I grew up in a highly insular environment, never knowing—let alone interacting with—the outside world, in part due to my family’s history with war and struggle in Vietnam.
asserted
I → grow → Vietnam
I can’t fully understand their experiences, but knowing the world often meant witnessing the violence of military personnel from France, Japan, the United States, and and other countries: they have told me stories of girls and young women covering themselves in mud to try to avoid rape by French soldiers during colonial rule, and people leaving Vietnam by sea in small boats in hope of a life beyond figuring out how to eat that day.
asserted
they → understand → life
My family understandably doesn’t talk about much of it now.
asserted
family → talk → it
Many may have felt like they could only manage to look after themselves and, if they’re lucky, immediate family members.
uncertain
they → feel → themselves
The result: a geopolitical history of trauma that reverberates with my own.
asserted
that → reverberate → own
Music, movies, and television cracked my window a bit, and continue to serve as a way for me to try to peek into the experiences, feelings, and dreams others share with the world.
asserted
others → crack → world
Roger Ebert’s concept of a movie as a “machine that generates empathy” guided me into politics, and eventually to a job writing about it.
asserted
that → generate → it
Chat Pile makes art that pushes us to confront our world.
asserted
that → make → world
The band’s 2022 single “Why” was a breakthrough, with the direct opening lyrics of “Why do people have to live outside / In the brutal heat or when it’s below freezing?”
asserted
it → live → freezing
The band’s previous album, 2024’s Cool World, is an antiwar record—the track “Shame” decries the ongoing Gaza genocide and the shame of all wars.
asserted
track → decry → wars
Who Loves the Sun, Chat Pile’s latest album, came out Labor Day weekend.
asserted
Who → love → album
The cover art is a photo taken by bassist Stin of a charred building and a tent, with the 50-story corporate headquarters of the oil and gas producer Devon Energy—which is set to move out of Oklahoma City, where the band is from, to Houston, putting local jobs and the future of the building into question—looming in the background.
asserted
band → take → background
The album challenges apathy to atrocity through tracks on climate change and labor struggle among imagery of vampires and masks.
asserted
album → challenge → vampires
Chat Pile’s closer suggests that in the event of human collapse, the natural world will continue, even if forever damaged.
uncertain
world → suggest → collapse
But we’re still here now, so I spoke to the band’s lead vocalist, Raygun Busch—who also loves movies—about how we can resist.
asserted
we → ’re → movies
I’m curious if you saw that the Oklahoma City Council renewed its contract for Flock cameras, and that N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas, a more progressive candidate, won the Democratic nomination for Senate in Oklahoma.
asserted
Thomas → see → Oklahoma
The news about the Flock renewal happened while we were on tour.
asserted
we → happen → tour
If I have anything to do with it, he won’t be our mayor for long.
asserted
he → have → it
I’d love to see him get voted the hell out of office forever.
asserted
him → love → office
My good friend James Cooper on city council voted against it.
asserted
friend → vote → it
I can’t believe—I mean, I can believe that David Holt would be spineless and just mask off.
asserted
Holt → believe → ?
He’s a fascist.
asserted
He → ’ → ?
He will go with the fascist people.
asserted
He → go → people
He wants the totalitarian government that watches our every move, run by the billionaire class.
asserted
that → want → class
He’s all in on that, and I’m not.
asserted
I → ’ → that
I’m very against that.
asserted
I → ’m → that
As for the primaries, shamefully, I need to lock in, engage with what’s going on.
asserted
what → need → primaries
I’m sure whoever’s running Democrat won’t be left enough for me, but it doesn’t pay to be pessimistic.
asserted
it → ’m → me
We’ll see what happens.
asserted
what → see → ?
We keep saying we can’t do much worse, and then we do a little bit worse.
asserted
we → keep → ?
I think your music makes an attempt to reckon with the political moment we’re in.
asserted
we → think → moment
How do you approach that?
asserted
you → approach → that
I feel like in terms of art, not being political right now is insane.
asserted
being → feel → art
I can’t believe every band doesn’t have one political [song].
asserted
band → believe → song
You don’t have to be like the Dead Kennedys, but even “99 Red Balloons” is about world politics.
asserted
Balloons → have → politics
[I’m] thinking about literacy rates and stuff like that.
asserted
I → think → that
I don’t have children.
asserted
I → have → children
Personally, I don’t do enough.
asserted
I → do → enough
It’s hard to live your life and do everything.
asserted
It → ’ → everything
In terms of trying your best, every artist, top to bottom—especially bands at my level—should be talking about politics.
asserted
artist → try → politics
…and 50 more, not listed.
The Aporia
