APOSTASY interview from Penetración nº 4, Feb.84
Re-translation from the Spanish translation
APOSTASY is a Canadian band, from Surrey. What you're about to read is an interview with Eric, bassist, and an explanation of their songs by themselves. They have released a tape that you can get if you write to them using the adress: APOSTASY c/o Trash Trax, 11067 146 A St., Surrey B.C. V3R 3V3, CANADA. They will send it yo you if you send them a blank tape and 1 $. Well, Eric is the one who answered the interview, but what he says is valid for the band's ideology in general, a fighting band wthat would be too much for the Madrid punks (the more moronic punks in the whole world). Anyway, let's listen to them.
Question – When was the band formed? Have there been changes in the line-up? Who are the current members?
APOSTASY – Apostasy was formed in September 1982. Apostasy are: Eric - bass, Keith - vocals, Rod - guitar, and Brik, drummer. The original band had Brad on guitar but he left soon after beginning, and was replaced by Rod.
Q – How come you chose the Apostasy name?
Apos. – We chose the Apostasy name because it had lots of different meanings for each member of the band. We thought a lot about the name and the word Apostasy and some very abstract ideas came to mind. There's no specific meaning for us, because it means so many different things. Originally it was chosen because we were sick of so many different things that were happening to us.
Q – What was the main goal in creating the band?
Apos. – The main goal when we created the band was having fun, because we all enjoyed playing music and expressing some of our views and thoughts to the public.
Q – What do you think about the Vancouver Five?
Apos. – Wow! You've heard about them in Spain! Basically we all sympathize with them and we agree with most of their views. We know what they did to make the world a better place to live in, but there's also the fact that other human lives are left out to dry [pilloried?] because of their actions. Wasn't saving human lives the basic idea of what they tried to do? We also feel that they're not getting a fair trial because of all the revelations from the media. The media here are just looking at the negative side of what they did and they don't take into account the positive pro-life ideas that they were trying to express. Most people here consider them as criminals.
Q –Have you participated in support shows?
Apos. – We have not done anything beyond the verbal support. We've taken part in demonstrations and we've gone to some benefit shows but we haven't played ourselves in the benefit shows for them, because the Defense Comittee didn't call us. If they call us for some benefit for them, we will do it.
Q – What does Punk mean to you? How do you define yourself?
Apos. – Punk has become a very abstract concept and it's hard to define. We see it as an effective way to put our ideas into practice and helping people to think. Punk has increased its intentions a lot and it aims now for much more than it did originally. We don't try to define ourselves as punks but rather as restless human beings. Screw labels! Nobody needs a label, we're the same under our labels, it's time for people to have awareness and get united without thinking of race, colour and so on.
Q – Have you had problems with the authorities because of your lyrics?
Apos. – No, we never had problemas and we hope not to have them in the future. Not being famous, they leave us alone.
Q – What do you think about violence in gigs?
Apos. – Violence has never solved anything anywhere and usually it makes things worse (look at the world today). There's a small difference between violence and self-defense though. This summer I was involved for the first time in a fight during a gig, but violence is quite different from self-defense. I'm completely sure that anybody (even the pacifists) would fight before being seriously injured or killed. Here in Vancouver normally there is no violence in gigs, though, everybody does what they please, there are no fights.
Q – Who are your favourite bands? What about your influences?
Apos. – Each person in the band likes different music styles, but mostly hardcore. Rod likes Iggy Pop, Rolling Stones and old punk bands as well as bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat and Discharge. Brad likes a lot of heavy metal bands and the Dead Kennedys, DOA, Minor Threat, and Discharge. Keith likes political bands from the 60's and Minor Threat and Discharge. My fave bands are Minor Threat, Discharge, Discharge [sic!], Crass, MDC and Crucifix. Our musical influences come from bands such as Discharge, GBH, DOA and Personality Crisis, but in the lyrics the influences come from anywhere, things that happen to us and affect us, so that our lyrics may be as real for most people as they are for ourselves. How many normal punks in the street do really undestand some of the lyrics by Dead Kennedys, Crass or MDC?
Q – What's the situation in Canada about the punk bands and the public?
Apos. – I don't know a public who really likes punk. In Canada there more than a couple of oppression situations and the punks only achieve to have fights with the non-punks and the police. The media have brainwashed the people making them believe that punk is only a violent attitude and not a positve alternative.
Q – What's your view on vivisection, the destruction of nature, the arms race, torture...?
Apos. – We oppose the destruction of anything and we think that all living things hace the right to live. Vivisection is unnecessary cruelty, specially in the case of animals that are used to prove the safety of chemical products for human beings. We can admit experiments with animals only in cases such as dangerous diseases like cancer. The arms race is stupid! It's about time the people in the whole world would unite and show the rulers of the world how do they feel. We need to disarm before it's too late. Nobody should have the power that these nuclear arms have, the arms race is absurd, and it's as well a case of devastating counter-attack on [or: from] the enemy. We'll go ahead and about those individuals [?], but that would take too much room here so we'd better leave it here. [N.T. I'm not sure of having understood this last sentence...]
Q – Something else you'd like to add? Do you know anything about Spain?
Apos. – What we'd really like to say is that it's about time that people from anywhere would start thinking for themselves and don't hide their instinct in order to control their actions. Be an individual! Don't let anybody else try to lead your life, it's your life, so you must do what you want to do. You have a brain, so – use it! Do what you want to, as long as it doesn't harm other people. We'd also like to say that anybody can write to us and we will answer, we will be happy to write to people from all the world with similar views and ideas. We know nothing from Spain, so if any Spanish punk wants to write to us, do it! Thank you.
EXPLANATION OF THE SONGS
PSEUDO PUNKS: It's about people in the punk rock scene that dress up to feel different but don't understand anything of the ideas behind punk, only superficial things such as violence.
IN FOR LIFE: avery abstract song. It's about trying to get involved with something and get caught inside without a way out.
ATTITUDE '77: About punks who are trapped in the past and don't see anything but the superficial aspects ("Destroy" and so on...), the 77 attitude is like the SEX PISTOLS, EXPLOITED attitude, the song is telling the punks to think for themselves.
NO RIGHTS: we wrote this song about a postman who tried to achieve better work conditions for their workmates but lost his job because of that. "If you don't follow the norms, you have no rights". In this system we have no rights, do we?
ARMY GRAVE: Don't join the army. You'll die one way or another, if you don't die in a war, your liveliness will die because of the army's restrictions and immorality.
APOSTASY: It's our motto, it tells a bit about what we're trying to do.
(LYRICS translated into Spanish in the feature: Apostasy, False Promises, Pseudo-Punks.)
