What’s your and his full name?

Roger : His full name is Freddy Cricien. My name is Rogelio Miret. We have different fathers, same mother. My father died.

Freddy : My full name is Freddy Lafayan Cricien, and his full name is Rogelio De Esus Miret

Both place and date of birth?

Roger : Mine is.... Jesus Christ! June 30th 1964 in Cuba, im going to be 42 next week... This week! Shit, 6 days. Freddy is November 4th, and I think he was born in 76’.

Freddy : I was born in New Jersey, in USA. Passaic New Jersey, 11/4/75. His birthplace is Cuba, and his birthday is June 30th 1964, I believe.

Which record changed your/his life?

Roger : I think “Victim In Pain” changed his life. He was there for it all, in fact I stole his Victim of Pain, he’s mad about it! And me it would have to be..Wow, It would have to be The Clash, The Green Album. That changed my life.

Freddy : (laugh), I don’t know, that’s a tough one because he’s some years older than me, so you know, but I think “Victim In Pain”. If I had to pick a hardcore record that affected both of our lives, I’d think “Victim In Pain” because “Victim In Pain” was the first... I mean there was records before that with Agnostic Front, but “Victim In Pain” was like the most legendary record of theirs in my eyes, and the record that put them on the map. To me, that was one of the first records that introduced me to hardcore, and it’s one of the reasons I do hardcore, so in that aspect, just to keep it music related with what we do, that record definitely changed both of our lives I think.

Which record would it be impossible for you/him to live without?

Roger : I would say “Victim In Pain”. He loves that record, so do I.

Freddy : Oh, there’s so many.. (laugh). I just love so many different kinds of music that it’s hard to pick one, I love everything, I just love music. I grew up listening to everything. Hardcore with my brother Roger, and he listens to a lot of stuff; oldies, and stuff. All my brothers and sisters listen to different music, and I listened to different music growing up, and my parents listened to Spanish music. I can’t pick one.. which one I can’t live without.. oh man uhh… The Police, the greatest hits.
For Roger, I would say…. I don’t really know... A record he can’t live without, I guess anything involving Joe Strummer. (laugh).

Which is your/his favourite record actually ?

Roger : Well I hope “Legacy” is his favourite right now because it’s a great run and “Another Voice” would be mine. Those are two great albums that came out just recently. Madball and Agnostic Front.

Freddy : Umm, for me the new Coldplay record! (laugh)
For him, Uhh, let me see, let me see… What is he listening to these days... Lately we haven’t seen each other a lot because we’ve both been on tour , so I don’t know what the newest stuff he’s been listening to. Roger Miret and the Disasters ? (laugh), umm... I don’t know, maybe his favourite record is a Madball record, “Legacy”. (laugh)

In which band would you/he be happy to be in?

Roger : I think he’s happy to be in Madball you know? We always talk about doing something together, we never do it, but someday we will. And me, Im happy to be in this band, Agnostic Front.

Freddy : I don’t know, that’s a tough one... That I would be happy to be in? An established band already? I guess Hazen Street, (laugh), because I am in it.
And for him, Roger Miret and The Disasters! That’s his other band of course

Which is your/his worst eccentricities?

Roger : When um..Yeah, when he breaks down the walls, that’s the best way to do it! He needs anger management. He’s a lot better now though, he’s married now, so he’s calm. That’d be it, when he gets crazy.
Mine is... I like to fuck with people! Haha. I like to put people to the test. Prank calls, you know? Do anything to fuck with you.

Freddy : Umm, let me think of something he does that I don’t like, haha. Uhh, his ADD! He’s like always moving. He cant watch a movie. I can never watch a movie with him. You know, I can watch a movie, I pop it in, sit down, relax. Him, forget about it! Maybe in the movie theatre, maybe! But, that has always bothered me. Im like “man, just relax and watch your fuckin’ movie”. If it’s a video, or DVD, he cant sit still!
Uhhhhmmm, what doesn’t he like about me? He probably doesn’t like that I listen to rap music, hip hop! Ahaha, I’ve always listened to hip hop since I was a little kid, he likes some of the old school stuff, he wont tell anybody, but he doesn’t like the newer stuff. Maybe that, and my bad temper, (laugh), maybe. Because he worries about me.

