Can you tell us about this new european tour? How is it?
So far it’s been great. We’ve only been on tour for 5 or 6 days. Today is our first festival. But the club shows has been amazing. They were sold out, people were really excited. We had to play long sets because people kept asking for more songs. Last night we play 1 hour and a half because people are excited about the new album. And they sing so much, so I feel bad about leaving the stage at the end of the show.

So it will make a big difference with tonight because you’re gonna play about 30 minutes !
I won’t talk too much, I’ll try to sing more. About your new album, why a so long time between “Our Darkest Days” and ”A Place Called Home”?
After “A Place Called Home” came out, we did a big tour, like 2, 3 years straight. And then I went to sing for the Misfits for 5 or 6 month. Then we got more tour when I came back. For some reason we were just touring and touring and touring. Because when you put out an album you keep getting offers to tour. And it makes time to go home, not work and focus on writing. It takes for me a little while to finish the songs because you have to have life experiences in between. Some of the worst albums are the second or third album for a band because they just try to get an album out between tours. But for me music has to be a part of something that happens to me. So I have to write about my past, my life. I have to feel it.

About “Our Darkest Days” after five waiting years, how was in general, the response from the fans ?
It’s been great because the album is not mainstream but a lot more listenable to wider audience. Lot more singing in it. There is an acoustic song in it, there is not just hardcore. So it’s been great because we had a lot of people that are not from the hardcore or punk rock that came to the clubs, because they just like the music. And that’s what I always try to do, make my music open to whoever wants to hear it. I like that!

“Our Darkest Days” has a lot of great melodic voice, is it due to Cameron Webb ?
It’s due to Zoli Teglas. Cameron and I argued a lot. We’re good friends but in the studio, he will turn of everything and tell me to go home, because I suck and I’m a piece of shit. So we argued all day long, 8 hours a day, and that is the album that came out of it. I wanted it to be more melodic, he kept me singing harder and harder, he made me sing high, so fuckin’ high! I gotta grab my balls to hit the fuckin’ high notes. The reason why it’s melodic it’s because of me, and the reason why it’s so powerfull it’s because of him. He’s a very very good producer.

Do you think you are more closed to bands like H2O, like Boysetsfire or like Bad Religion ?
Hopefuly like H2O and Bad Religion. Not Boysetsfire because I don’t agree with their politics but I like Bad Religion politics and guys from H2O are great.

About the lyrics, you speak of political strife and social revendication, can you tell us about it ?
Well, my family payed the price to communism. Communism is a great idea, so is Santa Clause and Easter Bunny. To my view, the best way to make a country work is like in Sweden, capitalist taxes pay for socialised medecin, socialised school and socialised health care. But to a capitalist economy you have to have a middle class. I lost family members to fuckin’ communism, the Stalline communism, and all that bullshit. I talk about that in a song called “Poverty for all”. Another side is when we came to America, everybody in my family joined the army, everybody but not me. I have a half brother who is in Iraq right now. We felt that we wanted to give back to our country because America has given a lot to us. Living there, you can make a lot of money, nobody bothers you and you can have the american dream, you really can. And we did it. We came from nothing and now my family have buisiness, houses, we worked our fuckin’ asses of. But my brother now is in Iraq, risking his life for fuckin’ oil, for Dick Cheaney, for George Bush. Not for Iraqee people, but for companies. That’s where the sad thing is. My family had to pay the price for communism, and now is paying the price for pure capitalism. Because the George Bush politie for capitalism is so extreme, he’s like the dictators of the old days. Which is big buiseness in America runs everything. It’s very scary time in America.

Do you think that Europe can play a role in that situation ?
If the EU stands strong, you can push America back. And if China and Russia hold tight, they can push back America. Because right now we’re talking about dropping a nuclear bomb on Iran. A nuclear fuckin’ bomb on a muslim country. It’s suicide for America. We will create a thousand of Ben Ladens if we do that. We have no long term plan. America is becoming insaine. So hopefully if Russia, China, Europe, has to say to America, you have to slow the fuck down. Your war machine is becoming crazy.
See in America the right wing is in power, in Israel the right wing is in power, the centre is gone. So hopefully in Europe there will be more of a central mentality more of a common sence. Because you guys know what fuckin’ war means.

