People think it doesn't hurt - SMAR SW interview with Brumu

People think it doesn't hurt - SMAR SW interview with Brumu

Musicians do not always like to talk about the history of the band. Some find it boring, others prefer to talk about something else. However, many fans would like to know a few facts about the birth act of their favorite band. Yogurth found the perfect solution. Instead of recalling when and how it was, he read a short piece of information, scrubbed from some zine. Of course, the information was about the band SMAR SW, one of the best-known punk crews in the country today. Here is the approximate content of the zine's note. SMAR SW Formed in early 1990, the name means nothing, it's just awesome. The band has so far recorded three cassettes W Jedności Siła (Wave 1992), Koncert na Zalesiu (Wave 1992) Walczmy o Swoje Prawo (Silverton 1993).

BRUM: Rzeszow's climate is particularly conducive to various forms of playing. Have punk bands also found their place and their audience here?

SMAR SW: It's actually difficult to say that there is such a thing as a punk scene in Rzeszow. There are a few bands that are starting to play. One of the more interesting ones, for example, is NUCLEAR POLITICS. However, in general we are alone. Of course, this applies to the bands, not the audience. A new, restless, but positive movement is beginning. The old crews have left, but new ones are now being formed in their place. Everything is starting from the beginning.

BRUM: Why did you decide to play punk-rock. Are you attracted to the music, or are there any motives from the ideology that accompanies it?

SMAR SW: First of all, we want to say that there is no such thing as punk-rock. There is only punk and music made by punks. Punk-rock, is a concept invented by journalists, people who try to control the music industry by locking it in drawers, giving it labels. This allows better manipulation of music and young people who don't always know what the field is about. Punk is a much broader concept than punk-rock. It is so diverse. In fact, it is enough to listen to punk bands. And as for our beginnings - in the beginning there was music. We treated it a bit as fun, and later on it was already a way of life. We got into punk very seriously. We wanted to convey something, do something, and music is the best medium for young people. We couldn't express ourselves through cinema or theater, because we don't have the talent or ability for that. Our music is what it is. Maybe we lack talent in this field too, but we make up for it with enthusiasm. And enthusiasm for what you do is the most important thing and allows you to overcome various obstacles. Through music, we reached the mindset that accompanies movement. And this turned out to be as appealing as the music itself. Punk is about freedom, it's about respecting other people and demanding that respect for ourselves. And beyond that, it's about breaking rules, ossified patterns of reasoning. That's what all sane young people are attracted to.

BRUM: All right, but you SEZON are studying law. On the one hand you want to break the rules, to fight the system, and on the other hand, after all, it is the law, among other things, that locks in the patterns of society. Doesn't a contradiction creep in here?

SMAR SW: Absolutely. Studying law broadens the horizon, gives the opportunity to learn about the mechanisms in which we are enmeshed. Knowledge of these forces that rule the world is the way to freedom, to get out from under them. Such knowledge allows you to better, more effectively oppose them. In these studies I learn about certain schemes, rejecting some and modifying others with my own worldview. This gives clarity of thinking. I just know even better what I want and what I aspire to.

BRUM: You said you started playing because you felt the need to convey your own thoughts to others. How would you describe that message. What do you think punk is?

SMAR SW: It is, first of all, following one's own mind. Of course, it is not such uncontrolled thinking. There are certain guiding rules that should apply to everyone. First of all, respect and tolerance, although here there are exceptions. Fascists, too, on the whole, can say that they are guided by their own reason, but this is not true. They allow themselves to be controlled by either politicians or ordinary thugs. That's why they are such morons. And that is why we cannot tolerate them, much less respect them. Force must be answered with force. We want to open people's eyes if only to such truths. We also want to convince people to look at the world differently. In doing so, we do not get wrapped up in some utopias. We believe, for example, that money is needed, to have it is a great thing. Just one condition - it is we who must have them and not they who must have us. Money is not everything. The ruthless pursuit of mammon is one of those channels into which man is packed from childhood by a sickly civilization. We want to convince people that it is possible to break out of such channels. You just have to believe in your own strength.

BRUM: You oppose the existing reality. What irritates you most about it? What irritates you about the political and economic system? Is it really that bad?

