"A Song for Bob" by Pastor Bob & The American Taliban (MUSIC VIDEO Interview)

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Today we have a super special featured publication on CD-ROM Rabbit Hole. This is our first ever sole interview, but even more thrilling, this is an EXCLUSIVE release of a never-before-seen music video! Before jumping into the interview, I want to give a huge thank you to Brian Bartels of Pastor Bob & The American Taliban for considering and putting his trust in me to do this release justice. I would also thoroughly advise all of you to view the music video above before continuing on to read the interview. Some brief context: back in November 2024, I did an inter-review with Brian to discuss the release of "A Song for Bob". Now, a few months later, we have the finished, completely uncensored release of that song's music video (editing by yours truly). This is (as of right now, and for the infinitely foreseeable future) the ONLY site to view this video on; and in our talk, Brian will discuss more about that. Without further ado, thank you all for watching, listening, and reading!

Interview

Brian, thank you for giving me the opportunity to host your uncensored music video for “A Song for Bob”; I am so excited for everyone to watch it. I think it's an incredibly funny video and a catchy as hell song.   

Brian: No, it’s really a pleasure! I'm honored to debut the video on CD-ROM Rabbit Hole, and as always, I appreciate the kind words.

Can you tell me what went into your decision to release this video with CD-ROM Rabbit Hole?  What other routes had you considered, what were the reasons behind this decision? 

Brian: You know, I’ve really had to get creative when it comes to any kind of promo efforts given the type of content that I make. I’ve had my fair share social media accounts deleted over content violations and I still can't run ads on my current account for reasons I don't fully understand. I don't want to keep losing progress and miss reaching potential fans by having my accounts shut down and restricted just because Donald Trump is getting dick-whipped in my music video or whatever. 

So yeah, after a number of failed video release plans, I finally landed on releasing an “algorithm friendly edition” to promote on popular social media sites while hosting the original cut somewhere I know it's not going to be penalized. aLEC bRIDGES is to thank for the funniest G-rated cut imaginable and that'll be coming out real soon. The goal behind it was to really lean into the absurdity of playing by the rules outlined by YouTube, Meta, and X—hopefully encouraging viewers to check out the uncensored version of the music video on a site dedicated to D.I.Y. music, hosted by someone with more passion for art than Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk have. 

CD-ROM Rabbit Hole has quickly become one of my favorite outlets to learn about new music because of the time and care you put into making your content interesting and authentic. When I started looking for less conventional outlets to debut the music video, I reached out knowing that your involvement would be motivated by something more meaningful than addicting users to an interface by promoting sanitized content meant to appeal to the broadest audience possible. Posting the video here feels more in line with my message and is more likely to reach the right audience. 

How did you come up with the concept for this video?  How much of it was storyboarded/scripted and how much of it was spur of the moment improvised? 

Brian: “A Song for Bob” is an anthem about telling Bob to go fuck himself and I wanted to create a music video true to that message. Fans of my project know that “Bob” is someone we’ve all met before. He's the guy who thinks that his religion should dictate the way you live. He's the guy who thinks “transgenderism” is a bigger threat than fascism. He's the guy who’s too ignorant to understand his own hypocrisy and makes it everyone else's problem to deal with.

Ultimately, I wanted to create a video that Bob would not only disapprove of, but also fail to understand. I wanted to light a Bible on fire—not only because I know it’d piss him off, but also because I know he's too dense to realize that whole wedding scene is satirizing his absurd victim mentality—you know, where same-sex marriage is somehow a personal attack—by showing him what it would look like if it actually were. Then, I wanted to portray Donald Trump as Joe Biden’s sex puppet—not only because Bob would hate it, but also because he’s too caught up in calling Nancy Pelosi a communist to figure out that the democrats are far more eager to get in bed with the wealthy than they'll ever be to stand with the working class. 

