It’s time for an interview with a well known vegan straight edge person: Rat from the one man band project Statement. I know Rat now for quite a while and thought as he released another new record to do an interview with him and give a little insight into his believes and attitude.
Q: Hello Rat, as most of people, know you, I will not start with the basic question, who you are etc. I am more interested in your intentions about your new releases of statement. Why now? What made you do them?
A: Ive never really stopped doing music, just some spells have been quieter. i have so many songs recorded but never finished, many just needing vocals, but, my old tap died with so many songs on it! I’m still angry, in fact, angrier than I’ve ever been. I’ve been vegan long enough to see the shit that goes on, the shit that seems to get worse. Music is my outlet, and hopefully a way of communicating ideas to people.
Q: Do you think our society changed into the wrong way the last years? I mean, you said you angrier than ever. What are the root causes of your anger nowadays?
A: Its inevitable the more humans breed, the bigger the population gets, the more assholes there are, the more destruction we cause. Maybe it was naivite on my part when i was younger thinking things would get better, how fucking wrong I was! I guess the internet doesn’t help as you get to see so much of the shit our species does, to animals, nature and even other humans. We really are shit!
Q: I totally understand you, I have the same feeling, that with the internet we see even more disgusting things and get more and more angry. This is also why I love Statement and other bands, as it gives me an outlet to “release” my anger while listening to your music, so the opposite point of view. Do you think vegan bands and projects will help people to get/stay vegan? I think there were a lot more vegan people in the 90s and mid 2000 where a lot of vegan(edge) bands popped up. Hopefully the Vegan Reich show in UK this year, will have another big impact into the punk/hc scene. Will you join that show also with your band?
A: Vegan music can only show people whats really happening to animals, it can make people think. As to whether it can inspire people to stay vegan, i don’t think so. If someone has become vegan for the wrong reasons, theres nothing anybody else can do, its down to that person. If they then decide to be a cunt and turn their backs on animals, something they once said they felt strongly about, I really don’t think there is anything anybody can do. You have got to feel it yourself.
The initial surge of vegan bands definitely helped, and got people to question their eating habits, and the negative impact eating animals brings, on animals, and the environment.
The Vegan Reich show may help encourage some new people, I certainly hope so.
No, statement wont be playing this show, (I actually never even thought about doing that, could have been a good idea haha) though I may make a guest appearance for one of the Vegan Reich songs.
Q: I am sure, people would freak out if Statement plays a few songs. Haha. Now with all the “new” releases of Statement, Vegan Reich show, do you think the hardline movement will be reborn, or at least some similar movement? Or is hardline as it was, dead forever?
A: Statement was supposed to play the first Hardline gathering, but Sean (and others) were pissed off that it seemed people turned up for the show and not for the actually gathering, so Vegan Reich and Statement didn’t play, that night we just drove back to Southern California. Hardline has gone, and rightly so. Its impact was small, on the positive side, and slightly bigger on the negative side haha. But, having said that, if it wasn’t for Hardline, and those three 7″s released on Hardline records, veganism wouldn’t be as big as it is today. But, you can then also say, if it wasn’t for early 80’s punk, anarchopunk in particular, neither would have had as much impact. Many people probably aren’t aware, but possibly the biggest vegan straight edge band, was heavily influenced by Hardline…Earth Crisis.
Q: Yea thats true. If you read between the lines of the older songs from Earth Crisis, you see the connection to the hardline movement. Luckily Earth Crisis are still active and still say what needs to be said without any compromise. Yea I think also most of the people forgot, that hardline was inspired by the anarchopunk scene. There was also a good statement from Roger Miret of Agnostic Front: You can’t trust a hardcore kid who doesn’t listen to Punk. And that’s what most people forgot, where everything began. Know your roots, haha. Now with your latest release, a lot of people were confused when they saw the cover, because thew only knew the red original version. The proceeds of Prepared for Battle will be donated to an Animal Sanctuary. Please tell us more about that, to make people aware of it and support it!
A: Yeah http://roostersanctuary.org/ in Colorado USA.
All sanctuaries need help, but I know the people that run this and know how hard they work (still doing full time jobs) and how much they need the money. As of today $300 was donated to them from some record sales and a big donation for a test pressing, from some crazy collector haha. More money will hopefully be coming their way again soon.
Q: Thx for that information. Hopefully a lot of people will give them a donation to make things going on. Do you wanna say anything else? Feel free to say whatever you want, haha.
A: Uh, fuck knows! Prompt me haha.
You should definitely give Rat (Statement) a listen. Yea, he is angry and pissed off that world, me too. But all what he says, is the truth most people won’t see. There is a really good quote from the movie Se7en:
„Wanting people to listen, you can’t just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you’ll notice you’ve got their strict attention.“
Animals need our help, NOW, so it won’t be enough to just say it in a friendly manner to change our behavior, we need to strike back. By any means necessary.
PS: I will receive a few copies of his latest release: Prepared for Battle 12″.
All four original songs plus extra song from same recording session never released, and “Traces Of Blood” previously released on “Ceremony Of Fire” comp LP
Available in black vinyl, and limited green vinyl.
As soon as I receive them, I will put them online, that you can buy it.