Half of American voters right now feel like crashing a truck hauling port-o-potties full of construction worker shit into the nearest Trump tower. This is clearly a national disaster for all of us. There are those those of you out there who want to wrap your face in scarves, and stuff rags into bottles of vodka, although I don’t believe violence is the answer, I do believe that it is our right to be angry. I am LIVID! Here are some albums to help us get through our righteous anger. My good friend Jesse has helped me compile a short list of music that can help us process our emotions. These pivotal albums from Britain’s first wave of anarcho-punk are vital to the conversation about feminism, oppression, censorship, and the violations of the working class by the wealthy ruling class. This music was meant to inspire action, and fascism should be confronted or disrupted wherever we see it.
Crass: Penis Envy
Crass was a band that advocated direct action against any and all systems you can think of. Speaking out on issues like feminism, environmentalism, and animal rights, they are the antithesis to everything Trump and his people stand for. During the 80’s they were a thorn in Margaret Thatcher’s side and staged disruptions of the London underground. Their album, Yes Sir, I will, is one of the most raw indictments on war and governments such as Thatcher’s and Reagan’s. In their 1981 album, Penis Envy, the vocals were exclusively performed by Eve Libertine, who took over for Steve Ignorant to address issues like feminism, sexuality, rape and sexual assault. Instead of mansplaining the issue, Steve Ignorant stepped aside to let someone who-actually-knows-what-it’s-like-to-be-a-woman, take control… A rare thing in our current era.
Subhumans: The Day the Country Died
The Subhumans‘ debut album, The Day the Country Died, is great for anyone fed up with it all. It has a lot of themes related to Orwell’s 1984, and is generally considered a classic for the anarcho punk era. The whole album steams of generally not giving a fuck about the establishment’s rules and it has the feel of stuffing a hundred dollar bill in your landlords mouth as you throw him in a trashcan and roll it down five flights of stairs. When archeologists look back on our long forgotten history, they might trace the fall of the American Empire back to 2016, the day our country died.
Flux of Pink Indians: The Fucking Cunts Treat us Like Pricks
The Flux of Pink Indians have dealt with their fair share of censorship. Their album, The Fucking Cunts Treat us Like Pricks, was banned by several major retailers due to its sexually explicit title and cover art. Copies were seized, along with other records by Crass and the Dead Kennedys, by the Greater Manchester Police from the Eastern Bloc Record Shop and its owner Frank Schofield was charged with displaying “Obscene articles for publication for gain”. The whole album consists of abrasive sounds and Colin Latter screaming a string of obscenities into his abused microphone (which basically sums up the attitude of half of American voters right now). The censorship of this album was utter bullshit, because free speech in my eyes is the most sacred of all human rights. If the Flux of Pink Indians want to blare a wall of sound against war, violence, and Margaret Thatcher, then they should be protected as well. Free speech is for all.
Conflict: Increase the Pressure
Conflict has always been extremely vocal regarding issues such as anarchism, animal rights, the anti-war movement and in their unyielding support for the controversial organization, Class War. The national paper of the organization, simply called Class War declared that the enemy is not just a system-wide abstraction, but each and every person who belongs to the ruling class. It advocated active violence against the wealthy, and the paper used colloquial language and gallows humor. One early cover was of a cemetery, with the caption, “We have found new homes for the rich.” If you want to get your 99% rage on, Conflict is the band for you. Many of Conflict’s gigs during the 1980’s were followed by brutal riots and public disturbances.
There are many more albums that shine a glaring light on the issues that surround this election from misogyny, the abuses of the wealthy, to war, environmentalism, and racism, bands like Icons Of Filth, Doom, Poison Girls, Discharge, Oi Polloi, MDC, Dirt, Nausea, and Amebix. The USA has elected a madman that embodies everything that is wrong with our society. This isn’t a game with winners or losers, where the losers need to shut up and deal with it. The issue here isn’t democracy or getting more votes, that’s how the other side thinks, they think in terms of winners and losers. Most of the bands listed here would be out protesting Clinton as much as they would Trump, because they both represent a system of control that oppresses us everyday. The issue here is that we still live in a world where abuse of women, war, police brutality, and overall hatred are not only accepted, but they are rewarded. In the words of Tyler Durden, “you choose your own level of involvement,” you don’t have to hit the streets, but you can take a stand against hate in your everyday life. If you see something, do something.
Born and raised in San Diego California, I grew up loving the action horror and sci-fi genres. The first R rated film I saw was Predator back when I was 8 years old. Aliens blew me away as a youngster and I made a M41-A pulse rifle out of paper towel rolls and rubber bands. I ran around for hours avoiding face huggers and blasting xenomorphs in my back yard and I am bringing that big imagination to Nevermore Horror.