Do you think that the majority of American people are aware of that ?
No. We live on our island. And we’re rich. If I’m 18 years old, I live my arents house and go work as a waiter or a bartender in Los Angeles, I’ll make 200 or 300 dollars a night cash. I’ll fuck girls, drink, easy life. It’s like we’re the Romans. We’re fat, lazy, we fuck everybody, have a stong military, but we don’t realize that we are spending something like 20 billion dollars a month from our credit card for the Iraq. We’re gonna loose big time, and we’re gonna bankrupt our country.
The sad thing is that the right wing and the religious partys said that if you don’t vote for George Bush it’s a sin. And that’s what I fuckin’ scary. And on the news, on tv, everything is like “the terrorists are coming”. That’s how they keep the fear in everyone. I remember when I was a kid the pro communist tv shows that we watched kept saying ”Americans are coming, capitalists are coming” they kept everyone afraid. It’s weird because I’m living the same thing again. Before we go home to Hungary you have to call the secret police and told them you’re an american in Hungary. And then when a phone call would come, you can hear them on the line listening. And now in when you’re on your cell phone in America when you say “Ben Laden, car bomb, anything…” you’re phone starts clicking because a fuckin’ computer is listening. It’s the same fuckin’ thing. Before in Hungary they can knock on your door at night and take you way, nobody knows. Now in America, they pass these fuckin’ laws, same thing! They can take you and send you to fuckin’ Guantanamo Bay for ever. That’s bullshit. It’s fuckin’ Stalline thing, it’s crazy.

Is it difficult to talk about that in America ?
I do. I push it. It’s easier in Europe to say “Fuck Bush !”. In Texas, you go to Oklahoma, to Arkansas, you say that and you get a fight. Because everyone are right next to him, they got guns, they’re crazy. That’s why I look up to Green Day and Social Distortion, they are on major labels, owned by big corporations and still do Rock Against Bush cover, had a huge tour about that. Bruce Springsteen, the Dixie Chicks same thing. They got their cd destroyed, got death threats.
See the whole concept of our album “Our Darkest Days” it’s a very scary time. “Fear Is Our Tradition” the propaganda is pushing. I wrote a song called “Know Your History” because we don’t fuckin’ know our fuckin’ history. We don’t have any foreign policy, we don’t look pass a year from now. It’s all about quick fast money.

Do you see a little evolution in this situation ?
I love my country. I’m very proud to be American. I will die for my country. But Americans are really really uneducated. The American system, school system is really easy. And the majoriy of Americans don’t even know where the 50 states are in the map. Pretty much the most educated parts are the east coast and west coast. But in the middle of America, it’s like going backwards in time.

Many americans didn’t travel and get the chance to see other countries and cultures.
See in France when you go to school, on holiday you might go to Gemany, Sweden or Africa… But holiday for us, we go to Florida, or Hawai. We never leave the country. And if you never leave the country you never see other cultures. And you don’t see how the capitalism, on its evil form as it is now, oppresses the poor.

Lou from Sick of it All said that when you speak against your government, they say that you are not real americans. So it might be difficult to have this speech there...
I’m not american because I don’t agree with my government, that means I’m not proud to be who I fuckin’ am ? It’s bullshit! It’s insane!
It’s intersting, lot of people in Germany are very much against their government. But they get socialised medecine, socialised schooling. For exmeple, I have to get surgery ok? Something is fucked up in my stomac. It’s gonna cost me 40 000 dollars. I have to sell my house. People in Germany said “Our government is fucked up”, but if they have to get surgery, the government pays for it. Fuck! It’s really weird. I don’t get anything from my government. And I’m probably more patriotic than most of the people in Europe. Getting anything from your own government and say fuck you to it, it’s weird.

In Europe we associate the Government and the Country. In America it’s really 2 different things I guess…
Yeah. Because we were supposed to be separate. I don’t like guns, I will never shot an animal. But everybody in my family owns guns. It’s a right in America to have some. Because we are supposed to protect ourself from our own government. Separation of church and State. But now it’s all mixed up. We’re not following the constitution anymore.