What do you/does he always take with you/him on tour?

Roger : What he always takes on tour, would probably be music. Probably an Ipod...
Me? Baby wipes.. Those are a necessity on tour haha

Freddy : His phone, cell phone always, a bag of clothes, uh what else? .. Is it supposed to be a special thing? That’s a tough one. Im not sure. Maybe his beads? Religious beads.. Uhhh... that’s terrible that I don’t know! He probably doesn’t know what I put in my bag either though. I mean, the typical stuff you’d bring on tour, but Im trying to think of something particular that he brings. His bandana? Is that it? Oh, is it baby wipes? (laugh) Oh he’s a jerk! (laugh).
Well, for me, my wedding ring! (laugh). You know, the usual stuff, and I usually bring a scapular(?) or something. It symbolizes different things for me, you know? A picture of my wife and things like that.

Which was your/his first gig?

Roger : His first gig was agnostic front. He actually played, he sang with us in 1983. He was 7 years old on stage
My first gig was.. Oh shit... I would have to say my first gig was at a place in New Jersey called the palladium, and it was The Clash.

Freddy : Agnostic Front. For sure.
For Roger, I think it was The Clash. Yeah!

Which is your/his favourite clothes?

Roger : My pants!
For him I really don’t know...

Freddy : His favourite clothes? His creepers, his shoes. Haha, me and him are very different style wise. But he wears... His favourite clothes are his pants, I don’t know what brand, Dickies maybe.
For me, Whatever I have on! (laugh)

Which is your/his most embarrassing memory that happened on stage?

Roger : His, I don’t know..I don’t know, to be honest. And I don’t think he would know mine! I don’t know, I don’t think I have an embarrassing moment! Well His most embarrassing moment would probably be when he fell of he stage in Dynamo. I just saw the video, he fell right off. Yeah that’s probably the most embarrassing thing.
And mine, what was the most embarrassing thing that I did? I don’t know. I forget songs, words, I mean its not that embarrassing, its kind of common.

Freddy : For him? I don’t know, he peed his pants or something? Well, he used to do that on purpose, so I don’t know. His most embarrassing moment on stage... I don’t know. Maybe he got really drunk? Well, it goes hand in hand, getting drunk, and forgetting the words...
For me, my most embarrassing moment… Dynamo? Falling off the stage!
Yeah, Dynamo. Biggest show of my whole life, and I fell off the stage. Dynamo 1995
I walked, you know, to the front of the stage, and a lot of times, for whatever reason, I get really close to the front. Sometimes I don’t realise how close I am, my feet are hanging over the stage, and I catch myself. I usually have enough balance, that I don’t fall, but there was such adrenaline. We’ve never had this kind of thing in our life. I think it was our first festival, and it was like one of the biggest festivals, and we came out, and I just walked off the stage. But I think people didn’t notice as much as I did, because people thought that I jumped off, but I fell off, haha. But I wasn’t injured, I fell on a pile of hay, and then I just went out to the people since I was already down there. They actually got some good pictures from that because I got out and jumped out to the people. Some people shot some pictures! But that was probably my most embarrassing moment.

What image would you/he like to leave on Earth?

Roger : Well, I think Im a bit of a humanitarian, I like to give, and I share my music, this is art to me; what I do with both bands, and I think its just like an artist. I think I’ve helped a lot of people through their lives. And I know people come up to me and say, “hey if it wasn’t for Victim of Pain, I wouldn’t have been able to make it through this, or that..And people don’t even realize that I didn’t even go to high school, because of Victim of Pain. So I think I became some kind of humanitarian, and I’ve become very close with people who live oppressed lives, and I have a lot of respect for that, so that’d be it.
And Freddy is also a lot about friendship, family, sincerity and stuff like that... So I think that could be linked with that...

