Razdruzene drzave Amerike (2006) - full transcript
America possesses no soul,
so technically, killing this country
would not be a crime.
I think the message that Laibach
can bring to America
is that there is a difference between
pride in nationality and prejudice,
and there's a difference between
preparing and outright paranoia.
I think that's something
that in America,
Americans are getting very confused
between the difference right now.
And it's very scary over here.
We're very afraid
of what may happen next.
During the past three years,
We have recognised
that if We rely on luck
We will be defeated.
Instead, by developing a strategy
of a forward-deployed,
active layered defence,
supported by the very best technology
that We can commit to that mission,
We can be proactive
in identifying the enemy threat,
Whether that threat exists
in Afghanistan
or off the coast of the United States
or Within our own cities.
Lincoln was right: our cause is new.
And let me assure you,
in the aftermath of September 11th,
We are thinking and acting anew.
Thank you.
Yeah,
I was at the Laibach show last night.
I had never gone to see them
and I'd always felt that they were
somewhat too sinister for my taste.
But I couldn't resist.
The beat was totally infectious. It's
not the sort of thing I normally go for,
because I don't really like that kind of
four-on-the-floor heavy-hittin' thing.
But then again,
I couldn't really help myself,
and as I was watching,
I began to have a sense
like my body couldn't help but move.
And this for me is remarkable,
because I'm reserved, normally,
and it's hard to get me to dance.
But it was easy last night to just,
you know, start moving.
And as I just let myself be swept
up in the music, in the show,
in the brutal theatricality of it,
I realised that what was happening
was that a kind of pressure
was being applied to...
Oh, a car. We'd better move.
...a kind of psychic pressure, I felt,
was being applied to me,
that, on the face of it,
would seem rather sinister,
but then, at the same time, the effect
it was having was incredibly benevolent.
It was a certain kind of oppression
that was liberating.
And beyond that,
I think I just get a little stupid,
because I was transformed,
it was a transcendent moment for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
It pretty much encapsulates
exactly how I feel
about American culture right now.
The fact that it's embarrassing
to be an American right now,
you know, in our day and times,
and the fact that they are coming out
and saying exactly
how I feel about America,
even though I am an American,
it's still one of those things that...
it's good to hear from other people
exactly how I feel.
Even though
they're from another country,
it's exactly what I feel
about America right now.
The Americans are total sheep, they
have the wool pulled over their eyes.
And they're pretty much facing
their own death as we speak.
Well, you know, it's funny,
I had a really...
argumentative discussion
with another American this morning.
This guy,
I just couldn't agree with him.
You know, he was so conservative,
so for Bush.
I'm against Bush. I mean, there was no
common ground that we could think about.
Yet he paid the fare, we didn't
shoot each other or start a fight,
- but we just didn't...
- Different values?
Well, yeah, there's conservatism
in the United States.
You're from Slovenia,
so you're sort of a neutral as to Iraq.
OK, but, I mean, there's a lot of people
in the United States...
Bush only won 51% to 49%.
That's a very small, small amount.
And now he thinks he can go and...
He has committed the United States
to staying in Iraq.
To me,
that's the stupidest thing in the world.
I mean, what right do we have
to go into another country like that?
I don't know, you know,
it's really dark times
because there's, even right now,
issues that there were fake votes
in the contested states.
And so this is almost a fascism,
what's going on right now,
in a very American guise.
Rooting for moral things
which Laibach might touch on,
but I think that's one
of the strongest things,
that they use moral and emotional issues
to divide a country,
as opposed to things
that are logical and reasonable.
Well, it's related to what
he was talking about before,
because the promotion for this tour
features this old-Europe
fascist imagery,
or pseudo-Communist imagery.
Behind it is the American Flag.
I was thinking if you were commenting
on the political developments
- in the US right now...
- What is it, the fascist imagery?
Well, it's sort of typical imagery with
the uniformed character, with a band.
Whose uniform is that?
Well, it's ambiguous
and it's associated with...
- It's an American uniform.
- Oh, it is? OK.
It's a difficult place to be
after the election.
Cleveland tried very hard to get Kerry
elected and people worked very hard
and got a record number of voters out
in Cleveland.
We had over 200,000 votes for Kerry
in Cuyahoga County,
which is where Cleveland is.
However, it wasn't enough to counter
what the Bush people did in the south,
in the southern part of our state.
So it was very disappointing
to everybody
to have Ohio be the state
that lost the election to George Bush.
So everybody is mourning
and doesn't know what to do next.
This is all very sudden, because
it happened only a few days...
a week and a half ago.
You know, there may be...
One of my friends said obviously
people need to learn a stronger lesson,
and that maybe four more years of
George Bush will turn something around.
We obviously get it.
A lot of people in Cleveland get it.
But there's a lot of America
that doesn't get it,
and...
believes that George Bush is a tough guy
and America needs to be a tough country.
It's the 21 st century
and Jesus Christ is a superstar.
Particularly, the American election
really shows the role of Jesus.
I noticed that Laibach
and NSK, Neue Slowenische Kunst,
promote Christianity. And... why?
When we first met we would fuck
to Laibach for six months in a row.
And I wasjust, like, basically, like...
This sounds drunk and stupid...
Seriously, no, talk to me off-camera.
Laibach really knows
how to create an atmosphere.
I like it a lot.
