Arizona music lovers won't be seeing Stars anytime soon.
The Canadian indie-popsters are boycotting the state over its controversial new immigration law allowing police to ask anyone for proof of U.S. citizenship — a situation that frontman Torquil Campbell likens to Nazi Germany.
"This law is the thin end of an extremely frightening wedge," he charged. "Anybody who can't see that, I think, isn't looking closely enough."
"This specific law is the turning point in a growing sense of underlying racism — anger at there being a black president, anger at minorities beginning to become a part of the economic life in America. There are some scary forces in that country, and they are starting to be legitimized by the media, and it is important that right now, people start to take extremely strong stands against those people. Because this is what happened in Nazi Germany. This is exactly what happened.
"If we don't stop this s--- right now, I really fear for North America in general," he said. "I think it's terrifying."
Torquil revealed the band's stand via their Twitter account earlier this week. In the days since, he's been bombarded with reaction from people on both sides of the issue.
"I'm getting a lot of letters from the Latino community in Arizona and they are in support of what we're doing almost unanimously," he said. "And I've also had a lot of abuse from closet racists disguised as hipsters."
Fellow Canadian indie musician Damian (Pink Eyes) Abraham of Toronto punk activists F---ed Up supports the cause but not Campbell's tactics. "Don't get me wrong, I think the AZ immigration bill is horrible and must be repealed but I also think that indie bands boycotting the state is inane," he wrote online. "Do Stars honestly think that by denying the state their brand of dreamy pop that they're going to force the governor's hand? All this does is not give the people that like your band enough credit and assumes that they are in someway supportive of the bill." Abraham argued that continuing to play in Arizona, while using shows and press coverage as a means to engage the audience and push for legislative change, is more effective.
Campbell acknowledged Stars are unlikely to influence events on their own. But he maintained boycotts work, claiming the tactic helped force Arizona to recognize Martin Luther King Day in the 1990s.
"In an age of publicity, unless you're a taxpayer and a voter in the place, non-participation in the economy — and telling people why you're doing that — seems to be the most effective way of embarrassing and shaming politicians and forcing their hand and making them accountable to their voters. We're just a tiny, tiny example of this. Nobody gives a s--- if Stars boycotts Arizona — we pull 500 people in Phoenix and 500 people in Tucson," he said. "And it sucks for us not to play in Arizona. We miss out playing for some great kids in some great clubs. It doesn't help us — we lose money ... But what we hope to do is to get others who are bigger and more important and have more sway to (boycott)."
The quintet are about to hit the road in support of their forthcoming album The Five Ghosts.
darryl.sterdan@sunmedia.ca
