The Bad Penny (beta)

“We were brought up in a loving home that encouraged peace and equality. The more we educated ourselves on those values the more we realized that we were being indoctrinated to believe that Israel is the sole protagonist in this conflict and that any other opinion is a betrayal.”
-The Crotches

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As regular or even semi-regular browsers of The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series may have noticed, we tend to shy away from presenting interviews with participating artists in text form. That’s principally due to the sensitive nature of the series’ overarching theme – how fascism and authoritarianism directly damage musicians and other artists both professionally and personally. Typically, we opt for video, as that artistic medium captures the seriousness and emotional intensity of the subject more powerfully than written accounts.

Enter The Crotches. Germinated and anchored by three brothers, the Tel Aviv garage-punk band departed from their home country roughly two years ago and settled in Las Vegas.

The punk squad – who were conscripted to serve in Israel’s military – made the tough decision to leave in large part because of immoral actions taken by the Israeli government, which is controlled by war criminal and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, along with his Likud Party. Additionally, the musicians are anti-Zionist.

What follows is the entirety of The Bad Penny‘s conversation with Crotches frontman/vocalist Alonzo and guitarist Amitkes, who answered our questions in tandem – and with a truly admirable degree of transparency and courage.

How would you describe your political (and social) beliefs? Would you consider yourselves to be human rights advocates, anti-imperialists and/or anti-capitalists?

We consider ourselves humanists and overall lovers, and therefore we resist systems which are exploitative and violent. We also believe that the vast majority of people are well-intentioned and have a higher lust for life (to quote one Iggy Pop), rather than a lust for death. That gives us hope and motivation to keep making art that will challenge these systems.

When we go about writing a song, we prefer to point our criticism inwards to the issues close to home. Unfortunately our homeland of Israel is very much based on colonialist practices and capitalism, which inevitably bring about corruption, oppression and social ills such as racism, supremacy, misogyny, homophobia and more. To answer your question we are anti all of that.

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“We generally believe that everything is political, and even when we write a simple love song, we consider it a form of resistance.”
-The Crotches

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What helped shape those beliefs you hold, and what instigated your dedication to opposing the Israeli government?

The journey to true awareness is long and an ongoing (perhaps never-ending) process, especially when you grow up in a place like Israel and you are exposed to a lot of propaganda and indoctrination that the local education system is based on. To escape that, we had to seek out knowledge elsewhere and unchain our minds from the narrative that was rooted in our environment.

What made the difference and instigated our doubt in the Zionist narrative is that we were brought up in a loving home that encouraged peace and equality. The more we educated ourselves on those values, the more we realized that we were being indoctrinated to believe that Israel is the sole protagonist in this conflict and that any other opinion is a betrayal.

Immersing ourselves in art, studying theater and film, reading books and exercising music and poetry as a form of expression were all crucial in shaping our beliefs. For that reason, we choose to never betray “the artist’s duty,” as Nina Simone once put it.

Regarding Netanyahu, he represents the lowest point of Israeli decay. We’ve been opposing him for decades. But it’s important to note that the toxic ideas that are rooted deep in the Israeli ethos are the fertile ground on which a populist leader can thrive. So we first and foremost oppose these ideas.

How hard was it to make the decision to leave your homeland?

Leaving the place you grew up in is never easy, and as we mentioned before, our decision to leave was the result of a process of awakening. For years we believed that we were most needed in Tel-Aviv [port] Jaffa and were committed to write our songs in Hebrew out of a belief that we need to challenge the norm in the language of the people who are living it.

Leaving this cause behind was hard, even though we know that our message is universal, important and valid anywhere.

Furthermore, being a very active band for over a decade, we gathered a loyal audience whom we love and adore back. It took us almost 15 years to break out of that somewhat golden cage and make our way to a new, uncharted territory to start from scratch. Last but not least, the hardest part of leaving was (and still is) parting ways with our family and friends.

What difficulties/pushback did you face after you settled on the decision to leave Israel?

Many people living in our surroundings were very supportive of this move actually, because most (if not all) of our friends hold the same views as us and feel the same disgust toward the occupation and the Zionist agenda that perpetrates it. Having said that, we know that beyond our immediate surroundings, leaving Israel has a very negative connotation. In more conformist or conservative sects of Israeli society, we are most probably considered weak and treacherous.

