In the middle of last week's murderous madness in New Zealand, eagle-eyed producer and rock historian Martin Lewis noticed the mosque shooter had chosen The Crazy World of Arthur Brown's 1968 British psychedelic classic "Fire" - which begins with the dramatic spoken declaration "I AM THE GOD OF HELLFIRE!!!" - as the apparent theme song of his Facebook live-streamed killing spree.
Martin Lewis contacted the now 77 year-old Brown who was in Austin for SXSW.
Arthur was horrified and had this to say:
“As co-writer and performer of the song ‘Fire’, and creator of ‘The God of Hellfire’ persona, I would like to express my horror and sadness in the use of ‘Fire’, in an act of terror in New Zealand. My heart goes out to all the victims and families of victims of this atrocity – and to all the communities affected. I should like to say that I support no group or individual that uses terrorist tactics and killing as a means of dealing with other beliefs than their own.
I believe that all religions reach for the same root in the human being. I believe all people of all colours and all races deserve equal respect. I also believe that all people have a duty of care towards each other and all creatures on this earth.”
Martin Lewis, who produced The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979) concert & film (feat Billy Connolly, members of Monty Python, Pete Townshend, and Tom Robinson) for Amnesty International, added:
“I think Arthur did remarkably well. He is a truly creative man. He defines that phrase ‘ahead-of-his-time’. He never reaped the full rewards of being a pioneer of that style of music. That success fell to other artists. But we must recall that it’s 50 years since he was at the center of the media vortex. To suddenly have your famous creation usurped and traduced into an anthem for a massacre by a vicious white supremacist was just paralyzing to Arthur. It took him time to process and respond. I give Arthur major props for navigating this crisis with such grace and dignity. His statement speaks volumes.
“Now we music fans have a role to play. There was a famous moment in 1987 when U2 covered ‘Helter Skelter’ and Bono introduced it by saying ‘This is a song Charles Manson stole from The Beatles. Well we’re stealing it back.’ For all those of us who admire Arthur Brown, the many artists he influenced and the power of Arthur’s song ‘Fire’ – it is up to us to steal ‘Fire’ back from white supremacists – and restore it to its place in the pantheon of great rock songs. Don’t let ‘Fire’ become an anthem of hate. I suggest that contemporary artists should perform the song live as a show of support. And fans should express their views too. Hashtag: #ReclaimFire”
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