SCUM SYSTEM KILL INTERVIEW

Hello, how are you you all?

J - Baik baik!


-Could you tell how about could have SSK, and anyone who was playing inside?

B - I'm Bekka & I play bass and do some back-up vocals.
S – I’m Sophi jay and I play guitar and I used to be the vocalist
J- I'm John & I play guitar
K.S.- Im kallie and do vocals
KK – plays drums & didn’t answer the interview by the deadline!! Bummer!!

-If being not wrong SCUM SYSTEM KILL was taken from a title of the band
song crust jepan s.d.s, my correction if that was wrong, so why you chose
the name, there was the story was overturned by the name?

B - it's true! We did name the band after SDS 7", but it was such a long
time ago I don't remember. Maybe Sophi knows.

S – its just punk as fuck, that’s why we chose it.

K.S- i wasnt aware of this till now

-Could you describe sound, because not everyone knew about your sound in
Indonesia, and possibly in another place, what influence you from sound
and the lyrics?

B - we're a crust band. um. its hard to explain. i know the others will do
it better. there's lots of sweet guitar riffs, excellent d-beats (and
other amazing beats from KK), political vocals and general fun times &
lots of laughing. we try to make our lyrics political, its important to us
that punk still talks about politics and issues affecting our communities
and society.

S – Exactly! We are a DIY crust punkrock band, spreading the word on
anti-capitalist radical queerpunk politix!

J - yeah metallic crust. Little bit d beat, little bit thrash. . . You decide!

K.S- i guess we are a crust band. i know that my vocals tend to lean towards being a bit more on the metal side sometimes but i dont see anything wrong with that! like bek said, the lyrical content is very politically orientated and i feel like it is one distinction that defines us as being punk.


-What was that was playing outside scum system kill? And what you did
outside the band and scene the punk/hc?

B - i sing in another metal band called Walrora. i am part of a collective
called Tutu that organises a queer meeting space. Tutu is part of a
collectively run political space with Black Rose Anarchist Library &
Bookshop and Little Fish Gallery. i get paid to be a youth worker at a
queer youth service. i support young people who have bad stuff happening
for them - maybe they are homeless, have no money, are sick, need mental
health support, need a place to make friends & feel welcome... all kinds
of stuff.

S- I also play in Walrora, am involved in various political/performance
projects when I have time, including the Tranny Cops, squat buildings,
dance to pop music, drink cider, think about unicorns and Pegasus, read
fantasy books, work too much as a domestic violence support worker, and
hang out with my buddies and my family, dream about black metal without
dodgy politics…

J - I play in another band called Crux, and also play accordion. I work at Black
Rose Anarchist Books and also I work recycling paper.

K.S- Before i joined scumsystemkill late last year, i was in a band called
Poodles. This was when i lived in New Zealand (where im from) and we actually
did a New Zealand tour and split 7" record with scumsystemkill! apart
from playing in bands and trying to settle into my new life in australia, back
in New Zealand (and steadily here also) i took active interest in squatting,
volunteering for and supporting anarchist bookshops, animal rights
activisim, writing to political prisioners and supporting them in anyway possible, being a live-in caretaker at 128 Radical Social Centre which is a squat that supports all of what i talked
about and hosts meetings for such things and also things like 'food not bombs'
a bicycle workshop, a community garden, a screen-printing area which
doubles as a general art space among many other awsome community
based objectives.

-Could tell about ga your song that “it’s getting hot in here (with all
this climate change) ” what indeed segitu hot him there until you made the
song?

S- that song is about companies logging old growth forests in Tasmania –
massive trees, 1000s of years old getting chopped down to make woodchips
for toilet paper. Environmental destruction and eco-systems devastated all
to line some rich jerks pocket. Its also talks about our thanks and
respect to the blockaders down in tassie, locking on and tree-sitting to
save this amazing wilderness!

-Ow I check in your myspace, there is some line up that girls, what they
got the special right or was just the same?

B - do you mean to girls in SSK get treated differently? i feel so lucky
in sydney, and in australia in general in the punk scene that there are
lots of women in bands, women who put on shows, run distros, labels and
who are really active & visible in the community. there are still people
who say dumb stuff to us & treat us differently "oh you are pretty good
for a bunch of girls" or "i didn't know girls could do that" gets said to
us a lot. but we also get lots of "wow you're so amazing!" and that makes
us feel happy!

