Press Interpreter

09/15/05 -- Brussels -- The song “Let’s get rid of America� (Weg met Amerika) went unnoticed for weeks, but when it was played on the Belgian radio last Friday, it caused a huge stir. Singer Raymond van het Groenewoud is a racist who would not dare to write about Moroccans what he writes about Americans.

“I am a bit surprised at the reactions�, Raymond says on the phone. “Finally, I wanted to say what everybody thinks, and this is a reaction I often get as well: ‘it’s a good thing that somebody says this aloud.’ But there are a lot of negative reactions indeed. I am surprised that people are reacting so vehemently at a mouse scaring an elephant.�

A few years ago, he caused a similar stir with the song “Italians�. “For ‘Italians’ I had gathered all platitudes about Italians and summed up those that suited the music. ‘Let’s get rid of America’ is rather a personal annoyance with the cultural and economic terror of the U.S. It is sad to notice that we have become a satellite state of the U.S., that we are indulging in imitating American examples. It is not nice to know how CNN operates. I know how big American firms are buying music festivals in order to dominate them. I am fed up with those stupid rap songs. I am also fed up with the cult of the one-liner. I remember how our own Siegfried Bracke told to Humo ‘if you can’t say in thirty seconds, you shouldn’t be on TV’. This really makes me shiver. Am I arguing in favor of our own cultural identity? As far as it exists, I certainly am.�

He knows he exposes himself to the objection that this is not explained in the song. “You can’t take a position if you have to take into account all individuals and nuances. A lot of rappers dislike the same abuse of power of big money as I do; the residents of New Orleans are the victims of the events that stem from the reproaches in my song. You can only read that between the lines in the text, that’s the danger. A good understander will understand that I do not take aim at the entire continent and its citizens.�

But what’s the difference between the platitude of the noisy American and that of the criminal Moroccan? “The difference is that Moroccans are already having a hard time, while I presume that the U.S. can put up with it.� Meanwhile, our website is flooded with both supportive and angry reactions. “I want to point out that the worst criticism is typically anonymous. I get weird reactions: ‘go live with the Moroccans’, for instance. Or other totally unrelated remarks, such as ‘the Americans have liberated us in 1945’. You can qualify that, but I do not see the connection. I do not read the reactions every day: I still have to live.�

Perhaps a few Flemings who engaged in Bush-bashing a few days ago are supporting the underdog now? “Might be. I have also experienced that making fun of authority is not particularly popular. A Fleming is sort of split in the middle: he is often very critical of authority, but he also holds it in fearful awe. Being naughty cannot go unpunished, but it is often a lot of fun.�

Text of the Song

Hamburgers and coke, yes you already knew that
But do you also know the cause of general decay
Shortsighted thinking, talking noisily
Always using one-liners

Let’s get rid of America! Let’s get rid of
the suckers of America

Let’s get rid of America!
Let’s get rid of the colonialism of America
Let’s get rid of that ugly, gnawing English
This Anglo-Saxon pretension,
Arrogance
Yes, a burning stick in their ass
And that’s it

Let’s get rid of these rappers and their
Eternal ‘fuck’
Let’s get rid of the sanctifying
Stupidity
Indeed, fucking assholes, fuck up
Long live Italy, long live the mafia,
Let’s get rid of imitating America
United Nations, bleating lambs
They are all vassals of the
United States

Let’s get rid of America! Let’s get rid of the
Suckers of America

Let’s get rid of America!
Let’s get rid of the imperialism of America
Their pre-chewed toddler culture
Full of embarrassing predictability
And Hollywood monsters of

Superficiality
Then you are in Belgium, there you are
Crushed
By all these stupid and failed
Imitations of American products

Let’s get rid of America! Let’s get rid of the
Suckers of America

Let’s get rid of American and its
Professionalism
Masquerade of emptiness
Democracy, hurray!
We are enslaved by the
Tame puma
Huh, ugly purchasers,
Of freedom as well
Their exaggerated, imposed,
Meaningless freedom
Do you know what’s wrong,
Do you know what’s wrong?
The dictatorship of the American
Statue of Liberty, yes
That’s what’s wrong
These stupid machos, hey man,
Hey man,
They’ve been playing cops
for sixty years now

Let’s get rid of America! Let’s get rid of the
Suckers of America

Their chewing-gum-firmness,
Their shotguns
Their plastic blond bitches
With their Pepsodent-teeth
And their ridiculous Terminator
Full of shit
It is actually never over
You can be sure of that

Let’s get rid of those cowboys of CNN
The country that does not recognize
Complexity
Where thinking has been restricted
Make fun of those suckers
Let’s get rid of the cowboys, long live
The Indians!
Here the last of the Mohicans is speaking
And I request: “Clear my channel! Clear my channel!�
Megalomaniac one-cell idiots
Kiss my ass, yeah, kiss my balls

Let’s get rid of America! Let’s get rid of
the suckers of America
Let’s get rid of America! Let’s get rid of
the suckers of America

[Full Article.]

[This article appeared in De Standaard. More information on that news source can be found here .]

--Translated By Cedric Ryngaert

Go to Original Article (access limited to De Standaard subscribers).