Way back in January we had the Thermals on Subterranean as guests and one of their segments touched on the use of religious imagery on their album cover.
That segment brought up some interesting discussion on the Subterranean fan site, so we caught up with Hutch to ask him some more questions about it: SubT: You mentioned [on Subterranean] having an almost entirely positive fan reaction to the imagery in their album art. Have you found that it’s spurred a new type of discourse between yourselves and your fans or even a Christian community you might not have previously been tapped into?
Hutch: As more and more people hear this record, the reactions are becoming more varied, and lately we’ve received a few negative/confused responses to The Body, The Blood, The Machine. I think Christians who have been angered by this record haven’t really explored it enough, and I appreciate Subterranean giving me the opportunity to try and explain myself, again.
More, after the jump…
SubT: Why did you feel motivated to use religious imagery as album artwork in the first place? Kathy & you spoke about the government’s agenda to use religion for political purposes, but what is your agenda/motive in using the religious imagery? Hutch: The cover is designed to reflect the content of the album. The Body, The Blood, The Machine tells the story of a young couple who must flee a United States governed by fascist Christians. The story begins in the not-distant future, where gays, abortionists, subversive artists and other enemies of the state are rounded into concentration camps and/or executed. The U.S. government declares a war on multiple Muslim countries, under the guise of a holy war. The true intent of the government is to seize all remaining oil reserves in these countries. The story ends grimly, in a devastating nuclear war. The cover of TBTBTM depicts the end of our story. Jesus Christ presides over a world in flames. A mountain of garbage is piled higher than even the earth itself-the legacy of humanity! Missiles continue to pound the earth even after most living beings on earth are gone. Jesus’s eyes are covered, to imply a lack of consent. He remains innocent, used by those who claimed to love him, only to use him for their own greedy purposes. I would like to stress again to anyone who has heard this record that it is not Anti-Christ or an Anti-Christian statement. This is primarily a political record, a fantasy on the terrible consequences that can come from uniting church and state. This record is dedicated to the current administration in our country, these greedy, violent pigs who twist the words of God to justify their terrible deeds. I was raised Catholic and used to consider myself a Christian. I find the teachings of Jesus Christ to be intelligent and kind, but I have been turned off and disgusted by organized religion. Many Christians have soiled the name of Jesus Christ more than any Satanist could. These are the Christians who are so unlike Jesus, who would never “do what he would do”. The Christians who kill abortion doctors, who start wars for their own profit, who believe the whole world should live under the laws of a religion not everyone believes in. I know there are many good Christians out there (many that I’ve spoken to agree with me on this subject), but these other evil people I speak of are giving all Christians a bad name. Anyone who would like to discuss this more with me can email me at everythingthermals@hotmail.com. Hate mail welcome, I can turn the other cheek. I learned that from Jesus Christ.
Watch the entire episode of Subterranean with The Thermals.