J - sometimes I notice that men will only come up and talk to me after a show, maybe
because I am the only guy in the band. . .sometimes if we play a gig where there are
a lot of women there, the guys all seem to stand over on my side of the stage too!
Its pretty funny

K.S- Like bek said, although there is alot of women doing alot of good
Stuff in the punk scene you do get the occasional stupid remark, although i
dont think i have come across anything like that here in sydney. usually
after a show someone might come up to me and say "woah, you sound
just like a guy!" which isnt really a compliment to me...

-When cutsick the tour to Indonesia, I spoke many with them and somewhat
most startled when they every “still many people rasis in austaralia and
including the goverment” what was true? And why that could happen, and
whether you made a movement oppose him?

S- Yes Australia is still a very racist country – being colonized the
whole history since the Europeans invaded is based on genocide and the
destruction of Aboriginal culture – the traditional owners of the land.
Racism is very engrained in the culture here – but there certainly is a
movement against this fucked up shit. Unfortunately racism is tied up in
capitalism and nationalism so while some attitudes may change slowly
through anti-racist actions etc, until there is a major paradigm shift in
social and economic organizing in Australia the racism will still be
there. That’s why we fight for revolution!

J - Yeah Australia has pretty racist history since colonisation, and still racist
policies towards the indigenous population and also towards refugees and
immigration. I like to think that it is slowly changing, but it is very slow. But
there are many people working towards opposing the government policies, and in 2007
our most racist leader John Howard was voted out which maybe a good step. Though I
don't really think it has made much difference so far.


-OK, according to you what most important rumours that must be done by us
and that really is relevant to now?

J - I think the things we need to work towards are very different for everyone in
different places. For me working on spaces that operate outside the mainstream
capitalist society is very important.


-What around you were that vegan? What according to you about animal
liberation must continue to in the movement inside scene the punk/hc?

J - I have been vegan for many years and was very influenced by the punk/hc scene in
making that decision but for me it is a personal thing and I don't feel the need to
tell everyone about it. I think it is great when people within the punk scene make
those choices to help animals or to stop eating them but I also recognise that it is
a privelige to do that and I don't think it is possible for everyone to live like
that in this world.

K.S- well, i have been vegan for about 7 years and i made the diatary
choice because i shared the ethical and moral views that veganisim
offered. personaly i believe that we should all be doing what we can to
help stop vivisection everywhere in the world and being aware of what
companies test on animals. animal liberation is an important part of any
community.

-How about the life there that all of them very expensive (for Third World
people like Indonesia), and how your method survived, because we knew the
punk had his way of surviving and they refused to take part in the
contribution in capitalist economics.

S- I guess with the band, we try and do as much as possible ourselves, and
use the skills and resources in our friends an radical communities around
us. It’s unavoidable to participate in capitalist systems somewhat – our
instruments and amps, petrol for tour, getting records pressed etc. We try
and play in autonomous spaces as much as possible and avoid bars and
clubs…

J - I try not to take part in capitalist economics whenever I can, but I still have
a job and a bank account and pay taxes. And when I didnt have a job, I still
received money from the government which is still a part of this system. I just try
and do as much as I can to stay away from it and create environments and spaces
where people can exist without this shit, and also to use our priveliges to help
people without them. . .for example playing free shows outside or in diy spaces or
on the street, create community space, eat food from the dumpster, ride a bike, make
my own beer, fixing things instead of buying new ones, printing tshirts, help raise
money for collectives in poorer countries etc

K.S - Sqatting! Dumpster Diving! community gardens! stealing from large
corportations! Making things yourself where-ever possible!
all have their place in surviving a capitalist world. and homebrew...


-I have Seen from titles of your song, most you wrote about the
environment, so whether you gathered in an organization of the environment
there? Could tell about not how the environmental situation there like you
wrote in your lyrics it’s getting hot here.

S- Member of SSK have been involved in various environmental campaigns
over the years including save Lake Cowal, Tasmanian and East Gippsland Old
Growth, Sandon Point etc. I put out a punk compliation CD of Australian
bands that contributed to the Lake Cowal Campaign.

