KREATOR Mainman Talks Politics

Decibel magazine recently conducted an interview with KREATOR mainman Mille Petrozza. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Decibel: Other than heightened security at the airports, what kind of changes did you see in Germany after 9/11?

Mille: Germany is jumping in on the propaganda thing. German media tries to tell us that we are living in the age of terror, that there is an enemy, that there are religious fanatics coming here from the Muslim side. It gives a very bad rep to the people here that are Muslims. Not every Muslim is a terrorist, obviously. After September 11, Germany became all about terror, propaganda and putting fear into people's minds. In my opinion, it's like they need a target, somebody to blame for things that the politicians and the government do wrong. It's very complicated, very tricky. And people who don't pay very much attention, they believe the hype and the lies and the propaganda. That's a big problem here in Germany at this point, but it's a worldwide phenomenon if you ask me.

It starts at the airport, of course, but it ends in the living rooms of people who watch or read the lies. People tend to believe what they see or read, and then they become prejudiced toward certain religious groups. Of course, every movement has its extreme parts. There is an extreme Christian movement as well, but nobody is blaming them for terrorist attacks. As soon as there is some bomb blowing up somewhere and Muslims are involved, it's of course Bin Laden. It's very black and white. The stuff that the media is saying is not very precise.

Decibel: In an interview you did online for the last KREATOR album, you said that you felt Germany was becoming very American. Were you just referring to fear propaganda, or did you mean that in other ways as well?

Mille: The thing is, when I first went to America in the late '80s, it seemed like there was a lot more freedom in America, a lot more open-minded people. Then, after September 11, it seemed like America was turning into… I don't know… almost a totalitarian state, you know what I mean? Now that Bush is not the president anymore, I hope things in America are going to change for the better. I hope it becomes the country I experienced when I first went there. Saying that Germany is being Americanized, it has to do with the capitalist system that's been forced on us after World War II.

Decibel: Globalization.

Mille: Yeah, exactly. On one hand, of course, globalization can be good, but there are always people in smaller countries that are being ripped off. The big Western industries are taking from those countries, and I think it's really time for a change. The world has to become a more peaceful place again. That's one of the reasons why I wrote these lyrics on "Hordes of Chaos". They seem to be very negative, but I think they can also be a chance to change something. I mean, what's gonna be next, you know? We live in a world of chaos. Next it's going to be total Armageddon or something. We have to find a solution for all the bullshit that's happening. But I have high hopes on Obama now. I think it could be a real change. He wants to close down the torture camp, Guantánamo, and that's a great move. When you think about what's happening there, it's ridiculous.

Decibel: Along with the Iraq War, that's obviously one of the main things that's tarnished America's reputation abroad.

Mille: It's sad, you know? I know there have always been American presidents who want to attack countries left and right, but Bush was really bad. I'm so happy that he's gone. I know that Obama has to deal with all the bullshit that Bush left for him, but on the other hand, I think he seems to be cool. I don't know; I guess we have to wait and see what he's going to do, but I think anybody's better than Bush at this point. When you are a musician and you're going to America all the time—and I have made so many great friends there — all of a sudden after September 11 over here in Europe, there was such an anti-American vibe. I always had to explain to people that not everybody in America supports Bush. America is full of people who don't agree with Bush, and I think that kind of got pushed aside here in Europe for a while.

Read the entire interview at DecibelMagazine.com.