By: Karla Fetrow & Grainne Rhuad

Amatory murder shot into our mailbox not too long ago with a name that instantly intrigued and images that provoked all of us at Subversify in different ways. Their sound can best be described as eclectic.  It evokes memories from the 80’s Mod movement, some Manchester sounds, but Amatory Murder has something all its own.

When asked about their penchant for electronically created music the band admitted to being influenced mostly by mainstream name-brand musicians; like Kurt Cobain, John Lennon,  Eno, David Bowie…even guys like Dr. Dre and Eminem, whom they readily acknowledge  have really done some amazing things with technology within their respective genres

However they see a gap where now, due to technology, electronic music not only makes good sense it makes for good music.  Says Christian, “I think technology has afforded musicians opportunities to do things that were once out of reach. Back in the day if you were a rocker that wanted to make a record but didn’t have a drummer or didn’t even a band your options were severely limited. Today, there are ways to remedy that. In our case with A Different Frequency for example, our lack of a steady drummer forced us to experiment with different ways of making music.

“I think a lot of people in my generation are indeed influenced by the industrial and dance genre of the late 80′s and early 90′s, but not everyone is intentionally trying to be nostalgic. I’ve always been drawn to computers and synthesizers. I’m infinitely in awe of how CPU-created sounds can convey human emotion; really get you to feel something. I like to think that in our case we sort of cross genres and are contributing to a new sound entirely with the help of synthesizers. I also think that yes, there is a sort of ‘revival’ going on, but there has yet to be that big explosion of mind-blowing bands doing something different for the history books. When that explosion does happen, I know we’ll be a part of it.”

Drakos agrees.  “Yeah, the electronic sound was phased out from rock music around the late 90′s which is a shame, since some really cool music came out of that era. We’re somewhat of a hybrid of both genres.”

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, they are right in the middle of a growing burst of musical light coming from the city that never sleeps.  In fact the impressive sounds coming out of New York have most music lovers on the edge of their seats waiting to see what develops, hoping something will come along and replace the sludge being sold to us by the mainstream.

The band mates, Marios Drakos and Christian Peppas came together through a Craig’s list ad posted by Christian.  Before the ad, a revolving door of musicians walked through but never settled in.  Christian recalls meeting Marios for the first time stating, “I’ll never forget the day he showed up. A warm breeze blew into the studio, followed by a bright—yet somehow soothing—ray of light shining through the window. All of a sudden, the door burst open and in came a Greek god riding on his stallion blasting Rammstein on his iPod. Yes, the stallion came equipped with an iPod.”

Marios remembers things a little differently stating: “You forgot the dual-jets and the sweet chrome finish.  After I joined the band I remember for a summer we held sooooo many auditions for drummers and keyboard players, it became a joke at some point. And we’ve seen it all, but by the time this interview is published we could have yet another line-up. That’s just the way it seems to go a lot of the time.

“Anyhow, the thing I like about this band and what draws us together, is that our tastes, musical backgrounds and previous projects are radically different, but we all have some common influences, which in turn create that eclectic sound you get on our album. Each other’s music is different but when we clash we get that Amatory Murder music that our fans love.”

Amatory Murder in interview projects a playfulness that comes through in their music.  When asked where they grew up, Marios was quick to let us know he was born on the planet Mars, raised in Athens Greece and plays with himself.  He flushes out his down time with rhythm guitar. He goes on to explain that he started playing music when he was 15 years old.  His inspiration?

“I wanted to learn the intros to popular 80′s Japanese and American Saturday morning Cartoons such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Saber Rider and Duck-Tales, among others. Then I discovered Rust In Peace by Megadeth and it changed me forever. “

Christian, singer and unofficial songwriter for The Amatory Murder, however had a more or less earthly upbringing. “I was born and raised in Flushing, Queens. I grew up listening to bands like The Beatles—I was very obsessed with John Lennon and the dynamic he brought into the group. It wasn’t until I started seeing live music (bands like Oasis and U2) that I came to the realization I could probably write my own songs; it wasn’t just reserved for guys like The Beatles (or exclusively for rock stars for that matter). Then when I got into Nine Inch Nails and really listened to John Lennon’s solo work (the songs that weren’t the “hits”) the whole game changed for me. Music didn’t have to always be so happy and bubbly. NIN opened the world of industrial music and synthesizers for me; and both NIN & John Lennon showed me how to channel pain and anger into music. From then on, I knew I wanted to make music my life.”

Then there’s O.T. (lead guitarist) whom Christian met when he was looking to play live shows for a former project he had going on, about 3 or 4 years ago. The Amatory Murder as a whole though, has only really been together for less than two years. Lineup changes, there are always lineup changes.

However there has been the mention of celebratory Peach Schnapps at the two year anniversary.  Honestly, we don’t know what to think of that.  Schnapps generally kick you in the ass, which leaves us wondering, are they cheering the future or trying to forget all those auditions?

Amatory Murder, a provocative name for a group.  It grabs the attention and when first heard it makes one run a gambit of emotions.  Murder of course stands out, but the Amatory bit conjures up a gentle kiss into the great goodnight.  When asked if that was the intention, Christian and Marios found the idea interesting but explained their original thoughts.

“’Amatory’” Christian answers, “Is an old-time word for romance as well as war. Many of our songs have been about the dark side of relationships: the struggles, battles and so on. The war within. The logo on our t-shirts, flyers, website, etc is reminiscent of ‘El Dia De Los Muertos’. She’s sexy, full of romance―but also deadly. It’s sort of like the “death of romance”. It’s twisted, and I don’t think we’d want it any other way. Especially Drakos. That man is sick in the head”.

Always the provocateurs, their latest album cover includes nuns holding semi-automatic rifles and knives at the execution style band members’ heads.  While Grainne immediately thought “Oh yes, of course.  Sisters of Mercy.”  (Which probably reveals more about Grainne)  Christian had something else in mind.

He explains, “We decided to have press photos of us being executed by nuns taken to get people thinking. I personally believe there is a wealth of hypocrisy in religion―today more than ever. I was raised Catholic. I don’t know anyone who is a good Christian by the standards of the bible. It’s humanly impossible.

“Islam is no worse than Christianity. They’re both religions of extreme judgment, exclusion and hate. Today, most Christians pick and choose which parts of the bible they believe in. They’re not the Christians of the Crusades or the Holocaust. But there is a majority who feel they have the right to dictate to others how to live their lives. We see that every day with civil liberties (gay and women’s rights) and censorship. The United States is engaged in war with Muslim nations. There are many factors to this: 9/11, our involvement with Israel (a nation identified by yet another religion), oil, sanctions, etc. At the end of the day it’s religious ideology. Such is the history of mankind. As an American, I have become accustomed to seeing videos and photos of our brave troops―in hostage situations–released by Jihadist groups like Al Queda airing on cable news and the internet. Many times, I hear the talking heads with the same reaction, “See what they do over there? Islam is a religion of hate.” Well yeah, it can be, but so can Christianity, Judaism…They ALL condone execution. Followers of those texts have acted on them throughout history. The Amatory Murder took the photos as reminders. I’m all for people turning to their faith in times of trouble or for comfort, but don’t push those beliefs on others. I love my country; The United States is supposed to be ‘Land Of The Free” for EVERYONE, not just a selection of people. And we certainly shouldn’t be pretending there aren’t any hateful ideologues living here.”

New York and her surrounding boroughs are awash in creativity.  This is a very fertile time in art.  People are expressing their dreams and hopes as well as disappointment and disgust through this music.  Music has been at every Occupy came.   Music can be heard wafting from pubs and bars where you may not expect music to be. But we wondered are musicians and artists supportive to one another?  Has the gentrification of certain areas made it harder to live as a musician?

Christian explains his experience: “First, let me say this: I love New York. I am so fortunate to be born and raised here. But I think people outside of New York have this big misconception. We know so many bands and musicians from all over the world who come to this city thinking “this is it!” The truth is, there’s over-saturation of media in this country and New York is the center of it. It’s very hard to even make a dent.

“I absolutely love that I’m able to channel thoughts and feelings into music, lyrics; but to really “make it” you have to work extra hard. The industry is extremely different than it once was. You need to be willing and able to invest money in the hopes of someday being able to “make a living” off of what you love to do. That means you need to have some kind of income, or a day job (I am a freelance graphic designer, which does come in handy for our merch stuff). At the same time, you have to be willing to treat your music career as several jobs: the band, the management, the booking/agent, the PR guy, etc—plus your day job. It’s a Catch-22. Even rehearsals! Most bands have to rent out rehearsal spaces, because the other thing that’s different in New York City is that you usually don’t have a garage or basement to practice in. Lucky for us, the studio we rehearse in has ultra chill landlords who are also [amazing] musicians, so they’re right there with us. Because of that, we are also fortunate enough to be surrounded by a great community of talented artists–we’re never in a position of NOT being able to have a great show to go to; many times happening at different places on the same night.

“It’s just a drag sometimes, because you’re expected to invest money if you want to go anywhere. Lucky for Drakos, he also has that “Exotic Sperm Bank” thing that he does on the side. Something to do with semen and gyros, I think.

“The constant “changing of lineups” that many bands (including ours) experience is a bit of a pain. People come and go in this band. Many musicians in New York are notorious for being flakes or just thinking they’re “too good” for your music. It’s extremely frustrating, but recently I watched Back And Fourth which is a documentary about the Foo Fighters. They went through the same thing—and they were already famous! So knowing they struggled with this issue as well as bands like Megadeth and Motorhead makes me know it’s not just us.

“Bands in New York are generally very supportive of each other. Drakos and I try to check out people we know as often as we can, and it’s common that we see bands we know supporting us at our shows. We try to book bands on the same bills with us whenever we have an opportunity, and vice-versa. However, you do have those few bitter apples who try to bring you down a few notches when you start feeling success. Eventually you realize they’re just jealous and don’t matter anyway. Serious musicians who are trying to succeed just as much as you are will always be happy for you because they appreciate all the work it takes and how hard it is to make a dent in this industry. It’s kind of like Art College: you can be intimidated by the artist painting next to you or you can get some pointers from them. At the end of the day, the world is big enough for everyone’s creations.

“So in conclusion—at least in my opinion—a musician’s life in New York City is a constant struggle if you’re trying to make it your career. You just need to believe in what you love doing and *know* that you’ll make it no matter what. But it’s also awesome because there’s a great network of friends and talent. Plus, I have my ginormous library of porn that keeps me happy. All types of beautiful ladies, all types of fetishes; in perfect alphabetical order.”

When asked what they are digging right now, there is no hesitation.  Without a doubt this is because so much good music is coming out of New York.  But there’s more to life than music, even for musicians.  We think it was Saint Fender who said, “Man [woman] cannot live by string, pick and hot lemon-honey tea alone.”

Christian points out, “There is a wealth of talent in New York—starting with the bands we share our studio with. King Killer houses such talent as Consider The Source, The Stink, The Rakehells, Generator Ohm, End And, Tin Vulva, Less Magnetic…I’m sure I’ll remember a bunch of bands after this interview and be kicking myself. Recently we’ve come across two bands we’ve done showcases with: Last Stand For Lucy and The August Infinity. They are absolutely incredible and right on the verge of becoming rock stars. We’re glad to know them and have ‘em on our iPods. They’re really nice guys.”

He adds, “I think the most promising sound in music is honest songwriting. I was thinking recently about Adele. Now, her record that came out is good—in fact, it’s better than 95% of the stuff on mainstream radio. But is that album really as amazing and life-changing as many people in the mainstream say it is? In my opinion, not really. But it’s honest and a throwback to a time in music when songwriting was a craft that was well-thought out, when people actually had to play their instruments and knew how to sing. When people cared about musicianship. And I think our generation is so used to hearing music that’s over-saturated and written by a team of producers just to make a “hit”; they’re not used to hearing just good, honest pop music. The new Foo Fighters album is great too, but again, they’re also kind of a throw-back at this point—listed in the “Classic Rock” genre.

“I think as far as mainstream music goes, if we had more Adeles out there the industry (in terms of quality) would be in better shape. At the same time, come down to King Killer Studios (The Amatory Murder’s rehearsal space in New York) and hear some of the best music from some great bands you’ve never heard of. Listen to The Stink, Consider The Source…Those are the types of musicians I hope the main-steam will eventually come back to paying attention to. “

Marios, is an architect by day. “I’m also a ginormous nerd: anime, science, comic books, and the whole nine yards. Think of Sheldon from Big Bang Theory but more manly and handsome. I used to do a lot of animation too, although I haven’t done much lately. I’d like to do more soon. And a shit-load of sketching/drawing, some sculpting, and mostly trying to bring my silly characters in life.”

Also he’s reading.  “Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir by Dave Mustaine and The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell by Marilyn Manson are two books I’m really into at the moment.

