Artwork by: PHECK. Graphics by: Bas Spierings
Our IN THE MIRROR page initially came to us via the boombox of Mr. Lew Dimmick… native New Yorker, guitar player for 80’s NYHC unit Our Gang and author of the way cool book “This Music”.
On Thursday nights back in the late 80’s and 90’s many New York Hardcore fans were tuned in to WNYU’s Crucial Chaos radio show which aired between 9pm and 1030pm with the 10-1030 pm portion of the show often used to showcase live sets with bands playing live in the studio. Marlene Goldman (who went by the name Spermicide) and Johnny Stiff were the hosts probably most associated with the long running show before Evan took over for Spermicide. Rachel Rosen (of Indecision and Most Precious Blood fame) would follow in the line of hosts alongside Dave Tapeworm.
Like many living in the listening range of WNYU in that time period Lew would pop a cassette tape into his radio and record many of the sets. To his credit Lew saved many of these sets and would go on to digitize them years later and now allows us to keep some of the live sets and interviews alive along with some great commentary. After a long hiatus our In The Mirror section returns in late 2024 with the help of Glen Lorieo, who was also a huge part of the Crucial Chaos Radio Show having been the soundman for the live bands between 1994 and 1998. The sets he recorded and saved will now get a light shined on them along with commentary from Glen and (in some cases) the bands that played on this very important pre-internet show. Crucial Chaos would play local and national hardcore and punk bands, announce shows, news, gossip and also have bands in studio for short interviews.
To further show Crucial Chaos’ appeal to the hardcore scene in its heyday myself and many others would show up to the WNYU studio to hang out and watch the bands play in a very cramped area despite the studio being off limits except to the people involved with the show and the bands performing. The studio itself was located in the Tisch Building on Broadway in NYC’s Greenwich Village. When you would come into the lobby of the building you had to sneak past a security guard and get into an elevator before possibly being spotted as a non-student. If you got caught you had to try again or listen on a radio outside and wait for those who made it in to come out after the show. This cat and mouse game saw me almost always cover my band shirts up with outer clothing while trying to get in and in some cases I would wear a backpack to look more “collegiate”. Running in while the guard was tossing another hardcore kid was always another option as well!
