Jay Babock versus The Man

I mentioned this in my ArthurBall review, but I'll repeat it: I won tickets to the wonderful ArthurBall, which is one of two festivals Arthur Magazine has started to put on (the other being "ArthurFest"), this past February, and was led around by Jay Babcock, the editor and mastermind behind the whole project. I had no press passes, nothing of that sort - I simply was lost trying to find one of the art installations, and Jay patted me on the back, introduced himself, and talked Joanna Newsom with me as he led me around.

Arthur is, for the uninformed, quite possibly the only media outlet which supports independent culture with a true, unashamed allegiance to what being "independent" means. The "vibe," for lack of a better term, at both ArthurFest and ArthurBall is like nothing I've ever experienced - surrounded with artists and art which should be deemed "pretentious," but truly lacked any pretense whatsoever. So hearing something like what I'm about to post is just amazing. Jay, somehow, managed to get an interview with the band Godsmack, part of the "new rock" movement which has pooled its way into tired rock casings in the absence of true artistic presence from a popular rock perspective. In a convenient coincedence, Godsmack also happens to provide the music for Marine recruiting commercials, produces albums with military themes, and displays military imagery during their usually packed arena shows. Jay simply calls the lead singer of Godsmack on his obvious politcal and military allegiances, but does not pussy out there. Unlike even most extreme liberals lately, he "mans up" enough to really play hardball with this guy, and express his anger surrounding the thousands of meaningless deaths American occupation in Iraq is producing. The singer is completely caught off guard by this, and it's just fucking hilarious. In short, Jay Babcock is my hero, and here's the mp3:

Download the interview between Arthur Magazine editor Jay Babcock and the lead singer of Godsmack

Arthur is one of the few things which gives me some hope that the idealism I want to believe in as a "liberal" in this country is not being some sort of pipe dream, but entirely possible. Arthur is completely grass roots, and this sort of interview just brings a smile to my usually overly-cynnical facade.



For less political listening opportunities, I present to you another one of Keiji Hano's offerings this year, with Sitaar Tah! this time, the result being a sort of psychadelic freak-out you won't hear anywhere else. Here's the first of the album's two tracks, but be warned, it's a large file:

Download the first track of ANIMAMIMA

keiji haino's website
arthur magazine