Christian’s non- musical time is spent on art, his moldy cheese collection, or having hugging marathons with his Justin Bieber blow-up doll, “I like to indulge.” He says.

He’s also a big politics and history junkie, constantly obsessed with the state of our country. He also likes to read, specifically autobiographies. “Well, one fun fact about me is that the thing I spend the most money on besides music and food are books. Another fun fact is that I’ll read like five at the same time. I just finished reading Liberty Defined by Ron Paul and re-reading American Conspiracies by Jesse Ventura. Currently on my nightstand are Just Kids by Patti Smith, Letters to a Contrarian by Christopher Hitchens and I Just Want My Pants Back by David Rosen.  I’m re-reading Siddhartha by Herman Hesse and Getting High: The Adventures Of Oasis by Paolo Hewitt—which is one of my favorite rock biographies to read when I need a reference point.

“I have this weird thing where I like to read the autobiographies of porn stars. In all seriousness, society passes judgment on them from the outside, so I like to hear things from their side; what led them to choose the career they’ve found success in. I also love to cook. I became a vegan almost three years ago, so I’m very into cooking and baking my own food–I like to know what’s in it. And when I’m not doing any of those things, you can find me staring intently through my Celestron NexStar 6SE Telescope directly at Drakos’ bedroom window.”

Amatory Murder’s plans for their future are wide open.  This summer they will mostly be playing around the tri-state area.  However they have big plans for world domination, with stops in Japan and Germany hinted at as well as touring the U.S.

What they are looking forward to is a continued gel.  This band while not opposed to signing with a major record label for the backing, would like to keep its integrity and creative direction.  Lucky for them, this is entirely do-able nowadays.

Tools like Twitter, Facebook, Bandcamp and beyond are putting more power in the hands of musicians and their fans.  And that’s what it’s really about, connecting with the fans.

View videos and get ticket information at Subversify Viral

Catch: The Amatory Murder Presents: The Church Of Murder (Sacrament 1)- Thursday, May 31^st @ The Studio at Webster Hall, New York
Tickets can be purchased at http://thestudioatwebsterhall.com/

Also visit them at their website for music/touring info and merchandise:  http://www.amatorymurder.com/

Keep up on Facebook @https://www.facebook.com/#!/TheAmatoryMrdr

Follow them on Twitter:  @TheAmatoryMrdr

Buy Music @ Bandcamp: http://theamatorymurder.bandcamp.com/

By: Karla Fetrow

Necropolis… A shivering trip into a world without light, a world without hope, a world so destroyed, the rules of society are reversed.  Morality is viewed as the pursuit of pleasure.  Philosophy is an art freely engaged in, as long as it contributes to inertia.  While reveling in their decadence, they do so with the determination to never again repeat the structure and motivations of the past that they are sure contributed to their downfall as a civilization.  That is, until Malice comes along.

Book 1 of The Malice Cycle carries the reader into a surreal future where faith, light and hope are relinquished to forget everything except the collapse of the Old World, using it as a model of what to avoid if they did not wish to see the destruction of their own limited society, where community is declared false and nothing more than a conservative gesture to defend that which would hold us hostage.  Malice, the youngest of the Morbid daughters, a family held in high esteem, begins to question if there was something more than just the dark existence of their lives, replete in fineries, self-indulgence, sexual promiscuousness, but lacking in curiosity and inventiveness.  She is accompanied by the “Shadow”, who compels her to question the rituals that would hasten her father’s death, and to explore the edges of the void, a hostile land of poisonous insects and hallucinogenic plants, in search of a sister who has disappeared and is rarely talked about.

Malice’s journey into self-awareness is a lyrical account that strips back both the layers of personality that define her motivations for stepping away from the society that has molded her and the fabric of society itself, holding up its flaws and poking holes in its weaknesses until the society itself begins to unravel.  The author, Bruno Masse, already has a few remarkable accomplishments.  At twenty-nine, he is an author, researcher, musician, activist and publisher. He has written several novels and poetry collections, as well as five plays, four of which were enacted during the annual International Anarchist Theatre Festival of Montreal. He was the  co-founder and active part of such collectives as The End of the World Comittee, La Foret Noire, Liberterre, the Anarchist Writers Bloc and Anarchistes Anonymes, and remains an active contributing author at Subversify.

I asked Bruno about his day job in environmentalism and if it had been an influence for choosing the stark, barren background for his Malice Cycle series.  Apart from his job as coordinator for the Reseau Quebec Ecologist Group (RQGE), he has also worked also worked on urban agriculture projects and collective gardening, and was a university researcher.  He answered, “that was mostly “brain-mercenary” contract work and I don’t really boast it. I don’t mind if you use stuff from my work or make reference to it, to be honest it generally never overlaps and most people I work with have no idea of my novels or artwork on the side, and I don’t really mind. I wish it was all in sink but it’s sometimes quite contradictory, but that’s self-evident. Just to be clear, the official positions of the RQGE are not the ones I distribute on my own time, even though we’re in the same fields and agree on the basic key principles (a solidarity society, a better natural environment, etc.).

Now, my inspiration for Dystopia is a culmination of my experiences as an anarchist (and precisely, part of the anti-civ or anarcho-primitivist movement), various hypothesis about the fall of Civilisation, mainstream anthropology and a collection of theories on utopias and social change. That, and of course my interest for gothic/dark aesthetics (as manifestations of negative/critical thinking and nihilist philosophy, but something I’m also drawn to quite irrationally). My main idea is that of a utopia in practice that is one exactly because it strives consciously not to be one, which explains why they called it Dystopia. If people who claim to be perfect are the usually the worst, if you actually try to be imperfect, you have a better to chance to be more humble and not give in to totalizing thoughts and practices (which lead to totalitarianism). In a way, it’s a system that most mainstream environmentalists would hope for: a city that is 100% sustainable, supported by permaculture gardens that require little work, and most time is spent on leisure. But by mimicking a model born from the Neolithic revolution, I aim to illustrate that the “roots” with necessarily reproduce the Civilisation process (i.e. Morbid’s takeover). The reasons for that are a population so vast that immediate relationships are not constantly possible, and such emphasis on culture (Dystopians prize literature, music, debate, art, etc.) will necessarily distantiate people from one another, introducing mediations that will enable class divisions.

I delve into gothic/horror/noir themes because they carry a mood of loss and contemplation I think is inherent of the human condition and wish to undertake fully. To me, it’s more honest and liberating than the “dictature of happiness” we seem to live in, where frowning is pretty much forbidden, medicalized and shunned, and so is critical thinking.

The people of Dystopia see themselves as rebels who escaped Civilisation as it collapsed and have tried, as best as they could, to make sure the mistakes of the past would never be replicated. I wanted to do a sort of tribute to the nobility and the courage of such devotion, the kind I have seen in anarchists but also a lot of people with radical ideas and practices. In such a sunless and depressing world, they’re paying the prices for mistakes they aren’t responsible for, and that’s a clear reference to the fact that life conditions in this day and age are receding and that’s something entirely new to mankind, since the industrial revolution. But I also wanted to go beyond all that that and illustrate how difficult it can be not to reproduce the sick schemes of domination and authority.

Also, since I’m bilingual, in a province that seems to strangle itself with split cultural identities, I thought it would be interesting to imagine a people who clearly used to speak a different language and lost it completely, and make the reader feel a bit estranged from all the French dialogue, and show them how it feels at first to encounter cultural references you can’t understand, but moreso, to show how much it doesn’t matter in the end, because we’re just humans after all, who love and laugh and hurt and die like any.

The main character of Malice, besides all her human qualities which I hope are as poignant and vivid as they are to me, is basically a play on the concept of Chaos. She possesses something nobody has, some love her for it, most despise her, and a lot want to use her. She’s like a sort of exotic life form sent into an indigenous habitat, or a sort of technological leap that dwarfs everything else in the field. She’s a paradigm shift, and I want to illustrate how devious power can be, and her tragedy in a way is to echo what happens to anyone who’s opressed when they’ve had enough and finally fing a way to escape. Like the French revolution. The oppressed feel such anger and rage that it has no choice but to come out in a traumatic way, it’s an ugly, violent thing, and it’s a normal natural response to aggression. In that way, she is liberated and beautiful, because we see that the people who hurt her had the very best of intentions, but acted in really horrible ways regardless, and have to answer for that. I wanted to show that sometimes freedom is a “by any means necessary” kind of thing, but that it’s not the answer to everything, and that’s a notion Malice will learn at her own expense.

Also, there will be a sequel and a third book. It’s meant as a whole, the structure itself was done even before I started book 1. I’m currently writing book 2.

As to how much of my background I’ve used for the book, for the setting and the world itself I can say that I’ve had to delve extensively in my knowledge as a forest technician, and as a geographer, if only for the physical, environmental aspects of the Island. But I also drew from years of study into sociology, anthropology, psychology and philosophy – of which I draw mostly from nihilist thinkers like Cioran, Nietszche, Schopenhauer, but also from the Frankfurt School, primarily Adorno. For the critique of civilisation I take a lot from John Zerzan, who’s influenced me a lot (the opening quote is his) and whom I actually know. He has made reviews of all my English novels.

To conclude I’d say I draw a lot from the style of Frank Herbert in his Dune series, because to me any political discourse cut from its setting is absurd, while any storytelling devoid of incisive critical thinking is a waste of time. By trying to weave a compelling narrative and include ethical questions and layers of philosophical complexity, I try to make a read that will entrance and challenge the reader and perhaps help him or her grow in a meaningful way, even if that means feeling angry or depressed at first, because we live in fake world that’s making life agonizing and quickly threatens to take most of the planet in its fall. The logical response is revolt, and that’s what I write about. Like Karl Klaus said: it’s not so much what we create that matters, but what we destroy.”

“Do you plan, at some point”, I asked, “ to use a model of a society in your series that strikes a happy balance between the extreme of totalitarianism and dystopia, or to some viewers, what might be considered decadence?  Or do you think human nature doesn’t make that possible; that it has a tendency to veer from one extreme to another; never arriving at a middle ground for long?”

Bruno answered, “I don’t plan on using an ‘affirmative’ model that I would deem ideal. The island of Dystopia is a failed utopia, many aspects of it (little work, no technology, few social mediations, balance with nature) are true ideals to me, its flaws become apparent as the novel progresses (namely, the roots of civilization). Questions are really what I want to draw. Ultimately, I want people to think for themselves, and that is precisely how I see society getting any better – if at all. But I don’t believe the problem lies in human nature, empathy and solidarity are natural for the vast majority of us (minus those 1-2% psychopaths, who’d hunt you for sport). Culture is the problem, and not just one or the other, but culture itself, which is negation of nature, and is getting increasingly complex. The result is broken ecosystems, pandemic’s, weakened bodies, famine, mass psychological distress, to name a few, and of course, having to be in school twenty years to find a place in the system.”

The book certainly draws questions and the failed Utopia becomes a painful examination of cultural failure as the traditions that rooted themselves into this anti-civilization become the very thing that imprisons these survivors of catastrophe. “I also wonder a little about the environment you place around Dystopia,” I told Bruno.  “The natural environment outside the catacombs and cities seems to be a hostile one with limited resources, yet you symbolize a brighter world with a yellow flower.  Is my perception a result of the darkness around the story itself?  Is Dystopia an inclusive society with no connections with an outside world that might in fact, be radically different, or is it part of an overall disintegration of the cities, with a random rural society that has reverted back to basics?”

“Good question!”  Answered Bruno.  “The Collapse did leave endless spans of land desolate and lifeless, which the denizens of Dystopia call the Wastes. But I’ll leave you guessing. Those points will be addressed in the next two books.”

Bruno Masse’s “Necropolis, Book 1 of the Malice Cycle” is scheduled to be released this year to the general public.  Tangled in a twilight zone that slumbers between science fiction and fantasy, with bold, poetic strokes, it paints a haunting background and an unforgettable character in Malice.  Be among the first to collect the beginning of what is bound to be considered classical anarchistic fiction from a very memorable writer.

By Karla Fetrow:

There is a wonderful vibration in the air today, a sound that makes its own music, an awareness that brings its own rules, a new territory for exploration and creativity.  It’s the youth movement, crawling out from under the platforms of commercialism and controlled industry, finding leaders among their own numbers, confronting the world of authorities and officials with their own mistakes.

Music is the herald, reflects the attitudes, and expresses the messages of any youth movement.  The music coming out of the second decade of the big 2000 mark rustles with experimentation, aches with the eve of destruction, and brings back the driving energy of classical rock.  This generation has found its voice through its own initiative, its You-Tube  promotions and through its popularity among the ninety-nine percent, instead of the contractual agreements for canned music.

