I could see nothing further from the truth.
In every interview I've read with Pearce, in every bit of music I've listened to, I see nothing that says Death In June or Pearce was ever trying to gain mainstream acceptance. Pearce is far too smart to want that, and Death In June's music is far too smart to ever obtain that. In order to gain mainstream acceptance, one must create music that is easily digested and thought about as little as possible. Anyone familiar with Death In June or Pearce knows this is not something the man or the band is capable of doing in any way, shape or form.
Death in June is thinking man's music. It is not the radio friendly slop that is spoon-fed and has as little staying power as it has depth. Pearce has never come across (at least in what I've read) as a man who seeks mainstream acceptance in the way most people come to define it. Would he be satisified if the world embraced his music and understood it? I can't think of an artist who wouldn't be. The fact is, though, most of the music culture is not ready to do so and never will be. You won't hear "All Pigs Must Die," on the radio, though it is a haunting beautiful song. (In fact, if you've never heard it, I imagine you already formed an opinion on what this song sounds like. You'd be wrong. I once told the title to someone, and when I played it for her, she said, "That can't be the song you are naming. This is incredible.")
Mainstream acceptance is best left to American Idol winners and almost-was types. It's best left to the bubble gum smears and the party anthems that encapsulate mindless summer fun. Death in June, even at its most mainstream (as if there were such a thing), can't compete with that kind of sugar. It is, despite some people's beliefs, music meant to weed out the unthinking masses. It says "stay away" in no uncertain terms. To believe otherwise is not only an insult, but a total misunderstanding of the music. Listen to this and tell me different.
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