The Endless Blockade stands out as one of grindcore’s most significant contemporary forces. Exploring “uncomfortable” political themes while immersing themselves in a whirlwind of masterly crafted, sludgy power - violence, the four Canadians pull no punches and deliver music that deserves every last drop of your attention. So does this interview which touches upon issues ranging from pigs being "alright" to the prime minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, being not alright and from life in Toronto today to militant struggle in Germany 30 years ago. Enjoy.
- What is The Endless Blockade all about?
+ Reading books.
- What was it that made you what you are music-wise?
+ The Endless Blockade exists due to the following: Siege, Fear of God,
Discharge, Crossed Out, Autopsy, Corrupted, Intense Degree, Heresy and a few
others.
- What's so inspiring about grindcore that made you play this music?*
+ It's what we grew up listening to.
- Do you only sing about things you hate or about things you love also?
+ We sing about things we're interested in. Sloganeering and random
non-specific anger is something we've left behind for good at this point.
- You are based in Toronto, right? Are there any cool, interesting
things going on there when it comes to music, culture, politics?
+ We're based in Toronto though only one of us has actually lived all of his
life here. I like it a lot here, I 'm probably the happiest I 've been for years living
here and I don't feel like killing myself or anyone else just by waking up.
- After quite a few years Canada has a right wing, conservative
government. How is life under Stephen Harper? Was Paul Martin any
better?
+ There has been absolutely no discernable difference to me or any of my
friend's lives since Stephen Harper and the Conservatives gained power. Very
little changes when Governments change and I 'd even argue that very little
has really changed in the US since Bush Jr. gained control of their reins.
- "All pigs must die" reads a line on your webspace. Who are these pigs?
Are liberals and left wing revolutionaries justified to kill their
enemies? Does human life come before or after values such as freedom
and justice?
+ It's from a song by Death in June which invokes the spectre of the Manson
Family murders and reframes them as avatars of revenge for specific wrongs.
Neither Death in June nor Charles Manson could be called left wing or
liberal really.
Are liberals and left wing revolutionaries justified in killing their
enemies? Is anyone ever justified in killing their enemies? It depends on
who you talk to, but most murders, whether political or otherwise are
rationally justified in the eyes of the killers.
Personally speaking there are a small number of people whom I would happily
see excised permanently from the face of the earth and I 'm totally OK with
that.
The phrase "All Pigs Must Die" could be replaced by "Lex Talionis" or "An
Eye For An Eye" and the message would still remain intact.
- Why do you think pigs have come to symbolize all the things we hate?
How come people always say "fascist pig" and not "fascist elephant" or
something? Isn't it a bit unfair for the pigs?
+ The pigs are alright .
- What's this obsession you have with Ulrike Meinhof? You have her
picture on your webspace and one of your songs' is named after her
brain. How do you feel about RAF and militant struggle in general?
+ The song "Ulrike Meinhof's Brain" is about how after her death in 1976 her
brain went missing after her body was unofficially exhumed. In 2002
Magdeburg University admitted they had been studying her brain to see if the
removal of a tumour in childhood had caused abnormal brain development and
left to the development of her terrorist activities.
One of the more interesting things about the RAF is when you compare the
German government's treatment of Nazi war criminal's post WWII with the
treatment of RAF members. Most Nazis tried in Germany by German courts were
granted amnesty during the 1950s whereas surviving RAF members received
longer sentences, many of whom are still behind bars. Now, I wouldn't be so
crass as to suggest that the German government is favourable to the Nazi
party but it is telling that crimes committed in the name of the State
(though a State since overturned) are dealt with less harshly than crimes
committed against the State.
Militant struggles in general are of broad interest to me, just as militant
posturing in general is of broad interest to me. My interest is in the point
when militancy leaves the realm of ideas and manifests into action, whether
I can agree on a moral level or not. Some examples would be Sozialistisches
Patientenkollektiv, Shining Path, Khmer Rouge, various Volkish groups,
Black September, The Angry Brigade, Aum Shinrikyo / Aleph and many many more.
I guess a classic demonstration of my interest would be The Manson Family;
from a heavily institutionalised ex-convict picking up the dregs of the
hippy movement (already long in decline when Manson arrived on the scene) to
butchering families and hiding out in Death Valley trying to find a hole in
the Earth that would lead them to an underground kingdom. My interest is not
in death and murder per se but in the process that people go through to make
that decision that terror and violence are the only options for them to
engage in.
I'd also like to make it clear that I only have a passing prurient interest
in most serial killers. It's the ideological aspect of violence that i'm
interested in, not random slaughter.
- Are there any current bands, organizations, people, movements you dig
and we should all check out?
+ Organisations / movements, not really. Broadly speaking I support several sex
workers rights groups, anti-Breed Specific Legislation groups, anti-drug war
advocates, prisoner support groups and the like. I also have an interest /
occasional support of several groups that could probably be best described
as fringe religious movements. Heaven's Gate: The Next Generation and
several splinter groups are of interest to me personally right now; we'll
see if now that we're out of all this end of the millennium madness will
affect these groups in anyway. A lot of post-Manson ATWA groups and
individuals hold an interest to me also.
Bands, sure, too many to name and do real justice to. Our mad homiez for
life are definitely the following: Hatred Surge from Texas, Iron Lung from
Seattle, Insect Warfare from Texas, Staat Haat from the Netherlands, Torso
from Halifax, Bastard Noise, The Process from the UK, Rammer from Toronto,
Grinding Halt from the Netherlands and Living Darkness from Toronto
Recently I 've been listening to the following non-stop:
Current 93 - Sleep Has His House CD
Ringworm - The Venomous Grand Design CD
Get Destroyed 7"
Pulling Teeth - Vicious Skin 10"
The Process - Rosenkreutz advance LP
Deutsch Nepal - Comprendido! CD
Sidetracked - recent recordings
Deviated Instinct - discography CD
Main - Exosphere CD
Nunslaughter - Hex LP
Reverend Bizarre - Slave of Satan EP
Double Negative 12"
People; hmm, Robert Anton Wilson died a few months ago which whilst not
upsetting to me (I never met him) made me pause for a moment. Other than
him, artist Mark Riddick, occultist Ramsey Dukes, author / philosopher
Umberto Eco, psychiatrist Thomas Szasz and a few others who escape me just
now hold my interest / respect.
- Future plans for The Endless Blockade?
Split 7" with Canadian grindcore legend Wadge on RSR from Germany should be
out before the end of the year.
We're almost done writing our second LP which 20 Buck Spin is releasing in
early 2008.
We're going to work very slowly on a collaboration LP with Bastard Noise
that Fatalist will release whenever it's good and ready.
We have some other things in the pipeline which we're not concentrating on
until the second LP is done and two of us have relatively active noise/
experimental projects (Gack and Joshua Norton Cabal) on the go too.