Tim Mcllrath of Rise Against talked with Alt. Press about their recent single:
Yeah, I am seeing that. I’ve seen political action stigmatized by youth culture in the last 20 years at different points. Where being part of a protest or singing a protest song was seen as cheesy or campy. If you were in the street holding a sign, there was a time in the last 10 years where that really wasn’t cool. People decided to put cool points on something as important as societal change.
That has diminished, and it’s so exciting to see that people understand how important it is to be in the streets and how important it is to not be silent about what’s happening and understand. But being cool and hip is a powerful force. It’s what drives a lot of things. Now you’re seeing people shed those labels, and now they just really care about the world. They’re going to grow up in the world their kids are going to grow up in. And they realize that they’ve got to put their hands on the levers a little bit.