The Bad Penny (beta)

As if any of us needed any more convincing that Authoritarian America is increasingly resembling Russia, thanks in part to Donald Trump modeling himself after his hero Vladimir Putin, this latest installment of The Bad Penny‘s ongoing series On Tyranny will demonstrate how chillingly similar life in the two countries has become. And for this we have a musician named n0 trixx to thank: The Russian artist is unwavering in her conviction that those who call themselves artists must be uncompromising, courageous beyond dispute and speaking truth to power.

At a time when more American musicians are finally speaking out about the full-scale assault on democracy that Trump and his band of sycophants and sociopaths effectively began launching a decade ago, artists in the U.S. still have much, much more to learn. If there’s an upshot to the pillorying of musicians here, it’s that they have learned, are learning or soon will learn that making art is not simply an exercise in entertainment: It’s a critical activity that ensures the circulatory system of democracy is in good shape.

Such is not the case at the present time in this nation. Astoundingly, far too many artists and musicians continue to engage in what historian Timothy Snyder refers to as “obeying in advance”: Censoring one’s self, whether consciously or not. On the one hand, artists have legitimate reasons to fear for their safety if they decide to speak out during these dark times when ICE agents murder dissenting U.S. citizens in broad daylight on the streets. But on the flip side, many artists are still choosing to remain silent and acquiesce because they worry about losing followers on their social media accounts or suffering financially and thus losing their viability in the commercial marketplace.

We so much to learn about speaking truth to power and finally putting to bed the sickening phrase “I don’t do politics” that artists utter without realizing how such sentiments blaspheme their supposed artistic calling. For that reason, The Bad Penny got goosebumps when we crossed paths with n0 trixx, someone who refuses to waver the slightest bit in the face of threats to her art.

On her website, n0 trixx describes herself as “an alternative metal artist and producer who lives with dissociative identity disorder. After years of living a peaceful life, a new identity has emerged from the void and now a constant battle is being waged inside of her psyche.”

Part of that identity crisis can be attributed to the artist’s remarkable story that could not be more relevant for The Bad Penny‘s ongoing On Tyranny series. The proof is in the above video interview, which is twice as long as most conversations we’ve presented to you thus far. If n0 trixx’s recounting of her background, passion for her art and conviction in her beliefs doesn’t move you, it might be time to consider whether you have a soul.

For more on n0 trixx, visit her website and check her out on Spotify, Patreon, Instagram and YouTube. (Rule of thumb: Her handle is @n0trixx on all her social accounts.)

Check out more installments of The Bad Penny‘s On Tyranny series here.

This entry was posted on 04/06/2026 at 7:51 pm and is filed under Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags authoritarianism, dictatorship, fascism, n0 trixx, Putin, trump, 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.