NAPALM DEATH Frontman Says Religion Doesn't Work

Andreas Aubert of Imhotep recently conducted an interview with NAPALM DEATH frontman Mark "Barney" Greenway. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On religion:

"Everyone may come to a realization that the world is fundamentally run on religious principles established by religion many years ago, even though we may not think it. It very much revolves around the 'righteous' who holds the cards. I think that with the way things are going, eventually people will have to come to a self-realization — it is just not working. It does not encourage peace, it encourages division and moral judgements. It is clearly not working. We have to look for a different way forward, that is the main thing. It goes for any religion — old or new. It doesn't work."

"The human being is an incredible machinery, and we are pushed into a corner not to believe in ourself. We have to believe in a third party to justify our existence. We are perfectly capable of making our own choices."

"It is an age-old issue. The wars over the Middle East are a focal point, of course, but there are people who can't express themselves in many places because of religion. People have to continually justify their existence, i.e same sex couples doing whatever they wish to do, which is their right as human beings, but that is somehow still under control. Why can't human beings just do as human beings do?"

On whether hatred and frustration are driving forces for NAPALM's music:

"I don't really hate anyone. If you are driven by that you are just playing everybody else's game. Perhaps frustration — it is hard sometimes, everybody gets angry — but you have to think about how you channel that anger."

"There is often something said that is kind of attached to that — that people go to shows to let out their frustrations. But it is said like they are coming to let out their frustrations on other people, but that is not the point. The point is to enjoy yourself among other people, not to create more aggression. . . Kids come to shows… I mean, do what you like, I do not want to be anybody's police force, dance hard, do whatever. But why go out to deliberately assault other people? In the moshpit there might be some accidents, but there is a difference between that and deliberately targeting other people."

"I do not hate, really. There are many things in the world which I do not understand and I do not see the point. But do I really hate anyone? I do not think I do, because hate is a very negative thing. It might be ok for some people, but I do not feel that anymore. There are certain people I look at in positions of power and I think what the hell are they doing, how are they allowed to do what they do, but hate is something else"

On the reactions they have gotten throughout the years from people who do not listen to this kind of music:

"Some people, of course, do not understand it at all, some people hate it, and of course some people who do not agree with us have tried to get to us at certain times. We had a situation in Oslo actually, many years ago when the whole [black metal] inner circle stuff was going on. They tried to attack us, but I am not scared of them. I might sound a little naïve, but I am not scared of anyone. They can do what they want to me, of course they can probably knock me down, but it does not make me feel intimidated or scared. . . The whole thing was so insignificant to me. People try to scare us. One of the important points in establishing power is to put fear into someone else, but I am not afraid. I would not say the things that I do if I was afraid of some people's reactions. . . If someone attacks me I will defend myself, don't get me wrong, but I would never go out to attack someone. I have no interest in that. There is enough violence, I do not want to create more of it."

On whether spirituality and religion is the same thing:

"Spirituality is something in which I have no interest. Because spirituality is another way or means of diverting you into ways where again you are taking the trust away from yourself, and putting it into another entity, whatever that might be. Same thing again, I do not have a problem with people following religion or doing what they want to do, but in terms of the general human race and civilization — why should it govern the way the world turns? Let's face it — most people could give a shit. They say they do, but they don't. A small percentage of people live their life according to the scripture or whatever that may be, but it is very minimal. Whichever way you slice it, it is taking power away from human beings. When you do not trust in yourself you tend to have less of an affinity with other people around you. Religion is about superiority, it is about establishing a group's superiority in moral terms over another group. This brings immediate problems.'

Read the entire interview at Imhotep.