- I only knew several bands from Australia like cutsick, crux, the ABC
weapon, useless children, pisschrist, straight jacket nation, and smash n
grab, and one zine from
there that is distort, so you could tell a little what happened about
scene you, like the band, zine, d.i.y organize, squat, collective, the
place hang out.

J - there are many squats, bands and collectives organising in the punk/hc scene and
also outside it. In sydney there are lots of warehouse spaces where we can play
gigs, perform or rehearse, and also to organise collectives. We are pretty lucky for
that at the moment, although there are not very many new bands or zines in sydney
right now.

-In a moment you would the tour all through Asia and one of them of
Indonesia, so why you the tour all through Asia, what was interesting for
you with your the band, what you knew about indonesia?

B - i have not travelled in Asia before, i don't know so much and am vey
excited!! John and KK talk to me about the amazing food, i can't wait to
eat!!

S- I have traveled through Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia before and have
never been to Indonesia and I am so excited to get there. I am so excited
to play shows in Asia and get out of the monotony of playing your
hometown!

J - I have been to indonesia twice before and I really love it there and love the
people and punk and activist culture. I feel very honoured to be able to come over
and play music there and in malaysia and singapore also. It is so great to meet
people and see how the scene organise and create their diy culture within a
different environment.

K.S- i have not been to s.e. asia before and have heard good things
about the people there especially within the punk scene and i cant wait
to meet them and also see local bands too!

-And how many fees that you dismissed for your tour? And whether D.I.Y
ethich still you applied in your life was everyday, and whether still was
relevant to did file sharing, what according to you about file sharing?

B - DIY is a huge part of my life, i think it is the way of thinking that
guides how i do things. I'm so proud that i have places in my life where i
can put it on to practise & share DIY with others - tour is the best
example. file sharing? i don't have a computer & don't do so much.

J - I think file sharing is a great way to exist outside of the system for diy
bands. But maybe it makes if hard for bands who have put money and time into
releasing a record but they cannot sell it to anyone because of downloading. But I
think that is ok we just have to work out new ways of trading with each other. I
download a lot of music, but I also let other people download stuff from me too when
ever I can. And I try to buy or trade music with friends in my community so the
scene can stay alive.

K.S- what bek said. and i agree with file sharing. for one its a good
way for people to hear your music.


-As far as this is concerned what zine still useful for a media in scene
the punk/hc, because we knew many of the bands, the organisation or
koletif that used myspace, multiply, facebook to spread his information,
what your response about this?

B - internet seems to be biggest way to communicate with punks all over
the world, i understand it is important but am still critical of it &
don't use it personally. I grew up in punk with zines, so for me it is
still so important & useful.

J - I think the internet is an amazing tool to communicate our information,
especially for connecting people internationally. But I don't like when it is a
corporate research tool (like listing top 10 favourite songs and movies etc). Also I
think people really need to be careful what things they put on the internet because
many times the police have used it to shut down squats and warehouses here. I think
it also can make it harder for people to relate to each other in person when they
are more used to commuicating on line which is sad. And it can also be divisive when
3 people on a forum think that now they have their own scene, so the punk scene ends
up splintering into a million parts. . . Thats why I think it is very important to
keep our real life networks and spaces where we can organise, socialise and
advertise events.

K.S- i agree that it seems to be the biggest way to communicate ( as
i complete this interview via the internet itself!) and although its
how i communicate with most others around the world i still make an effort
to write to people via pen and paper. its sad that others dont feel the
same way and i think that convenience of internet has over-ridden regular
mailing methods in this case. sad but true.


any last comment for indonesia crusty and all friend who read this interview?

J - terima kasih banyak in advance for having us in your towns, your kampungs, your
homes and your gigs. I cant wait to play there again and hang out with everyone

K.S- Thanks! See you soon!


thank for your answering my question

proloque...

for the 1st time i write my annihilation blog zine, i wish this shit can help you guys to got more info about indonesia d-beat and crusty punk.
please fell free to copy all stuff from my blog!

cheers and weeds
jarwoitus jarjeton