Chris Korda disappointed in the Netherlands

posted on: 19-07-2002 10:31:00

Henk Willem Smits

American house musician and suicide consultant Chris Korda was scheduled to perform at the Lowlands festival on August 25, but the organization removed him from the program this week...

Korda reacted with surprise and disappointment to the cancellation: "I never expected that this would happen to me in the Netherlands. But I had also heard that the Netherlands is no longer as liberal as it used to be."

Lowlands removed Korda when it discovered on Tuesday via this newspaper that he is a pastor of the Church of Euthanasia, which incites suicide, and because of the video clip he shows during his performances. It contains images of the WTC attack of 9/11 mixed with hard porn. Director Erik van Eerdenburg of Lowlands thinks Korda is "a sick pervert".

Korda finds it strange that the organizers of Lowlands know nothing about the artists they book. Lowlands was offered to Korda in a package of three house musicians. "I often play at large, commercial festivals, recently at Sonar in Barcelona. Those programmers knew all about the Church of Euthanasia. Lowlands is apparently more of a family outing, and not the right festival for me."

Declaration

Korda has issued a statement in response to the cancellation of Lowlands. It states, among other things, that 'when antisocial ideas are just fashionable poses and marketed as youth culture, there is no threat to the companies that sponsor the festival. But when that fake rebellion is replaced by extreme art with a serious message, the corporate world immediately steps in to protect itself'.

About his video clip he writes: 'the video is a self-examination, showing to what extent I have been perverted by the voyeurism inherent in the mass media. It takes a lot of courage to face that ugliness in myself; I should get a medal for it'.

The preceding is a translation. The original language is here.