You all know the sound, whether it's in an Adolescents song, a D.I. song or Christian Death, it's unmistakable that it is the sound of Rikk Agnew on guitar. His album and contribution list goes on for days, mostly centering around those 3 bands. There are so many others though, The Detours, The Pin Ups and Jeff Dahl also with many other bands and solo projects, this is a man who loves to play music. There was the other side to him that befalls many people in this industry as well; drinking, drugs, the general look of bad health. Most of you probably wouldn't recognize him today if it was the first time you had seen him in about 5 years. He has dropped weight, he is sober and he is back where he should be, playing guitar. He is branching out into other things as well, but found the time to talk to us. So from the mouth of the man himself, here goes…

Thank you for getting in contact with us, first off just to warm up a little what was your favorite band in elementary school?

The Beatles, then the Doors and then I saw Jimi Hendrix on television and I knew that is what I wanted to do with my life and it hasn't changed since.

What was the first record you bought?

"Meet the Beatles" the day it came out after they were on the Ed Sullivan Show.

So are you one of those people who picked up playing naturally or did you take lessons?

Naturally, never took a lesson in my life.

So which one came first, guitar, drums or something else?

I kind tinkled around with a little drum set I got for Christmas when I was five, playing along with Beatles records. Then the guitar, but when I first started playing in bands it was the bass guitar, then as a drummer then guitar.

You definitely have your very own distinctive sound that people try to imitate. Who were some of the guitar players you wanted to sound like when you first started playing?

Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page later on Rick Nielson from Cheap Trick and Greg Ginn from Black Flag. One of the most genius guitar players ever is Ted Falconi from Flipper, he amazes me.

I LOVE Flipper saw them every time they played here in Texas!

Yes, always an amazing show.

Of all the bands you toured with did you have one you had the most fun with or one who was let's say the least disagreeable?

They all had their good times and bad times it all goes along with the territory. It's all good, every time I've been on tour even when it got heavy you know like with cabin fever and everybody wanted to kill each other that kind of thing. It's hot in the van everybody is pissed off I would sit there and go "Well you know you guys we're doing what we want to do, like 24/7 basically." They say that the worst day fishing is better than the best day at work, but that the best day fishing is not as good as the worst day of being on tour. Something like that.

That makes sense. I can see were being stuck with the same people day in and out for months and months would become almost unbearable.

Later on just learn to get to the club or whatever, sound check finish sound check find out what time we go on, or even after the show I'd find out where we are going to meet tomorrow and everything and I would just take off. Go hang out with other people or just go walk around to alleviate that.

Being located in California you see lots of walk on and extra parts of recognizable people from bands, has there ever been an opportunity to get into the movie industry?

I've done a lot of college and independent films nothing big, now that I'm in LA I would love to get into that.

So no more Orange Country for you?

No, I've moved onto Los Angeles.

Well that kind of leads in to something I wanted to ask you, OC Life is a song that has been covered several times. Is there a song that you really would like to do a cover of?

There are several, not one that I can think of right now, but yes many.

I will start this next question by stating you look great, very healthy. What point in your life was it that you decided I want to change things? When did you decide that I want to be around longer?

Around the end of 2010 I was driving along and I started feeling a really strange feeling in my stomach like something had popped or something. Then I started retching up blood all over the place it wasn't a very good thing. I called my friend Paula, I was almost home when it happened, and so she came over and took me to the emergency room. They took me in and ran all kinds of tests and stuff and diagnosed me with an umbilical hernia caused by ascites (medical definition the accumulation of fluid in the peritoneal cavity, causing abdominal swelling) or toxic fluid because my liver wasn't functioning. This is because I was drinking and doing speed like a wildman for years so I had two gallons of toxic fluid (which was causing most of his weight gain) inside me, cirrhosis of the liver, hepatitis C, enlargement of the spleen, renal stones, edema and anemia and they gave me about 3 months to live. That right there was enough to make me think I had to turn it around.

So how did you do it?

I just quit everything knowing that the other side of the fork in the road was just off the mortal coil. That basically and I just started walking every day, doing a light workout regiment and changed my diet completely.

What kind of diet are you on now?

It's called "Eat Right for Your Blood Type" by Dr. Peter D'Adamo. It tells you what to eat and what to avoid for your blood type. It's not a totally bad regiment not a 24/7 type thing, but that along with quitting drinking and doing drugs and I feel better than ever and most of my ailments are gone.

You don't miss any of it? Is being alive better than being high?

I went the distance with all that stuff so towards the end there it was just getting redundant. I could seriously finish off a fifth of vodka or Jack Daniels in an hour or two and feel nothing. That's kind of scary.

I know that a lot of people, when they stop always looking for a way to get high or drunk, they get bored. Have you found yourself fighting boredom, or have you just gone deeper into the music?