Subversify is proud to present one of these young groups that have stood up as part of the creative youth determined to fashion their own future.  Decadent Nation has been rocking the Midwest for half a decade, thrilling fans with music that incorporates the influence of metal, reggae, folk and good old-fashioned rock and roll. The band has  toured U.S. on multiple occasions, sometimes sharing the stage with the likes of Chevelle, Les Claypool, Three Days Grace, Shadows Fall, Lacuna Coil, Powerman 5000, and Puddle of Mudd. DN’s visceral live shows bring the beast out in all who are present.

Recently, the nationally touring act played a guerilla style concert at Kiener Plaza in downtown St. Louis. They played an hour of their high energy, socio-political rock to a crowd of over 500 people.

“We came here to be your cheerleaders, we came down here to pump you up a little bit, cause there’s a long way to go in this struggle,” said front man Colin LaVaute before they ripped into a cover Rage Against the Machine’s ‘Take the Power Back.’ Later in the show, LaVaute stated that while he didn’t agree with everything associated with the movement, he urged those present to “stay focused” on “divorcing all forms of special interest money from our political system.”

The concert was a result of a pledge by the band to play guerilla concerts in St. Louis, Kansas City, and their hometown of Columbia in support of the Occupy Wall St. movement.  When asked where they would b going  next,  lead guitarist Adam Rolfes, answered, “I think we are gonna throw our equipment on a flat bed and play in front of some rich people’s houses.”

True to their word, the group performed a guerilla concert the following Thursday night, playing their high energy socio-political rock from the back of a flat bed trailer, as it was towed around affluent neighborhoods in the Kansas City area. The show was their second guerilla concert in a week, after playing to a crowd of protesters in Downtown St. Louis last Saturday.

“This is not about class warfare, this is about corporate welfare,” front man Colin LaVaute stated before the band ripped into their anthem ‘Independence Day’.

After the band had concluded their performance, guitarist Adam Rolfes provided some insight as to why they chose rich neighborhoods. “The reality is, these people are rich, but they aren’t the one percent. You don’t have to be broke to realize that there’s a serious discussion that needs to be taking place about accountability from our financial and governing institutions. It’s time everyone joined that discussion.”

I asked Colin La Vaute, “You refer to the Occupy movement as a political one, yet most occupiers are at great pains to say they do not want the influence of political parties in their movement,thus defining themselves as more social than political.  How do you feel about this?  Is the movement headed in the direction of a particular political drive or is it a statement for social reform?  Do you feel your music is more political or social?”

“I have always referred to DN as being socio-political. You really can’t separate one from the other. Anyone who is involved with the Occupy movement that honestly feels as though they can institute any kind of change without engaging in the American political system is simply fooling themselves. I understand why they go to great lengths to state themselves as being non-political, but in order to reverse, for instance, the People’s United case, it’s going to take Constitutional Amendment stating what any rational person already realizes: corporations are not people. That’s no small feat, and will require a mass amount of politicking. I give the movement credit to the extent that it has brought the injustices taken place by the financial markets back to the forefront of the media’s attention, but there is a long way to go in this.”

Colin,  I really like the lyrics to your song, Little Mushrooms.  What inspired you to put this song together?

“That song was written at the height of the Iraq War. To me DN has always been about helping people let the beast out, and maybe broadening people’s perceptions about any given topic. And when I talk about The Beast, I’m not talking about some violent animal, but more the natural instincts that we all have that can separate reality from the mind-numbing minutiae of everyday life. Little Mushrooms is imploring people to get real about what was happening in Iraq at that time. As far as the other end of the mushroom metaphor, I’ll leave that up for speculation…”

Do you feel that the current “rage against the machine” expression of the youth will have a lasting effect or will sort of die out over time the way the hippie movement eventually abandoned their free for all philosophy for materialism?

“I honestly don’t know what to expect anymore. The world never ceases to amaze me. I think that as long as our political system supports plutocracy over democracy, the corruption has no end. As long as we keep on going down this path, people are going to continue to be fed up about what’s going on regardless. What really needs to happen is more of an open dialogue between people of all social and political backgrounds. Political pundits and the media go to great lengths to label people as liberal and conservative, and in turn, Americans engage in the same practice. We need to shed ourselves of such demagoguery, and realize how much we actually agree with one another. For instance take a look at Libertarians, perhaps the most “right wing” of political circles. Well you’ll find that some of the things that they deem as destructive to America as being the same things that the Occupy protesters do. They think we should withdraw all troops from overseas, and that big banks shouldn’t get bailouts. That’s not to say that I agree with everything they believe, but dammit, why do I need to draw such a clear distinction as to where I’m at politically? I’m conservative about some things, and I’m liberal about other things. Once we stop drawing lines in the sand based on our ideals, then we can grow into a nation that elects officials based on the quality of their ideas, and not whether or not they’re conservative or liberal enough.”

Although Adam Rofes, lead guitarist, defines himself as an activist, he’s not sure whether he truly feels his activism could be called political or social.  “Im not sure if I really try to define myself as one or the other, honestly. I have my beliefs and I stick up for what I believe in. Above all, I believe in being a good person and helping people who need to be helped. You never know when YOU may be the one in need looking up to someone you once helped. Politically, I would say that Im middle of the road. I think that we all need to work for each other and our communities to make them the best we can. I think that bi-partisan politics are a waste of time and only serve to drive people apart… and we need to stop the contributions from large corporations or interest groups to politicians. I could probably go on for hours about my beliefs but I encourage everyone to inform themselves and form their own beliefs rather than just listening to what some guitar player in some band has to say.”

“There must have been a lot of contrast between playing for an Occupy camp and playing on the streets of the St. Louis upper crust. Would any of you like to share your impressions? In other words, how much fun was it?

Colin answered, “Contrast is an understatement. At the Occupy protest, you had quite a mixed bag of individuals. It was in downtown St. Louis, so it provided a lot of the homeless people with a place to go. There were the pompous hipsters, the hippies reliving the 60’s, but then there were some very intelligent people, trying to keep the movement on track. It was pretty amazing, playing a show in the shadow of all of those skyscrapers, housing the very corporations we were there to protest. Then, when we did the trailer bit in Kansas City(and it was KC) it was much more homogenous. A lot of people just stared at us as we drove by. Some people were amused, some were annoyed, but at least no one called the cops on us. After it was over a teenager came up and gave us a demo of his band and told us how much he appreciated what we did.”

“For me,” Zack answered, “noticing a lot of the other bigger name musicians that have been getting involved with the movement, people that I respect, it was cool to be a part of movement, that if it succeeds, can make a lot of amazing changes in this country. I’m not the most politically minded person, but to do what we do in support of the movement was a big deal to me. I had never been apart of anything like that before.”

Observed Cody, “I definitely felt more welcome while playing for the Occupy camp in St. Louis. In KC, there were some welcome vibes, but there were others there that wanted us to get the fuck off their lawn.”

I asked the group, “if you had one single message to share with us, what would it be.”

Zack Blomberg answered,   “Listen to Black Sabbath….As a it pertains to our message, I hope anyone who takes the time to read the lyrics can find at least one part that sticks with them, empowers them, you know? We have some powerful thoughts in our songs, and yes, some are politically minded. But there are so many other aspects of our daily lives we need to wake up to as well.”

Adam replied, “I would say that people need to inform themselves.. Emphasis on THEMSELVES. The general media, these days, is so biased that they really seem to want to make up peoples minds for them. I meant that people shouldn’t just listen to what a musician says and form their opinions on that. People should always be on a hunt for the actual facts so they can make an informed and strong opinion on the matters that affect each and every one of us every day.’

“We are in the middle of a fascinating moment in time,” said Colin. “It’s impossible to keep track of all of the way the human race evolves on a daily basis. That being said, I don’t have any singular message to put out there. DN is here to help wake people up. The vast, vast majority of what I hear in the realm of music doesn’t engage listeners to do anything but bob their head to the beat. I want to awaken something in those who hear DN’s music. The more bombarded we are with information, the easier it becomes to be desensitized to the menagerie of it all. It’s time to step out of the fog, and if our music can help people do that, then we’ve done our job.”

Are Decadent Nation doing their job?  Not only has Decadent Nation been sharing its upward beat with a generation of authority questioning youth for the last five years, it has reminded America it needs to regain its sense of humor.  When a rumor circulated that the group had thrown a hot dog at Tiger Woods, the celebrity was apparently not very amused.  When asked if hot dog throwing would become part of their trademark, Colin answered, “The apology and subsequent video we made was more tongue and cheek than some in the media realize. ‘Flinging wieners?’ Come on, that’s funny! We are just now beginning to experiment with new forms of performance art, and on that end, you can definitely expect to see more where that came from.

You know, the last two Halloweens I’ve played shows as a clown. In fact, there are pictures up on our Facebook still of the last show. I get so lost, and animated when I have the makeup on, that I’ve considered playing more shows as the clown.”

If the job of a music performer is to inspire, uplift and entertain, it looks like Decadent Nation is doing a very good job. Be sure to learn more about the individual performers and listen to their music at Subversify’s own Viral radio network.

You can listen to Decadent Nation right now at Subversify Viral!

Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan pied by Aron Kay

By: Grainne Rhuad

There is something the new protests are missing.  It’s humor.  Humor goes a long way to alleviating the both the people involved and the people who have to watch it at home.

Meet the Pie Man.  His real name is Aron Kay.   He has been protesting since the 1960’s when he made a name for himself throwing pies and running.  He has been saying it with pies for longer than some of us have been alive and it’s more than just tomfoolery.  In the words of Aron Kay it’s “Assassination without bullets.”  It’s a sense of public ridicule which dethrones the high and mighty and makes them for just a moment, human.

When one watches a person being pied they should watch for the reaction.  There is the ‘What the Fuck’ moment followed closely by ‘How could this happen to me, ME! I am all powerful.’ Then there is the anger and disgust.  Therein you see how someone really feels about the people they are talking to.  You know in that instant whether they have a deep seated disgust for their audience, constituents or whomever.

If they take it gracefully, tasting to see if it’s a good pie or a crap pie or maybe just a bunch of cool-whip you know, okay they maybe are a bit human.  This behavior is usually followed by a joke.

Most often though people react with anger.  Like Rupert Murdoch whose wife attacked the pie thrower.  This shows undoubtedly that their egos cannot stand a little bit of cream and crust.  They are unmasked for one moment and if people are looking they can see that.

Aron Kay has in his time pied such luminaries as: William Buckly Jr., Phyliss Schlafling, Sen. Pan Monihan, E.Howard Hunter, Quinton L. Kopp, Abraham Beame, G.Gordon Liddy, William Rubell, Jerry Brown-who we think needs another due to his lack of response in Oakland, McGeorge Bundy, Edward Tellel, Randal Terry, William Shatner and Andy Warhol

And most recently he got Geraldo Rivera at the Occupy New York protest it wasn’t with a pie, but the Pie Man makes due with white powdered rations, some report were strawberry drink mix in some reports it was milk.  In any case you have to make due when you don’t bring a pie.

Geraldo Rivera poses with The Pie Man

Geraldo wasn’t fazed and indeed posed with the Pie Man later; it was more about the Fox news coverage of the event anyway.

I contacted Aron on the outside chance that he would get back to me.  He’s very busy with the Occupy Wall St. movement.  He got right back to me and gave me a few minutes of time on the phone.  This is the thing with the Yippies they want to connect, to help and to share.  He shared stories of Ireland when he found out my name was Celtic.  But more importantly he told me about how his humor and connectivity helps keep people involved. 

He talked about hooking up with others he hadn’t seen in years including someone he “recruited” as a 17 year old to the Yippie movement.  His big wish is that he could do a bus tour of all the occupations.  Frankly so do I.  I wish it was cheap enough and easy enough to still travel and do this.  Build morale and visit the different movements that have decidedly different feels.

When asked who he would most like to pie he did not hesitate, it was Glen Beck.  Coming in a close second was Sean Hannity. Both of which I agreed were excellent choices however unlikely they were to come down off of their judgemental seats and visit an actual protest. 

He also was quick to point out that humor in areas other than slapstick is present and hopfully growing.  He pointed out Randy Credico who has been active in pointing out the lighter side of the Occupy movement.  He has also recently run for N.Y. Senator on the ideal that a comedian may be the only honest person left.

The principle of the pie has long been a vaudevillian standard.  Employed to mostly relay; “this guy/gal needs to be brought down a peg or two.” It took off from there as film became popular as a slapstick standard and who amongst us has not watched the classic Three Stooges’ “In The Sweet Pie and Pie.” or my favorite from Our Gang “Rascals Pie Fight: (If you haven’t, shame on you! Here’s the links: http://youtu.be/tPtVxrQOzpc  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8sYMDHPYsM&feature=related )

The Pie Man’s advice for throwing pie:

Did you know in some states pieing is considered Battery?  Like in Michigan where In August 2010, a Michigan State University student named Ahlam Mohsem, 23, threw a Dutch apple pie into Michigan Senator Carl Levin’s face and was arrested on assault and battery charges. The police also charged a man who allegedly distracted the senator before the pie was thrown. Mohsem said she threw the pie to protest the Senator’s support for war crimes by Israel.

