How We Raised $2000 for Scott DeMuth and Carrie Feldman

CrimethInc.
Wed, 15 Sep 2010

It is with great rejoicing that we announce our latest triumph, the successful
development of an effective new means of fundraising to support targets of state
repression.
All you need to try this yourself is 1) a person or cause that deserves fundraising
support, 2) another person who cares about that person or cause, and 3) a bunch of
people who want to play a practical joke on the caring person.
In our case, the targets of state repression are Scott DeMuth and Carrie Feldman,
two young anarchists the FBI is struggling to tie to an Animal Liberation Front
action that occurred at the University of Iowa in 2004 when the two were barely in
high school. Scott is charged with conspiracy to violate the Animal Enterprise
Terrorism Act; he goes to trial September 13. After serving four months in prison
for refusing to speak to a grand jury, Carrie has been subpoenaed again, this time
to testify at Scott’s trial. The two face tremendous legal expenses and are in dire
need of support.
Last November, we were fruitlessly trying to brainstorm new ways to raise funds for
Scott and Carrie. At the same time, we were teasing our friend Steve for hating folk
punk, an obscure musical genre. Have you ever had a friend who loved to hate things
and be miserable in a way that was positively adorable? Steve is that kind of
person, as hundreds of admirers can attest. Somebody had spread a rumor that Steve
was in a folk punk band, Steve was incensed, it was hysterical—and suddenly we had a
brilliant money-making scheme.
We knew that Steve would never stand in the way of a benefit for Scott and Carrie no
matter how personally humiliating it was. So we sent out a top secret email
soliciting pledges to their legal fund on the condition that Steve record a folk
punk album. We hoped to reach $1000 worth of pledges, but within a week we had more
than $2000—everybody wanted in on this prank! We broke the news at the last show of
a From the Depths tour: picture a wild crowd waving fistfulls of dollar bills,
holding signs reading “Don’t let us down!” and chanting “STEVE! STEVE!” A
dumbfounded Steve was ceremoniously presented with a banjo and eventually stuttered
that the album would be recorded, to the glee of all.
Performing under the nom de shame “Spook Rat,” Steve has now completed the
recording. Hearing Steve’s anguished voice belting out these tuneless anthems warms
our wicked hearts—Steve is a highly trained musician and a perfectionist who never
dared sing a note until now. And the album does not disappoint: it’s at least as
funny as the prank itself! Borrowing from Umlaut, plagiarizing Manowar, and covering
Kool Keith, Spook Rat mercilessly satirizes folk punk, anarchist subculture, and
everything else within reach. “Drunk Dialing Legal Support” and “You Say Oogle like
It’s a Bad Thing” are destined to become timeless classics, while “Deth 2 Folk Punk”
is more introspective, capturing Steve’s meditations on life’s inescapable
tragedies.
So, to Steve’s eternal misery and mortification, we present “The Shape of Bagels to
Come,” Spook Rat’s magnum opus:
Spook Rat: “The Shape of Bagels to Come” 10-track album, complete with PDF liner
notes [30 MB].
To quote the insert, “SHAME on anyone who listens to this without donating their
life savings to prisoners!” Click here to make a donation to Scott and Carrie’s
support campaign via Paypal.
The beauty of this tactic is that it can draw money from outside politicized
circles; we raised money from people who would not otherwise have donated a cent to
Scott or Carrie. Traditional fundraising tactics usually require political
sympathies on the part of those at whom the appeal is directed. This one requires
only two people who give a damn about anything: the organizer of the prank and the
victim. We call on all anarchists who find our story entertaining to commence
testing this method out in their own social groups immediately.
When we say that we are prepared to go to any length to support our prisoners and
overthrow capitalism, we don’t just mean we’re willing to break things or go to jail
or get killed. We also mean we’re ready to invent brand new tactics and even have
fun if that’s what it takes—we mean that nothing is sacred, including our friends
and our pious notions about anarchist organizing. When it comes to maintaining
long-term defendant and prisoner support, a little fun might not hurt.
-
The unfortunate Steve attending a Renaissance-themed wedding
The Original Top Secret Fundraising Plea
Famed bassist of From the Depths and Requiem and guitarist of Network of Terror,
Steve is an amazing musician and can play almost every instrument there is.
For some reason, Steve hates folk punk. It drives Steve crazy! Steve is a funny
person who loves to hate things. Sometimes we speculate that Steve loves the same
things Steve hates, because it makes Steve so happy not to like things.
But Steve cares a lot about Scott DeMuth and Carrie Feldman, the two young people
alleged by the FBI to have something to do with an Animal Liberation Front action in
Iowa in 2004. Scott and Carrie languish in jail, even though the event in question
happened when they were barely in high school.
We have a crazy idea. We’re soliciting pledges for people to promise to donate a
certain amount of money to the support fund for Scott and Carrie, on the condition
that Steve records a folk punk album. When we’ve got $1000 pledged, we’ll break the
news to Steve, who will have no choice except to record the album. We’ve already
raised hundreds of dollars—we’re close and just need a little help!
If you like folk punk
Steve is a great musician and is bound to record an album that will shoot to the top
of the folk punk charts, knocking Ryan Harvey out of #1.
If you don’t like folk punk
Life gives you lemons, make lemonade! Even folk punk can serve a purpose when it
comes to offering legal support to political prisoners—and playing practical jokes
on our friends.
If you like Steve
Show you care by helping out Steve’s friends, and playing this teasing trick!
If you don’t like Steve
This prank will mortify Steve! Just imagine Steve’s reaction when Steve finds out
that Steve has to record a folk punk album or deny friends $1000+ of funds they
desperately need.
If you like defending targets of state repression
This is an opportunity to break exciting new ground in prisoner support! If pranks
like this can be tied to prisoner support projects, it will open up broad new
horizons for fundraising and spreading awareness. This isn’t just about Scott and
Carrie—it’s about the future of prisoner support!
If you don’t care about defending targets of state repression
Then fuck off!
To participate, just email rollingthunder@crimethinc.com and tell how much you can
pledge. We’ll contact you when we’ve reached $1000 and can break the news to Steve.
Everyone is invited to the surprise party at which we will make the announcement.
Feel free to forward this email to others you trust. Thanks so much, everyone!
Testimonials
“Thank you all so much! We are so thrilled and honored that Steve is doing this for
Carrie and Scott. It’s a huge help. And we can’t wait to hear the album!”
-Support Committee for Carrie Feldman
“This is a significant contribution to Scott’s struggle for justice, and for justice
for all peoples.”
-Family and Friends of Scott DeMuth [apocryphal]
“I hate folk too, but I like making people suffer, especially my friends!”
-Bryan Funck of Thou
“This is the best idea ever. No really, EVARRRR.”
-Anonymous supporter