Deeper into the music, deeper into my artwork, deeper into doing all kinds of stuff. Just getting into everything that I found boring because I was getting high and drunk and now I see in a clear vision. Everything seems new almost because I have been fucked up for so long. Now I just appreciate every little thing that I see.

What kind of artwork are you doing?

I paint I do sculptures drawing just whatever.

Have you had any art shows?

Yeah, in fact we just had one on Saturday the 21st. My fiancé Gitane Demone, who was also in Christian Death during a different time in the 80's, is also an artist as well as her daughter who is an amazing artist. What we do out here is have show's where we have music and art, like a multimedia kind of thing. It's working out really well.

What all bands are you in at the moment?

I have my solo band The Rikk Agnew Band, in which we do kind of a retrospect of all the songs I did with D.I., The Adolescents even a Christian Death song or two. We are writing new stuff recorded a song for a split 7 inch it's in that 80's All By Myself, D.I. and Adolescents vein it's getting back to that sound. I promise the new album I am working on is going to be killer it will be like that stuff…only better.

Are you going to be touring it?

Yes, we are touring it in August, we're doing a 3 week tour through the United States up through to Chicago then back down to Louisiana and Texas and them home.

Will you be coming to Austin?

Oh yes we will be coming to Austin.

What is the group like that you have with Gitane?

It's very different; we are going for breaking new ground and frontiers. She is always re-inventing herself as well; this one is like Suicide meets PIL with her dynamic diva type vocals. Our influences are Tim Buckley and Sun Ra, we do a Screamers cover and Paul Roessler from the Screamers is in the band. It's under Gitane Demone's name and we are playing Mexico City on Halloween and then a European tour in March.

Are you going to stay in Mexico City for Dias De Los Muertos?

Oh Yeah!

Are you going to release albums and CD's, how does the new approach of selling one song at a time work with you?

Every song has to carry on its own merit and if you do a good album with a good package and a lot of great songs why wouldn't someone want to buy the album? People like a physical thing to have. Especially with the current resurgence of vinyl which I am so happy about because music just doesn't sound right unless it's on vinyl. I'm sorry but it just doesn't. I always miss the tangibility of like looking at a cover and being able to see the lyrics and a picture of the person who made it. I always felt like when you were looking at the cover of a CD you needed a little Cracker Jacks prize miniature magnifying glass to read it.

Do you remember in the 80's they would scratch little messages on smooth inner side of the vinyl?

I was just going to bring that up, yeah I loved that too! Wasn't that the best? When you got a new record or 45 the first thing you did was pull out the record and look for the scratch. It was the fun part of making a record too, "So this is what we want on the scratch," OK that's nice how do the songs sound?

I was told there is a documentary being made about you right now?

Yes, I guess its okay and all but that is one of the stipulations that I am not involved and that I know nothing about. It's okay though it's part of the job description.

What advice would you have for current bands coming out now days since the music industry has changed so much?

Along with having the access to the internet media has made the world smaller and everyone can see your band, but at the same time there is a ton of stuff out there so it's easy to get lost in the shuffle. You gotta have some sort of shtick, gimmicks or whatever to stand out. It's the same as it always was as far as that aspect goes. What I advise always is, is to make sure you're having fun, because if you aren't then what's the point? Just be honest and sincere and the rest will follow, whatever's to be will be. I mean I'm not rich but I'm still here after 40 years.

You have been able to make a living doing what you love.

Right, but now you have to be more industrious and hands on. Be in there and have your nose to the grindstone, take a class in music business, research on it, read a book. Just make sure you are a part of your management.

Immerse yourself in what you are doing, is what you are saying.

Yes.

So how to you see your life going from here on out?

I just see myself doing more and more, more art, writing, more charity work. Now that I don't waste all my time drinking and getting high, I do so much more like work with a Children's Cancer Foundation.

Does that go along with being healthy and giving back to life what it's given to you?

Oh yeah, I do that with my daughter. We go visit the kids and just read to them, play board games with them, and just help them pass the time. Until the day I pass on I will be doing the same thing, I'm not quitting any time soon.

What message would you give to the people who admire you and look up to you?

Have fun and be positive, stay away from the negative stuff. That and thank you so much for liking my stuff, it means a lot when I hear people say that your music helped me through a tough time it really touches me. It's worth a million dollars; actually there is no price on it when your creation touches someone. I get verklempt.

I'll say this when you are going through records and tapes and trying to get rid of stuff you will get to a Christian Death record and say "No, I can't get rid of that" and you keep going and the Adolescents record pops us and there is another one you just can't let go of. Then when you look at the stack left over you find a lot of those records involve you. I know this has happened to me and I dare say many other people. The music you made left a lasting impression on people's lives.

There is many more to come to fill up those spaces. Thank you for enjoying what I do.