Thoughts Words Action review 'Unscripted Moments: Conversations with Propagandhi'
- david1170
- Jul 30
- 4 min read
Djordje at Thoughts Words Action has something to say about the new 'Unscripted Moments' Propagandhi book...
In the rare moments when a band transcends the confines of genre to become something greater, an ongoing voice of conscience, a cultural compass, a continuous provocation, it’s worth documenting that legacy with the same accuracy and respect afforded to literary or political movements.
Greg Soden’s Unscripted Moments: Conversations with Propagandhi (2020–2025) rises to this challenge.
More than a compilation of interviews, it is an act of reverence, a labour of love, and a heartfelt documentation of one of the most principled and musically uncompromising punk bands of the last four decades. Propagandhi has always been an anomaly in the punk world: fierce yet eloquent, righteous yet self-deprecating, political but never self-righteous. Over eight albums and countless shows, they have carved out an unflinchingly radical space, vegan, anti-fascist, feminist, and brave enough to question even their own assumptions. Soden’s book captures the full span of this journey, not just in facts but in tone, intention, and humanity.
Drawn from more than fifteen hours of unrestrained interviews recorded for his fan-driven podcast of the same name, Unscripted Moments provides an unusually intimate lens into the lives and minds of Propagandhi’s various members, Chris Hannah, Jord Samolesky, John K. Samson, Todd Kowalski, David Guillas, and Sulynn Hago. This isn’t a sanitized, band-approved PR retelling. These are conversations, often digressive and vulnerable, that speak to the complexities of creating politically driven art while aging, evolving, and surviving the grind of making music under capitalism. Soden is not a passive observer. He is deeply embedded in this work, not as a journalist chasing scoops, but as a thoughtful interlocutor, a teacher, a father, a cyclist, a human being who this band has shaped in his own life. The strength of this project lies in that alignment, resulting in a book that never patronizes its subject or its audience. It knows that the reader comes to these pages with curiosity, reverence, and a desire to understand how a band like Propagandhi has the strength to endure and still matter on the punk rock scene. The conversations unfold chronologically and thematically, tracking the band’s formation, line-up changes, tours, side projects, and recording processes. But the true heartbeat of the book lies in its digressions, discussions of books, hockey, philosophical dilemmas, fatherhood, and the often difficult emotional terrain of holding onto idealism in an increasingly dystopian world. These aren’t “rock star” interviews but reflective dialogues, sometimes wandering, and always honest.
Chris Hannah, the band’s longtime vocalist and guitarist, comes across as exactly what fans have long suspected: fiercely intelligent, politically literate, self-critical, and darkly funny. His segments touch on everything from riff construction to climate anxiety to dealing with burnout and existential dread. The effect is disarming and, at times, surprisingly moving. In one conversation, he speaks of aging not as decline, but as deepening, an idea that resonates through the voices of his bandmates as well. Jord Samolesky, the drummer and founding member, offers a steady, thoughtful presence. His reflections on the early Winnipeg punk scene, the challenges of touring, and the balancing act between family and music are filled with quiet wisdom. Meanwhile, contributions from former bassist and lyricist John K. Samson (now better known for his work with The Weakerthans) provide a crucial link to the band’s earlier, rawer material, reminding readers of Propagandhi’s long, surprising angle from teenage pranksters to militant philosophers. Todd Kowalski, David Guillas, and Sulynn Hago round out the interviews with equally exciting stories. Hago, in particular, brings a fresh dynamic to this book. Sulynn Hago’s perspective underscores the evolving ethos of Propagandhi, still angry, radical, but increasingly intersectional and introspective. Their presence in the book is vital, and Soden wisely gives their space to simultaneously articulate admiration for the Propagandhi’s past and a vision for its future. The attention to texture elevates Unscripted Moments above the usual oral history or fan memoir. Soden doesn’t flatten the journey into a tidy narrative. Instead, he lets it remain messy, full of contradictions. There’s no easy heroism here, no punk rock myth-making. This is a band that has stayed the course precisely by refusing to calcify into nostalgia or ideology. And the book, like the podcast, mirrors that ethos. It is constantly asking questions. How do you stay politically engaged without becoming performative? What does it mean to write songs of protest when you’re in your forties and fifties? Where is the line between authenticity and dogma?
Stylistically, the book is clean, readable, and never fussy. Soden resists the temptation to insert himself too often, letting the voices of the band shine through. Yet his curatorial instincts are sharp. He knows when to contextualize, when to let a tangent breathe, and when to step back and let silence do the talking. It’s a rare talent for an interviewer to disappear into the conversation and still guide it with a steady hand. Soden does it with humility and grace. Unscripted Moments is a document of resistance. Not just political resistance, though that’s present in spades, but resistance to simplicity, to cynicism, to the commodification of radical art. It reminds, and perhaps even the band themselves, that art can still matter, it can still speak truth, evolve, and inspire, even in the face of collapse. This book will feel like a homecoming. For newcomers, it might serve as a crash course in one of the most important and underrated bands of the punk era, and for readers who simply care about how creative people navigate integrity in a compromised world, Unscripted Moments offers something even rarer – hope, however ragged, however hard-won. Soden’s work is an act of gratitude, and as any punk will tell you, gratitude is its own kind of rebellion.
Head to Earth Island Books for more information about ordering.