When you have this type of message over here, people react to it, immediately.
In America do you think that the people understand this message, or just react to your music ? In a way do you think this can change their point of view ?
In hardcore, yes! In small community, 4 or 500 people everynight, yes! In mainstream, fuck no! In country western, no fuckin’ way! You’ll get shot.

Is this why you did this cover of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” ?
I’m a big fan of Bono. He went to Africa, he went there with 3 peoples from the world bank and make it possible for some countries there to be releaved from their debt. Who the fuck does that ? I really respect him. And it’s a really good song to sing about what’s going on right now. For them it was about another stupid thing, protestants and catholics, both christians killing each other for what ? Stupidity there too!

Are you gonna play it tonight ?
Yes for sure. Especialy in festivals.
Let me say something else about the politics real quick. There is a peace movement in America, huge. There is a peace movement in Israel, huge. Also in Palestine and Iran and Irak. It’s just that the crazys are in power right now. And the normal thinking people are pushed up to the side. Because the crazys are making a lot of money. War is good for business. So the peace movement is pushed to the side.

In America do you think that the situation will evolve, people are gonna realize what’s happening and do something about it ?
No. It’s gonna be worse before it gets any better. We’re gonna go to war with Iran. Iran is very powerfull and very rich. It’s different when there was Al Qaida, a small group with people here and there, here it’s a whole powerfull government we’re gonna fight. It’s gonna destroy our economy.
I don’t believe Al Qaida really attaked. I think it’s Dick Cheaney, Donald Rumsfeld etc, they needed a Pearl Harbor style of attak to put our army in South Arabia. Come on, do the fuckin’ math it’s simple. Why did they stop attaking. They would have put a bomb here and there every week if they wanted to. Thank God it didn’t happened. But that’s why I don’t think it was Al Qaida. I really don’t. I’m a pilot, when I was 19 I got my pilot licence. To flight a 347 at 350 miles per hour, to turn the wings at the last minutes when you see the towers, you do not learn that in some fuckin’ flight school in Florida. You learn that from being an airline pilot or a military pilot flying jetfighter. It’s all crap of shit. It was perfect for us to put military into Iraq and Iran. Cheaney and Rumsfeld try to do Bush senior to do that a long time ago. He said no. Because it’s not George Bush who runs America, it’s those guys. George Bush is too fuckin’ stupid men !
So you look at this going on, how much more important is that than hardcore ? A lot more important. We’re talking about World War again. That’s why I’m focussing on this kind of stuff and not on what’s the difference between hardcore in Europe and in America, this kind of shit, that doesn’t matter. This is real time shit. And in 10 years we might not be fuckin’ sit here. We might be at fuckin’ war somewhere. I’m telling you men, if American economy crashes, the world economy will crash too.

So do you think american people need a war to start thinking about what is going on in the world ?
It’s sad to say that, but they need a fuckin’ wake up call. They need a history lesson. After each guy goes out of school, they need to fligh to a country especially third world country to see what the fuck is up. We’re really the Romans : fat, happy, lazy. So what the fuck do they care about people living in Djakarta or elsewhere ? They say : “Fuck them I don’t care, drop bomb on them, for me, my tv is good, don’t care !”

Do you see more and more poverty in America ?
Poverty comes from drugs it’s a different thing. You see a lot drug addicts. Crack and cocaine keeps the poor down. It’s like in Russia, you won’t have any food but you have vodka. Because if you’re an alcooholic you’re not worrying about what your government do, you only worry about your next drink. With drug, you only worry about getting the next fuckin’ hit. You’re not worrying about what George Bush is doing. It’s a fuckin’ cancer. It keeps people down.

You compared Americans to Romans, Romans gave people bread and the games to provide them from thinking too much. Now with drugs and television it’s quite the same...
Yeah for sure. You know it’s easy to make a living there, you get payed well, nobody bothers you. I was selling used cars, because I had a problem with drinking, that’s another reason why we stopped touring for a while, so I needed to stay away from touring. Because I drank too much and wanted to stop this life style. So I was selling used cars, terrible job, I wanted to hang myself everyday, but I was making 7 OOO dollars a month. Shitty job, I’ll never do again, but if me, I don’t have any college education, but if I can make 7 thousand dollars a month selling used cars, fuck, life is good. They keep the job opportunities open because if you make money you won’t worry about what’s going on outside your own life. When you’re hungry and educated, when you can’t pay your bills, that’s a dangerous time for the country. That’s why China and especially India is so dangerous to America. In India, they are educated, they are poor and they fuckin’ want what we got. We’re gonna get our asses kicked by them for sure !

