“We don’t promote nationalism!”

In October, days before the release of their latest album Volk and months before they announced a date for their second concert in Bulgaria, Ivan Novak of the Slovenian industrial band Laibach gave a special interview for Tangra Mega Rock.

V.V: Hello Ivan, how are you?

I. N.: Quite well, thank you.

V.V: The reason to call you is the new Laibach album. There is no way that I don’t ask you why, the hell, you didn’t record the anthem of Bulgaria?

I. N.: Bulgaria has never been an aggressive imperialist country unlike the rest whose anthems we included in the album. And we chose the most aggressive countries.

V.V: Are you excited about the new album?

I. N.: Yes, I must say that we all are very excited and we’ve always been when it comes to work.

V.V: Would you, please, tell us more about this album – this project is a lot bigger than all your previous albums. How long did it take you to come up with the idea and to record everyhthing?

I. N.: Well, the idea is not new. - Perhaps you noticed parts of it in our older stuff. Like we turned The Final Countdown and Life is Life into anthems, the same way we turned national anthems into pop songs.

V.V: Do you think that today “patriot” is a dirty word?

I. N.: No, there is no way that I think that “patriot” is a dirty word. Besides, right now Bulgaria mus be proud with its national football team and we can’t tell the same about the Slovenia. Of course, this is only football, but it’s the second most important thing in the world.

V.V: Do you think so?

I. N.: Well, that’s what they say.

V.V: OK, but the idea itself is not so complicated.

I. N.: No, but, on the other hand, it is.
It can be very simple, but we don’t promote nationalism or such things. We just talk about interesting facts of history.

V.V: Which is the most interesting fact?

I. N.: There’s lots of them and if you listen carefully our versions, as well as the originals themselves, you’ll find lot’s of them.  One of the most interesting is that there are at least 10 countries in the world who use England’s national anthem God Save the Queen, but it is not official in England. This is just an example, but says a lot about the country itself.

V.V: Now that the album is completed and to be released, what comes next? Present it in concert, I suppose?

I. N.: Yes, of course. A tour and concerts lie ahead.

V.V: You seem very special people and, of course, it would be very interesting how you the people in Laibach and you in particular, Ivan, how do you celebrate the traditional holidays like Christmas, let’s say? What are your plans for Christmas?

I. N.: Yes, this is very interesting. To be honest, often we don’t have an idea about holidays because we don’t make a difference between holidays and working days. Usually our friends tell us about the holidays and we are interested in what happened on that day and so on. But, of course, we celebrate with them and even if we are atheists, we still celebrate Christmas. When we were little, it was a very special holiday and we even celebrate Dyado Mraz and Santa Claus.

V.V: Well, don’t forget that today is Friday, the 13-th. Good luck with the tour.

I. N.: Thanks, bye!