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Z-Trip Joins Forces with Shepard Fairey for Party for Change Fundraisers

Last time 944 caught up with Z-Trip, he was playing at Sutra Lounge in Costa Mesa, Calif., and about to head out on a European tour. During dinner while tweaking his MacBook Pro pre-performance it was impossible to miss his Obama “PROGRESS” sticker on the front of his computer, even dominating the piggy-backed hard drive. Though scrambling on his computer to make sure the set was perfect for a rare Orange County performance, all he wanted to do was about talk politics and, more specifically, why he loved Obama.

We recently chatted with him again— four months later with Obama as the official democratic presidential nominee — to discuss his Party for Change events with Shepard Fairey and get insight into his political stance and beliefs.


944: What do you think drove the huge increase in first-time and youth voters during the 2008 Primaries?

Z-TRIP: Necessity. Everybody is tired of the way things are. Young people are tired, too. I think they also have a great memory of how things went down in the past two elections and they aren’t having it this time around. Also, some of them might have been too young to vote the last couple of times. I think they’ve seen what happens if people don’t rally. I would like to think this time around nobody is having it, we’ll see. It’s funny, though, I see more of a clash between age groups on this election than race, really. I mean race is definitely a factor, too. But it is a fact; unfortunately we still have a lot of racists in this country. Nothing is worse than old racists.

How do you think the 24-hour media cycle (Internet, blogs, YouTube) and candidates being constantly under the microscope has been in influencing this campaign?

I think it’s great. It allows people to be a little more involved, as well as giving them the ability to hold the candidates responsible if they fuck up. They can’t hide things like they used to. Everybody is watching. Take for example John McCain’s inability to remember how many homes he owns. That kind of thing turned on him before his people could bury it. It’s great. Obama’s Vice President announcement via text messaging — also great. John McCain said he can’t even send e-mail! We need a President who can send e-mail. I think that sort of thing is important, don’t you?

What issue do you think is most important for young voters during this campaign?

Too hard to call that one. There are so many. I would venture to say it’s somewhere between the economy and how much taxes the government will take versus how many jobs there are for young people to get. Young people want to get a leg up, move out on their own, become independent. You need a good economy to get a good job, a house, benefits, insurance, all that. We’ve pretty much shipped all of our entry-level jobs overseas. If you are young and don’t really have skills, you are kind of screwed. I remember most of my friends who didn’t have a skill developed yet got telemarketing or telephone service jobs. Those are mostly overseas now. If not that, they would go into construction. Well, since nobody is buying homes, they’ve stopped building as much. It goes on and on. If they want to go to college, costs are usually way out of control. If you are young, all of that is important. I think the war is a close second.

You have been a huge Obama supporter from the get-go. Why?

I feel he has the right ideas and good plans to back them up. He’s young, bright and has the winning attitude. He came from nothing and knows what it takes to build something and maintain it. He fights for the working class. He isn’t in denial of the situation we are in at home, as well as the rest of the world. He is in touch with where we need to go to save the environment. He is intelligent and speaks well when asked tough questions. I’ve found he isn’t as vague as most politicians are. He is basically the polar opposite of what this country has had for the past eight years. George Bush put us in such a fucked-up situation. It’s going to take all of us to fix what he has done to mess this country up. Obama reminds me of old America. When we were up against tough times, we rolled up our sleeves and got it on. He is the epitome of that attitude. He reminds me of JFK. Not to be cliché, but he gives me a sense of hope, really. John McCain will be more of the same. Shit, George Bush endorses McCain. Nobody wins if McCain wins; we all lose.

In your Party for Change fundraiser for Obama on August 1 at the Echoplex in Los Angeles, you did a special set. Tell us about it and your inspiration behind it.

I basically took all the speeches of his I could find and picked ‘em apart, grabbed stuff I thought would translate, found tunes that fit the message perfectly and started building the set. It’s pretty heady; some people might have a hard time following it if they are four beers in or have a short attention span. It’s way more of a think set than a party rocking set for sure. I’m doing it 3 more times before the election, so hopefully the message gets out to the people it needs to find and helps the cause.


What are some of the most important issues to you?

The war we are in … And wars we stand to get in with the wrong leadership, the environment, the housing crisis, how we are perceived in the world, taxes, people getting over the race issue in the U.S., social security, net neutrality, the economy, gas prices and health care… to name a few.


Anything else you’d like to add?

George Bush is the worst president we’ve ever (not) elected. He and his team have made it hard for all of us. Anyone who is endorsed by Bush isn’t to be trusted, sorry. People may try to debate against Obama, but I think they are just scared. He is the best man for the job. Vote Obama/Biden 08!

Catch Z-Trip’s next Party for Change Obama fundraiser with Shepard Fairey September 13 at Milk in San Francisco. Tickets are $20 with all proceeds going to Obama’s campaign. For more information, visit www.djztrip.com

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