It was an orgasm waiting to happen
and it finally happened
and it was beautiful.
Anyway, so, it was amazing.
When we first put it on, I had nothing.
I'm, like, you know,
into the Spice Girls.
I'm this little girl from Nebraska.
And I heard Laibach for the first time,
the drums beating
and the lead singer singing...
Basically...
I don't know how to explain it.
It's like McDonald's.
For every person I've turned on,
another person turned it on.
So that's why it all spreads.
Ten billion users.
Laibach.
No, everybody likes Laibach, it's scary.
Hello.
I speak Slovene a little. But I speak
German. I like Laibach very much.
I like Laibach from 1998.
I like Milan Fras very much.
He is wonderful.
I like the music very much.
I am from Chicago,
but I like foreign languages a lot.
Hello, Milan.
- It was fucking amazing.
- It was like a religious experience.
It was like a religious experience! I'm
sorry, I'm taking all my words from him.
But they're one of my favourite bands
in the world,
and I'm so happy to see them again.
And it's exhilarating and breathtaking
and I don't know what other words
to use to describe it.
- Minneapolis.
- We came from Minneapolis.
The tour was cancelled in Minneapolis.
We had to travel all the way down here.
No, it was just amazing,
because it was a band I thought
I would never see in the US.
And I got to see them.
I was just shocked when I saw it in the
paper, I was like, "Am I ha||ucinating?"
"Laibach is coming to Cleveland?"
My name is Frederic,
I just came from the concert.
I know the band from five years ago.
From the CDs Macbeth or...
The John Peel Sessions.
I just came out from the concert,
it was really, really good.
It was the best show this year.
It was big. It was art. It was fine.
Highly recommended for people
who are interested in design.
Highly recommended for people
who are interested in social issues.
Highly recommended for people
who are interested in America.
I've seen Laibach before,
they're a wonderful psychedelic band.
They're very similar to...
I guess they're kind of like...
Well, what would Laibach be like?
This is taking an aesthetic
that has to do with classical art
and putting it
into the rock'n'ro|| form.
Like, "overkill rock" form,
the "rock spectacle" form.
Unbelievable!
Anyway, beyond my expectations,
and the expectations were high.
I didn't know what to expect,
I've never seen them live before.
But I really was impressed with the
entire composition and production.
And the marriage between
the statements and the music
and the lighting and the projection.
And the choreography. I liked the girls.
I brought these girls to Laibach tonight
for their very first concert ever,
and they had the greatest time.
I've been a Laibach fan for 17 years
and I've never seen them live,
so it was really an honour
to see them tonight.
I've collected all of their videos
and all of their albums.
I don't know if I'm the typical
Laibach fan, but I'm a big Laibach fan.
I am the greatest Laibach fan.
I know that their political orientation
is perhaps different than mine.
Because I'm a National Socialist,
I am, I'm a fascist.
But they present things in a way
that's very interesting.
It juxtaposes fascism...
and modern economy.
It's very interesting for me
and for a lot of my friends.
My name is the Partridge in
the Pear Tree, the Maytag Man,
the Hunchback of Casa Bonita,
the Homosexual Scientist.
My name is Diabolos Rex,
and I am a painter and a sculptor, and a
representative for the Church of Satan.
Hi, I'm Tank with The Misfits.
I'm their tour manager.
Here in Toronto, we're playing down
the street at a place called Reverb,
but I heard these guys were in town,
and I blew off my own band...
After working for them for 10 years!
...to come down and see Laibach.
My first show.
Ifirst became a fan in 1987
when Opus Dei came out,
and I saw the Life is Life video
on late-night television
and thought "These guys are tremendous."
Once WATcame out and I realised
that they were talking about
a lot of the same things
I'm interested in:
conspiracy theories, illuminati,
Freemason,
who-runs-the-world kind of stuff,
it just re-ignited everything
for me again.
This was my first show, it blew me away.
When those guys
busted into Tanz MitLaibach,
I lost my mind! I don't normally do
that, because I'm in the profession,
so I'm usually a little more low-key,
but this was amazing
and this is definitely the band to see.
I can't say anything else. Thank you.
I'm in there and I did see police
officers, and that was interesting.
I'm not sure what they're there for.
Again yesterday, last night, there was
a white supremacist doing signs,
so I thought that was part of it.
I'm not surprised,
being in this country,
if someone says something, or whatever,
they're gonna be carefully watched,
so I can see how a band like Laibach
will not be in the South,
like where I'm at right now,
like Florida.
It's very Christian.
Sometimes backwards.
You go around and you'll see
Bush stickers and supporters.
I don't even like saying who I voted for
cos I don't want to be uncomfortable
around people who...
in that climate.
You're here at Double Door?
Gonna get right by the stage.
- Who did you want to see?
- Laibach.
That's tempting.
- Do you live here or are you visiting?
- Visiting.
I gotta be back in Michigan by Monday.
Well, the show will end early.
They're on from 11 till 12.15
and then how far do you have to
go on to Michigan?
Well, I have to take a train.
Can I give a message to Europe?
Help us!
Free us from our democracy! From our...
Free us from our dictatorship, please!
Unlike four years ago where, arguably,
the election in the US was stolen,
this time, I think it was very clear,
and it's very scary that over 50%
of the people of the United States
want a polarizing president,
someone who makes no effort
to reach out,
but only goes forward with his ideas,
and has a very black and white view.
