INTERVIEW // WOVENHAND metro man [metrosexual], or whatever, the men escaping… This man is king right now, this escaper. Everybody else that plays heavy music, for example, for the most these people are dinosaurs. The world has gone pass this. I mean, they’ll use it in a certain way when it suits them but this is not, this all idea of the angry at the system… That doesn’t happen anymore. Everybody is together now, everybody together ready to roll on the new world, with this idea.
Yeah, it’s funny because today the world is more fucked up. The rebellion against the system seems to make more sense than in the 80s. Yeah, for sure. That’s what I’m saying. The power, the people that control the money and have the power… They figured out that the people are pissed off and they figured out ways to solve that problem and they are good at it. They do it from every corner of every angle. It’s all about angles and it’s all about containment. It’s unconscious enslavement. Even the angry man, they succumb, they give in because it’s kind. It’s kindness... The horrible thing still goes on. I’m just talking about the main agenda, the main way of hurting people. But of course, you have terrible things on the outside, and on the inside, but what I’m saying… Is more subtle. More deceitful.
It’s like magic. An illusion. Yeah, it is magic. I agree.
Kanye West said kind of the same thing on his last record. Saying that we’re the “New Slaves. Talking about all the control that people receive every day.” Of course, almost no one took him serious because he is a millionaire. Racism is rampant. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but I know that in America it is, at least in my opinion. It’s pretty much obvious to see that the powerful ones, they know that people get upset, they know that come to conclusions and they find things out. So, they have to soften the blow. They do certain things to appease the mind of the people about the past, speaking about American in particular. Everyone is like, “Yes, we have this beautiful America. This land is your land, this land is my land.” I mean, who’s singing the song? It’s a white guy, from Europe. It’s not the 74
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people who were living here; it’s not the slaves that built everything over here… It’s the white guy, who’s complaining about the crops not growing, or the Great Depression, or whatever. Well, big deal. Big fuckin’ deal.
The other day I was reading a letter of a black man on the death row. He was saying how the prisons are overfilled with black men and how that’s not just a coincidence. We said that it’s amazing how the system works, how deceitful the system is. And even the whole problem with African Americans that don’t recognize Africa has being their roots.
As far as roots go… Africa, as a continent, is full of white people. Full of white people making Coca-Cola, making beer, building churches, doing big catholic missions, building monasteries… All kinds of crazy crap. Africa has been run by the white man for a long time, before America is going. We’re all just eating fuckin’ bananas now, just smiles and whatever, but I’m telling you, these people are slaves and they have been slaves. They have been abused and confused… It’s never ending. That’s the point. The magician behind it, whoever this creep is… He doesn’t care about these people, he doesn’t care about anybody. And everybody else just has to suffer, I guess. Until an end is put to it, which is coming.
Talking about punk… Nowadays, in this internet era, punk it’s huge in almost every genre of music, with hundreds of artists adopting the DIY and punk-ethos. How do you see this and how do you see this impact of punk in today’s world?
Everything is co-opted. Absorbed by the corporation. You can go to the mall and buy your punk rock clothes. You can go to Target and buy your punk rock outfit. And it’s all over the TV, advertisement, because it’s just becomes a way to sell. And also the all idea of punk rock, standing up for the underdog. This is idea is co-opted as well. Whatever agenda these people want you to feel sorry for, that’s what they present to you. So, you use your punk rock attitude for their purposes. That’s how I feel.
Going back to talk about the album, what can you tell us about the creative process for this new
album? Anything different this time around?
Chuck and Neil… Basically, Chuck wrote two of the songs, which on the last record I basically wrote everything myself. That’s usually how everything works. Now, we have been doing things live. The last tours were really interesting and we just wanted to put that into tape. Other than that, we just did the way we normally do. I write the songs at home, I record the songs, I do some arrangements and then I send everything to the other guys.
Talking about playing live… Two years ago “Live at Roepaen” was released. I know that you were a little bit reluctant since you’re not a big fan of live albums. What made you to record and release a live album, and what made this performance so special?
We have a good friend; he’s a bus driver… But not only a bus driver, he’s like another member of the band, really. He’s from Holland and he owns his own bus. He’s a really solid individual, smart and really cares about the band. So, this was his idea. The all thing was his idea. I didn’t know about the place. He created the all idea. This church is close where he lives and I think things have passed in the past similar. I mean, bands played there once in a while. He had this idea of do it and he got a hold, of course, of the record company who got in touch with the television and they just putted all together. I just showed up. I had no input. I just know that it turned out really nice. About being a special performance… Not really. It’s the same. Well, of course you’re always a little bit irritated when you have a camera on you. As soon as you have a camera on you, you immediately are more self-aware, which is a pain in the ass. [laughs] I mean, when I get lost in a song that really takes care of it for me. Playing in that place, playing in an old church… This doesn’t hold no special meaning for me, ok? It can be any building, I really don’t care. Yes, it’s a beautiful building and the ideas around it seem nice and I like that, but… It was just about the guy.
How this relationship with Deathwish came about? Jacob [Bannon, Converge’s