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It’s no secret that Kill Your Idols does it for the fans. But as we recently found out, guitarist Brian Meehan also does it for
animals. By keeping hardcore alive and keeping animals alive in the process, Brian has quickly become
one of our favorites, and we’re hooking you up with the chance to see why. Just keep reading to find out what Brian has to say about greed, Animal Liberation, and Sticky Fingers Bakery.
Why do you think that animal rights is such an integral part of the punk and hardcore scenes?
Well, I think it goes hand in hand actually because punk and hardcore used to be the place where people
that were unaccepted found themselves, and being vegan and/or vegetarian and activist is certainly not
mainstream. I think it was made to be. Also the mainstream music industry is just that—they don't really
go after any issues. To me at least, they are all icing, no cake.
Why did you originally go vegetarian/vegan?
Well, when I was younger, I was listening to Youth of Today's "No More" when it came out and I was like, "What
the heck are these maniacs talking about? How could the way my parents raised me be wrong?" So—normally when
I hear a different idea I try to research it—I read some books like
Animal Liberation
and I was like, "This is amazing, not only have I been literally fed bullshit my whole life, but the way everything is
marketed towards kids growing up is as well." I became vegetarian in the early 90s and the past five years I've been vegan.
What are some of your favorite vegetarian and vegan foods?
Wow, that’s tough. As you may or may not know, Kill Your Idols loves food. I am married and I do all the cooking for my wife and I (she’s vegetarian). I love cooking with chicken style seitan, but I think my all time favorite vegan food is from this small shop—and I buy in bulk so I can have it all the time—called Mahwah on Hester Street in N.Y.C. They have these citrus flavored spare ribs that are untouchable by even the best restaurants. My wife’s vegan cookies are the best I have ever tasted (I’m not just saying that) and we had vegantreats cakes at our wedding. It’s run by this awesome girl named Danielle and her mom. If you just look at the Web site you’ll be amazed, and it’s as good as it looks. My friend Tim from Virginia brought KYI all sorts of amazing bakery goods from a place called stickyfingersbakery.com. They will deliver to your house! Incredible stuff. You’d be surprised how many people show up to our shows with food.
Who are some vegans or vegetarians you’ve met who have had a big influence on your life or the way that you think about animals?
When I was younger, Ray Cappo had a big impact on me, ’cause he was saying shit to people. Today you are pretty much preaching to the converted, but he was doing it to people that were calling him a fag for not eating meat, which I went through when I worked as an electrician, because I didn’t eat meat or drink so I had to be gay. The Smiths’ "Meat Is Murder" had a huge impact on me as well.
What do you think of big corporations that profit from the abuse of animals and refuse to adopt even the most basic animal welfare standards?
It’s another form of greed. Anything they can do to cut corners they will, ’cause in the end it’s all money. There’s no reason for the debeaking the way they do it, and the scalding of live chickens. It’s really sickening, and they flat out lie. I have seen the hidden camera tapes and it’s horrifying and sad ’cause people that eat it are of the mindset "out of sight, out of mind." It’s a disgrace.
Do you have any advice for someone who is looking for alternatives to leather, fur, and wool?
Hmm, I got a snazzy belt and nice shoes for my wedding last October at a place called Moo Shoes. It’s located on the lower east side. The people there are awesome, and they have a ton of stuff.
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