Simply put, each scene in the music video was carefully planned to tell Bob, “Fuck you, but you're also stupid.” I think everyone had a good time playing into the ideas we laid out for them by going off of general concepts and a box of props, then putting their own twist on it. 

When did you begin filming?  How long did it take?  Where did you film this video and how did you secure the location(s)?  

Brian: Finding a location was actually pretty difficult because my budget was dirt cheap and most venues were instantly turned off when I’d start describing the scenes I needed to shoot. I'd be like, “Oh, and is there anywhere in your space where I could set a Bible on fire without violating any safety codes?” and then I’d never hear back—which I'm not implying is particularly unfair, to be clear. I'm just trying to say that we didn't have venues lining up to let me film Trump x Biden BDSM at their place of business in exchange for pocket change and a shoutout. 

In March, I reached out to a local house venue called OLD FOLX HOME and finally got the kind of response I was looking for. The owner, Ray, is super active in the scene and loved the concept. Just a few weeks later, we were filming in their basement. 

All and all, the whole shoot probably took 7 hours or so, not including the shots we filmed of Jesus in my garage on a separate date. God’s Computer performed a full set while we filmed the wedding in Ray’s backyard. The Blast Monkeys were on the flyer too but weren't able to perform due to unforeseen circumstances. I owe them a big shoutout for helping with promotion and coming out to support before having to dash. The energy was solid and I was really happy with the turnout for having had only 12 days to promote. 

OLD FOLX HOME was unfortunately shut down only a few weeks after the shoot and that was a huge blow. That said, I'm really grateful to have gotten to share in the experience while I could and play a role in preserving its legacy—which I see as an extension of Leigh Ann Little’s dedication to local arts and culture before having tragically passed earlier last year. Ray and I have played a handful of shows together since then and we've got even more lined up for 2025. Big shout out to Screen Door Submarine, Based on Confusion, Lazy World, Hockey Smile, Lucky Dragon No. 5, Missile Kids, and God’s Computer for keeping the memory alive every time we share a bill.

How did you go about casting everyone?  Who was in charge of the cinematography?  Would you like to use this space to shoutout all the people involved in making this video possible? 

Brian: Yeah, so the first person I reached out to was Lovesick Ethan, who has this real unique camera style and had shot pretty much every D.I.Y. show I'd been to since moving to KC. We had worked together before and teamed up to brainstorm some initial concepts for a music video. Ethan led the charge on cinematography with Blanet Productions, who I had the pleasure of meeting at the video shoot, and Amanda Payton volunteered their lighting skills to help tie it all together. Some of the homies at Extreme Entertainment volunteered their lighting skills to help tie it all together. The result was a really passionate film crew who, from the very beginning, resonated with my vision and the message behind it.

A lot of the casting was done through my mailing list. Anyone who wants to connect or collaborate in some way—I'll add them to my mailing list and note whatever it is they expressed interest in, whether that's keeping up with my new releases or playing a direct role in future releases. I reached out to some of the people who wanted to get more involved and sent an RSVP form where they could tell me about themselves and how they wanted to contribute. I’d be sifting through the replies and think, “Oh hey, Adia can roller skate. Daryl does burlesque and is a trained martial artist. Stickers is willing to shave their head on camera. I have a lot to work with here.” 

As you might've already mentioned in the video credits, I have you [Sean, CD-ROM Rabbithole] to thank for editing the video into the beautiful masterpiece it is and  aLEC bRIDGES for cooking up the censored cut. Big shout out to Casey Babb for whipping up the dopest collage art you've ever laid your eyes on for the release and another big shout out to Dead String Audio for mixing and mastering not only the song itself, but for putting in the work to master an additional “algorithm friendly edition” to give the FCC the biggest raging hard-on imaginable. 

