So your new song 'Jesus Was A Democrat' is spreading all over the internet.
Oh yeah, it's going viral, I think. That's the equivalent of someone going postal so I don't know if it's a good thing.
Let's start in the obvious place here, in relation to your song- What do you think the relationship is between faith and politics today and is it good?
I don't know that it's changed. If I'm understanding your question right, I think there's a lot of people in this country that have bought into this hard sell that Jesus christ and his beliefs...they have tailored him to this belief that he is intolerant, exclusionary and racist. The people who come out and tell you Jesus died for your sins and all that. They aren't trying to connect with you or understand you, they're trying to convert you. I never bought into Christian wars or Christian warriors. It can't exist. They live in opposite universes.
Given that and watching the Palin rallies and how it's escalating. People are getting so... do you remember that guy who prayed for rain at the DNC convention? Why would he do that? Why would he care? And of course it's didn't rain, so what does that say? The weather was beautiful for the convention!
Yeah, and then the first day of the Republican convention was interrupted by a hurricane.
Prayer is crazy like that.
Why do you think it is so difficult for people to separate how they choose to live their own lives and how we should govern society?
Lots of reasons. I think the main one that cuts through it all is fear. I think when life and ideas and philosophies are put into this neat little box and everything fits, you don't want anything to happen to it. I think most pain and damage comes from fear. I think with a lot of these people, and I live in a very evangelical right-wing house. All my sisters are extremely born again people. I don't know what's wrong with me, because I never believed it at all. I have always felt compelled by the message of Christ and I never felt it lined up with what these people espouse and preach.
It all started in the 80s, Lee Atwater and George Bush... they even started doing it with the Reagan Democrats. It became evident when they started going after liberals and trying to make 'liberal' a dirty word. And I'd read the bible and Jesus Christ would sound like the biggest socialist liberal I've ever heard of. The things that irritates me most and really pisses me off is that they think if you don't believe what they believe, then you don't have family values. You don't care about America. McCain and Palin are trying to do it now. It's bullshit nationalism backed by a greater truth...or what they call the truth. There's nothing there. I'm really curious to see where the Republican Party goes after this. It's either going to be far right or center. I'm worried it goes further right.
I think its possible, if not likely, that the party will split down the middle. True conservatives on one side and the religious right on the other.
I don't think it's gonna be 50/50. Maybe more like 60/40. I think the map is going to change distinctly and severely. And it's good. Not just because I'm a Democrat but...I don't care who you are, I want to talk about issues. When you start talking about God and things you can't prove, it's bullyism and it's not fair and it's cowardly. McCain is finally talking about the issues. He's not doing it in a fair sense but he's talking about the things the Republicans believe. He doesn't make a good argument which is why he isn't doing well. I think people have already
made their decisions. I already voted. I voted last week. In Oregon, we vote by mail.
You know about the dividend up in Alaska? I spent a lot of time up there when Palin was the Mayor of Wasilla. It's a payoff from the oil company.
Oh yeah, Alaska is all about 'spreading the wealth'.
Well yeah, but they basically treat this dividend like it's welfare. My ex wife's family has 7 kids, and for every baby you have, you get a dividend check. The more kids you have, the more money you make. If you go to Wasilla to the Fred Meyer, which is a supermarket- you'll see 15, 16 year old kids, lots of them, pushing babies around in shopping carts. Her daughter having a baby when she's 17 is not surprising. It's a cycle. Really big problem up there.
Obama speaks openly about his religion. I'm not sure if it's because he came to it as an adult instead of being conditioned in the faith from childhood, but he seems to have a pragmatic approach to dealing with religious issues. Why do you think conservative Christians have such a hard time believing he is a Christian, or anything else he has to say for that matter?
