Voices from the Edge: The Radical Truths of Hank Van Vice — On Consumerism and the Death of Authenticity

Interviewer: Cassie Norton, Indie Pulse Magazine

Cassie: Hank, you’ve been pretty vocal about your disdain for consumerism and the way it’s shaped modern culture. Can you talk a bit about what you see happening in America right now?

Hank Van Vice: [Grinning, leans back in his chair] Ah, consumerism—the great American religion. We’ve replaced our gods with brands, our churches with shopping malls. It’s all about buying more, owning more, until you’re buried under a mountain of stuff you don’t even need, man. But here’s the thing—they’ve tricked us into thinking that’s where we find our identity, our value. You’re not a person anymore; you’re a consumer.

We’ve got kids out there who know more about sneaker releases than they do about their own history. That’s the death of authenticity right there. We’re trading our souls for stuff, and the kicker is, it’s all junk. Empty promises wrapped in shiny packaging. The real tragedy is, we’re so deep in it, we don’t even see it happening. We’re all sleepwalking through life, hypnotized by the glow of screens, the lure of the next big thing.

But, y’know, it’s not just about buying. It’s about the lies they’re selling us, about what we need to be happy, to be whole. We’re born whole, man. We don’t need any of this crap. But they’ve got us hooked, and the only way to break free is to wake up. That’s what we’re trying to do with our music—shake people out of their stupor, remind them that there’s more to life than what you can buy. It’s about connection, about experience, about truth. That’s what they’re scared of—people waking up to the truth.