Snow White Trash (Trump’s Americans) is the new single by Rock aficionados Less Love. An anti-racism track that recalls days of rock’s glorious past, the song goes against everything acceptable in today’s proper society. Despite that, surprisingly, people don’t seem to mind.
Less Love’s never laconic frontman Sky Mac is always without a loss for words. His demeanor is a fair balance of polite impudence. He tells me, “when we were writing the song Snow White Trash we wanted to say ‘with all due respect you are an idiot.'”
Considering the craziness of 2020 it should be no surprise that such an angry song has struck a chord with so many people. Internet radio is playing the explicit version of the song. Los Angeles Music Video Awards has even nominated the explicit version for a Best Rock Video 2020 award. With the radio edit of Snow White Trash set to be released this month, now seemed like a good time to interview Mr. Mac.
The first thing I want to discuss is your radio edit. The new lines seem almost comical.
Sky: With the radio edit there was no easy way to approach it. The message was going to be lost with any decision.
If we bleeped the words out then the whole second verse would be just instruments. We could replace the lines with less offensive words that have the same meaning but that wouldn’t get played on the radio either. We decided to just use the most ridiculous substitute words that came to mind.
What kind of response have you received?
Sky: Very few people pay attention to what I am saying in the radio edit. People familiar with the original version seem to give an effort to understand the words of the new version. People hearing it for the first time just dig the music.
The song is already being played on the radio in Mexico and Central America. There is also a station in Russia that will start playing it soon. The actual promotion doesn’t begin until the end of August.
You have stated that rock is dead. There are lots of bands like yourself playing Rock music. Doesn’t that prove you wrong?
Sky: Short answer: yes. That does prove me wrong. I often speak in absolutes.
There are no real rock bands being promoted by major labels, but people want rock music. Society’s hunger for real rock music is why rock bands that formed 20 years ago can still sell-out arenas. Basic supply and demand, why do labels not promote what people want? The answer is because one person is easier to control than a band of 3 or more musicians. Hip-hop and Top 40 allows labels to “manage” one diva at a time.
Blink 182 is a great example. They once went 11 years between albums because three guys could not put their egos aside long enough to focus on one project. Then they came back 11 years later and wondered why the label lost interest in rock music. They were in Rolling Stone crying that their label no longer had a radio promoter for the rock genre. That made me laugh.
The new bands that the major labels are pandering as rock music is still just one person. Labels now only sign the frontman to a contract. The other members are treated like hired guns. In most cases they are literally hired guns introduced to the singer by the label.
Also worth mentioning all the Christian rock bands quit performing exclusively Christian rock because they wanted secular success. So now a lot of the watered-down versions of Rock we hear is because of that.
All of this goes against the spirit of rock n roll. Maybe rock isn’t dead but the pulse is weak.
Ok, but the way you describe a rock band being just the singer and hired guns, doesn’t that sound a lot like where Less Love has found itself?
Sky: I hadn’t considered that.
You are, after all, the only member of the band now, right?
Sky: Yes and no. I can see where you would make that comparison. I guess the difference is on a major label the singer gets all the glory and on an indie label, the singer pays all the bills.
Your song Snow White Trash (Trump’s Americans) seems designed to anger everybody. Has that worked?
Sky: I am not completely sure I understand the question.
You sing racial slurs that will likely upset minorities, and at the same time, you call all Trump supporters racist. Have you received backlash from the song?
Sky: The song is about one fictional character that happens to be a Trump supporter. I am not saying all Trump supporters are like that character. Maybe some of them don’t own a fast car. I am definitely saying that if you support Trump you support racism. He is allowed to verbally attack immigrants and all the other terrible things he does because of each individual supporter.
Regarding the other side of that coin, I have had members of minority groups start conversations with me about the song. So far they all get the point. None have been angry. I know eventually, I will be confronted with some that don’t understand. I am ready for those conversations.
The only anger I have received has been from Trump supporters that were upset that the song says they are all white trash. Not one of them has yet to complain that I called them racists. I think that is pretty revealing.
They may not all be white but they are all trash.
That’s funny. Aren’t you afraid that by angring groups you will be closing doors to opportunity?
Sky: Short answer: no. I’ve got to be me. I’ve got to be free.
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