It is also apparently illegal in Canada where several people have gone to jail for pies.  I guess they have absolutely no sense of humor or they prefer pudding.

It’s not that pieing is a dead art at all as many have taken up the torch.  Groups like Al Pieda and The Biotic Baking Brigade have begun sharing and planning pie events.   Mostly though pieing is a lone act.  Which makes it easier to do, there’s not a lot of planning involved and you are almost guaranteed to get your statement on TV.  People will see and talk about a pie in the face.  They will laugh, shake their heads and then talk about whether or not that person deserved it.  And then laugh some more.   It is a simple and perfect thumb of the nose at those getting the pie and the media who would normally never take the time to talk to dissidents much less show them.

Then there’s the bit about it being fun.  Fun is actually what is necessary to keep a movement going.  We can be concerned angry and rebellious but if we never have breaks to smile, laugh and remember there is and should be more, then there is nothing to fight for really.

Some Pietry
Say it with pies, sometimes it’s
hard to find the words.
although we search for hours;
and so, on those occasions,
we might’ say it with flowers
—our tenderer emotions,
by people felt, and possums,
expressed in the universal
language of blossoms.
But how do you respond to
cover-ups and outright lies?
fortunately there is a way
—say it with pies!
Instead of trying to decide
which flower would be more thrilling,
you’re standing there deciding
between a choice of filling;
should it be apple, mincemeat, or
a cream pie?
Here’s your chance to be creative and come up with a dream pie.
Satisfaction’s in the baking, and sheer joy when it flies;
it’s a noble undertaking
—SAY IT WITH PIES

 ~Author Unknown

http://pieman.org/

http://www.whisperedmedia.org/piepage.html

https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15190356261&v=wall

By: Grainne Rhuad

“Satan is Real; and he is Black”

This is the title I received in a recent press release for the Underground BlkVampires and I was instantly intrigued.  I love a band that isn’t afraid of inciting attention.  I have been known to show up and support shows that in all actuality I would have never examined based simply on their persona.  You see, to me and a lot of music lovers going to a live show is a part of the ‘show’.  I don’t want to see music videos, I want an experience and this band seems to embrace that with a vengeance.

From their Press Statement: “BlkVampires is a ‘Must See’ band who have literally torn down houses in multiple venues leaving sprinkler systems and lighting fixtures hanging from the ceilings, while audiences stand in pitch black rooms. These monsters continue to excite and move crowds. Meanwhile, club owners drop lawsuits, while still asking for the band’s return, solely based upon their live shows. These 6 members combine Hard Alternative Gothic Soul music in a way that resembles what Queen did to rock & opera. In a moment you are listening to sweet tenor vocals, then suddenly your ears are jolted into sounds of sheer terror to slick cool rhythm guitar licks into pure metal. All this, while in full regalia a la Marilyn Manson and Slipknot.”

BlkVampires hails from New York, its band members come from boroughs in and around the city and between them have a more than decent resume. Forrest Thinner, the singer has been in Knights, 24-7 Spyz, & The Fluid Foundation.

Bass player, Raymond Anderson has played for Black Rebel Indians (Funk/ Rock&Roll/ Reggae)

Rhythm Guitarist Chan Booth Played with Prowler, Troy Brown’s Style, Remi Leku and other groups of musicians assembled by Forrest along the road to forming BlkVampires.

Ramsey Jones, the drummer and background vocals for the BlkVampires! His first band experience was with Abstract; he has also backed up Rha Goddess, Akebulan, Funk face, Alexis High tower, Vernon Reid. He recorded an album with Vernon Reid in 2001, which never came out. He also appeared on various Wu Tang Albums with his cousin is RZA.   His youngest brother was Ol’ Dirty Bastard.  He just recorded a track with Corrine Bailey Rae which will be on her next album.

Lead Guitarist Kute Tonge has played Karma, Fire and Brimstone, Lionheart, Boom Bits, Dayme and the Kicks, and Gingee and the Gun.

Most of the BlkVampires are well versed and experienced in genre bending music and BlkVampires is just that providing Heavy Metal stage sound with unexpected funk tracks laid down right when you wouldn’t expect them and yet it feels just right.  I had to know more about these Vamps so here they are in their words:

G.R. – Who or what inspires you musically?

Ramsey - I started playing drums at the age of 5. Banging on various Tupperware. Pots and pans included. My first musical epiphany occurred at that age. My father summoned me into the living room to watch Jimi Hendrix obituary on television. I became enthralled by his appearance and at that time, you rarely saw black people on television. My father purchased the first Beatles album and Jimi’s “Are you Experienced”. Blew me away and informed what my life would be from that point on.

I started to seriously learn drums and guitar and piano. Any instrument to express myself and learn to write music. I also began to listen to every genre of music because I am a sponge for any kind of music.

ChanD- (My)Influences include Jimi Hendrix, Neal Schon (Santana/Journey), Prince, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads/Ozzy Osbourne, Earth, Wind & Fire, Jimmy Page/ Led Zeppelin, David Gilmour/Pink Floyd and Perry Mason. My first band was Abstract and it started in 1989 with a group of friends I grew up with. My talent had made others who witnessed my band at various venues like CBGB’s, Space at Chase, Limelight, Brownies, and Wetlands. Those were the days playing that scene in New York circa 1989-2001

G.R. – I am aware that Forrest Thinner was previously in 24-7 spyz, I found an interview with him on the website for the City Gardens Film project- Riot on the Dance Floor, would Forrest like to talk about playing there. I ask because the press release highlights the band’s propensity for tearing down the house and City Gardens pretty much exemplifies the house being torn down. Is this the feel that BlkVampires want to bring to its shows?

Forrest- In regards to bringing down the house, the idea comes from and actual show where I hung from and light fixture, and it came down. The band continued to play to a pitch black room, while workers tried to get the lights back up. We don’t want club owners to think that they will always tear up their venues; otherwise they will never let them play.

G.R. – In your press release you state “Satan is real and he is Black”. Are you referring to the Christian ideal of Satan or the hedonistic aspects as represented by the Satanic Church? Or are you giving Satan an all new spin. If so, explain a bit.

Forrest- Satan? We are using Satan as an alternative to things, like the opposite of things. Good/Evil, Yin/Yang, Day/Night etc…To blame the Devil for everything that goes wrong in this world is crazy, when God allows it!

G.R. – Who are your fans? What demographic are you attracting? Are your fans the ones you intended or did it just turn out that way organically? When I watch your videos I see mostly a white college age audience, do you think they “get” the funk and soul musical references? Also I don’t see a lot of the Vampire social scene present at the concerts, but this may just be circumstantial. How does the Vampire culture receive you?

Forrest- Our fans are new and developing. Since we are from the Northeast, our fan base is also here, and it’s turning out this way organically. We play multi bills with different acts so this brings us a wide audience and yes, whites understand soul and funk very well and appreciate it. The vampire scene has not made a presence at our shows, yet we play with everyone they only go to their “kind” of events.

G.R. – I have to ask about the cross burning, I am intrigued because you are a Black band, how is that received? I think it is provocative to say the least, but what is your intention with it, shock &awe? Or a statement or both?

Forrest-The burning cross is like a fiery preacher that’s speaking the word of God, the Klan used it to put fear in black people, we use it to put light in ALL people. Our intention is to free your mind. Imagine a Jewish band with a swastika…wild huh??

G.R. – How much do you interact on a daily basis with your fans? Do you utilize Twitter, Facebook, blogging, etc. on a regular basis to allow your fans to feel they know you, thereby generating excitement or do you keep a distance and cultivate mystery?

Forrest- Fan interaction, yes we do it on a daily basis. On Facebook there are people that actually come to our shows or support us. I want them to feel us personally and the ones that don’t we’re a cool mystery too. We are also still on MySpace. One of the band members has a twitter account. I (Forrest) also hand out flyers/stickers on a regular basis, which is another great way to meet and interact with people.

G.R. – I see Genre’s themselves as passing away. More and more there is so much blending, punk and cabaret, metal and soul, ukulele and …well that damn instrument is popping up everywhere. However when you go to search and buy and post music you still have to announce a genre. How do you deal with this as your music definitely is genre bending.

Forrest-Our music genre if you will, could be called “Alternative Gothic Soul”. That’s what we tell people. It’s like Al Green vs. Pantera or Maxwell vs Marilyn Manson. Soul music is worldwide. What Queen did to Rock and Opera we are to Alternative Gothic Soul. There is no equal.

G.R. – Listening to and reading through the lyrics which it looks like mostly Forrest wrote, they are mostly fun and saucy with a sense of taunting in some cases, except for War which was a bit more political. Right now do you see this group as a vehicle for drama or social commentary or both?

Forrest- Both!! The lyrics typically reflect the songs’ titles and since we’re a multifaceted band our songs should also reflect that. Like the Beatles, their names sounds like bugs, but of course don’t sing about insects. The band Vampire Weekend also doesn’t sing about vampires. We aren’t necessarily trying to be anything in particular (social, political, etc) we are just trying to do things organically. Whatever hits us in our chest, that’s what we sing about.

G.R. – I did see via Twitter that ChanD is a runner. What else do you all do on your own time? P.S. ChanD also tweeted “Curling is the greatest sport ever created by men.” Which cracked me up and while yes it is a great sport I have to disagree, I think Running the Ba is the greatest sport. Just thought I’d put that out there. Violence and a history of head stealing who can beat that?

Forrest- My time is promoting this band, which is why we’re communicating now. I’m like a machine with this….I like it. I feel we’ve got the uncanny thing out here and your article can help take us through the roof!!

ChanD- I spend my free time at the gym, on the golf course, and, of course, traveling to follow the international curling tour circuit.

Ramsey- What I do in my spare time is collect records and Cd’s. Yes I still buy Cd’s and records because I hate downloads! I also love to read and research music history and history on various topics concerning towns and countries. Art also inspires me and nature. I love to collect music from the 60′s. Rare psych, soul mod jazz, anything odd and unusual from the era. I love all eras of music. The 60′s and 70′s were the best.

Kute Tonge- I like to boogie board

G.R. –What I always want to know about everyone I meet is: what book is currently being read or what was the last book read, who is in regular rotation on your daily soundtrack and as it is the right time of year what is your favorite Horror story/movie?

Forrest- Frankenstein by Dean Koontz was the last book. In daily music rotation are: Rammstein, Sade, and The Game. My Favorite Horror movies: The Exorcist/The Thing! /Horror Hotel

Raymond - Current Book Being Read: I Want To Take You HIgher The Life and Times Of Sly and the Family Stone by Jeff Kaliss. Last Book Read: Pharmacotherapy: A Pathophysiological Approach by Dipiro et al. Favorite Horror Movie(s): The Exorcist, The Sixth Sense.

ChanD- Currently reading two books: “Dreams from My Father” by Barack Obama and the Keith Richards autobiography “Life”. As for horror films, since we’re in October, this is a very timely question. The first “Halloween” always made me jump. Very basic story. Creepy and suspenseful music. Low budget production. No frills yet very compelling all around. Very influential to many horror movies to follow. It’s always the simple stuff that ends up being the most effective. Classic.

Ramsey – Books I have read lately were “The Chitlin’ Circuit” by Preston Lauterbach, The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz and Little Willie John’s Bio. All excellent books. My favorite Horror films, too many to mention but I love “The Exorcist” and “Halloween”. I listen to a lot of music from the 60′s. Today’s music is lifeless and boring. The only good music from this era is music you don’t hear on mainstream radio. Mainstream radio is garbage to me. So I go out to find music on College radio and small radio stations. Digital streams and checking out interesting music in record stores, Independent, that is.

Kute Tonge- I am currently reading a book called Self Realization. Mercyful Fate is in regular rotation on my daily soundtrack. One of my favorite horror movies is the Wolfman with Lon Chaney.

BlkVampires are the type of band that is embodying the ideal of doing what you like and enjoy, cutting out the middle man and bringing the music directly to the fans.  This trend that began out of necessity is lately becoming the “It” thing to do” with well established musicians leaving their labels and taking advantage of the global networking and technology.  While this is all well and good for the guys late to the party, underground bands like BlkVampires understand the best selling point is the music and the show and bringing it to the people  whenever, where ever and giving it everything.

Most of all having fun and Bringing Down the House-Light Fixtures and all.

To See BlkVampires and get upcoming concert information, go to Subversify Viral where you will find videos chosen for you by the Band.