It's kind of a scary time.
There's parallels with other times
in other countries,
that hopefully
won't play out more than this.
I don't feel this election was stolen,
I feel the American people have spoken,
and now I feel sort of alien
in my own country.
- So I'm looking to emigrate.
- You have a passport.
Yeah, I have a passport.
It's just a matter of time.
The problem is no matter
where you go in the world,
US politics and US policies
will affect you.
So I don't know if it's better
to stay here,
and try to change things
from the inside.
We don't get another chance
for four years.
We had our chance,
and somehow it didn't work out.
President Bush was appealing to people
on such a base, emotional level,
and his opponent, Kerry,
was trying to appeal to people
on an intellectual level,
and clearly it's all about people's
fears and people's greed,
so that's why we have Bush
for four more years.
No, I'm from Texas. I'm from the South.
I know this guy.
- Did you enjoy the show?
- Very much so.
Man, yeah.
It was a very good show.
They sing a lot about what's coming down
in America right now.
And I think it was very good that
they came at the time that they did.
It's a divided nation here in America.
Maybe that's the answer
or maybe this is the future outcome,
as Laibach have said they are time now,
which is pretty interesting.
What would be a definition of "freedom"?
It was a pretty symbolic thing
in America,
because the states
that went for Bush were red
and so it was like watching this big
bloody haemorrhage happen on America
and just like spread
and divide these little islands of blue.
You couldn't ask for anything better
than that.
They had national TV
painting these things red live.
It was very theatrical and pageantry.
And it's kind of
"What's going on here anymore?"
If it was easy to go back to Germany,
I think we would have.
It pretty much sucks.
I was very disappointed,
I had a small glimmer of hope
that Bush might be out.
I guess living in Portland gave me hope
because people here didn't vote for him.
It's pretty dismal and fucked up.
Entirely fucked up.
I think they raise a lot of good
inspiration for Americans.
With all the political shit
going down right now,
I think they're pooling some good
inspiration to really keep up
and really keep motivated
to actually do something.
Snoop Dogg for President!
We're the Snoop Dogg Campaign.
Everyone who votes on the 23rd
gets a free blunt,
free blunt papers and a Snoop Dogg CD.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm DeMarcus
Gillespie with the Snoop Dogg Campaign
and I want you to vote.
Do you see the seriousness in my eyes
or the redness in my eyes?
Because I'm voting for Snoop Dogg.
He fucking rules.
And we're out!
- Snoop Dogg! All right!
- We're on TV!
In the song from WA T, Now You Will Pay,
there's a chant:
"Barbarians are coming."
One could listen to it
and think that's a reference to Arabic
peoples from the Mideast or terrorism.
Would you agree that Barbarians are also
coming from Texas and the West?
I think Laibach's message to America
is to look a little nicer,
a little sharper and to appreciate fun.
There's something very European
about it,
that is maybe a little alien
to Americans,
but you've seen how the audiences
have been reacting to it.
I wish you could stay here,
and if you can't,
it would be nice to have an American
Laibach at this particular moment.
It really comes down to...
I don't think that Americans understand
a lot of foreign countries,
and a lot of foreign countries
don't understand America.
There's an American quality
that the population responds to.
You know, the big cowboy.
America wants their leaders
to be really strong.
It doesn't matter if you're dumb
sometimes.
If you appear strong,
that's all they care about.
American's don't read enough,
that's the whole thing.
OK, Cheers!
Such a sweet man.
This is a song that I'm going to
dedicate to my friends in Laibach.
And thank them so much
for inviting me
to do this very historical
North American tour.
Americans are comfortable, right?
Most Americans,
even if you're feeling poor,
you can buy a car, you can buy a TV,
and you like that.
You don't want that being disrupted
by terrorists.
And this is a big thing
in the United States.
They want a leader
who will fight the terrorists.
Well, that's great.
But they're just doing it the wrong way.
They're creating more terrorism.
It's gonna bear out that way, I think.
The United States is going to
leave Iraq just like they did Vietnam:
without accomplishing anything.
Except making a lot of enemies.
Are We on the brink of a global
confrontation that cannot be stopped?
Sunday...
A shocking inside look at What the World
really thinks of America.
Don't miss this special Breaking Point
investigation: Hating America.
Welcome back.
I bought the "Divided We Stand" T-shirt.
Ithink it was a great logo
and I loved the way you used the
two-headed eagle, our national emblem,
creating that Eastern European
version of it.
And the "Divided States of America" is a
brilliant statement. It's so very true.
It's one thing we've been talking about
a lot the last week or two,
how there are two Americas.
And Seattle is a lot different
than Utah.
Laibach's message
is so welcome right now.
And come back, all of you,
in the next few months again.
I think we need your message.
More and more people need to see it.
We need to get your DVD on television,
and people need to hear your message.
I think there's a big audience
for it here.
We'll do our best here in Cleveland
to try to spread the word.
I saw you, when, 15 years ago, first,
when you came to Cleveland,
and then nine years ago again.
It's a brilliant concept you have and
way of presenting it, and I applaud you.
OK, maybe I'm stretching it,
but Laibach and Alamut
are very, very similar,
because it's a negation of power
and at the same time,
they use power to express their work,
to express this negation of power.
