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“Just existing here in a red state is an act of resistance.”
-The Grasshopper Lies Heavy’s James Woodard

Of all the artists we’ve invited to participate (and who have accepted to be) in The Bad Penny‘s ongoing series On Tyranny, probably no other musician has been more clear, direct and uncompromising than James Woodard, guitarist/vocalist for post-metal/doom/sludge chaos agents The Grasshopper Lies Heavy. The band from San Antonio, Texas, is now in its 20th year but is showing no signs of crying uncle, as a listen of their upcoming record, HEAVY, both purports to be and actually is.

Just as with the album, which will arrive Nov. 14 on Learning Curve Records, our conversation with Woodard about Authoritarian America isn’t for the faint of heart. But you know what else isn’t, sadly? What is happening in the country so many of us claim to be proud of. So, as the right likes to say, put your big-boy pants on and read the unvarnished truth, straight from the mouth of a metal madman who makes total sense.

What was your relationship with politics before Trump took office for the second time? Were you totally disconnected to the news, aware of the issues but not intent on following many of them, very politically active, etc.?

I was moderately interested in politics before the 2016 election. I was a Bernie bro and truly thought we were slowly getting on the right track, seeing the energy and attendance at the Sanders rallies. Once [Democratic Rep. Debbie] Wasserman Schultz and the [Democratic National Committee] robbed him of the nomination, I knew we were cooked. And it’s just been completely fucked ever since.

To what extent did politics and social issues play a role in your lyrics and music-making? Did that lessen, increase or remain the same when the election occurred?

Ever since I’ve been writing lyrics for Grasshopper songs, they’ve been political. As a band full of working-class people, it’s hard not to be. I think all good art is inherently political in one way or another.

How did you react when Trump won, and what were your initial feelings about his victory? Did Trump taking office change your level of involvement with politics and/or amount of news consumption? Did you immediately become concerned that his new regime might try to wage a war on free speech and how that might affect your creative process?

I mean, it was completely demoralizing, and it hit twice as badly in 2024 when it happened again. I had to get offline for a few days just to process [it]. I don’t fuck with any family members or ex-acquaintances that swing to the right, and honestly I don’t fuck with people that don’t vote either. 

To be clear, I consider myself a hardcore leftist, and though [former Vice President Kamala] Harris is at heart a centrist, I do steadfastly believe in harm-reduction voting, and that we would not be in this situation if the 41 percent of eligible Americans that chose not to vote in November 2024 held their nose and voted for the harm-reduction candidate. I get a lot of shit for that, but IDGAF. I’ll take centrist status quo bullshit over whatever the fuck this is any day. 

Have you given much thought to what it will be like to be an artist living under an authoritarian regime? Are you already preparing/capitulating in advance so as to avoid any potential interference or intrusion by federal authorities – even though philosopher/historian Timothy Snyder vehemently warns against doing so?

No, we don’t give a fuck. We’ve released shirts with [Texas Governor] Greg Abbott self-immolating with a jerry-can of gas LOL.

This music is my art, and in many ways is an expression of my discontent at this system we are cogs in. While not all of our lyrics are directly about politics or MAGA, most of the songs tie in to working-class struggles. Burnout. Being a cubicle robot. That sort of thing. 

Are you afraid to be an artist in America now? If so, have you ever had that feeling before? Are you nervous about touring the country, especially in red states?

I mean, we are Texans. When I go to work, my COO is MAGA as fuck. And he’s trying to offshore jobs and automate them away, which is one of the most un-American things you can do, in my opinion. I don’t get sick days at work. To me, that kind of shit is deeply unpatriotic and un-American. What is America without Americans? They say shit like “America First” but, like, what the fuck does that mean, when people can’t afford baby formula or a car to get to work? Workers’ rights being a left-versus-right thing is one of the biggest cons of the past 75 years.

Just existing here in a red state is an act of resistance. We can’t make that shit normal. That can’t be the standard. That is why art and music is so important right now. We don’t hide. 

Have you been the target of any harassment, doxxing, abuse or otherwise inappropriate criticism or attacks as a result of the work you’ve made as an artist?

No, I don’t think we are big enough to be on any doxxing radars or anything like that. After Charlie Kirk got murked, we got one message from a follower saying he was disappointed that I basically said “good fucking riddance” but it wasn’t threatening or particularly mean-spirited. I mean, he could have been trying to coax me into saying something that could have gotten me in trouble but I just leave that shit on read. I choose not to spend my energy on engaging with that shit. It’s pretty clear where we stand politically from the content of our music, and I was shocked to even get a message like that. Like, what do you think our music is about? LOL.

How are you preparing to survive as an artist and deal with whatever repressive efforts the Trump administration may try to extract on artists and people who volunteer or work for nonprofit organizations with which he doesn’t agree?

We’re going to do what we always do, try to write the sickest riffs, construct songs that challenge us that we think are cool, and release them into the world in hopes of people vibing with what we make. What we do is inherently anti-fascist, just like our heroes in Napalm Death and Bolt Thrower and all of these other amazing leftist bands have done for decades before us. The music comes first, and the message is inherent in the work.

Do you have hope that all this madness will be over in a little over three years? How do you think artists – and America – will survive this, presuming you think we actually will?

No, I think we are going to be dealing with the fallout of this new American fascism for the rest of my natural life. I think it’s going to get worse, and more violent. Just look at what our federal leadership says and does. There is no healing. And I personally don’t think we will have free and fair elections for quite a while, unless Americans can get off their asses and vote en masse and truly put these motherfuckers where they belong: the dumpster of American history.

Check out The Bad Penny‘s ongoing On Tyranny series, which we launched in the spring, here. Recent installments include interviews with Deaf Club, Cosmic Reaper, MyVeronica, the Gunshy, Planet on a Chain, Necrofier, Cheap Perfume, Bobby Conn, Truculent and many more.

Photo credit: Oscar Moreno

This entry was posted on 10/21/2025 at 9:00 am and is filed under Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags authoritarianism, fascism, On Tyranny, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, tyranny. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.