SMAR SW: Let's start from the end - it is bad, even fickle, the States should be governed by the whole society and not by a select elite. Only such a broadening of social control will preserve healthy rules in the state. The smaller the elites rule the country, the bigger the mess. Power destroys even the most decent, unfortunately. People need to learn a lot before they take up politics and power. If we want to be free, we must realize that we are enslaved. This is the first step to freedom. It's hard to fight the prevailing system, because the system is in people's minds. After all, the government is made up of people. No one will feel a big change if we blow up the Belvedere, because they will build another one right away. That's why we prefer to change the mindset of the people who will sit there. This is what irritates us the most - the ossification, stupidity and enslavement of people. From this are born systems based on institutions of violence, which we know by such seemingly innocuous names as the police, the military and the court. Violence is sometimes a path to freedom, for example in the fight against fascism. But in general, we adhere to the principle that freedom must be pursued without infringing on the freedom of others. That is why we want to convince everyone. When the human mentality can be changed, systems will disappear. When no one wants to go to the army, there will be no army. And the same with everything.

BRUM: Let's go back to the music. Listening to excerpts from your first two cassettes, I got the impression that they sounded sharper, more aggressive, than the last one. Are you satisfied with it?

SMAR SW: Not really. We recorded the cassette in three days, although we were supposed to sit in the studio for a week. The man who made the recordings knew his craft very well. However, he did not feel our music. Let's Fight for Our Rights actually is not very aggressive and was recorded in a huge hurry. That's why not everything sounds as it should. In July we will release the next cassette and then it will be what we are all about. At least we hope so. We do not yet know where we will release it. For now we want to make the recordings on our own, and then we'll look for a publisher.

BRUM: You recorded your last album after the Jarocin festival. What are your impressions from there? After all, it was during your concert that the scramble on the Small Stage began.

SMAR SW: Indeed, during the concert a lot of people came on stage. We asked them to sit down and it worked. However, when it was actually over the mess, the bouncers began to pepper the punks. Now no one is to blame. Reportedly, today no one remembers that there were incidents. Neither the police nor the organizers. Or maybe you should have thought earlier, because to hire skinheads as bodyguards, you have to be really uneven in the head.

Jarocin as a place has its own wonderful atmosphere. Great people, great parties. We didn't go there with the attitude that we were going to play. We thought primarily about meeting friends. Jarocin as a festival, on the other hand, sucked. Terrible commercialism. There was only 40 minutes of punk music for the whole review. And yet, mostly punks come there. Some strange sponsors showed up. What for? In order to pay the commercial bands, who swallowed 40 trillion each for a concert. If there were no such groups, there would be no need for such sponsors. All in all, it's a good thing that there was such a breakup. Maybe now Jarocin will stop being a money-making machine for some suckers. Next year we'll probably go to Jarocin to finish the job, but the regret for the old years remains.

BRUM: The magic word "commercialism" was dropped a moment ago. Punk bands are accused of commercialism when they play big concerts and record albums. Do you think these accusations are correct?

SMAR SW: We were also accused of commercialism, because we released a cassette in Silverton and that it costs what it costs. But this is some kind of misunderstanding. Commercialism, it's going off a certain path, it's compromises. You play differently, you don't sing about sensitive things. With us, nothing has changed. We only play concerts for reimbursement of travel expenses. The fact that we take money for tapes is completely normal all over the world. Even the most independent bands take money for records. Only in our sick society is this an accusation. But someone seems to forget that we have to buy instruments and strings for something. Commercial is "Brum," for example. It serves to extract money from young people. In doing so, it uses the aesthetics of punk without having anything to do with the movement. You don't write anything about skins, you don't warn and you don't criticize. Probably someone is afraid. And that's why such a newspaper is a rag. We are only talking to you to say that we do not identify with this newspaper and that we are not commercial. We also want to warn all young people not to be fooled. That's all it is, we simply took the opportunity to express our views, to show what punk really is. Because of the fact that we spoke out, our views have not changed at all. If anyone wants to know more about the punk movement let them write to us.

