In underground music, there seems to be this real inability for people to express themselves in any kind of heroic or mythological way. There's this idea that we're all normal joes, and that creating a persona onstage or having schtick is somehow false and misleading and evil.
Ian SvenoniusKanye West hasn't really done anything worthwhile-- except maybe musically, I haven't heard him. But he hasn't overthrown the government.
Ian SvenoniusIf a Cuban refugee is escaping, we're saying they're a political refugee, but why isn't a Haitian refugee a political refugee? They're escaping the capitalism and degradation of economic imperialism. We don't call them political refugees; we call them unfortunate people.
Ian SvenoniusA lot of people come to America all the time for economic opportunities. This country is this huge work farm and you can make a lot of money here.
Ian SvenoniusWhen a capitalist looks at the river, all they can think about is, "How can I pollute this river and destroy it and make money from it?"
Ian SvenoniusThere's no real nationalism in this county. If you're poor in America, that's a criminal offense. You're not only a criminal for being poor, but you're also stupid and deficient. We don't have this national feeling of fraternity. We live in an individualist state where everyone hates everyone else, except your immediate family. We live in a mafia state.
Ian Svenonius