i don't really remember exactly what i was thinking with this. i think it was a sort of a reaction to "western conservatism" as it may have come out in something like the reform party of canada, which is really a midwestern idea (these ideas aren't popular on the pacific coast). i seem to have been interpreting those ideas through some less than ideal stereotypes.
a trent reznor sample near the end of the track has been ejected.
i think i was also reacting against the initial lyrics of the song, which were a naive exploration of terrorism from a first-person perspective. as mentioned in the initial write-up, terrorism in the late 90s generally had more of a christian fundamentalist bent as interpreted through the like of the ira, the atlanta bomber or timothy mcveigh. i was sort of inverting that to a discussion of more mainstream midwestern christian fundamentalism.
ultimately, though, i'm not sure i'm making a lot of sense, in hindsight. if it made sense at the time, the logic has sort of lost itself on me.
musically, i like this track, a lot, though, and i've often wished i would have just left it instrumental. the drum programming is really thick, and the overlapping guitar parts are something that's always interested me.
meandering initial version here:
jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/terrorists
recorded in mar, 1998. edited on nov 13, 2013.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/schizoid-terrorist-original-1998-cd-mix