It's incredible. And I didn't understand
the connection between Alamut,
the connection
between some of these films,
and the connection between Laibach
until I experienced Laibach.
Not on CD, not on DVD, but alive.
I can feel that power and hear them
talk about the negation of that power
at the same time, it's extraordinary.
It's a difficult moment.
And Laibach's message to me,
when I listen to the words,
is not to react,
it's to think about what's happening.
And I feel that this last album is...
Everybody has a reaction to what has
just been happening in recent years.
And I feel Laibach chooses not to react.
They choose to send the information
back out and say,
"Think about what is happening
and why this is happening."
"And what the hell are we going to do
to make a change for the better?"
You have to listen to understand.
And if you take a moment to listen,
you will understand.
For me, I understand.
And I understand Laibach music,
so it's a great moment for me.
I want to thank everybody in the band
for making this.
15 years that I've waited to see you.
One of the greatest nights of my life.
So thank you.
I had a very fun time tonight!
And I do agree that this was
a very glamorous evening.
- The girls were hot!
- The girls were very hot.
It was a very good addition.
I almost cried at one point.
The bass was thumping
through my heartbeats.
I thought I was going to have
a coronary heart...
You know, a heart attack.
I can't talk that well!
Winners and Defeaters.
We don't like morality and We sure
don't Want to preach about it,
but your country,
obsessed by moral values,
is now forcing us to do so.
Let's say this very loud and clear:
the higher the buildings,
the lower the morals.
Moral values in America today
are nothing, pure nothing.
Behind the faith in God, evil is hiding.
Lots of evil and sin against humanity.
Freedom, democracy,
family, life protection,
and security for your own nation
are based on violence,
revenge and hatred
for all who set up an obstacle
to the overrated theory and practice
of the American Wa y.
Lust for power,
greed and arrogance
is killing this nation and its soul,
if there is still any left.
The game you play:
lying, stealing, sowing death,
to protect your concept of morality
and life against the life of others
is not the right Wa y.
Heedless self-interest for countries
like America was always had morals,
but it's bad economics as Well.
There are no Winners in this game,
no victory in it for you
or anybody else.
In fact, it's a suicide your nation
is doing to itself.
Although by the number of ammunition
and guns, bombs and bullets,
America might still be a leading force
and a global superpower,
you appear to us, who had a chance
to see you from up close and personal,
as a Third World country, a clumsy giant
filled with fear and prejudices,
a giant child, abused by his parents,
a large flock of sheep on the open range
Without a ranger,
Without a shepherd and a leader.
Your president is the opposite to Christ
and his victory is based
on moral values.
Christian moral values.
I tell you this: the Worst government
is always the most moral one.
But when fanatics are on top
there is no limit to oppression.
Morality which is based on ideal
is an unmitigated evil.
And don't forget,
your president
represents the majority of your nation.
This time it is true,
it's not even a lie.
Well, my dear ones,
it is also true that Americans
in general are not too intelligent.
For that reason We can partly forgive
you and overlook some of your sins.
But this will not help
stopping the decay;
the historical primate of America
is approaching its end
and this is an historical fact.
Like every empire,
the USA is falling apart.
E unum, pluribus.' "from one many".
United you fall, divided you'll stand.
The Divided States of America
are being made
and the civil War is being foretold.
I've lived in this country for 58 years.
I was here when Europeans arrived,
and I'm happy to say that, so far,
I've been able to look at distinctions
to be made between what folks
where I'm from consider "free-dom",
and what is the national norm
or ideas about freedom,
ideas about liberty.
I've never been free,
I don't know this idea in relationship
to what the country says it means
or should mean for me.
Well, it's a different situation,
because now that I understand more
about Laibach,
particularly from watching
the documentary just now,
I see that they, and yourself,
seem to be coming, in my impression,
you seem to be growing out of
a certain kind of cultural oppression
that is foreign to me as an American.
I won't say that I don't understand it,
but I haven't lived under
similar circumstances
that make that particularly relevant
in the same way.
I think maybe now,
given the political situation here
among the majority of Americans,
we're starting to get a sense
of a similar kind of pressure.
Although, it seems to be more subtle,
it's not so outright, you know.
It's not an outright,
obvious form of control,
but I think it's a more subtle
kind of manipulation
that is all-pervasive
in American culture.
But for us...
I'm just wildly speculating
at this point.
...it's something that we've grown to
expect and don't even know it's there.
And we live under a sense of freedom
that we don't even particularly
understand we're being manipulated.
I've worked a bit in advertising,
so I have some sense of insight
into the mechanism of manipulation,
in terms of how you spend your money,
where you go for your vacations,
to try to influence how people think
in that regard.
There's a relevance,
but it's a different form of relevance
between the European roots
and the totalitarian state
that you've lived under,
and the sort of totalitarian state
that we're coming to live in.
And that's expressed
in some very obvious ways
through our recent choice of president,
but I think that onlyjust
scratches the surface.
Ithink, maybe not within my lifetime,
but something very serious is going
to happen, perhaps like France in 1789.
I hope it doesn't come to that,
but I could see it happening.
I hate to say that. That's why I feel
Laibach's message is very relevant.
The real life that's out there
is not terribly pretty,
but it's very definitely real.
I always thought of their music
as politically incisive,
alternative music for the thinking man.
