Dragged Under’s Tony Cappocchi on Freedom of Speech, Relatability in Rock

Tony Cappocchi, vocalist of punk rock band Dragged Under, believes we can learn a lot from freedom of speech, regardless of how it’s used.

“Freedom of speech is obviously so important because it’s the first and most fundamental right we have as Americans,” Cappocchi tells SPIN backstage at Louder Than Life. “It’s a beautiful thing to have. A lot of people don’t have the liberty of being able to say what they want, when they want. It’s important that people are able to say what they want—one, because you get new ideas from it. But also, it’s helpful to hear what people think because sometimes they’ll say dumb shit, and you can go, ‘Oh, that guy’s an idiot, and I want to stay away from him.’ So it’s good on both ends.”

Cappocchi also points out that lyrical themes in popular rock aren’t always relatable to everyone.