An Interview With David Rovics (3/3) By Nicholas Boldock

(1/3), (2/3), (3/3).

We talk about the political agenda of the music industry, we talk about his opinions on Palestine and Israel, and most of all we talk about Iraq. It is when we move onto this latter subject that he is at his most animated. I ask if the rising body count in Iraq has seen a growth in opposition to the war in the United States. "I don't think that opposition has grown, as such," he says, "Because the majority of the US people were against the war from the beginning, since before the invasion." Does he think that Western troops should pull out of Iraq?

"I really don't see that there's any positive outcome of anything that's happening in Iraq... I think all foreign troops should leave Iraq immediately. Everyone in the US government should be tried for war crimes and imprisoned in The Hague, and many billions of dollars should be given to the Iraqi people, actually to the Iraqi people themselves, to help them directly."

I suggest that our own Prime Minister should face similar charges and David agrees wholeheartedly - "Yes, absolutely, Blair too". What he says next, for me sums up the entire Iraq situation in one short sentence - "Asking if the US army should leave Iraq is like asking if the German army should pull out of Denmark as far as I'm concerned." It is difficult to disagree with him. Leaving politics behind, we talk about the burgeoning contemporary folk and acoustic scene, including our mutual appreciation of post-punk troubadour TV Smith, and David talks with keen enthusiasm about the new breed of folk-influenced musicians, coming primarily from Britain.

I mention Jim Moray and King Creosote, and he responds by recommending The King Blues and Frank Turner. I'm reluctant to admit that I've never heard of Frank Turner, so I keep that to myself (I have a reputation to consider) - but later on I take a Google trip to Turner's own website - and it's a trip well worth taking. I think I've been waiting all my life to find a song called Thatcher Fucked The Kids, and here it is. Genius. At this point, worries about the size of my phone bill lead me to steer the interview towards its conclusion, but it is a shame, as I've genuinely enjoyed talking with David. His obvious passion for music and his disarming honesty are a joy to witness.

He has none of the delusions of grandeur that can so often mar interviews with musicians - instead he comes across as an ordinary, down-to-Earth guy - but one with an extraordinary insight into the state of today's world, and one with an incredible talent for writing and playing songs. He seems happy to just be making music and to be having it heard and played the world over. At the moment, he is touring the East Coast of the United States - later in the year he will be on tour in Europe, and he will "definitely be in the UK in October". That should be all the motivation needed to keep diaries free that month. David Rovics is a man of immense talent and humanity, and the opportunity to catch him live when he next visits these shores is one that should not be missed. External Links: David's official website: www.davidrovics.com David's MySpace site: www.myspace.com/davidrovics David's Soundclick site: www.soundclick.com/davidrovics Ever Reviled Records: www.everreviledrecords.com Frank Turner's MySpace site: www.myspace.com/frankturner

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