I would not presume to interpret
what Laibach really means,
but that's what it means to me.
so technically, killing this country
would not be a crime.
I think the message that Laibach
can bring to America
is that there is a difference between
pride in nationality and prejudice,
and there's a difference between
preparing and outright paranoia.
I think that's something
that in America,
Americans are getting very confused
between the difference right now.
And it's very scary over here.
We're very afraid
of what may happen next.
During the past three years,
We have recognised
that if We rely on luck
We will be defeated.
Instead, by developing a strategy
of a forward-deployed,
active layered defence,
supported by the very best technology
that We can commit to that mission,
We can be proactive
in identifying the enemy threat,
Whether that threat exists
in Afghanistan
or off the coast of the United States
or Within our own cities.
Lincoln was right: our cause is new.
And let me assure you,
in the aftermath of September 11th,
We are thinking and acting anew.
Thank you.
Yeah,
I was at the Laibach show last night.
I had never gone to see them
and I'd always felt that they were
somewhat too sinister for my taste.
But I couldn't resist.
The beat was totally infectious. It's
not the sort of thing I normally go for,
because I don't really like that kind of
four-on-the-floor heavy-hittin' thing.
But then again,
I couldn't really help myself,
and as I was watching,
I began to have a sense
like my body couldn't help but move.
And this for me is remarkable,
because I'm reserved, normally,
and it's hard to get me to dance.
But it was easy last night to just,
you know, start moving.
And as I just let myself be swept
up in the music, in the show,
in the brutal theatricality of it,
I realised that what was happening
was that a kind of pressure
was being applied to...
Oh, a car. We'd better move.
...a kind of psychic pressure, I felt,
was being applied to me,
that, on the face of it,
would seem rather sinister,
but then, at the same time, the effect
it was having was incredibly benevolent.
It was a certain kind of oppression
that was liberating.
And beyond that,
I think I just get a little stupid,
because I was transformed,
it was a transcendent moment for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
It pretty much encapsulates
exactly how I feel
about American culture right now.
The fact that it's embarrassing
to be an American right now,
you know, in our day and times,
and the fact that they are coming out
and saying exactly
how I feel about America,
even though I am an American,
it's still one of those things that...
it's good to hear from other people
exactly how I feel.
Even though
they're from another country,
it's exactly what I feel
about America right now.
The Americans are total sheep, they
have the wool pulled over their eyes.
And they're pretty much facing
their own death as we speak.
Well, you know, it's funny,
I had a really...
argumentative discussion
with another American this morning.
This guy,
I just couldn't agree with him.
You know, he was so conservative,
so for Bush.
I'm against Bush. I mean, there was no
common ground that we could think about.
Yet he paid the fare, we didn't
shoot each other or start a fight,
- but we just didn't...
- Different values?
Well, yeah, there's conservatism
in the United States.
You're from Slovenia,
so you're sort of a neutral as to Iraq.
OK, but, I mean, there's a lot of people
in the United States...
Bush only won 51% to 49%.
That's a very small, small amount.
And now he thinks he can go and...
He has committed the United States
to staying in Iraq.
To me,
that's the stupidest thing in the world.
I mean, what right do we have
to go into another country like that?
I don't know, you know,
it's really dark times
because there's, even right now,
issues that there were fake votes
in the contested states.
And so this is almost a fascism,
what's going on right now,
in a very American guise.
Rooting for moral things
which Laibach might touch on,
but I think that's one
of the strongest things,
that they use moral and emotional issues
to divide a country,
as opposed to things
that are logical and reasonable.
Well, it's related to what
he was talking about before,
because the promotion for this tour
features this old-Europe
fascist imagery,
or pseudo-Communist imagery.
Behind it is the American Flag.
I was thinking if you were commenting
on the political developments
- in the US right now...
- What is it, the fascist imagery?
Well, it's sort of typical imagery with
the uniformed character, with a band.
Whose uniform is that?
Well, it's ambiguous
and it's associated with...
- It's an American uniform.
- Oh, it is? OK.
It's a difficult place to be
after the election.
Cleveland tried very hard to get Kerry
elected and people worked very hard
and got a record number of voters out
in Cleveland.
We had over 200,000 votes for Kerry
in Cuyahoga County,
which is where Cleveland is.
However, it wasn't enough to counter
what the Bush people did in the south,
in the southern part of our state.
So it was very disappointing
to everybody
to have Ohio be the state
that lost the election to George Bush.
So everybody is mourning
and doesn't know what to do next.
This is all very sudden, because
it happened only a few days...
a week and a half ago.
You know, there may be...
One of my friends said obviously
people need to learn a stronger lesson,
and that maybe four more years of
George Bush will turn something around.
We obviously get it.
A lot of people in Cleveland get it.
But there's a lot of America
that doesn't get it,
and...
believes that George Bush is a tough guy
and America needs to be a tough country.
It's the 21 st century
and Jesus Christ is a superstar.
Particularly, the American election
really shows the role of Jesus.
I noticed that Laibach
and NSK, Neue Slowenische Kunst,
promote Christianity. And... why?
When we first met we would fuck
to Laibach for six months in a row.
And I wasjust, like, basically, like...
This sounds drunk and stupid...
Seriously, no, talk to me off-camera.
Laibach really knows
how to create an atmosphere.
I like it a lot.
It was an orgasm waiting to happen
and it finally happened
and it was beautiful.
