Bob Vylan, the British artist also known as Pascal Robinson-Foster, stands firm on vulgar anti-police chant. During his headline performance at Glastonbury Festival in June, he infamously yelled, “kill, kill the IDF” to the crowd. During a recent interview with Louis Theroux on October 1, Vylan proved to be unapologetic about the event. He insisted, punctuating his remarks with all-caps enthusiasm, that he would run that particular chant again if he could.
The chant launched huge national firestorm. Because of this, Vylan was dropped by his agency UTA, and the U.S. State Department cancelled the member visas. This unfortunate turn of events led to the band having to call off their North American tour – an already challenging environment. In spite of these consequences, Vylan refuses to back down, and still believes that this is the kind of thing you need to be speaking out about.
Vylan conveyed his determination in the interview, saying, “Oh yeah. Like what if I was to go on Glastonbury again tomorrow, yes I would do it again. I’m not regretful of it. I’d do it again tomorrow, twice on Sundays.” He emphasized that the criticism he and his band have faced for addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is disproportionate compared to the plight of those affected by it.
Vylan vehemently denied the CST’s allegations. In defense, they claimed that their showings were in no way responsible for the sudden increase in antisemitic acts suddenly reported just two days later. He pointed out that the backlash was “minimal compared to what people in Palestine are going through,” arguing that the focus should be on the humanitarian crisis instead of a musical expression.
In response to comments from Damon Albarn of Blur, who labeled the chant as “one of the most spectacular misfires I’ve seen in my life,” Vylan expressed disappointment. He called Albarn’s comments “disparaging” and “without self-awareness,” condemning the invoking of language from Nazi-era Germany.
“I take great issue with the phrase ‘goose-stepping’ being used because it’s only used around Nazi Germany. That’s it. And for him to use that language, I think is disgusting. I think his response was disgusting.” – Bob Vylan
Vylan spoke about his decision to use particular words in the chant. The point, he said, is that “Death to IDF,” it rhymes, makes poetic sense, makes a much stronger impact than the non-rhyming second best version, “End the IDF.” As an artist, he highlighted the importance of being intentional with his craft as a lyricist and musician.
After the performance, Vylan mentioned that no one reacted in a way that indicated they had found the content controversial. “It wasn’t like we came off stage, and everybody was like [gasps]. It’s just normal,” he reflected. Vylan remembered hearing wonderful things from BBC staff who were impressed with the set.
At the end of the interview, he insists that his aim is to educate people on pressing issues, not incite anger. What is more important is the environment that made such a chant possible on such a highly visible stage. The government of the Palestinian people has been destroyed. Who cares about the chant?” he asserted.