Shout out to each of the people who offered their passion, talent, and energy to create something completely unique—Adia, Alec, Alexis, Amanda, Blade, Blane, Casey, Charles, Chris, Cody, Daryl, Emma, Erin, Ethan, Franklin, Fin, Grant, Jade, Kiva, Kyle, Leo, Leonidus, Liam, Liz, Raymond, Scott, Sean, Shannon, Stickers, Thomas, Tyler, Zack, and Zane.

Do you have any behind the scenes stories?  

Brian: You know, I needed a table to do the communion shots and snort Saltines off of, but I didn't wanna blow $60 on a folding table. So, I asked the homies at Food Not Bombs and they let me borrow one of theirs. Midway through the shoot, I had to run outside to greet someone and when I came back in, Joe Biden was beating the absolute, ever-living shit out of Donald Trump’s ass with a rubber cock and had him pinned down to the table so hard it caved in. So, the next day, I bought a brand new table for Food Not Bombs and cut my losses on the $60. 

For clarity, we went to great lengths at the video shoot to ensure everyone provided clear consent for each specific direction and worked to cultivate a pressure-free environment in the process. Anyone who took an ass beating was fully on board with it, I can assure you.

In your eyes, what was the worst part of this video?  From writing to filming to editing to releasing and everything in between, what was the most difficult aspect? Are you happy with how it turned out?  Is there anything you would change about it?  How was your experience overall?  

Brian: The worst part is by far my crippling O.C.D. which is a real drag for anyone who’s got it but especially clashes with my love for punk rock of all genres. Punk rock is supposed to be messy and raw and folk punk you could argue is possibly even more so defined by those qualities. The duality of wanting perfection but also wanting grit and character is a bit of a Hell-ish contradiction to work with. 

I’m very happy with the final product of both the song and the music video. Each really captures the sense of community and acceptance I'm trying to build with this project. That said, it's very hard for me to listen to my own music or watch my own videos or performances without finding something wrong with it. It's easier for me at this point to avoid engaging with my own material when I start to overthink it. So, as a fan, I’m currently boycotting my own project until I no longer feel as if I'm in a constant state of psychosis. 

I certainly hope everyone reading this has watched the video already, and hopefully has (or will) read our original inter-review of “A Song for Bob”, but for anyone who might be out of the loop, what Is this song about?  Who would enjoy it?  

Brian: The song is for Bob. Everyone will enjoy this song except for Bob. 

Who are your favorite and least favorite presidents?  Would you be willing to announce your campaign slogan for 2028?  How is your relationship with your mother?  When eating Scooby Doo Fruit Snacks, which character do You eat first?  Would Jesus Christ approve of your music video?  

Brian:

1. None, all.

2. “Mandatory third trimester abortions for all jaywalkers 2028”

3. We’re solid. Tik Tok turned my mom into a communist and she won't eat animals now.

4. Daphne’s ass first.

5. If Jesus is real, I quite frankly think he’d adore me and my music video. 

Is my website going to be put on a federal watchlist (negatively)? 

Brian: Anyone who’s known me since the riot incident is already on one. I once had a federal agent ask me if “Folk Punk Shitposting II: The Reckoning” was a gang. If you're looking to lay low, delete my number and get a real job. I'm a poser now anyways. Wishing you all the best. 

Once again, thank you so much for hanging out and answering some questions for me. You are always welcome at CD-ROM and I look forward to everything you have planned for the future, we'll talk again soon. 

Brian: Thanks for having me, and I’m looking forward to it!

Thank you so much for making it this far, I hope you all enjoyed Brian's video, song, and interview. I am always so happy to feature him and his music and he is always more than welcome on my site. Be on the lookout for the CENSORED version of this video, coming very soon (it is absolutely hysterical). As always, you can find all of Pastor Bob & The American Taliban's links HERE ( https://linktr.ee/slcfolk ) and MAKE SURE you read our previous inter-review HERE!

UPDATE FROM 1/17/2025:

You can now watch the "Algorithm-Friendly" cut of the music video for "A Song for Bob" on YouTube! Click HERE to watch!