Amerika

If the postwar Right experienced a “Eureka!” moment, it was that political power cannot be changed directly. It must be supported by a cultural wave, as was massively successful for the Left in postwar years, and it has to spread through something other than politics, such as art, literature, architecture, philosophy, academia and music.

The musicians behind folk rock duo Lilou & John have homed in on the latter and given it a podium: a Right-Wing music site named Belzebubbles which aims to support the rising realist Right-wing cultural wave by bringing together bands from many different genres who are united by their non-Leftist perspective. We were fortunate to get in a few words with Lilou and John about this new project.

You seem to know quite a bit about music and its history. How did you know you wanted to be a musician, and what path did you take to get there?

Lilou: Well, I used to write songs when I was a child but my father was a cheap bastard and wouldn’t let me take singing classes. I have always sung, though, in the shower and while cooking, but I thought my voice was too low-pitched for anyone to enjoy. But John said it reminded him of Zarah Leander and old singing traditions, which boosted my confidence. John says he’s happy I didn’t go to those singing classes or they would have ruined my rough voice and made me sound like Beyoncé.

John: I have performed a number of times with an acoustic guitar since I was 14 and came second in the school’s annual talent show with a song about alcoholism (!). In those days I dreamed of having my own metal band and I used to rip apart old music cassettes and use the tape as a wig to look like Paul Stanley and Blackie Lawless and cover my blond hair. Mom bought me a guitar and forced me to practice, but the classes was boring so I almost gave up the whole thing, lucky us I didn’t. I have written lyrics for most of my life, though, and Lilou thought we could use it. I have always been a nerd and I love analyzing music to the point where it’s all philosophy so a music blog is a good thing for me. 

What inspired you to start Belzebubbles, and what type of audience do you hope to attract there?

John: Right wing bands are seldom welcome in mainstream media and only a few right wing news and opinion sites support them. It’s a shame, because Right wing bands are important. It was Woodstock that made the Left wing big, you need a new culture to accompany the politicians if they are to succeed in the long run. Justin Bieber is never going to come out as an Conservative or Nationalist, we can all stop dreaming right now, and support our own bands instead. The problem is that many mainstream Conservatives seem to think country and military marches are enough, but there are metal bands, punk bands, pop bands, electronica bands, all coming from the political right wing, from Classical Liberals to Alt-Right, and we wanted to give them somewhere to promote their music. Hopefully, radio stations, podcasts, news sites, everyone will one day think of Belzebubbles as a “library” where they can find great music for their own production. 

Lilou: The name “Belzebubbles” came to me from nowhere, basically. In those days, 2005 or something, I put together the words Belzebub and “bubblan” which is Swedish for “bubble,” and I liked the way light and dark co-existed in the new word “Belzebubblan.” I thought that one day I would use it for something big, and when we started our blog in January 2017 that later was transformed into the right wing music blog Belzebubbles, we used the English translation and it seems people like it.

Why do you think such a thing is needed now, and what is responsible for the change in political/social climate that makes this music come up from the underground?

The political movements have gained momentum, but the culture is still Red like Lenin’s underwear. People like yourself, Swedish newspaper editor Vávra Suk and social philosopher Joakim “Oskorei” Andersen have understood what is needed, and hopefully more people will follow. It is also important to reach out to the youth, and they listen to music. They don’t read a three thousand word article on Infowars, they want something quick they can relate to in their everyday life.

What do bands get in exchange for working with you? What sort of content do you anticipate having on the site in the future?

They get a positive review — we only cover good bands — and, if they want, an interview. We link to the articles on Twitter and Gab and encourage people to buy their music. We welcome all genres and in the future we hope to attract more and more bands from all over the world who are sick and tired of left wing ga-ga. Furthermore, they can use quotes from our review for their own promotion and they get a chance to give their fans a deeper insight into who they are as a band. Our own network is growing by the day and we mention Belzebubbles to basically everybody which means the bands get more attention. As far as we know, Belzebubbles is also the first music blog of its kind ever, and the bands we cover are the first ones out. One of our goals is to collaborate with other blogs, festivals and music supervisors etc in the future. 

Can you explain your concept of “R3C” music and how it is different than what has existed before?

”R3C” is short for Right Wing Music / Conservative Counter Culture. We used to call it “RiWi/CCC” when we started but that acronym was too long and clumsy. R3C is basically music that is outside of the box of political correctness. National Socialists have promoted their bands for years while International Socialists run the rest of the show. There are a few exceptions, like Scottish covert-Nationalist band Runrig, metal bands like Amon Amarth and some country artists, but on the whole there is little room in MSM for anti-Establishment bands today. What we believe is the new thing about R3C is that the productions are often slightly rough, maintaining the originality of what makes the artist unique. The voices express emotions and sincerity instead of superfluous drama. Back to the origins of music if you may. We want everybody to start using the term R3C for this kind of music, let The New York Times know the times they are a-changing.