By: Grainne Rhuad

Subversify got its start when a few writers met in seemingly coincidental circumstances.  So it should be no surprise to us that the internet Norns should continue to lead to our doorstep more talented artists and writers.  Such was the case when a love of avant-garde circus/punk musician Sxip Shirey brought Clara Engel to my proverbial door.  It was kismet.  Her music is lovely, refreshing and defies definition as so much of the music I listen to nowadays does.  It’s full of the round fullness of folk mixed with snapshots of modern life that is easily relatable to many.  She reminds me both in her music and her answers to interview questions of a bard of olde, here to truly tell a story. 

This 28 year old who hails from Canada describes herself as mostly self taught, musically.   She has been playing with music and writing her own songs since childhood.  She also draws although she does not describe herself as an artist her albums bear her artwork.   Her voice is a strong and definite one.  She has been touring mostly eastern Canada but also some of the American northeast.  Please do follow her at one or more of her links as support for independent artists is what allows them to bring their art to us face to face.

Grainne: Your profile states you live in Montreal.  Are you a native of Quebec and if not where are your roots?

Clara: No, I was born in Toronto. I moved to Montreal last summer. Both of my parents are from Quebec though, so I’ve spent a lot of time here. In terms of roots, I am half English Irish Scottish and half Russian Polish Jewish.

Grainne: When/how old were you when you started playing music?  Did you come to it on your own or were you a child who was exposed to music via family/school/lessons?

Clara: When I was eleven or twelve, I picked up a guitar. It was a Framus classical guitar that my father had owned since before I was born, I think. One day I just picked it up, and I really took to it. I started writing songs when I was thirteen. I did have some music lessons, but I’m mostly self-taught. I sang a lot when I was really young. But music in school was awful. I had a mean music teacher who used to conduct singing tests in front of the class. He scared me so much that my voice literally got stuck in my throat when he would call on me to sing. It’s a vivid memory – I would stand there shaking, making this strangulated attempt to sing, for thirty seconds or so (it felt like five minutes) and then be told to sit down. It happened repeatedly, and I failed singing right through grade school. My single great memory of music in a school context is of this one Orff music class we had in first grade. A woman came to our school, with a giant basket of percussion instruments. I can still remember singing a song she taught us about a river, and banging on drums and shakers. I was buzzing with joy. It was such an inclusive, unselfconscious and physical approach to making music. I didn’t experience the joy of making music in a group again until I was in my 20s and I started playing with a band.

Grainne: When did you settle on an instrument or have you?

Clara: I mainly write on the guitar. At some point, I’d like to try writing a whole album without allowing myself to use the guitar… maybe an album for drums, voice and bells. But I am very at home with the guitar. I enjoy how physical and percussive it is, and being able to re-tune it.

Grainne: You describe most of your work as unfinished, sketches of a moment.  Do you do this on purpose?  Did you begin to recognize others filling in your unfinished work with their own stories?  If so how do you feel about this?

Clara: I said that in 2009 I think. I don’t agree with myself now. My aesthetic happens to strike many people as stark. So I was trying to defend my work by saying: it may seem unfinished, but it’s meant to be that way. Now I don’t explain or defend the form of my songs, I just write and play them. I don’t work with musicians who are compelled to fill in every space. It’s a very abstract notion, to finish something. When your life is finished it means you’re dead. Maybe I just want my work to stay living, mutable. I love space, and silence is so important in music. I like it when people find their own meaning in my songs, and it’s thrilling when someone covers one of my songs and makes it their own. That’s happened a few times now, and it really pleased me. In terms of the openness of my work, I’d say that resisting a singular meaning or stance is a perfectly valid stance. I want my songs to remain open to new interpretations, not to be bound to a singular story, and they’re definitely not diary entries.

Grainne: Are you of the opinion that once you are finished and walk away from a project it belongs to the world?  Or do you maintain ownership over your unfinished vocal imaginings?

Clara: I don’t understand the concept of ownership as it applies to music. Songwriting is a contribution to a huge canon; folk music is a giant river of song. In that context, the idea of plagiarism is irrelevant because it is understood that songs come from other songs, that there is no original song or idea. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to be paid or credited for my work, I do. I just don’t find the concept of originality to be very convincing.  

Grainne: Who have been your musical influences? 

Clara: There have been so many… two that spring to mind right now are Sephardic Jewish music, which I came to through Yasmin Levy, and Armenian music, which I came to through a collection of Armenian lullabies. I love Vic Chesnutt, Dirty Three, Laurie Anderson, and Jacques Brel. Really early blues: Robert Johnson, Son House, Geeshie Wiley. I love what I’ve heard of medieval music. I’m drawn to songs that go for the jugular. I am simple and brutal when it comes to the music I love. I hardly even like to talk about it. I get inarticulate. Explaining, understanding, pinning them down is like butterfly collecting – highly stylized murder. Now I think about it, music and butterflies are kind of alike… fleeting and unattainable, not to be held. This was even truer before music could be recorded – then you’d really have to treasure live music. You might never hear that song again. It makes me think of William Blake: “he who binds to himself a joy does the winged life destroy…” The more I try to explain why I love something, the farther I feel from its living, changing being.

Grainne: You also draw; do you consider yourself a multi-media artist?

Clara: Not really. I guess I consider myself an artist in a broad sense of the word. I feel useful when I am making things. I’ve designed most of my own album-art. I like to draw, it calms my nerves, but I don’t consider myself a visual artist, at least not at this point in my life. Mostly I avoid having to describe my work. Recently someone called it “singing poetry” and I think that is quite a good description.

Arc by: Clara Engel

Grainne: I love Bandcamp and the whole idea of subverting the music industry by bringing the music directly to the fans and forming a closer fan/musician relationship.  How did you find your way to Bandcamp?  What has been your experience there?  Pluses and minuses?

Clara: One of my best friends, Alex Olsen – a musician/composer and also the co-mixer of my album Secret Beasts, recommended that site to me. Overall it’s been really great, and empowering. What I don’t like about it… it used to be free, and now they take 15% of sales. So I no longer get the full amount. That is pretty standard, but disappointing nonetheless.

Grainne: Here’s an interesting question for me…If you had the opportunity to sign with a big record label and leave the Bandcamp type of scene would you?  Why or why not?

Clara: I’m not an expert, but from what I gather, most big record labels are floundering. So, I really don’t know. It depends on the label. If it was a label associated with artists whom I respected, I would do it. I’d prefer not to ‘leave’ the other scene; I’d rather combine the two. The most frustrating thing about being independent, or in being as independent as I am, is that I can’t afford to tour or record at this point. Hopefully this will change soon. I’m currently working with a couple of independent labels, Vox Humana, and Tapemancy – they are releasing some of my work on vinyl and tape, respectively. I just have so many new songs that I need to record. I’m exploding with songs.

Grainne: How do you reach your audience?  Have you been touring and if so where? Do you use the internet to connect with people using places like Facebook, Myspace, etc. and to what effect?  Do you blog your musical/artistic experiences, if so, how is that received? 

Clara: I’ve reached the audience that I have mainly through the internet. I’ve actually made some amazing connections online. The artist Yuki Komura, who painted the portrait of me that appears on the actual physical CD of my album Secret Beasts, found me on Myspace. He’s an incredible painter, and it was such a random stroke of luck that our paths crossed. I’ve also met musicians who I’ve worked with and played shows with via the internet. The internet is an essential tool for independent artists. In terms of touring, I mainly play in Montreal right now, and do mini-tours in the USA. NYC, and Massachusetts mainly. I’m planning to tour more in Canada, and hoping it will work out that I can play in Europe soon too. As for the blogging question, I used to be into blogging and then went off it. I’m going to start again soon; I’m going to start a wordpress site.

Clara Engel by Yuki Komura

Grainne: Do you have plans for touring in the future?

Clara: I’m releasing something on vinyl in the UK, and am really hoping that will translate into a tour there. I would love to play in the UK, in France, and in Ireland. I also will be playing in NYC, and probably Boston and Philadelphia, in May.

Grainne: What kinds of gigs do you like to do?  Up-front and personal ones with lots of audience interaction, or gigs where you maybe have less interaction but more musicians involved for support?

Clara: My dream show at this point in time would be in a church, probably solo, or with the drummer and horn player I work with when I’m in Toronto, Paul Kolinski and Nicolas Buligan. I sometimes talk to the audience, and sometimes it feels best to just play and let the silence breathe between songs. I’m getting more and more comfortable with silence.

Grainne: How old are you?-I ask this because I like to get a sense of what generational influences you have and are working with.

Clara: I’m twenty eight, but that says very little about my influences. I saw less than ten films in theaters when I was a kid, and hardly watched any television. When I was nine or ten I was really into Gilbert and Sullivan. I really loved The Mikado. I find that funny considering the music I make now.

Grainne: What is on your nightstand at this moment?

Clara: Mad in Pursuit by Violette Leduc.

Grainne: What is the best thing you have read in the last year?

Clara: Three Steps on the Ladder of Writing by Helene Cixous. Also, All About Love by bell hooks, and A Book of Luminous Things, the poetry anthology compiled by Czeslaw Milosz.

Grainne: Who currently gets the most play on your iPod? (Or similar device)

Clara: Right now I’m listening to The Original Carter Family. Before that I was listening to this band called Opal Onyx, from NYC. Also in heavy rotation are John Grant, Sxip Shirey, Armen Ra, The Irrepressibles, and Larkin Grimm.

Grainne: What do you most want people to know about you?

Drawing by: Clara Engel

You can listen to and purchase Clara Engel’s music at Bandcamp @ http://claraengel.bandcamp.com

You can help support her new album @ http://www.kapipal.com/dc4a9de39ce64980a90a675bc4f8b0b7

You can follow Clara Engel @ http://www.myspace.com/claraengel and http://www.facebook.com/#!/claraengelmusic

For Artwork by Yuki Komura: http://yukikomura.com/menu.html

By: Grainne Rhuad

In the community I grew up in there is an Islamic Center and there are quite a few followers of Islam.  However, up until the shocking events of Sept. 11, most people in our community didn’t give much thought to Islam in their daily lives.  In our culture we tend not to think outside of our daily experiences until we have to.  There had always been good feelings toward our Muslim neighbors.  We showed up and helped them raise their Masjid in our town and a neighboring one.  They came and kept watch over the local Synagogue when it was being vandalized by a white pride group.   And yet beyond the day to day transactions we didn’t think about religious and cultural differences.  It wasn’t until the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, that our community even thought to include Islam in its discussion about faith, discrimination and cultural competence.

Increasingly our news outlets have been reaching out and covering the personal side of Islam.  This seems especially true this year when we have had so much controversy around things like book burnings and Mosques in Manhattan neighborhoods.

One thing I wanted to know about but didn’t see a lot of coverage of was what the daily life of a housewife, mother and woman like me is like during Ramadan.  It just wasn’t covered.  I didn’t know whether nobody thought to ask or whether there was some sort of religious injunction against talking about women’s feelings around matters of spirituality.  I had grown up like so many American with visions of The Nation of Islam in my head; Women who didn’t meet your eye, quiet women.  What I wanted to know more about was a modern American Muslim woman, so I asked someone I knew.

Maya Salem has been a contributor for us in the past.  She is a mother, a wife a daughter and a follower of Islam.  She was kind enough to humor me and my questions and even add some of her own direction in between, when she thought I needed to know more.

Maya leads off by offering this definition of the fast:

We fast for thirty days. What does it mean to fast? We CANNOT eat or drink anything at all from sunrise to sunset. Not only that, we must not engage nor think about sexual activity, smoking nor drugs. It is a total disciplinary cause. Why do we fast? Simple, to feel with the poor and hungry. You can’t say that you understand a poor person without being poor. You must experience it. This would help us to know firsthand what poverty feels like. It leaves no room for pleasurable thoughts; it is a constant battle of hunger pangs and weakness. It leaves a person grateful for what he has, and an accomplished sense of appreciation. We also realize that we are not and never were better than anyone. Humans are equal and not measured by one’s weight in treasure. Fasting encourages charity, humbleness and awareness that people truly do experience hardships. Now I have about two more weeks to go, and the toll of eating at night has taken its weight on me. Yes, I feel fatigued, dehydrated and weak, but overly thankful. I can resume a food-full life, but others can’t. Please give charity and drop food off at the food banks when you can. When you give, it always finds its way back to you.

GR-How does Ramadan affirm or not affirm your faith?

M.S.-The fact that I am not fasting alone strengthens my mission.  What I mean by that is to see that so many Muslims actually commit to fasting during Ramadan makes it feel right.  It’s contagious.  It makes me proud, and assures my faith.  There is no question as to whether I will participate or not.  It’s an obligation to which regardless of my current strength in spirituality, I will submit.  There is no material gain from it.  Ramadan is a test of endurance, discipline, compassion, spirituality and overall patience.  Ramadan is also a month where generosity is a non-stop agenda.  Regard others as you would like to be regarded.  Of course this type of behavior should be practiced on a daily basis, however, this month enforces it and people are more likely to comply.

