NAPALM DEATH Frontman Discusses American Politics

Josh Thorne of the FourteenG e-zine recently conducted an interview with NAPALM DEATH frontman Mark "Barney" Greenway. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

FourteenG: Now, as far as songwriting goes, it really seems like religion is the main lyrical focus with "Smear Campaign".

Barney: Yes, that was the definite intention. Religion is an age-old thing, but it's very topical at the moment. Not only are we seeing numerous religious conflicts around the world, but we're also dealing with this concept of intelligent design being taught in schools. Have you heard about this?

FourteenG: I actually think I have.

Barney: Well, it basically discounts the theory of evolution and teaches that all of the organisms were actually created by some divine inspiration, like the hand of God. This is just ridiculous, because they're trying to push religion as a part of the school curriculum! I just don't understand how they're trying to infiltrate a place of learning and get rid of a scientific theory that has been proven time and again for so long! They're going to get rid of that, and base it on stories in religious mythology? What the fuck, man?

FourteenG: I can't believe that, bro.

Barney: It's quite puzzling to me, because there is a new secondary school in England called a capital school. They are partly funded by the state and partly funded by private investors. The groups and representatives of these schools are very much steeped in Christian backgrounds. They're trying to enforce these beliefs in these schools that are being converted to capital schools and unfortunately, one of those schools happens to be my old school. So now, I'm actually involved in an action group of sorts to try and stop this. It's really frightening to see the extent of these people's desire to exert their power and control over the human race. As the opposition, it's very difficult to make headway against these people. Not only will the fundamentalist Christians change the curriculum, but they'll also change the way the school is run as well. I greatly fear they will turn it into this, sort of totalitarian institution even down to the admissions policies. This is quite personal to me, as you can obviously see.

FourteenG: Have you ever considered going into social and political activism full time, brother?

Barney: The thought has actually crossed my mind, and it's possible. I used to be a member of the Labor Party here in the England when the party actually stood for something. As far as being a politician, I'd never do that because politics is really all about being full of hot air. There's not really any politicians I actually like, to be honest with you. The one guy I have a lot of respect for is Ralph Nader. I don't know why, but there's something I like about that guy.

FourteenG: And you know, even the title of your album "Smear Campaign" is very proper considering the way that the political system works. I mean, none of these politicians ever talk about what they're going to do for the people, just why their opponent shouldn't be the one elected. I mean, that's all it is!

Barney: That's the whole point, man! You're exactly right, because politics doesn't matter. Human beings matter, and a lot of people have lost sight of that. If we want to live in a civilized world, we have to make steps to do that and right now, no one is making those steps. I've always heard about how wonderful the Democrats are in America, but after visiting America, I'm not so sure about that. I mean, of course, they're a nice alternative to the Republicans but that's not really something to base your entire party's existence upon. I was in Florida before the last election down there, and the issue came up about gay rights. There was a gay man in the audience that basically said, "I'm a gay man and I'm not looking for special privileges, I just want to be treated equally. I want to be able to marry my partner, and I shouldn't have to justify that. What would you do to help me?" and the Republican wrote him off, as expected. I expected the Democrat to offer a different perspective, but he didn't. He really tried to shy away from the issue and change the subject. I was watching this and just saying, you know, "Shut the fuck up." I mean, why are we worrying about this stupid fucking bullshit? Why do politicians feel that they have a right to interfere in this sort of thing? It's bullshit, man.

Read the entire interview at www.fourteeng.net.