Page 38 - Black Velvet Issue 87

BV87 pg36,37,38,39:BV87 pg38 20/12/2015 00:14 Page 3

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thought I’d see this day / tossed up pride into going to be able to sustain the lifestyle that terror attacks in Paris, Fozzy took to the
the fire / nothing to keep the crows away…’ we are living, “We’re taking all this assis- stage in Vaureal a week later. Before the
“The scarecrow symbolizes shame,” Rich tance and this is not real money, these are show frontman Chris took to his social
states, before recalling something that his loans that we’re borrowing from our chil- media accounts and declared that “Tonight
father had once said to him, “If the govern- dren, our grandchildren, and future genera- we play for freedom, for the joy of life and for
ment rolled down the street throwing bags of tions. This is not even money that exists the love of rock ‘n’ roll.” Rich tells us that the
money on the sidewalk when he grew up no today and the system will collapse.” atmosphere at the show was great. “I think
one would go out and take it, because there About the subject matter Rich says that people who lived in Paris were understand-
was some shame attached to taking hand- he thought it was an interesting idea to talk ably shaken up because it happened in their
outs. Hand-outs were for those who really about the idea of shame and how shame is neighbourhood, you know, and maybe some
needed it, not people who just wanted to live maybe a good thing. “Not to shame others, people they knew could have been there.
off of it but people who were really in desper- but this feeling of shame inside ourselves for The same way that New Yorkers were after
ate need. His point was to say that if you can treating someone poorly. I think that shame 9/11 or Londoners were after 7/7 there’s that
get a job, if you’re physically able to help can be spread amongst a million different feeling of…” he trails off before continuing.
sustain yourself, leave that money in assis- ways that we treat each other in society, the “As someone who’s not from Paris, when I
tance for people who truly need it as that’s way that we raise our children and the way was there I didn’t feel threatened at all. The
what it’s there for. The shame is gone and that we interact as communities. The idea of reason is because the safest place in the
now living on assistance has become more shame protecting the farm from the crows world on the day after 9/11 was on an air-
of a lifestyle. It’s not to say that I’m even was a great analogy because the farm needs plane. There’s a sense of when crazy people
passing judgement on that, but I’m saying to be protected and shame kept the crows do crazy things, at least in my mind, they
I’ve been poor most of my life and I’ve never from destroying the farm. The crows will wouldn’t hit the same type of target; usually
taken assistance. The reason I haven’t is be- never replant corn because the crows aren’t they’re prodding for new places once that
cause I haven’t needed to, I’ve always been interested in maintaining the farm, they are has been exploited. I am of the mindset of
able to figure out a way to get to the next only looking for the momentary need that the you can’t control crazy, right? You can make
thing. Even if that meant selling a guitar that farm can provide them; then they will find an- every weapon illegal, you can try to cut off
I owned, that I purchased when I had a little other farm to destroy. Shame was always terrorists’ money supplies, you can try to do
more, I always tried to figure out a way to get that thing that kept us from destroying the anything you want but you’ll never, you can
by on that. I think that it would be nice if so- farm, knowing that the farm is important, that never stop that. It will always exist in our so-
ciety recognized that there’s nothing free. In the lifeblood of the community is to be able cieties. Whether it’s Muslim extremists or
other words, free healthcare is not free; free to use it for food. We as society have started whether it’s people with mental illnesses or
healthcare had to come from some place, to destroy those things. I think a nice little bit whether it’s people with domestic violence
and that meant gas taxes, imbedded prop- of shame would come in handy from time to who kill their own family; these things can
erty taxes, all of these things that we don’t time.” never be stopped no matter what we decide.
think about; everything is embedded.” Rich The only thing we can control as a society is
notes that in different times there was a nother subject that is dealt with on how we react to it, and how we can comfort
sense that we needed to be a little more self- A‘Do You Wanna Start A War’ is anar- those who went through it and the families
reliant and self-sufficient and it was those chy. ‘One Crazed Anarchist’ is about some- who lost love ones; we can try to be compas-
things that helped to create a different work one who plans to carry out dishonourable sionate, we can also be vigilant. Unfortu-
ethic. The guitarist believes that we’ll soon actions to gain attention. While many artists nately, people who follow a crazy ideology
come to a point where society is no longer cancelled shows and tours in the wake of the whose intent is to kill and maim... Any cul-