G.R-How hard is it on the women during Ramadan with the cooking and guests showing up, etc.

M.S. - It’s actually the contrary of hard.  The beautiful thing about Ramadan is that everyone (men and women) has empathy towards each other so they’re willing to lend a helping hand.  We’re all fasting and exhausted, so we understand one another.  One finds pleasure in cooking, and offering meals to people that are saymeen (fasting).  I look forward to having guests; it’s an honor to have them break their fast at my table.  The only difficult thing about the cooking is I can’t taste how well I have spiced the food.  I don’t want anyone eating an over salted roast you know.

I wanted to also mention and emphasize on the fact that we take turns cooking a large meal and sending it to a local mosque or shelter to provide food for the needy.  Anyone and everyone are invited to feast at the mosque regardless of belief.  Together as a community we ensure that there is a free meal provided for every day of Ramadan.  I try to encourage non-Muslims to visit a local masjid in order to gain an understanding of what it’s like, plus you can try some good food.

Breaking the Fast-Photo by Maya Salem

G.R.-Do you see it as harder to practice in America where people tend to see things and gift giving holidays?

M.S.-Well it can be difficult for some I would imagine, but I haven’t faced any difficulty.  It all depends on the community and non-Muslim understanding of the month.  It also depends on how one handles it.  Not everyone is as oblivious as I am.  During Ramadan people are actually very generous with monetary and material gifts. Especially at the end of Ramadan, the Eid.  The early Muslims used to decorate their homes with branches and leaves from olive trees.  We’re supposed to differentiate Ramadan from any other time of the year.  Kind of like Christmas. (As I understand it)   But I rarely see American Muslims who do decorate their homes for this special occasion.  Every year I have plans to decorate and make my holiday obvious, but I have yet to do so.

Ramadan is different in America, unless you’re at the masjid participating in a break-fast pot luck, or daily taraweeh prayer, you don’t really feel the jingle of the holy month.  In contrary to my experience with Ramadan in Jerusalem one time over 14 years ago.  People are overjoyed by the month, it’s celebrated, and you feel it all around you.

Note: I did find quite a few regional and a couple of national articles this year pointing out the disparity between Ramadan and other Religious holidays.  Ramadan is not recognized in the workplace, nor in the school system.  This is always problematic except during the three day period of Eid ul Fitr.  People typically cope with this by taking those days out of their vacation.  However the big problem comes from school districts afraid of losing money.  It is not an excused absence even though it is a religious necessity.  Some years, like this year it falls during Yom Kippur which is given consideration by school districts, and kids can take it off for that. However can you see the problem with claiming to be Jewish in order to take part in your Islamic holiday?  Also there is a great problem in the fact that Christian and Jewish holidays are recognized and Islamic ones are not.  School officials fire back that if Ramadan is given a pass from school then every Pagan holiday (which could amount to everyday of the year) could be given a pass.  This is ridiculous as they misunderstand that it is Eid ul Fitr that is being asked for.  Also it is unacceptably insensitive to those of Pagan beliefs.

Some people are calling for demonstrations and marches to point out this inequality.  Most Imams recommend keeping children home and encouraging schools and workplaces and the government to look at numbers.

Either way it seems that people are feeling like there are some hardships and unfair treatment around their Holy days.

G.R.-Do you personally feel like people are looking to you and your family as an example of Islam during this time and how much stress does that put on you?

M.S.-It’s not so much as pressure being put on my family in particular as every family is equally responsible for enforcing the practices of Ramadan.  There is no tension from outside persons.  The actual pressure is teaching, practicing and maintaining the guidelines of Ramadan within ones home.  During the beginning of the month we are more enthusiastic towards the fasting, suhur (pre-morning meal) and prayer, and then the hunger and weakness slowly begin to take a toll on you.  It can be quite irritable for smokers since they refrain from smoking.

Ramadan not only advocates fasting to feel with the poor.  It’s a total disciplinary action.  It’s strict guidelines mandate abstaining from sexual activity, drug use, smoking, cussing, drinking, fighting, revenge, hatred and any other bad habits or addictions.  These provisions are not only meant to show that a person can overcome any obstacle/s that they may have incurred, it proves that you can.  Not every Muslim complies, but most do, especially when the whole community is involved.  That’s encouragement.

G.R.-I did not know about the decorating.  That is interesting and I wish more people would do this in the U.S.  Do you think they are busy or afraid or just too American?

M.S.-I wouldn’t say they’re afraid.  It’s more that they’re busy or like you said too assimilated.  I guess people don’t want to stand out or grab too much attention.  The intention is there, but how can you water a plant that was never planted?  My parents didn’t practice this age old tradition here, so it’s not that important to me.  Although it should be, every year I say that I will, yet I don’t.  I’m positive it will instill that sense of pride and holiday cheer.  I see how passionate people are about Christmas with all the beautiful decor.  I envy that, yet admire it.  Even though I do find that nowadays Christmas decorating has less to do with the actual purpose of the holiday.  I don’t think society even knows the meaning behind the holiday anymore.

G.R.-Obviously there are exceptions to fasting like pregnancy.  What about those who are diabetic or need to take medications that require food?

M.S.-In situations like this, they are excused.  Instead of fasting they have the opportunity to give alms.  For every day of Ramadan they will have to feed a hungry person.  They can also give the monetary equivalent of one meal multiplied by 30 days to a person in need as well.  This will forgive them for breaking the fast.

Persons that are unable to fast are encouraged to participate in other activities of Ramadan so that they will stay focused on the importance of this holy month.  Activities include Taraweeh prayer at the masjid, completing a read of the entire holy Quran, joining others at time of breaking the fast or iftar, and remaining steadfast in prayer.

G.R.-When you have not fasted due to pregnancy do you feel a little left out?

M.S.-It’s normal to feel left out, but if a woman feels capable of fasting then she can, it’s an option.  I tried to fast while pregnant and felt it wasn’t right, it was too wearing.  Women are not supposed to fast while menstruating either.  They do have to make up for the days that were missed.

G.R.-At what age does one begin fasting?

M.S.-Fasting is obligatory once a child hits puberty.  By the age of seven you can start preparing them by having them fast half a day every now and then.

G.R.-Are people looked down upon or ostracized for breaking fast?  Is this something that requires a special repentance?

M.S.-One does have to make up their fast if they missed any during Ramadan.  This is obligatory.  Fasting can be made up any Monday or Thursday of the year aside from Ramadan.

It’s not our position to judge anyone; we have to worry about our own actions.  But yes, people do tend to judge and they shouldn’t.  Fasting is a submission of faith and done so that one can rectify himself with God.  People see it as an opportunity.

G.R.-In recent years with the Anti-Islam media attention do you feel like you see more anti-Islamic news stories around this time of year?  Or does it seem to be pretty much the same year round?

M.S.-Honestly, I didn’t really pay attention.  I mean there’s been so much anti-Islam jargon for over a decade now.  I don’t think any time of the year has more media emphasis than September 11.  It’s just coincidence that Ramadan moves up eleven days each year and has been happening around this date for the last four years.

G.R.-Is Ramadan mostly about ”feeling poor” or is it more about the faith, repentance and submission to Allah?

M.S.-Ramadan is not based solely on feeling poor at all.  It’s a duty, a submission to Allah.  When a person makes prayer and gives alms it’s for their benefit, but when a person fasts during Ramadan is entirely for Allah, and Allah will decide how to reward you.  It’s one of the five pillars of Islam which are:

Prayer, Charity, Fasting, The Pilgrimage and Al Shahadeh (Recognizing that there is only one God and no other).

There are so many benefits to fasting and they cannot be based on one thing alone.

G.R.-Has it always been a part of Islam or was it instituted at a later date, because the people needed the reminder?

M.S.-”Oh you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those who came before you that you may keep your duty to your Lord ” 2:185

Fasting was mentioned in the Holy Quran and the prophet himself used to fast.  The Holy Quran was revealed to the prophet during the month of Ramadan.  That’s what makes Ramadan so important.

G.R- What special feasts, prayers, celebrations accompany then end of Ramadan?

M.S. – Ramadan will end somewhere between Sept. 9th to the 11th. It all depends on the moon since our calendar is lunar. I don’t want it to end on the 11th at all. Too much unnecessary association for something coincidental. The last day of Ramadan is followed by a three day holiday called Eid ul Fitr. This means festival of breaking the fast.

The initial day of Eid ul Fitr is started by participating in an early morning prayer at the mosque-salaat al Eid or prayer of the Eid. After prayer children are showered with toys, candies, gift bags or whatever else generous donators have prepared. Adults are offered sweets. Once we leave the Masjid, we (as in my family) usually go out for brunch. It is custom for the men in the family to visit their sisters, daughters, mothers, aunts cousins and any other closely related female members and/or young children and orphans. The point of the visit consists of the men offering monetary gifts to their walia’s, (walia is a person usually female that they may have partial or full responsibility over). Additionally, the community usually throws a large Eid party which has bazaar like activities and games.  The initial day of Eid ul Fitr is where of the most action happens. The two remaining days are spent either relaxing or finishing any other duties that may have rolled over from the previous day.  The excitement over Eid could be compared to Christmas.  We look forward to it and anticipate it.  This is how my family celebrates the Eid.  However, every family celebrates the Eid at their own pace and style and may differ from what we do.

I find that Eid ul Fitr is more anticipated than our bigger holiday Eid ul Udha, (Festival of the Sacrifice). It may be due to the lengthy and daunting month of fasting, after all one wants to feel rewarded.

The United States as it always does is changing.  Some of this is bad and as with all things sometimes good things happen because of the bad.  Awareness of the cultural and religious practices of the modern American Muslim is one of those things in my opinion.

Most religions and a lot of non-religious people as well have times in the year where they ritualize internal, community and family housecleaning.  It is, I think one of the beautiful things shared; A time to think of others a time to recognize what we have. With so much effort being put into pointing out what may be different about us all, it is crucial to take time to find out what is similar in our lives.

Happy Eid ul Fitr. May your cup be full and if it is not, may you find respite in the overflowing.

By: Chris

The first time I saw Mikey Weinstein speak to a military crowd I left feeling very hopeful. Several months ago, Lt General Peck of Air University invited Weinstein to speak to the combined faculty of Air War College, Air Command and Staff College, and Squadron Officer’s College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. In this small and intimate setting I witnessed officers listening intently, and afterwards asking pointed but respectful questions. There were a few tense moments, that bristled with the possibility of argument, but the students and the speaker exercised restraint over their emotions and remained cordial—as anyone who is experienced in debate knows, this restraint is essential if a group of people is going to hash through the issues and learn from each other’s perspectives. When I went to see Weinstein speak today to Air University’s current Air Command and Staff College students, I quickly figured out that we were not about to have a repeat of that initial pleasant experience.

My first sign should have been when I walked into the large auditorium, and found myself a seat near the back— trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible in a room full of senior officers. A Major with a Howdy Doody-esque comb-over plopped down in front of me, and proceeded to clumsily attempt to flirt with the female Major sitting next to him. He leaned in and remarked nonchalantly, “Well, I had to miss Mikey Weinstein the first time because I had a dentist appointment. Now I guess I’m here because I couldn’t come up with another excuse. Wish I could go to the dentist again, I’d rather be in that chair than listen to him speak.”

I wasn’t amused, and the female Major he was trying to impress offered only a conciliatory chuckle—clearly she had become used to placating Air Force men during her career. The part of this that struck me was not the hapless efforts of Major Don Juan, but how loudly and confidently he made this sad little joke. He took it for granted that all the people sitting around would be on board with him, as if we were all a part of some good ol’ boys club that “knows better than to take this whole Constitution thing too seriously.” His classmates sitting beside him said nothing.

The thousand person auditorium quickly filled to capacity, as officers in their blues rushed in minutes before presentation time.

General Rock strolled on to the large stage and stood at the small podium perched in the center.
“I’d like to introduce our next speaker. Mikey Weinstein is someone that may make us uncomfortable, and someone we may not like, but this is part of what we do here at Air University– we talk to people we disagree with and our next speaker certainly falls into that category.”

I could feel the negative energy setting in as he vacated the stage.

Mikey Weinstein walked out and introduced himself graciously, offering his thanks to ACSC, and going so far as to say he was honored to be speaking to a roomful of some of “the best and the brightest” the Air Force had to offer. I sat in quiet amusement, wondering if perhaps he’d been a little too generous in his assessment. I would soon find out what an incredible over-statement these initial compliments would turn out to be.