Anyway, so, it was amazing.
When we first put it on, I had nothing.
I'm, like, you know,
into the Spice Girls.
I'm this little girl from Nebraska.
And I heard Laibach for the first time,
the drums beating
and the lead singer singing...
Basically...
I don't know how to explain it.
It's like McDonald's.
For every person I've turned on,
another person turned it on.
So that's why it all spreads.
Ten billion users.
Laibach.
No, everybody likes Laibach, it's scary.
Hello.
I speak Slovene a little. But I speak
German. I like Laibach very much.
I like Laibach from 1998.
I like Milan Fras very much.
He is wonderful.
I like the music very much.
I am from Chicago,
but I like foreign languages a lot.
Hello, Milan.
- It was fucking amazing.
- It was like a religious experience.
It was like a religious experience! I'm
sorry, I'm taking all my words from him.
But they're one of my favourite bands
in the world,
and I'm so happy to see them again.
And it's exhilarating and breathtaking
and I don't know what other words
to use to describe it.
- Minneapolis.
- We came from Minneapolis.
The tour was cancelled in Minneapolis.
We had to travel all the way down here.
No, it was just amazing,
because it was a band I thought
I would never see in the US.
And I got to see them.
I was just shocked when I saw it in the
paper, I was like, "Am I ha||ucinating?"
"Laibach is coming to Cleveland?"
My name is Frederic,
I just came from the concert.
I know the band from five years ago.
From the CDs Macbeth or...
The John Peel Sessions.
I just came out from the concert,
it was really, really good.
It was the best show this year.
It was big. It was art. It was fine.
Highly recommended for people
who are interested in design.
Highly recommended for people
who are interested in social issues.
Highly recommended for people
who are interested in America.
I've seen Laibach before,
they're a wonderful psychedelic band.
They're very similar to...
I guess they're kind of like...
Well, what would Laibach be like?
This is taking an aesthetic
that has to do with classical art
and putting it
into the rock'n'ro|| form.
Like, "overkill rock" form,
the "rock spectacle" form.
Unbelievable!
Anyway, beyond my expectations,
and the expectations were high.
I didn't know what to expect,
I've never seen them live before.
But I really was impressed with the
entire composition and production.
And the marriage between
the statements and the music
and the lighting and the projection.
And the choreography. I liked the girls.
I brought these girls to Laibach tonight
for their very first concert ever,
and they had the greatest time.
I've been a Laibach fan for 17 years
and I've never seen them live,
so it was really an honour
to see them tonight.
I've collected all of their videos
and all of their albums.
I don't know if I'm the typical
Laibach fan, but I'm a big Laibach fan.
I am the greatest Laibach fan.
I know that their political orientation
is perhaps different than mine.
Because I'm a National Socialist,
I am, I'm a fascist.
But they present things in a way
that's very interesting.
It juxtaposes fascism...
and modern economy.
It's very interesting for me
and for a lot of my friends.
My name is the Partridge in
the Pear Tree, the Maytag Man,
the Hunchback of Casa Bonita,
the Homosexual Scientist.
My name is Diabolos Rex,
and I am a painter and a sculptor, and a
representative for the Church of Satan.
Hi, I'm Tank with The Misfits.
I'm their tour manager.
Here in Toronto, we're playing down
the street at a place called Reverb,
but I heard these guys were in town,
and I blew off my own band...
After working for them for 10 years!
...to come down and see Laibach.
My first show.
Ifirst became a fan in 1987
when Opus Dei came out,
and I saw the Life is Life video
on late-night television
and thought "These guys are tremendous."
Once WATcame out and I realised
that they were talking about
a lot of the same things
I'm interested in:
conspiracy theories, illuminati,
Freemason,
who-runs-the-world kind of stuff,
it just re-ignited everything
for me again.
This was my first show, it blew me away.
When those guys
busted into Tanz MitLaibach,
I lost my mind! I don't normally do
that, because I'm in the profession,
so I'm usually a little more low-key,
but this was amazing
and this is definitely the band to see.
I can't say anything else. Thank you.
I'm in there and I did see police
officers, and that was interesting.
I'm not sure what they're there for.
Again yesterday, last night, there was
a white supremacist doing signs,
so I thought that was part of it.
I'm not surprised,
being in this country,
if someone says something, or whatever,
they're gonna be carefully watched,
so I can see how a band like Laibach
will not be in the South,
like where I'm at right now,
like Florida.
It's very Christian.
Sometimes backwards.
You go around and you'll see
Bush stickers and supporters.
I don't even like saying who I voted for
cos I don't want to be uncomfortable
around people who...
in that climate.
You're here at Double Door?
Gonna get right by the stage.
- Who did you want to see?
- Laibach.
That's tempting.
- Do you live here or are you visiting?
- Visiting.
I gotta be back in Michigan by Monday.
Well, the show will end early.
They're on from 11 till 12.15
and then how far do you have to
go on to Michigan?
Well, I have to take a train.
Can I give a message to Europe?
Help us!
Free us from our democracy! From our...
Free us from our dictatorship, please!
Unlike four years ago where, arguably,
the election in the US was stolen,
this time, I think it was very clear,
and it's very scary that over 50%
of the people of the United States
want a polarizing president,
someone who makes no effort
to reach out,
but only goes forward with his ideas,
and has a very black and white view.