BRUM: In Thinking Blockade you sing: "Let's do something to start living, to stop vegetating." What do you want to do? How do you understand life?

SMAR SW: Maybe first about vegetation - it's daily rules and patterns, working eight hours plus small pleasures, for example, a wife. People who spend their time this way are in fact dead. Life, is more joy, freedom. You can't let yourself be pushed into all the crap that the authorities try to push on us.

BRUM: You have already mentioned fascism. In your works such as Force and Holocaust you stigmatize nationalism. However, I'm interested in your views on the causes of increasing baldheadedness?

SMAR SW: Some people are impressed by force and violence. They treat their complexes with their fists. And then there's the school, upbringing, and the inculcation of patriotic rhymes. The authorities do not flock to change such a system. It does nothing to weaken nationalism. The best proof is the handbill sent after Tejkowski. Everyone knew where to find him, he even appeared on TV, and he could not be caught. Such a book as the Baldhead Crusade should not have been published at all. Instead of giving skins the opportunity to speak out, there should be awareness of the evils of Nazism, especially in a country where there is an exceptional flare-up for nationalism. After all, in the West there are movements such as the communist Red Skins, or Sharp. Both have nothing to do with Nazism, and Sharp was even actually founded to fight against racial prejudice. Sometimes it's also the case that someone will get fucked up at a concert, and then shave. Well, because what do you mean, he's going to get it again? People are just intimidated.

BRUM: School, upbringing, authority. You mention these institutions as factors that deform the average person's way of thinking. In some texts you also include the theme of the stupefying role of the church. In your opinion, what makes the clergy such a bad influence on the formation of ideas or worldviews?

SMAR SW: The church is a mafia. It works to gather as many people around it as possible. Priests promise salvation and paradise, and they make money from it. In doing so, they impose dogmas and canons from above. And yet all modern dogmas are at odds with the faith of the early Christians. The clergy is only making a fortune by preying on people's gullibility. There are, of course, those genuine priests, but they are exceptions that prove the rule. Many instead pine for parties, where they drink and play cards. People find out about it, and then calmly put it on the tray. Faith, of course, is an individual matter for each person, but really, why such intermediaries between people and God.

BRUM: You focus a lot on freedom: you talk about what limits it. Do you think it is also limited by drugs?

SMAR SW: Drugs are for people, but not the other way around. If someone loses himself in it, if it becomes the only goal for him, then you can actually talk about limiting freedom.

BRUM: Well, then, to take or not to take. Drags are cool but one can cave in. How do you solve that?

SMAR SW: That's something we don't really know. All in all, we are in favor of legalizing marijuana. We are also for everyone to be able to choose between drags and vodka. So that he can choose his fate. Again, you have to rely on your own strength here. Certainly no prohibition will eradicate the problem. Prohibition that takes drugs away from people is only dictated by the interests of the state. It is difficult to maintain a monopoly on drugs. Private producers have emerged, the state is unable to control it. And this means only one thing - less money, because access to drugs would reduce alcohol consumption. Coming back to the question - whether to take? We are not against drugs, we are against certain mindless attitudes.

BRUM: You try to influence people with your music, with your songs. And what do you think about those who try to achieve a similar salutary influence with their attitudes, organized actions. How do you perceive, for example, the action of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity?

SMAR SW: The assumptions of the action are correct. Society gave itself to unite in a beautiful undertaking. But on the other hand, everyone has forgotten that they pay huge taxes, which should be used by the state. It is it that should provide care, not ourselves. And so people make drops to save someone. It shouldn't be that way. On the other hand, the man who organized this action we don't like. He helps children because it's beautiful and spectacular, and other people don't care about him. On TV he is a nice fellow, but in everyday life, he is a cold, calculating guy who treats people who are unnecessary for him with indifference and even coldness. You can see this perfectly at concerts, so behind the scenes, or at auditions.

BRUM: Finally, introduce the current lineup of the band. Something seems to have changed?

SMAR SW: Yes, we parted ways with Ninja, our former bass player. We stopped agreeing musically and in terms of worldview. The current lineup: Season - sings, Yogurth - plays guitar, Sikor - drums, Kaktus - plays bass

Interviewed by Artur Podgórski

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