The initial speech went well enough. Weinstein explained the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, their mission, and their struggle against attempts to spread fundamentalist Christianity through the armed forces. Weinstein noted that the MRFF has had over 18,000 clients, and 96% of them are Christians (just not Christian enough). He explained that he views the attempts to intertwine religion into the military fabric of the most powerful nation in the world, vis-à-vis the National Day of Prayer Task Force, Officers Christian Fellowship, and groups like them, as a “national security threat from within.” He went on to explain that the military is ill-equipped to deal with this phenomenon, as the resident IG system in the military has failed to recognize this as a problem, while his foundation has been flooded with pleas for help since its inception. “Clearly” he said, “there’s a disconnect.”

The first few questions were run-of-the-mill, genuine inquiries from officers who wanted to know more about the foundation, or who had questions regarding the age-old Christmas Party vs. Holiday Party conundrum. (The answer, by the way, is that if it’s a unit function just call it a winter holiday party, and make it an inclusive environment for all your troops like any good commander would.)  On the whole, the event was shaping up to be a nice, educational, incident free discussion, where everyone could leave a little smarter on the issue of religion in the military than when they came in, even if perfect agreement hadn’t been reached.

With the next student however, my hopes were dashed, and the entire episode took a turn into the Twilight Zone. A Major positioned at the front of the auditorium bolted up from his chair and in a trembling voice declared that he “couldn’t be as glib as [Weinstein]” so he “may not be able to make [his] case as well”. I’m not sure this was proper use of the word “glib”, but it was insulting nonetheless. He went on to issue emotional claims that he was the “evangelical enemy” Mikey was fighting, and proceeded to say he didn’t see a problem “sharing his faith” with his subordinates. Weinstein carefully explained that when a commander “offers” anything, it never feels optional. Any military member should understand the special relationship between a commander and his troops—I never deemed it appropriate to “offer to share” my views on atheism with any of my subordinates.

The next few students offered their views in a similar vein, and I can’t pinpoint exactly when the transformation took place, but a room full of military professionals quickly devolved into an unruly mob. Having spent four years at the Air Force Academy before graduating, and five years on active duty, I don’t have any illusions about the open-mindedness of military officers. But I was shocked at how hostile the level of discourse became.

One tall, fresh-faced Major opened his commentary to Weinstein by charging, “you’re just paranoid!”He then went on to offer his sophomoric observation that, “pushing religion in the military doesn’t seem any different to me than pushing one football team over another.” The back of the auditorium broke into applause. I was absolutely dumbfounded. Weinstein reminded him that the US Constitution all military members swear to defend says nothing about “the separation of football and state.” But the simple logic of these statements couldn’t seem to pierce through the fog of philistinism that was taking hold in the crowd.

It seemed as if half the auditorium had become a mob of hollering and jeering morons, who would scream and clap in unison whenever any person would make any argument against Weinstein, no matter how ill-informed, no matter how intellectually devoid. Many had decided that instead of standing up to ask a question, they would simply sit in the back, cowardly yelling taunts from their safe little corner of the room. I would expect this at a Tea Party rally, not at the Air Force’s prestigious Air Command and Staff College.

The Major’s sage advice on football and church was only one of many such incidents, and I’d be doing a disservice to my readers if I didn’t highlight some of the gems of intellectual insight that earned the approbation of the assembled ACSC students.

One student, a self-proclaimed historian, pointed out that George Washington advised his troops to find solace in God. Weinstein recognized this argument before the student had even finished, and responded by reminding him that George Washington and many of the founding fathers owned slaves, and participated in other questionable practices, and that emulating them perfectly would be ill-advised. He reminded the students that whatever George Washington thought of God, the Constitution he helped bring into being is very clear on the separation of church and state. This statement from Weinstein earned no applause.

A foreign exchange officer who flies helicopters stated that he isn’t a Christian, and that while he agrees with most of what the MRFF does, he flies his helicopter with a doll of Santa Clause that was given to him, so he didn’t see what the big deal was about. If he agreed with “most of what the MRFF does”, I wondered, what was his point? Weinstein simply moved to the next question.

Another exchange officer, who proudly proclaimed his Christianity, said he didn’t see why Weinstein was trying to take God out of the military. This earned rounds of applause. Weinstein responded by telling him “the constitution of our country dictates a separation of church and state in all aspects of government, which includes the military”.

Another Air Force Major spoke up, this one with a crew cut and a belly that I doubt was within Air Force standards. He said that he thought Weinstein was too abrasive, and that he hadn’t seen any problems with religion in the military. Cue the applause and hollering. Weinstein politely ignored the clamor, and reminded the student that a lot of things happen that he may not see, and most people who are in the majority don’t notice these things. As he put it, “the fish in the aquarium don’t see the water.” As a member of both majority and minority groups I can attest to this phenomenon, and would add that if all commanders’ calls ended with a prayer to Satan, that these people might not be so comfortable if they were told to “just deal with it” as non-Christians are told today.

A different officer took issue with Weinstein’s support of Sikhs seeking to wear their religious head dress. He accused the MRFF of targeting Christians, while helping religious minorities. More applause. Weinstein calmly responded with a story of a Christian soldier who was being attacked for her faith, to the point that pages of her Bible had been used as toilet paper—Weinstein’s organization fought for her case to success. Silence filled the room.

The most overt show of disrespect came from an officer who, in the middle of his exchange, said “we’ve had to suffer through you”. Weinstein, never one to duck a fight, asked for this Major’s seminar number so they could continue their debate after the formal session. The Major responded, “I’d rather not.”

The rest of the exchanges in Weinstein’s Q and A session were of a similar nature, with the atmosphere of defensiveness and ignorance having firmly taken hold. Most of the comments came from stubborn officers who said they didn’t see any problems, and that Weinstein was making a big deal over nothing. This, even after he told them that 18,000 soldiers had come to him in desperation, after they were neglected by the military’s systems of justice.

The display I witnessed from the current class at ACSC had left me disoriented and angry. I walked out of the auditorium feeling outraged, yet powerless to level any real criticisms at officers who outranked me. I had felt the need to speak up while the mob of bullies attempted to turn Weinstein into a punching bag, but was too afraid of making myself a target in a military system. When I spoke to Mikey Weinstein on the phone I apologized for my cowardice, and he responded in his usual humble manner by assuring me that there’s nothing I could have done in a room full of superior officers. He also gave my ailing spirit a slight boost when he said that as he talked up front he saw a lot of heads nodding in agreement—folks who agreed with MRFF’s mission, but didn’t feel comfortable speaking up. This was confirmed later in the day when Weinstein received phone calls from eight ACSC students, and an email from another, apologizing for the rudeness of their classmates, and saying that they wished they had spoken up but felt pressure not to be singled out among their peers. (By the way, Mikey Weinstein got these calls by engaging in a task reserved solely for those with brass balls: he read his cell number aloud to an entire audience of people who had been attacking and mocking him.)

This here is the danger of letting fundamentalist religion creep into a culture that’s as coercive, conformist, and authoritarian as the military. Even other Air Force Majors, peers to the obnoxious crowd members, felt as if they couldn’t speak out against them. As a younger officer who was outranked by all of them I felt this pressure ten-fold. How would a young enlisted troop have felt?

When I consider this issue, I often count myself lucky that I’m simply an atheist, and therefore the dominant culture in the military tends to regard me with merely suspicion and, in my worst experiences, mild disdain. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for a Muslim in the military. In the past, anti-Muslim bigotry in the military was another one of those “problems I didn’t see”. Then I got involved in a relationship with a Muslim woman (who was, by the way the most open-minded and tolerant of the girlfriends I’ve had) and then I started to notice the snide comments, jokes, and all-around ignorance within the military culture in regards to Islam. Since then I’ve charged headfirst into more than one savage argument in defense of Islam—such irony for an atheist!

If we were to wonder what life for a Muslim soldier might be like, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation’s latest client should give us an idea. While the ACSC students broke into their seminars following the dustup with Weinstein, the fight went on for the MRFF. Weinstein headed immediately to do an interview that appeared this evening on CNN’s Campbell Brown, for his latest client, a Muslim soldier in the Army. Zachari Klawonn, a 20 year old Army Spec. at Fort Hood has come to Weinstein after the Army failed to address repeated complaints of harassment he’d been receiving from fellow soldiers. Klawonn was moved out of his barracks and off base for his safety, but was neglected the standard housing allowance the Army issues to all soldiers. He has been forced instead to resort to drastic measures, taking out two personal loans, pawning his possessions and borrowing money from the MRFF to make ends meet. As is all too typical in cases like these, Klawonn’s requests for his housing allowance didn’t receive any attention until his chain of command was contacted by reporters. Since then he has been told he will receive his stipend starting in June. Klawonn’s long history of discrimination and neglect within the Army is a real embarrassment to the service, and is unfortunately too lengthy to repeat here. Please take the time to read it at the Washington Post.

Cases like this are exactly why we need the MRFF. Young religious minorities like Klawonn are regularly treated with scorn within the military system, and then neglected or scoffed at by their superior officers— officers just like “the best and the brightest” I encountered this morning at the Air Command and Staff College. Officers who, when they were told by a knowledgeable speaker that fundamentalist Christianity is contributing to a hostile religious environment within their ranks, responded by shedding all vestiges of professionalism, hurling insults, and generally engaging in behavior that was a downright embarrassment to the Air Force. Of course they don’t see the problem. They are the problem.

Speaking with Mikey later in the day I commented that given some of the phone calls and emails he’d received, that there were probably a lot of “quiet allies” in the auditorium, and that the conversation had just been hijacked by the most combative element.

“Yeah” he agreed, “But the problem here is that these students are future commanders. MRFF is a voice for the voiceless, but these people are the command structure. They have a voice. We need them to not be shy about defending their Constitution. As Martin Luther King said, when things get critical ‘a time comes when silence is betrayal’”

By: Chris

“Get out. Out! Ok, thanks, nice knowing you, I got work to do.” Mikey Weinstein is huddled over his computer in his den, typing feverishly as he orders us away. His girls scurry out of his office and I follow close behind. We mill around in the living room of the Weinstein house, which sits at the foot of the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A minute passes. “Hey come here guys! Come look at this one. These motherfuckers!”

I trot back in on command, eager to get a glimpse into the inner workings of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation. Mikey points at his screen. The latest email calls him a “Christian-hating, Muslim-loving, Jew bastard”. Not much different than a lot of the “criticism” that gets sent to the foundation.

“It’s no coincidence that most of these are the same”, Mikey comments. “These fundamentalist fuckers give the same talking points to all their people and they all just vomit them to me over email.” The message is rife with misspellings, poor grammar, and accusations of misuse of taxpayer dollars, despite the MRFF’s total funding through private donors. The facts never seem to constrain Weinstein’s critics.

Mikey chuckles, and then we all chuckle. And then a pause. “Ok you guys, really, that’s enough. Can’t you see I’m working here? Go on, get out, I’m busy”, Weinstein barks as he turns back to his computer screen.

While all this hate mail can be a great source of pleasure and amusement, we all know, even as we laugh, that it can’t be taken too lightly. Weinstein and his family have become accustomed to receiving death threats on a regular basis from “good Christians”. They’ve had their home vandalized on more than one occasion, prompting Weinstein to hire on security professionals. I got the chance to meet one of them– a very serious Marine veteran who volunteered out of respect for the job Weinstein does to protect soldiers from religious coercion within the ranks. I would not want to fuck with him.

This process of calling us in and out of the office gets repeated several more times as Weinstein stumbles onto other gems of fundamentalist buffoonery and ignorance so astounding he feels compelled to share them with us. These sinister emails are a constant for the Weinsteins, but they’re really rolling in on this day. That’s actually a good thing—it means the MRFF has struck a nerve with its most recent victory.

The Pentagon acquiesced to Weinstein’s foundation and decided to pull Franklin Graham from a National Day of Prayer appearance at the Pentagon. The MRFF took action after receiving complaints from Muslim military personnel in the Pentagon, who felt more than a little betrayed that a man who called Islam an “evil” and “false” religion had been given an official invitation by the Pentagon to speak in the heart of the DOD. An official invitation to this fundamentalist hate-monger was a direct slap in the face to America’s Muslims, but that didn’t seem to concern the Pentagon brass. It did concern Mikey Weinstein.

In a letter to Robert Gates, the MRFF asserted,

“Given the heinously hurtful, bigoted, and very public continual statements of Mr. Graham against the entirety of the religion of Islam, and his position as the honorary chairman of the NDPTF, the Military Religious Freedom Foundation hereby demands that the Pentagon Chaplains Office immediately rescind its invitation to Mr. Graham…”

The rest of the letter is worth reading, as it details the toxic relationship between the Pentagon Chaplain’s office and the National Day of Prayer Task Force (a private organization headed by the wife of Jim Dobson, a man I’ve written about previously).

