Hello, Whatevers!
Today
and I dove into the news, and in typical fashion, our conversation wandered to more philosophical hot takes as we pondered the Overton Window and its steady slide into fascism.But one news story in particular has stuck with me.
And that’s a story about British grime-punk band Bob Vylan.
At the Glastonbury Music Festival this weekend, the duo caused a stir by chanting “Death, Death to the IDF” during their set. Now they’ve been dropped from music festivals and their agent, lost their US Visas, and are being facing UK criminal investigation.
As an American Jew—albeit a non-practicing, agnostic one—and music fan who celebrates musicians who use their platform to take political stands, I’m conflicted. Where is the nuance between antisemitism and anti-IDF sentiment?
“We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people. We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine,” Bob Vylan said in response to the backlash.
I’m having a hard time disagreeing with this statement.
“Was a lovely area before you come here, lovely,” Bob Vylan sing in their 2020 anthem “We Live Here,” a righteously angry screed to British racism—and in particular, the neighborhood contempt they received as a mixed-race men.
“Neighbours called me 'nigga'
Told me 'go back to my own country'
Said since we arrived
This place has got so ugly
But this is my fucking country
And it's never been fucking lovely
We didn't appear out of thin air
We live here
We didn't appear out of thin air
We live here”
The song is unapologetic, bold, and startling in its unfiltered rage, right down to the final emphatic expletive conclusion, “We live here, you fucking cunt.”
It’s not hard to see how the song could translate to Palestinians in Gaza. Like literally—they live here. Or they did.
It’s not hard to hear what a banger the song is. It’s great, musically and lyrically. If the world needs anything right now, we need people—and especially artists with a platform, who can inspire action—to speak truth to power.
Was their onstage language a bit intense? Yes.
Did it get our collective attention? Again, yes.
This is the proper role of music. I’m not freaked out by it.
I am freaked out by the response.
Bob Vylan posted their full response on Instagram (below), but this section of it resonated hard:
“We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first. We will not be the last. And if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up too.”
So yea. This agnostic pagan American Jew is speaking up.
I’m not mad they spoke out.
We all live here.
Thank you
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