything. I needed SxE. I wasn’t into the fucking bullshit fashion like 90% of the kids now. They want to be part of something, I never did. Hardcore found me, I didn’t find HC. These kids now are fashion victims. It’s so fucking trendy it makes me sick. When I was young, I would do things so other kids would not want to be like me at all. I sure as hell never wanted to be like them. Now everyone dances, looks, talks the same. I feel like this scene is one big fucking robot. I am not like you, so don’t ever think you’re like me. I am one of the few older cats left in this scene that feels such disgust towards HC kids. I am alone in the crowd and I fought for everything. Now the class president and popular kids are HC. Fuck that. I never want to fit in to this fucking fashion victim society. It’s almost all fucking fake. I have tons of hate.
Give us your craziest and most entertaining fight story.
Man, I am so over fighting these days. There was so many years ago. That is the one thing I have changed. I break fights up all the time now. In the years we have been around I’ve seen about 3 murders at our shows and tons of stabbings and blood. I don’t want to elaborate on the violence because kids now think it's cool. The kids now who think they’re hard would get their fucking heads smashed in the late 80’s. Kids fight 10-1 nowadays. It makes me sick. All I got to say is don’t fight, let’s party tonight. Have a good time.
Your thoughts on; Powerhouse.
I played 2 shows with Powerhouse and I love them as a band and as people. I met them when I first came back to Cali from Germany and I talked funny. They were solid dudes. When we started out here there was literally no scene. We used to be the only ones at each other’s shows. We grew this scene together. We planted the seed and it grew quick. Hoods, Powerhouse, and Second Coming did more for the West Coast scene in '95 than anyone since. Hoods has definitely put the west side on the map for HC. Fuck it... I built this shit and I don’t give a fuck who hates but, the west side is mine. Much love and piss.
People tend to slap the word "crazy" onto your name when it comes into conversation a lot. Do you think you are as "crazy" as people make you out to be?
Yes and no. Like, I do tend to think some of the shit I do is fucking nuts but at the same time I pay my bills on time, work, drive, and tour. If I was fucking nuts I would be locked up, so, I think I’m a normal cat. Yea, I do some crazy shit and thank god I’m alive but it’s the other voices that do the really nutty shit, not me. Just a normal dude trying to enjoy his life.
You have 3 huge X's tattooed on your leg from your days as a Straight Edge viking. Why have you never gotten then covered up and do you ever plan on doing so?
Because that was 7+ years of my life. I think it was a great time and feeling for me. And as the fore mentioned crazy question... yea, I was fucking nuts when I was XXX. I had no fucking release and tension would build and build. I wanted to fucking kill everything. I needed SxE. I wasn’t into the fucking bullshit fashion like 90% of the kids now. They want to be part of something, I never did. Hardcore found me, I didn’t find HC. These kids now are fashion victims. It’s so fucking trendy it makes me sick. When I was young, I would do things so other kids would not want to be like me at all. I sure as hell never wanted to be like them. Now everyone dances, looks, talks the same. I feel like this scene is one big fucking robot. I am not like you, so don’t ever think you’re like me. I am one of the few older cats left in this scene that feels such disgust towards HC kids. I am alone in the crowd and I fought for everything. Now the class president and popular kids are HC. Fuck that. I never want to fit in to this fucking fashion victim society. It’s almost all fucking fake. I have tons of hate.
Give us your craziest and most entertaining fight story.
Man, I am so over fighting these days. There was so many years ago. That is the one thing I have changed. I break fights up all the time now. In the years we have been around I’ve seen about 3 murders at our shows and tons of stabbings and blood. I don’t want to elaborate on the violence because kids now think it's cool. The kids now who think they’re hard would get their fucking heads smashed in the late 80’s. Kids fight 10-1 nowadays. It makes me sick. All I got to say is don’t fight, let’s party tonight. Have a good time.
Your thoughts on; Powerhouse.
I played 2 shows with Powerhouse and I love them as a band and as people. I met them when I first came back to Cali from Germany and I talked funny. They were solid dudes. When we started out here there was literally no scene. We used to be the only ones at each other’s shows. We grew this scene together. We planted the seed and it grew quick. Hoods, Powerhouse, and Second Coming did more for the West Coast scene in '95 than anyone since. Hoods has definitely put the west side on the map for HC. Fuck it... I built this shit and I don’t give a fuck who hates but, the west side is mine. Much love and piss.
Truth hurts bro! Maybe the new crowd can someday see through this plastic society. Keep it real and NEVER FORGET
ReplyDeleteYour older bro--FESTER
I was at the Hoods show with Cirlce Jerks at the Boardwalk. I fuckin loved that shit when you were telling all the lames that they are just fashion victims. I was talking about it for days. Oh and when you were yelling, "Fuck KWOD" right after your vocalist was giving them priase, awesome shit. As long as Iv'e been into 'harder music'(one can call it punk or metal or hardcore or whatever) I've always thought that real punk rock is doing what you want to do, how you want to do it and not giving a rats ass what other people think. Thank you for your great contribution to California.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I miss those shows at West Coast World Wide.
I was at the Hoods show with Circle Jerks at the Boardwalk. I fuckin loved that shit when you were telling all the lames that they are just fashion victims. I was talking about it for days. Oh and when you were yelling, "Fuck KWOD" right after your vocalist was giving them praise, awesome shit. As long as I’ve been into 'harder music'(one can call it punk or metal or hardcore or whatever) I've always thought that real punk rock is doing what you want to do, how you want to do it and not giving a rats ass what other people think. Thank you for your great contribution to California.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I miss those shows at West Coast World Wide.
well said mike, punk rock/hardcore has been my life since i went to my first dead kennedy's show at the warehouse. playing has become my release from the world. you have done alot for us (take pride) and it is much appreciated. we are taking back the 916.
ReplyDelete-little A.J. (take pride)
it's nice to hear the thoughts of one of the realest. nice interview, I'm from Portugal (Europe) and still I love Hoods and I can relate to everything Mike said.
ReplyDeleteDuring a Hoods/Torment show in 1998 I once just stood in the middle of the pit. Mikey Hood tried to put me up on his shoulders for this. It was great, though he did not succeed.
ReplyDelete