Do you draw lines on the Right, for example, would Libertarian and National Socialist bands both be accepted?

As long as the bands match our criteria: they are not welcome anywhere else and they do their own thing instead of copy-catting Rihanna, we will take them under consideration. We will also write about bands that already have a following, but are too far-right for MSM and make good music that touches your heart or brain. If we come across a fabulous song written by a Classical Liberal or National Socialist, we’re gonna write about it. If you deny facts such as the Holocaust or The Islamization of Europe, however, we might think you’re a bit too weird and refuse your submission for that reason. We welcome all kinds of people, however, we will not cover music with racist lyrics, national socialists making a song about general immigration issues would be fine, but no lyrics about inferior races etc.

Do you fear reprisal or professional consequences for your public activity, or have they already happened?

We have already been discriminated against by Swedish national radio because of our political views. We seem to be keeping our jobs, though, which is a rare thing in Sweden when you criticize the system. We have lost one producer and several drummers along the way because they were scared of us not being politically correct enough. Our current producer wishes to remain anonymous due to fear of reprisals from politically correct organizations and media. We understand him, Sweden is not famous for allowing non-left-wing opinions and people have been killed for less. 

“Payback Day” is an intense song that seems to tell an autobiographical story, and it is the center piece on Dissidentica, the new album from your right-wing folk duo Lilou & John. Can you tell us more about that?

“Payback Day” is a song to all the millions of Conservatives, Identitarians, Alt-Righters, Classical Liberals and Nationalists who are being called “Nazis” by fake news media just for not bending over. The lyrics are very personal and describes the anger that builds up inside you when you are treated as a second class citizen by the Establishment. The title “Payback Day” refers to the day when society breaks down under pressure from ISIS and Immigration, and people have had enough of mass suicide politics. The left wing rely on oppression of free speech and it seems they have thrown too many people to the wolves, the outcasts soon will have a superiority in numbers. We want the song to be a right wing equivalent of “The Internationale.” A new Marseillaise for an English speaking audience, aux armes citoyens. Rise or die. The ruling classes are cowards who will run away as soon as the tide turns. They hope it will soon be over… Boy, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Denmark’s hard immigration policy is a raindrop compared to what will come. You don’t invite ISIS and believe there will be “peace in our time.” And there will be a day when people will seek revenge for the bombings and rapes and I’m glad I’m not a left winger anymore for they will have a rough 75 years ahead. And, yeah, we used a backbeat acoustic guitar to make it catchy. 

How has Lilou & John been received, and have you been encountering other R3C bands in the wild?

Our debut album 100 Faces was well received among rockers and hip hoppers and is still being played by radio stations in several countries. Our second album Dissidentica has been supported and reviewed by right wing sites and news papers in Sweden and the US. We have connected with a number of bands, many of which can be found on Belzebubbles, and a couple of bands we have yet to write about. Things are not going fast enough, though, as we are a married couple with full time jobs and kids and we need some spare time once in a while. 

Can you describe your personal political outlook, how it was shaped and what you overcame to get there?

John: I like to describe myself as a “Jacobin Conservative” politically, part Identitarian Conservative, part Alt-Right Nationalist and part Classical Liberal. I started out as Communist for the same reason as everyone else: I wanted to be popular and being a Communist is the easiest way of building a career in Sweden, sadly. Lilou made me see the light just by asking me to explain what I meant when I talked about “white privilege” and “male superiority.” I have lost a number of friends and colleagues in the process but I won myself.

Lilou: I’ve never been interested in politics, I’m more into people and logic (meaning the machinery behind the politics). John, however, says I’m the biggest fascist he’s ever met, ha ha. I just don’t accept that any power beyond me decides what I should think or feel. 

If people are interested in what you are doing, how do they participate in Belzebubbles and follow your work in Lilou & John?

They support the musicians or submit their music on http://www.belzebubbles.com/ and they check us out on http://www.liloujohn.com/. We can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Gab. Please contact us or spread the word. Furthermore, everybody should skip the “oh this world is going to hell” and instead start thinking “we will transform this rotten borough into something new and better, and we’re on the winning side.” People should start promoting good bands, authors, artists coming from the right wing. Tell your friends about R3C and if you’re into this new kind of cultural movement, be proud of it.

Tags: lilou & john, r3c, right-wing music