As a former Air Force officer I was shocked to hear that such a man had been invited to the Pentagon. Graham, who has repeatedly and publicly referred to the whole of Islam as “false, “evil”, “wicked”, and “violent”, also had this to say:

“I want them [Muslims] to know they don’t have to die in a car bomb, they don’t have to die in some kind of holy war to be accepted by God, but it’s through faith in Jesus Christ, and Christ alone…”

What a kind and generous Christian Graham is, offering the world’s Muslims an ultimatum to embrace Jesus Christ, as an alternative to the apparently ‘Islamic’ practice of blowing themselves up.

Even in my limited positions of authority as a company grade officer, I would have never dreamed of abusing that authority over my troops by telling them one religion or another was false. I have strong personal feelings regarding religion, but I keep them to myself in the workplace. Officers have a special responsibility to maintain unit cohesion by respecting their troops, and not endorsing one particular world-view over another. Telling your troops their religion is “evil” is harmful to the mission. And it’s also a dickheaded thing to do. Calling in an outside speaker to do this dirty work strikes me as a particularly chickenshit way of trying to shirk command responsibility.

Someone in the Army must have realized this as well, because when Weinstein came out swinging they backed down almost immediately. Like the Jesus Rifle case the MRFF took on recently, this was a clear violation of the establishment clause of the First Amendment. Hell, even Bill O’Reilly could see that the Pentagon was out of bounds. In one of those fortunate coincidences that only seems to come by accident, this monumental victory for the Military Religious Freedom Foundation came just days before their annual Thomas Jefferson Awards were held.

The Thomas Jefferson awards are open to the public, and are intended to honor those who take up the job of protecting the United States Constitution by building the wall of separation between church and state. Through my friendship with his son, Curtis (his reason for starting the MRFF), I got to know Mikey Weinstein. I had the great pleasure of helping to prepare for the awards ceremony, and attending it (it says much about the humility of Weinstein, a man who has given much of his life to the MRFF, that he thanked me endlessly for my minor contributions to this event). The ceremony was opened by a very talented and beautiful singer/songwriter known simply as Celia, who was so inspired by the MRFF’s mission that she penned a song for the organization in one night. Thomas Jefferson honors went to journalist Jeff Sharlet, whose book, The Family, exposed a strange and cultish Christian organization operating at the very heart of power in Washington—for the last 70 years! I advise you to pick this book up, or at least watch one of Sharlet’s interviews on it– you will see the very serious danger that creeping, covert Christian fundamentalism poses to our democracy. Due to some last minute medical concerns, Sharlet wasn’t able to make the awards ceremony, so it was accepted on his behalf by Elizabeth Sholes, a self-described “kind of ‘social justice’ Christian that Glenn Beck warned you about.” As the Director of Public Policy for the California Council of Churches, she represents over 6 million California Christians.

Ed Asner, star of the recent Disney movie Up, also received honors. Call me ignorant, but I was completely unaware that Asner, in addition to being a talented thespian, is also an inspiring and articulate social activist. He warned of the dangers that religious extremism, in all its forms, poses to democracy. Particularly insightful was his warning of the “religion of Americanism”, which inspires a zealous citizenry to blindly support all actions of the US government, regardless of the cost to others. His warning echoes Orwell’s warnings on the dangers of nationalism.

The music was graceful, the speakers moving, the food delicious, the booze free-flowing, and the two hundred attendees were diverse and erudite. Good times were had by all, and the fifth annual Thomas Jefferson Awards were a smashing success.
It wasn’t until the next day that I found out a man milling around the outside of the awards ceremony with a gun had been arrested (my thanks to the Albuquerque Police Department). I was more than a little taken aback when Weinstein relayed this news to me, in his usual matter-of-fact way.

“Yeah some guy was hanging around outside with a gun, so they arrested him. We’re waiting to hear more from the FBI.”

His way of dealing with such news was not what I would call nonchalant— Weinstein cares deeply for the safety of his family and supporters. Rather, he acts with the cool and detached manner of a person who has grown used to dealing with danger. Security concerns are a part of daily life for Weinstein and others associated with the MRFF, who refuse to be deterred from their mission. Mikey Weinstein is a man possessed with a purpose that is greater than any one person. A man who is doggedly and fearlessly carrying out the oath he took to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Like many other military personnel, I have looked on nervously as the wall of separation between church and state has been eroding within the military. I’ve seen commanders send emails to their troops coercing them to come to Officers Christian Fellowship meetings. As a cadet at the Air Force Academy I saw the administration endorse “The Passion of the Christ”, and I was not allowed to put “agnostic” on my first set of dog tags. The formation of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation was a welcome relief to myself, and the 17,500 other military personnel who came to them for help.

Some Christian military personnel scoff at Weinstein’s efforts. They think he is simply waging a one man war on Christianity, not knowing that 96% of Weinstein’s clients have been Christians (just not the “right kind” of Christian). Failing that, others feel his methods are too bold, his dialogue too brash, his manner too impolite. That’s fine. They can rest well knowing that if they are ever the subject of discrimination for their beliefs (or non-beliefs), and their chain of command fails them, Weinstein will jump to their aid like an attack dog, foaming at the mouth. He will fight, and he will bite, and he will not let go until his client receives justice.

People the world over owe a deep debt of gratitude to civil rights fighters like Mikey Weinstein. Men and women who have such an acute sense of justice that they simply cannot stand by while the little people get trampled— instead, as if by reflex, they will drain their bank accounts and brave daily threats to be a voice for the voiceless.

By Jane Stillwater

I’m sitting here on a boat that is parked in the Moscow Canal, the massive engineering centerpiece of Josef Stalin’s Soviet regime.  The Moscow Canal is a miracle of construction technique, connects three rivers, connects Moscow to the Volga, has approximately 18 locks, is more complex than even the Suez or Panama canals, was constructed in just four years, was finished in 1937 and was built by gulag slave labor at the price of over a hundred thousand human lives.

Stalin’s top priority in those days was to make the USSR a modern superpower — with him at the helm.  And WAY down on his priority list was honoring the value of individual human life.  40 million Russians died during Stalin’s regime.  According to Alexander Solzhenitsyn, “Working people to death in the gulags saved Stalin the time and trouble of having to execute them.”  The Moscow Canal was built with gulag labor and over 100,000 people died building it with their bare hands, even in the middle of winter.  They died of the cold and from starvation and they lived and worked with scurvy and with teeth falling out of their heads.

You gotta give Stalin snaps for one thing, however.  Apparently his main justification for killing so many people was to create a bigger and stronger Soviet Union — whereas America’s dear leaders for the past 30 years only seem to be killing people in order to aggrandize their personal bank accounts and for personal power.  (Yes, I just read a review of Michael Moore’s new movie on capitalism yesterday, at a tiny overcrowded internet cafe/video arcade next to Stalin’s North River Terminal and, yes, I am currently reading Barbara Ehrenreich’s book, “This Land is Their Land,” all about how Americans are being skillfully screwed royally by our very own uber-rich.)  But I digress.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting three Russian veterans from World War II — and to listen to some of their gruesome tales from those times.  These people had experienced the horrors of war up close and personal.  I don’t think that Americans really know what the horrors of war are actually like because we haven’t really experienced war on our soil since back when Grant marched from Atlanta to the sea.  But these people had.

The first vet, an eighty-five-year-old man with a chest full of metals, made a statement that perhaps a lot of American vets might not agree with — but here it is FYI:  “About sixty countries participated in World War II but the Soviet Union was the bloodiest front.  27 million Soviet citizens died.  As even George Marshal said, ‘The Allies on their own would not have been able to resist Hitler.’  Hitler really had planned to conquer the entire world, taking Africa and South America after he finished taking Russia.  But Hitler’s plan didn’t work out because of Marshal Zhukov and the Soviet people.”

Could America really have defeated Hitler without the aid of Stalin?  I would have to do some heavy-duty research before I could answer that question — and I hate research.  Plus accessing an internet cafe in Moscow is a pain in the booty because everyone here seems to have their own home computers.

“There have been many books written about World War II that talk about what had been done wrong back then,” continued the first vet, “but they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes.  We have.  We started off to war at age 16 or 17.  Can you imagine what it was like for a boy that age?  Imagine your first day in the trenches, facing 40 or 50 tanks.  I was scared.  But the older men I was with were calm.”  Facing 50 tanks a day regularly has a calming effect?  I guess.

“War is constant noise.  It’s hard to imagine.  There’s a tank coming at you and all you have is a Molotov cocktail.  Can you defeat the tank?  You have to.  The tank is coming right at you.  You go down into a trench and the tank rolls over you.  I want to tell you what it was like for a young boy in the worst war of the century.  We boys were like suicide bombers — armed only with small grenades.”

Then the first vet stated that, during Hitler’s holocaust, three million of the six million Jews that Hitler killed were Russian Jews.  “After the war, I helped to liberate Sachsenhausen concentration camp.  We opened the gate using a tank and we entered.  It was horrible.  There were only women.  The men had been moved — the Nazis had taken them to be drowned in the Baltic Sea.  The women could not even remind you of human beings.  They were like skeletons.  Our commanders told us not to touch them because the Nazis might have given them diseases to spread to our army but how could you not hug them?  500 of them lived in places with 100 beds.  They slept in shifts.  The places where their bodies were burned were horrendous.  What would you feel if your own house had been burned, your children were killed and your mother was starving like that?  We were so angry.  We wanted to kill every Nazi we saw.”

Further along the road to Berlin, however, the vet saw German women and children but they also had nothing to eat.  “Even though they were the enemy, we fed them from our own supplies.  Because women and children are women and children.”

The next Russian vet had been a fighter pilot during World War II.  “Nazis had much air combat experience after Poland.  They simultaneously attacked 66 Soviet airfields, and 800 of our airplanes were destroyed before we could leave the ground.  Nevertheless, Soviet pilots fought back with E-16s, E-15s, MIG-1s and MIG-3s.  In one week we crashed and defeated over 850 Nazi airplanes.  We were mostly flying older models but the Nazis were never able to do that much damage again.”  This vet too was covered with metals, stood ramrod straight and looked like a much younger man — but he had to have been at least 90.

“They planned to take Moscow and western Russia within a few months,” the pilot continued.  “And it was only near Moscow that we were able to stop their planes from both the air and the ground.  We had a plane called a Flying Tank there.  This was the first battle where the Nazis were defeated, and then the counterattack started — in the snow.  At first we counterattacked without airplanes, but our industry was running well and we soon produced over 2,500 planes.  The Nazis were never able to retain supremacy of the skies again.”

One of several American vets present at this event then asked the Russian pilot, “How did ordinary Russians feel, after the war, about suddenly becoming enemies of the Americans?”

“We were not allowed to leave the Russian section of Berlin after 1961, when the Wall went up.  Before that, the two armies had been friendly.  But after that we just did what the politicians told us to do.  The ordinary soldiers on both sides were fed propaganda.  So we must now leave it to history to find out what really was true.”

As for the role of “political officers” during the war?  “It was so strategically important not to lose Stalingrad that the political officers stood behind you with guns, so there was no stepping back.  No retreat was possible.”

According to the pilot, “During the war, Russia got excellent technical support from the U.S.  Flying an American-made Cobra, one Russian pilot shot down 49 German planes.  What we really loved, however, was the American canned food.  We would open a can and say that we were opening a second front.”

The third vet to talk was a woman.  “I was 16 when I went to the front.  Over 18,000 women went to the front.  There were bombs falling.  Noise everywhere.  Tanks, artillery, airplanes, even the water began to burn.  It was scary.  I sat down and cried.  Soldiers everywhere were calling, ‘Sister, mother, help me!’  It is painful to remember.”

And the vet was also taken prisoner.  “Our Nazi guards were as mean as their dogs.  For one and a half months we carried sand to construction sites for them.  Our hands were bleeding.  Every day was the same.  Then we were taken to the trains and sent to Germany.”

Some of the male prisoners removed the boxcar’s boards and people jumped down onto the tracks from the floor of the moving train.  “I jumped down too and survived.  I went back through occupied territories, walking and crawling.  Then I rejoined the Front.  When we rolled into Berlin and got to the Reichstag, I carved into a rock, ‘I will remember’.  And I have.  Everyone in my family went to the Front.”

Later on, I asked a Russian friend of mine what she thought about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.  “The USSR invaded Afghanistan,” she replied, “and that was the most useless war we ever participated in.  15,000 young Russian men have been left there forever.  My best advice to the Americans is to leave the place.  At first Americans supported the Taliban and now they are fighting the Taliban.  My advice is to get out now.”

On the streets of Moscow even now you can still see small bunches of lost and desperate men, around the age of 35, hovering in corners, looking homeless — and looking very much like our American Vietnam vets still look as they too hover on street corners, in America, many years after our own defeat in Vietnam.  I will bet you anything that those desperate-looking men that I saw in Moscow are Russia’s Afghanistan vets.

Was Afghanistan Russia’s Vietnam?