Do you think that the whole “Rock Against Bush” had an impact in America ?
On the east coast and west coast yes. But in the midwest, it’s all about country music. If the new metal bands : Hatebreed, Avenged Sevenfold etc… if they go to the middle of America and really get in the politics, it will make a difference. Avenged Sevenfold in America dragged 5 or 6 000 kids a night in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan etc.. if they say listen, this is what’s going on, that would make a difference. Because hardcore is very small. Metal is huge.
Do you know what I’m ashemed of? It’s the whole hip hop generation. They always sing about fuckin’ girls, making money, selling drugs, guy like 50 Cent, selling crack cocaine, live the american dream and they are the one kid look up to. It’s sad, it’s disgusting and I’m ashamed of that. And I can say that because I’m American, I love my country, I pay my taxes, I really love this country, I’m proud of it, but lot of people are fuckin’ retards !!!!

In an blindtest interview with Freddy (Madball) he said about Ignite : “They're unique, they've got their own way as well, they come from California they have more melodic in the hardcore style and they're probably one of the best bands at that style. They've really good catchy songs, and a good live band. They're like family, I enjoyed watching them every night that we play" what your feeling about?
That’s what Freddy said about us ? He’s a nice guy, I gotta give him money for that.

Have you something to say to Freddy, we ‘ll make an interview with him in 2 days (Sunday)…Yeah, for me if you wanna watch a true hardcore band, I love Agnostic front, but I think Madball took a one step further where they have the true oldschool new york style, when you hear it, you just get that fuckin’ cool feeling where you wanna work out or something. I think they have the best energy. And Freddy, is a master at keeping the crowed completely focussed on him and his band. They are one of my favorite bands of all time. Everytime I’m in a bad mood or down, I listen to Madball and it gives that little extra push. When I have a very rough day and I need some extra energy, I listen to Madball. First of all, I really care about those guys. They are really great people. Freddy is a very dangerous man. Seriously dangerous guy but he’s really nice guy on the inside. He doesn’t hurt people for no reason, he’s just a good guy, obviously I don’t want to be the one to make him mad ! (Big Laugh) Seriously I care about those guys and they are very talented at what they do.

Did you listen to their last album "Legacy" ? Did you like it ?
I’ve always been a great fan of Madball, so everything they will do I’m gonna love it ! The only problem with this album is that there isn’t Zoly from Ignite singing on it ! (Laugh) Tell him that !

Questionnaire of Pivot With Zoli Teglas :

What is your favourite word? Bullshit
What is your least favourite word? Communist
What turns you on creatively, spiritually and emotionally? Music
What turns you off? Hatred
What is your favourite curse word? You fuckin’ cock sucker
What sound or noise do you love? In french “Je t’aime mon petit choux, mes belles fleurs” that has to do with some pretty french girl
What sound or noise do you hate? The fuckin’ wake up buzzer which is next to your bed and buz at 6 in the morning when you got to go and sell used fuckin’ cars ! It sucks.
What is your favorite place on earth? Budapest, Sweden, South of Mexica, South of France Toulouse
And the one you hate? Tulsa, Oklahoma
Which persons influenced you the most during your life?
My Grandmother, she fuckin’ believed in what she did, and did it 100%
Who were your heroes when you were a kid?
My grandmother has always been my hero because she was a strong women.
What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Working in energy wise companies that’s gonna be the next of the future because we’re running out of oil and we style need electricity without nuclear this and that. I’m really interested in that.
Another is doctors without boarders “Médecins sans frontières”. I don’t have the qualifications to work for them, but I wanna start learning them. If you have any kind of doctor skill, you can go anywhere in the world and have a job and help people. If you have mecanik skills, working on cars, you can go anywhere in the world making good money. What profession would you not like to do?
Selling used cars, of course !!!
If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Welcome. Not go fuck yourself go to hell !

Interview Pierre & O.S.
Translation Pierre