David Insurgent

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Interview: Paul Bakija

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Hardcore anarcho-punk rockers Reagan Youth were first active in the years when Ronald Reagan was President, and it’s fair to say that their politics didn’t align with those of “The Gipper”. But even leaving politics aside, there’s no denying that their music was full of raw power, thanks to singer Dave Rubinstein, aka David Insurgent, and guitarist Paul Bakija, aka Paul Cripple.

Their first EP, Youth Anthems for the New Order (later re-released as Volume 1) came out in 1984, and featured fuzzy distortion and anti-fascist commentary on the socio-political scene. Their next recordings, Volume 2 released in 1990, continued the punk rock attitude but with a more ambitious sound.

Sadly, Rubinstein became consumed by a drug habit, and ended up committing suicide in 1993 after the murder of his girlfriend by serial killer Joel Rifkin. But Reagan Youth lives on, with Bakija leading the charge.

This interview with Paul Bakija was done by email, with answers received on 2/16/16. It was for a preview article for the band’s performance at GiGi’s Cocktail’s in Ventura on Tuesday, February 23.