Avant-Pop Star Mary Ocher on Weimar Album, Politics, and Leaving Israel
Mary Ocher, the avant-pop musician born in Russia and raised in Israel, has released a new album titled Weimar, inspired by the cultural period of pre-Nazi Germany. In a recent interview, she explains that moving to Berlin 19 years ago felt like a revival of the Weimar era, but she now sees alarming parallels with the rise of fascism in the 1930s. "Now in Germany, they try to deport EU citizens who participated in pro-Palestine protests. From where I am, it's pretty scary," Ocher says, highlighting the timeliness of her album's themes.
Rejecting Nationalism and the IDF Draft
Growing up in Tel Aviv, Ocher was exposed to intense nationalism that she found appalling. "I hated everything around me," the 39-year-old recalls of her teenage years. "There was no accountability, no possibility to change anything." She observed that immigrants to Israel often felt pressured to integrate by not criticizing society and joining a mainstream that preaches hate. Due to be drafted into the IDF, Ocher refused and emigrated to Berlin in 2007 with her industrial folk band, Mary and the Baby Cheeses.
In Berlin, she immersed herself in experimental culture, drawing inspiration from artists like Nina Hagen, Einstürzende Neubauten, and Faust. While her bandmates returned to Israel, Ocher stayed, determined never to go back. She began a solo career, releasing her debut album War Songs in 2011 by burning CD-Rs and selling them in the streets. Since then, she has released seven studio albums, all driven by socio-political ideas and accompanied by detailed essays.
The Making of Weimar and Political Art
Weimar is built around the piano, an instrument Ocher's father once told her she would never play. She started writing the album in 2022 after buying a secondhand piano, creating a stark contrast to her typically maximalist style. The album features tracks like the jaded cabaret opener The Dance and the minimalist instrumental The Narrative, with some songs reworked from earlier material to fit the album's context of crumbling social order.
Ocher views addressing politics in her work as a moral duty, particularly criticizing Israeli nationalism. "Very often the German press will say, 'Be quiet and make your music.' It's very condescending," she notes, pointing to shared trauma from the Holocaust that leads to blame-seeking behaviors. She finds it embarrassing when artists claim their work is apolitical, arguing that art can unite people in recognizing societal issues.
AI, Technology, and Future Visions
Ocher's engagement with technology is evident in her work, including an AI video for a song on Weimar made by Boris Eldagsen. "I've been curious about these new technologies for a very long time," she says, though she doesn't use AI to create her own art due to concerns about cheap output. Her 2023 album Approaching Singularity: Music for the End of Time explores post-humanism and AI from a speculative angle.
She cautions against black-and-white thinking on technology, citing AI optimist Raymond Kurzweil as an example. "Humanity uses technology in all different ways: it can be both useful and dangerous," Ocher explains, advocating for a balanced approach. Her Soviet upbringing, which emphasized formal training in art, led her to embrace freedom in her music, ignoring others' opinions to forge her own path.
Ocher's journey from Israel to Berlin reflects her commitment to artistic and political expression, with Weimar serving as a poignant commentary on contemporary parallels to historical fascism. The album is out now on Underground Institute, and Ocher is currently on a UK and European tour.
