Rockezine.com interview with Boy Sets Fire on Jun 27, 2003

with Josh and Robert on Jun 27, 2003


		Not long ago you performed on the Midsummer Hardcore Event in Maastricht with a lot of so-called toughcore bands. Didn`t you feel like an outcast between all those bands? We felt OK. The event was spread over two days and let`s say we had the better day. With bands such as Sick Of It All, Roger Miret (one of our heroes) and a lot of punk bands we didn`t really feel like outcasts. It was Josh`s birthday by the way, so we had a good time. It`s also a challenge to perform between all those bands. The skinheads did sing a long though, so after all we had a good time and that`s all that counts.
		In a couple of weeks you`ll be touring with Taproot. Their music is quite different from your type of music. Why a tour with them? Taproot picked us out of a total of 60 bands; so all those other bands are shit I guess (laughs)? Well we don`t want our music to be put in a certain direction, so we don`t tour with the same type of bands all the time. From all those numetal bands Taproot is probably quite good. They have a good image, don`t use rap and I do like the last single they`ve released, so we`ll just see what happens. It`s a great challenge and we like challenges! It will be sold out shows for like two weeks, so we really have to try to convince these kids. You don`t get a lot of chances to perform for audiences like this. We definitely know we`ll rock their faces!
		What are your favorite cartoons? Robert: I really like Asterix and Obelix. I`m from Germany and this comic book is really popular in my country. I really like them beating up the Romans. Josh: my favorite cartoon is Spungepop and The Simpsons off course.
		Can you tell me something more about the new album "Tomorrow Comes Today" and the reactions so far? A long time friend from ours came up with the name. He wrote a poem, which is printed on the inside of the booklet. It really touched us and by means of appreciation we took this line from his poem. The reactions on the new album are very positive so far. A lot of people are saying that this is our best album so far. It`s different just as all our albums are different from each other. Our song writing has also improved a lot during the years, so that helped us a lot.
		How is your cooperation with Wind Up working out so far? It`s working out fine! It feels strange to say this, but they`ve been the best record company we`ve had so far. They understand us so much better than the other ones we had. Which is hard to understand, because people consider them a major label, which is kind of a dirty word in our scene.
		Could you tell something more about the anger on a song like "Release The Dogs"? This is a protest song against the military wave and the growing nationalism in the U.S. Since 9-11 the U.S. is just waiting to use its violence. They just need a small piece of information that will clarify their deeds. It`s just sad to see that there`s so much anger. This won`t be helpful to the rest of the world. People won`t like us Americans (I shame myself for being an American right now) any better by using military force in the Middle East. "Release The Dogs" is about our opposition against this senseless abuse of power.
		When I listen to your album(s) I can`t help getting some type of anti-American feeling. Why is this? As I mentioned before we really disagree with the U.S. government, so we really feel bad about being an American. We want to show the U.S. residents and the rest of the world that not everybody likes what Mr. Bush is doing right now. We really think about moving to a better place such as Canada. So you can imagine how we feel right now…
		What are the first bands or persons you think of when I say The Netherlands? That`s a difficult one… Seein` Red. I really liked those guys, but they`ve quit right? I also think of bands such as Discipline, which are nice guys though, but they attract a bad audience.
		What are your favorite places to visit in Europe? Prague (although I`ve never been there), Munich and probably Stockholm.
		If you would be asked to do another split-album, with what band would that be? Probably a hip-hop band, just because it`s different. We`d really like to do a split with Eminem or Tori Amos, which isn`t hip-hop, but she sure makes beautiful music!
		What other bands do you admire for bringing a similar message? I really admire bands such as the Clash, Bob Dylan, Propagandhi (not everything they have to say), Rage Against The Machine, NOXF, Billy Brag, Chuck D, Gangstarr etc.
		Are there any bands we`ve probably never heard of, but are really worth listening to? Funeral For A Friend, Beatsteaks and Vaux. Just listen to them, because they`re all quite underrated bands.
		Are there any thoughts or websites you would like to share with our readers? Read books! Right now I`m reading the new Harry Potter and it`s great! Ok seriously: books are a good education for you, because they haven`t been spoiled by the mainstream media. www.truthout.org www.michaelmoore.com www.whatreallyhappened.com www.propagandhi.com And last but not least we would like to thank all the European fans that come to our shows!
(Dennis van den Berg)