vault of punk horror?

So there is a written Vault of Punk Horror in the works and it's got a bit of controversy attached to it. A look at editor Gabriel Llanas's blog (punk parent) will tell you what is up.

The main problem is that coeditor David Agranoff is in jail for refusing to take part in a grand jury. What's this? Well Agranoff is not charged with a crime, a jury is merely meeting to interrogate some people in order to figure out whether or not someone out there should be charged for a crime. They are gathering the dirt, to charge someone with something. Agranoff is a long time animal rights activist, they figure someone he knows must be up to know good, upsetting the system, you know, maybe they could be put away.

I found this story by following some links on the Rue Morgue message board. Coincidentally I've met Agranoff a couple of times, maybe over five years ago. The last time I saw him was at the Hellfest in Syracuse when Earth Crisis played their last show. If you must know, Earth Crisis was pretty fun to watch, but nearly every other band sucked. There was very little punk-based hardcore booked at the Hellfests back then. Trustkill bands were blowing up that particular year and it was just never ending metal hardcore, 90s style, not much black metal in the mix yet.

I had no idea Agranoff was a horror fan, but he's been at it writing for some time. Me, I've only been watching these horror movies seriously for the past four or so years, but man have I made up for lost time. It seems like the only thing I can do right is collect these tapes. Today I attempted to film some horror and it was a disaster. The shit has to be scrapped. Too bad, because we went way out into the desert for the assignment. I have a project due for one of my film classes tomorrow and will have to reshoot something in the morning to hand in. The plan is just to have Cub pose by the pool in a bikini and shoot that from a bunch of angles. That's not a joke. I'm totally serious.

Here is Agranoff's website. What's my take. Well I think this grand jury shit is completely fucked. Here is what I mean, but in someone else's more eloquent words.

The 9th Circuit Court has ruled against San Diego animal liberation activists David Agranoff and Danae Kelley, denying their appeal. The activists have maintained that the grand jury is acting in bad faith and is not actually investigating a crime, but harassing activists.

"The questions [the grand jury is asking] seem to be focused on activists, their affiliations and a lecture. In my assessment, they are attempting to gather intelligence on dissenters, and are not really investigating any crime. In a grand jury setting, people are forced to relinquish their Constitutional rights and are not allowed to have an attorney present…We aren’t surprised about the 9th Circuit’s decision given that they are still a part of a government which is exercising more and more control over its citizens; the same government that invaded Iraq illegally and has held prisoners in Guantanamo Bay for years without charges. I’m grateful for citizens like David and Danae who are willing to fight to defend the First Amendment", said Erin Dean, a San Diego resident.

That text from here, but there is more controversy. Apparently the web provider for Vault of Punk Horror has problems with Agranoff and has dropped the sight. I'd like to know what these problems are, no doubt they are political in nature. You can imagine that Agranoff would get under the skin of right wingers, that's obvious, but the story could be more complicated. Two punks can have two radically different philosophies. Not all of them are cookie cutter liberals with a standard set of beliefs, sometimes there is conflict, as there should be in a world of free thinkers.

I hope he gets out of jail soon.

As for punk rock, I had a shitty experience at the Angry Samoans show this weekend, so I'm not too psyched on punk right now. The guy who messed with me was not a punk rocker, just a party dude who could have been at any bar, but still, it reminded me that punk is extremely mainstream here in Orange County, and your average Joe Fuckface is into it, flashing devil horns and drinking a brew.