Freddy : After I go, after I pass? I’ve always been about my family, my friends, respect, sincerity; those key things you know? I think any human would like top leave that kind of thing behind. That’s what its about for me. Family, the one you were born out of, and the one you create as you get older. Your blood family, and even some of your friends become your family you know? And my impression of me is that I always treat people with respect as long as I get it back. If you give it, I give it back, and if you don’t, maybe I don’t need it. Things like that. Me and my family is pretty sincere people, what you see is what you get. I think Roger is the same.

With whom would you/he like to spend an afternoon with, or a day?

Roger : I would say right now Bruce Springsteen. Because I cant do it with Joe Strummer right now, I cant do it with Phil Lynott and I cant do it with Johnny Cash, So Bruce Springsteen is one of my four heroes.
Freddy would probably want Suge Knight or something like that, I don’t know... Who knows! I don’t know. 50 Cent maybe? I don’t know. Haha,

Freddy : For me... Johnny Cash.
hmm, I think Roger met Joe Strummer. But he was a guy he looked up to a lot as a music person. Maybe him, maybe Johnny cash too. There’s so many people. And also to me, I lost friends that were like brothers to me. If I could spend one more afternoon with them, it would be nice. It could be so many things. For him, maybe his father who passed away, or someone who he looked up to in music, or who knows. Its tough to say.

Who would be hard for you/him to live with?

Roger : For Freddy not me! Im like his everything! Im his get out of jail free card, Im the guy he calls when he was a kid. I got him his band, I made a band for him. If he ever needs anything, Its me. So It’d not have to be me.
For me, him for sure! Haha. I can’t count on him for nothing!

Freddy : Vinnie Stigma

(We tell Freddy what Roger answered to that question)

Freddy : We have lived together before! That’s bad, you see I don’t think that about him! that’s terrible. (laugh), but I know what he means. I thought you meant something more serious! I don’t hate my brother of course. So I didn’t think of him. It is probably easier for me to live with him now; when I was younger, it was a little bit harder. I can see why he would say that, because he’s a jerk!

What’s your/his biggest regrets?

Roger : I don’t know if he has any regrets, I don’t know if I have any regrets either. I Think everything we’ve gone through was meant to be. I don’t regret anything. And I’ve had a lot of regret in my life, and so has he.

Freddy : I cant say I have, well I mean of course I have regrets, but I’ve come to realise that sometimes in life you learn from the mistakes you make so. I mean there’s certain things I regret about doing a certain thing, getting in trouble in the past when I was younger, and I regret the way I went about that, and there’s different times in my life when I regret things. But then again, those negatives teach you stuff and give you character. My biggest regret..I cant think of one. What’s his biggest regret? Shit…I don’t know.
As human beings, we have so many regrets, its hard to pick one. I’ve done many things I regret, offended people I love, and not meaning to but doing it you know? So many. I think its part of being a person, you make mistakes and you learn from it. No regrets really, just try to be better

What do you know about him that he doesn’t know that you know?

Roger : There’s a lot of things I know about him. He keeps a lot of things away from me for a reason. I don’t know. That’s a tough one. I tell him everything.

Freddy : I know that he did this interview... Did you tell him I was gonna do it? (laugh)
There’s not much that we don’t know about each other. Anything that’s really significant in our lives, you know, were brothers so anything important, we talk about. Maybe there’s little things that he might not know... I don’t know.

What’s your/his favourite movie?

Roger : For both it’s either “Godfather”, or “Scarface”.

Freddy : My favourite movie is “Godfather”. His favourite movie… “The Wanderers”? Uhhm, “Scarface”? Yeah, yeah, I was gonna say that next! I was actually going to say “Scarface” first, but then I said, maybe he went with something different. My first instinct was “Scarface”.

What’s your/his favourite drink?

Roger : Heineken is what he likes to drink, and me too.

Freddy : His favourite drink is Jagermeister. My favourite drink is beer! I thought I was gonna see him today man, im sad that I didn’t see him. Im going to see him later on in the tour though. I thought we were playing together.

Interview O.S. & Manu
Translation Tim Maxwell