It's kind of a scary time.
There's parallels with other times
in other countries,
that hopefully
won't play out more than this.
I don't feel this election was stolen,
I feel the American people have spoken,
and now I feel sort of alien
in my own country.
- So I'm looking to emigrate.
- You have a passport.
Yeah, I have a passport.
It's just a matter of time.
The problem is no matter
where you go in the world,
US politics and US policies
will affect you.
So I don't know if it's better
to stay here,
and try to change things
from the inside.
We don't get another chance
for four years.
We had our chance,
and somehow it didn't work out.
President Bush was appealing to people
on such a base, emotional level,
and his opponent, Kerry,
was trying to appeal to people
on an intellectual level,
and clearly it's all about people's
fears and people's greed,
so that's why we have Bush
for four more years.
No, I'm from Texas. I'm from the South.
I know this guy.
- Did you enjoy the show?
- Very much so.
Man, yeah.
It was a very good show.
They sing a lot about what's coming down
in America right now.
And I think it was very good that
they came at the time that they did.
It's a divided nation here in America.
Maybe that's the answer
or maybe this is the future outcome,
as Laibach have said they are time now,
which is pretty interesting.
What would be a definition of "freedom"?
It was a pretty symbolic thing
in America,
because the states
that went for Bush were red
and so it was like watching this big
bloody haemorrhage happen on America
and just like spread
and divide these little islands of blue.
You couldn't ask for anything better
than that.
They had national TV
painting these things red live.
It was very theatrical and pageantry.
And it's kind of
"What's going on here anymore?"
If it was easy to go back to Germany,
I think we would have.
It pretty much sucks.
I was very disappointed,
I had a small glimmer of hope
that Bush might be out.
I guess living in Portland gave me hope
because people here didn't vote for him.
It's pretty dismal and fucked up.
Entirely fucked up.
I think they raise a lot of good
inspiration for Americans.
With all the political shit
going down right now,
I think they're pooling some good
inspiration to really keep up
and really keep motivated
to actually do something.
Snoop Dogg for President!
We're the Snoop Dogg Campaign.
Everyone who votes on the 23rd
gets a free blunt,
free blunt papers and a Snoop Dogg CD.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm DeMarcus
Gillespie with the Snoop Dogg Campaign
and I want you to vote.
Do you see the seriousness in my eyes
or the redness in my eyes?
Because I'm voting for Snoop Dogg.
He fucking rules.
And we're out!
- Snoop Dogg! All right!
- We're on TV!
In the song from WA T, Now You Will Pay,
there's a chant:
"Barbarians are coming."
One could listen to it
and think that's a reference to Arabic
peoples from the Mideast or terrorism.
Would you agree that Barbarians are also
coming from Texas and the West?
I think Laibach's message to America
is to look a little nicer,
a little sharper and to appreciate fun.
There's something very European
about it,
that is maybe a little alien
to Americans,
but you've seen how the audiences
have been reacting to it.
I wish you could stay here,
and if you can't,
it would be nice to have an American
Laibach at this particular moment.
It really comes down to...
I don't think that Americans understand
a lot of foreign countries,
and a lot of foreign countries
don't understand America.
There's an American quality
that the population responds to.
You know, the big cowboy.
America wants their leaders
to be really strong.
It doesn't matter if you're dumb
sometimes.
If you appear strong,
that's all they care about.
American's don't read enough,
that's the whole thing.
OK, Cheers!
Such a sweet man.
This is a song that I'm going to
dedicate to my friends in Laibach.
And thank them so much
for inviting me
to do this very historical
North American tour.
Americans are comfortable, right?
Most Americans,
even if you're feeling poor,
you can buy a car, you can buy a TV,
and you like that.
You don't want that being disrupted
by terrorists.
And this is a big thing
in the United States.
They want a leader
who will fight the terrorists.
Well, that's great.
But they're just doing it the wrong way.
They're creating more terrorism.
It's gonna bear out that way, I think.
The United States is going to
leave Iraq just like they did Vietnam:
without accomplishing anything.
Except making a lot of enemies.
Are We on the brink of a global
confrontation that cannot be stopped?
Sunday...
A shocking inside look at What the World
really thinks of America.
Don't miss this special Breaking Point
investigation: Hating America.
Welcome back.
I bought the "Divided We Stand" T-shirt.
Ithink it was a great logo
and I loved the way you used the
two-headed eagle, our national emblem,
creating that Eastern European
version of it.
And the "Divided States of America" is a
brilliant statement. It's so very true.
It's one thing we've been talking about
a lot the last week or two,
how there are two Americas.
And Seattle is a lot different
than Utah.
Laibach's message
is so welcome right now.
And come back, all of you,
in the next few months again.
I think we need your message.
More and more people need to see it.
We need to get your DVD on television,
and people need to hear your message.
I think there's a big audience
for it here.
We'll do our best here in Cleveland
to try to spread the word.
I saw you, when, 15 years ago, first,
when you came to Cleveland,
and then nine years ago again.
It's a brilliant concept you have and
way of presenting it, and I applaud you.
OK, maybe I'm stretching it,
but Laibach and Alamut
are very, very similar,
because it's a negation of power
and at the same time,
they use power to express their work,
to express this negation of power.