What are the penalties Israelis face if they refuse to be conscripted, and did you suffer any of those consequences?

All secular Israeli men must serve a mandatory three years in the army [starting] at age 18. Women must serve two years. The penalty for refusal is usually incarceration, and since it is also a matter of taboo, refusers usually also suffer a certain social banishment. It is harder to find a “grown-up job,” for example, if you refused the mandatory service.

Twenty years ago, when Amitkes refused to enlist, he had to spend some time in military jail. He was released when he was offered a delay of his service and a non-combat role, and accepted it. It must be said that these penalties are reserved only for the secular parts of Israeli society. Hasidic Jews, for example, don’t have to serve at all. Their “job” is to pray for Israel. After three years of service, you become part of the military reserve. We strictly refused.

We were older, wiser and have been exposed to the sheer ugliness of the occupation and of militarism. Luckily we didn’t suffer any penalties for that; we got lucky and found our way out, probably because we made it very clear that we have no intention to wear that fucking uniform ever again or hold a gun or follow anyone’s orders.

Compare and contrast living under Netanyahu’s regime with living under Trump’s regime.

Both leaders are part of the same corrupt global leadership that has swept the world in recent decades. They share many similarities. They have slightly different styles, but their intentions and methods are the same. They aren’t affiliated with any real ideology, and that sets them free to concentrate on their main goals, which are to remain in power and enrich themselves.

Planting fear in the hearts of their base and creating division throughout their nations are their main tools. Neither of them came up with this; they are basically copying the rhetoric of populist leaders from the not-so-far-away past.

The major difference between then and now is that communication technologies have advanced (a lot) and, in [Netanyahu’s and Trump’s] hands, are much more sophisticated and efficient. Tools such as social media, bots and AI algorithms make their jobs a lot easier and ensure overwhelming results.

As for living under [Trump’s and Netanyahu’s] rule, the feeling that you are being manipulated and toyed with for their political gain is very similar – yet living in the U.S. feels less oppressive on a daily basis. In Israel, there is a constant edginess, because at any moment another round of war could break out. When it does, everyone’s life literally stops, and the danger is real. Obviously these feelings are majorly amplified when you are born on the Palestinian side. The burden of oppression is way heavier and the danger is far, far more imminent.

How has the rise of authoritarianism affected your artistic endeavors, emotional selves and personal lives?

It has certainly added a sense of urgency to what we do, be that music or protests or activism. And even though we never shut up, this rise of authoritarianism has inevitably made us a bit more vigilant. Israelis in general and Israeli artists especially were always encouraged and expected to be silent about their criticism of the Israeli agenda. But now it is the case more than ever. People are afraid to speak their mind, and that is very sad and dangerous. (Note: For their own part, the Crotches attest that they are not afraid for their lives.)

To what extent do your political and social beliefs factor into your artistic process, lyrics, music, etc.?

We generally believe that everything is political, and even when we write a simple love song, we consider it a form of resistance. So far, we’ve released two albums and many more singles that were aimed at the Israeli audience. Therefore, they were in Hebrew and mostly held a clear political message. Our upcoming album will be in English and slightly more subtle politically.

Do you have hope for the future, and if so, from where do you derive it?

To go back to your first question, we are lovers and believers in humanity. This is the source of our hope and optimism. When we travel, we meet lots of amazing people that share our state of mind, and this makes being hopeful much easier. In difficult moments, when it’s harder to maintain this belief in love and life, we do it out of pure decision – reminding ourselves that this is a choice we made and plan to stick to it and showcase it. Forever.

For more on The Crotches, go to their Instagram account and their Bandcamp profile.

Visit The Bad Penny’s On Tyranny hub to read more than 100 other interviews we conducted with musicians from around the world about the threats fascist and authoritarian regimes pose to artists.

This entry was posted on 03/07/2026 at 2:58 pm and is filed under Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags authoritarianism, Benjamin Netanyahu, fascism, genocide, Israel, On Tyranny, Palestine, The Crotches, tyranny, Zionism. 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.