Knowing that in the past I was a severe compulsive liar, liars don't believe anybody. If you're coming from a place of demagoguery or bullshit, you think everybody has a game so you can't trust people. I agree with you when you talked about Obama. When he talks about his religion and his faith, even if you don't agree with it, I think you... There are a lot of Republicans who say, "I may not agree with him, but I respect him." Obama made the right choices in life. McCain never had a choice. His path was laid out for him just by who he is.
So it seems this Presidential election has turned anyone with a slight interest in politics into a full blown activist. Everyone has something to say about this election.
My daughter is 16 and she is so clued into this and locked into it. She comes home and asks, "What happened today? What are the polls? What did Palin say? Anything stupid?" Now, granted, me and her mom are both liberals. But she comes home and she's so hooked on it. I wish she was a little more open-minded, but young people are actually aware and passionate. Republicans have had their shock troops forever. Obama is beating them at their own game. It's so interesting to watch how his campaign operates and how he handles himself. So many Democrats want him to get angry. They want him to get out there and attack. But he can't do it. He's Jackie Robinson. You know Jackie Robinson? He knew... he was told, "You cannot react like other people react. If people spit in your face, you cannot react. Because you are black. People are looking for you to show some sort of human vulnerability or prove you're going to fail, or what they perceive failing to be." He had to rise above it. Same with Obama, and he's doing it. He's really doing it. Obama is really smart. I don't care who you're voting for, I think you can't help but be impressed by how he's run this campaign.
Now ask me something about music.
Are you doing more political songs?
I've been doing political songs since the beginning. This is what I do.
See, I have no intention of asking you of musical questions. You're my 'political interview.' [laughs]
Ah, you're obviously not a fan.
[laughs] Yeah, I've been on all the talk shows. Bill Mahr multiple times. The Daily Show. O'Reilly Factor...
eeewww
Bill O'Reilly is a bitchy old lady. All of his questions are designed for you to fail. "So how long have you been a Communist?" When you try to answer him he just yells over you. It's like talking to my mother. I can't talk about politics and religion with my mother anymore, we just talk about good stuff. There are so many things we agree on, so we try to only talk about those things. Religion and politics leave her in tears and leaves me angry. I think this is a great year for politics. We have to repair the damage from the last 25 years. Obama plans on going after energy with New Deal proportions. I think they're gonna have to handle the mortgage crisis first, of course. Things got so expensive because people pulling the strings wanted it to. They made a lot of money. It's a scam. It's a racket. They get to be in charge of these companies and they just run them into the ground, knowing they'll be saved by a golden parachute.
What do you think will happen after Obama is elected? Do you think people will stay excited and interested once he's in office?
I think there will be a huge level of people trying to snipe at him, both figuratively and unfortunately literally. Like I said, he's Jackie Robinson. He has 4 years to exceed expectations. 4 years to do everything he promised. I don't think younger people can really understand what a big deal this is. I was born in the 60s and it is absolutely mind blowing that we are about to have our first black President. I have a 16 year old and a 1 year old, and they're going to grow up thinking this is normal. Our collective views on race will never be the same, and it's a good thing. America has promised to be this land of opportunity, where anyone can make it if they really try and work hard for it. I think it's time for us to live up to that promise and show the rest of the world that our diversity is what makes us strong.
So you've been to more states more often than Sarah Palin. Where are the pro-American parts of the country?
Everywhere I look.
Where are the anti-American parts?
Everywhere I look. I really think it is important to travel and get out of the US because the one thing everyone comes back with is that we live like kings here. Absolute royalty compared to the rest of the world. You don't get it until you see something else. People come back feeling good about what we have here and the chances we have here. Being a good American takes work. If you're German, it's an ethnic thing. If you're an American, you can be anything. It's an idea that makes you American. It's a belief. It's the belief of the law or the idea and perception of fairness when it comes right down to it. It's all very exciting. The world is about to change.
Everclear - FREE MP3 DOWNLOAD
http://www.myspace.com/everclear
| 
Everclear's Art Alexakis Talks Politics
Soccer and politics for Berlinale