It's incredible. And I didn't understand
the connection between Alamut,
the connection
between some of these films,
and the connection between Laibach
until I experienced Laibach.
Not on CD, not on DVD, but alive.
I can feel that power and hear them
talk about the negation of that power
at the same time, it's extraordinary.
It's a difficult moment.
And Laibach's message to me,
when I listen to the words,
is not to react,
it's to think about what's happening.
And I feel that this last album is...
Everybody has a reaction to what has
just been happening in recent years.
And I feel Laibach chooses not to react.
They choose to send the information
back out and say,
"Think about what is happening
and why this is happening."
"And what the hell are we going to do
to make a change for the better?"
You have to listen to understand.
And if you take a moment to listen,
you will understand.
For me, I understand.
And I understand Laibach music,
so it's a great moment for me.
I want to thank everybody in the band
for making this.
15 years that I've waited to see you.
One of the greatest nights of my life.
So thank you.
I had a very fun time tonight!
And I do agree that this was
a very glamorous evening.
- The girls were hot!
- The girls were very hot.
It was a very good addition.
I almost cried at one point.
The bass was thumping
through my heartbeats.
I thought I was going to have
a coronary heart...
You know, a heart attack.
I can't talk that well!
Winners and Defeaters.
We don't like morality and We sure
don't Want to preach about it,
but your country,
obsessed by moral values,
is now forcing us to do so.
Let's say this very loud and clear:
the higher the buildings,
the lower the morals.
Moral values in America today
are nothing, pure nothing.
Behind the faith in God, evil is hiding.
Lots of evil and sin against humanity.
Freedom, democracy,
family, life protection,
and security for your own nation
are based on violence,
revenge and hatred
for all who set up an obstacle
to the overrated theory and practice
of the American Wa y.
Lust for power,
greed and arrogance
is killing this nation and its soul,
if there is still any left.
The game you play:
lying, stealing, sowing death,
to protect your concept of morality
and life against the life of others
is not the right Wa y.
Heedless self-interest for countries
like America was always had morals,
but it's bad economics as Well.
There are no Winners in this game,
no victory in it for you
or anybody else.
In fact, it's a suicide your nation
is doing to itself.
Although by the number of ammunition
and guns, bombs and bullets,
America might still be a leading force
and a global superpower,
you appear to us, who had a chance
to see you from up close and personal,
as a Third World country, a clumsy giant
filled with fear and prejudices,
a giant child, abused by his parents,
a large flock of sheep on the open range
Without a ranger,
Without a shepherd and a leader.
Your president is the opposite to Christ
and his victory is based
on moral values.
Christian moral values.
I tell you this: the Worst government
is always the most moral one.
But when fanatics are on top
there is no limit to oppression.
Morality which is based on ideal
is an unmitigated evil.
And don't forget,
your president
represents the majority of your nation.
This time it is true,
it's not even a lie.
Well, my dear ones,
it is also true that Americans
in general are not too intelligent.
For that reason We can partly forgive
you and overlook some of your sins.
But this will not help
stopping the decay;
the historical primate of America
is approaching its end
and this is an historical fact.
Like every empire,
the USA is falling apart.
E unum, pluribus.' "from one many".
United you fall, divided you'll stand.
The Divided States of America
are being made
and the civil War is being foretold.
I've lived in this country for 58 years.
I was here when Europeans arrived,
and I'm happy to say that, so far,
I've been able to look at distinctions
to be made between what folks
where I'm from consider "free-dom",
and what is the national norm
or ideas about freedom,
ideas about liberty.
I've never been free,
I don't know this idea in relationship
to what the country says it means
or should mean for me.
Well, it's a different situation,
because now that I understand more
about Laibach,
particularly from watching
the documentary just now,
I see that they, and yourself,
seem to be coming, in my impression,
you seem to be growing out of
a certain kind of cultural oppression
that is foreign to me as an American.
I won't say that I don't understand it,
but I haven't lived under
similar circumstances
that make that particularly relevant
in the same way.
I think maybe now,
given the political situation here
among the majority of Americans,
we're starting to get a sense
of a similar kind of pressure.
Although, it seems to be more subtle,
it's not so outright, you know.
It's not an outright,
obvious form of control,
but I think it's a more subtle
kind of manipulation
that is all-pervasive
in American culture.
But for us...
I'm just wildly speculating
at this point.
...it's something that we've grown to
expect and don't even know it's there.
And we live under a sense of freedom
that we don't even particularly
understand we're being manipulated.
I've worked a bit in advertising,
so I have some sense of insight
into the mechanism of manipulation,
in terms of how you spend your money,
where you go for your vacations,
to try to influence how people think
in that regard.
There's a relevance,
but it's a different form of relevance
between the European roots
and the totalitarian state
that you've lived under,
and the sort of totalitarian state
that we're coming to live in.
And that's expressed
in some very obvious ways
through our recent choice of president,
but I think that onlyjust
scratches the surface.
Ithink, maybe not within my lifetime,
but something very serious is going
to happen, perhaps like France in 1789.
I hope it doesn't come to that,
but I could see it happening.
I hate to say that. That's why I feel
Laibach's message is very relevant.
The real life that's out there
is not terribly pretty,
but it's very definitely real.
I always thought of their music
as politically incisive,
alternative music for the thinking man.
I would not presume to interpret
what Laibach really means,
but that's what it means to me.