It's a place Vinnie Stigma visits often: The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral at Mulberry, Mott and Prince streets in Manhattan. On a walk down the block from his house to the church, Stigma points to a plaque in the lobby area. 

"This is my family's name, my grandmother and grandfather's name," he said.

Stigma's grandfather's name is also his birth name, Vincent Capuccio. He has been known to friends and fans as Stigma for decades.

He co-founded the pioneering hardcore punk band Agnostic Front in 1982. All along, Stigma has lived in an apartment building on Mott Street, in what was once considered Little Italy, but now has the trendier name of Nolita. 

It has been headquarters for his and other bands over the years. Stigma took NY1 through the entrance to a courtyard where he says he played a lot of handball and stickball growing up. A room off the courtyard became a place for his bands to practice. 

"This is where I used to rehearse in here when I was a kid. My grandfather had the wine cellar in here," Stigma said.

Stigma's life growing up in Little Italy and then traveling the world with Agnostic Front is documented in a book called "Vinnie Stigma: The Most Interesting Man in the World." It was written with longtime friend and former record label executive Howie Abrams.

"It had to be a little different, because it has to be him, and there's nobody like this most interesting man in the world, so basically we tried to really stay true to that and make that come alive," Abrams said.

The book includes Stigma's Italian recipes; a comic where he is a neighborhood superhero; and the stories of Agnostic Front's rise from the hardcore scene, from places like CBGB and A7 in the East Village to larger venues and festivals around the world.

Stigma and longtime singer Roger Miret are still at it, attracting fans to shows all over. He says they remain a band for social change.

"I listen to my records now from years ago and say, 'Wow, they still sound good,' because when I listen to other bands, they sound dated in a way, because they were on a trend. It's gotta come from your heart, you know, music, you've got to believe in it," Stigma said.

"Don't believe in a band that don't believe in themselves," he added.

Sage advice from a New Yorker who has seen it all, and is still going.