Before the Internet arrived,
booksmusicfilmstv.com's founder had been involved in the world of
underground music and fanzine publishing since the early 1980's. His
longest running magazine, Peace & Freedom, was first published in
1984, and began life as an environmental, animal/human rights, music and
arts fanzine. The next year he formed the alternative, anarcho
underground band, The Peace & Freedom Band.
When I interviewed him in the
middle of May, 2015, he was still as rebellious as ever and passionate
about animal/human rights and the environment. I took the opportunity to
ask him about his musical influences, values, the underground music
scene and his views on modern music and the recent general election. He
also went on to discuss his dislike of the State and why we need a
revolution.
- Andy Bruce.
 |
| Paul Rance with his beloved Sparkle in May, 2015 |
Paul Rance interview extracts
"It seems like it's cool to be hard these days. The Tory elite like
showing how tough they can be with poor migrants, the unemployed and the
disabled. I find their attitude repulsive, and they remind me of the
posh bully, Flashman, from Tom Brown's Schooldays."
"I like The Black Eyed Peas,
because they've supported issues concerning animal rights, the
environment and human rights, and their music's inventive. But, Jay Z,
what's the point? No real talent from what I can see, and he, and the
equally odious Beyonce, like wearing parts of dead animals.
Unfortunately, the media fawn all over 'em and keep telling us how great
they are. No, they're not."
"I fear there's more people in this country who agree with the sick views
of Katie Hopkins than we'd all like to believe. Though they tend to be
cowards who keep their mouths shut, and then strike when it's voting
time. That'd kinda explain why the polls indicated that the election
would be close - and it ended up not being close at all. People were too
ashamed to admit that they'd be voting Tory. Don't get me wrong, if it
was a choice between voting Tory or The Kitten Killers Party I'd vote
Tory. But that wasn't the choice, and many people have basically given
the thumbs up to austerity, and are saying to the weaker members of
society: "F**k you.""
"Politics hasn't really worked in the UK since the 1970s. We've had the
poll tax fiasco, now it's the austerity cuts. Too much corruption from
people in power, too much injustice - Hillsborough, the Jimmy Savile
cover-ups, crooked bankers and politicians, the expenses scandal. The
list is endless. People who set standards, i.e. those who make the laws
for the rest of us, should be beyond reproach. But they're often as
immoral as it gets."
"The problem is that most of the
individuals who carry out the state/system's dirty work aren't evil
people. Most of them are scared of losing their jobs if they question
specific decisions. It's all very clever and sly really, because it's
always hard to get at the real bastards - the ones at the top. But, like
any machine, it will not last forever and then it'll get really
interesting. I want to see it all fall to bits, and then let's start
again. It probably won't happen in my lifetime, but it will happen."
Read the full, explosive interview here:
