INTERVIEW: Five For Fighting's John Ondrasik takes on the "battle for the soul of civilization"
When the moment needs meeting, Five For Fighting's John Ondrasik has immediately been there, time and again. Now, he details his latest fight in the "battle for the soul of civilization."
When the music industry zigs, John Ondrasik — the front man and visionary behind Five For Fighting — zags.
Almost immediately after the brutal invasion of Israel by Palestinian terrorists on October 7th, 2023, protests began across the world — against Israel. Ondrasik’s industry was not only not immune, but in many cases it has fomented the hatred against the world’s only Jewish state.
In the two years since, musicians have done everything from expressly wishing death upon the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) to removing their songs from all of Israel. Ondrasik wants none of that, and said that the global turn against Israel inspired him to fight even harder in “the battle for the soul of civilization.”
“When I saw our college campuses, global leaders, media, and members of Congress embrace the propaganda of Hamas and label Israel the post-October 7th villain, I felt an obligation to stand up for truth and common sense in what has become an existential battle for civilization,” he told the Washington Reporter in an interview.
Ondrasik’s activism has directly led to a resurgence in his popularity. Since October 7th, he’s headlined multiple concerts that received international coverage, kicked off a Yellow Ribbon Campaign to raise awareness for hostages, written a song expressly in honor of the hostages held in the caves and tunnels of Gaza, and even dedicated his legendary song Superman to Alon Ohel — an Israeli hostage in Gaza, who, like Ondrasik, is a talented pianist.
Of all of the activism that Ondrasik has recently done, he said that the song and video “‘OK’ (We Are Not OK)” stands out the most; he released it at a time when “many Jewish people were abandoned by the arts and the culture at large,” he said.”
“The song seemed to provide not only a certain solace, but a reminder that the vast majority of Americans support Israel in this fight,” Ondrasik said. The song begins with remarks Mayor Eric Adams delivered in one of his best-regarded speeches, which he gave just days after the terrorist attacks.
“We are not all right,” Adams said at the New York Stands With Israel rally on October 10th, 2023; Ondrasik sampled his remarks to kick off his song. “We are not all right when we see young girls pulled from their home and dragged through the streets. We are not all right when we see grandmothers being pulled away from their homes and children shot in front of their families. We are not all right when right here in the City of New York you have those who celebrate at the same time when the devastation is taking place in our city.”
Like Adams, Ondrasik is also not Jewish. He explained that his advocacy for Israel “has nothing to do with, and should have nothing to do with religion. It is a pure moral calculation.” In fact, Ondrasik has been an activist on behalf of people around the world who have been abandoned by many in the West.
“My activism for Afghans abandoned by America, Ukrainians fighting for survival against Putin, and Jewish people around the world facing raging anti-Semitism, to me all have a simple commonality,” he explained. “I choose to stand with good over evil. The fact that many are shocked when they find out I am not Jewish is another illustration of a deeply broken world.”
That “deeply broken world” has been on full display, where musicians falsely accused Israel of “genocide” at Coachella, chanted “death death to the IDF” at Glastonbury, and pledged to pledged to boycott Israel by the hundreds.
After each juncture, Ondrasik stood in opposition — at times by himself. He said that his newly-repurposed version of Superman, a song used by people around the world to find solace after the horrors of a different Islamic terrorist attack, “provided a global counter to the despicable anti-Semitism that we have seen at Coachella, Glastonbury, and further perpetuated by thousands of musical artists.”
It doesn’t have to be this way, as Ondrasik has noted in multiple interviews with the Reporter. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, the music industry rallied behind America as the country rebuilt following the worst terrorist attack in recent memory.
Paul McCartney, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Kid Rock, and other sensations joined Ondrasik on stage on October 20th, 2001 to raise money for charity and to honor the sacrifices of police officers and firefighters who ran directly into danger on that awful day.
Now, almost a quarter century later, so many of those voices are silent, due to what Ondrasik called a “combination of cowardice, wokeism, fashion, idiocy, and a growing trend of Marxism in the youth fomented by academia, media, and leftist influencers.”
The legendary artist frequently singles out artists like Bono, Barbra Streisand, and Bruce Springsteen for their silence after October 7th — but he cautions against describing them as “washed up,” dispute their joint age clocking in at 224 years.
“I don’t feel they are washed up,” he said. “If the iconic musicians who were on the stage with me at the Concert for New York City condemned Hamas after October 7th like we all did in condemning Bin Laden after 9/11, I believe we would not be here. Their silence and cowardice gave permission and cover to the radicals to hijack the narrative.”
While Ondrasik trudges along, without the like of U2 by his side, he is undeterred, he said.
“I will continue to fight the good fight, and look forward to our next D.C. concert,” he said. “You never know who might hop on stage and sing the question ‘What Kind of World Do You Want?’”
On one of his many recent concerts in the D.C. area, Ondrasik was joined on stage by rockstars like Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) and Fox News’s John Roberts on stage.
Even though Ondrasik is a voice in the wilderness of the music industry, he told the Reporter that he’s confident that he’s on the right side of the civilizational battle that he’s been in for almost two years.
“Any human of sound mind and soul should support Israel against Hamas,” he said.
Below is a transcript of our interview with John Ondrasik, edited lightly for clarity.
Washington Reporter:
We’re now two years removed from the horrific terrorist attacks of October 7th — let’s start with why did you make this such a priority for you?
John Ondrasik:
When I saw our college campuses, global leaders, media, and members of Congress embrace the propaganda of Hamas and label Israel the post-October 7th villain, I felt an obligation to stand up for truth and common sense in what has become an existential battle for civilization.
Washington Reporter:
It is perhaps important to say that you are not Jewish — this has genuinely astonished me and a lot of other people. Has that surprised you?
John Ondrasik:
My advocacy for Israel has nothing to do with, and should have nothing to do with religion. It is a pure moral calculation. My activism for Afghans abandoned by America, Ukrainians fighting for survival against Putin, and Jewish people around the world facing raging anti-Semitism, to me all have a simple commonality: I choose to stand with good over evil. The fact that many are shocked when they find out I am not Jewish is another illustration of a deeply broken world. Any human of sound mind and soul should support Israel against Hamas.
Washington Reporter:
I’ve been tracking a lot of your activism in this realm — it’s included legitimately countless concerts, a new music video, a Yellow Ribbon Campaign to raise awareness, and meetings with top lawmakers in D.C., which we covered at the time. What to you was the most impactful?
John Ondrasik:
I think my song and video “OK” (We Are Not OK) resonated, as many Jewish people were abandoned by the arts and the culture at large. The song seemed to provide not only a certain solace, but a reminder that the vast majority of Americans support Israel in this fight. My new version of Superman for the hostages also provided a global counter to the despicable anti-Semitism that we have seen at Coachella, Glastonbury, and further perpetuated by thousands of musical artists.
Washington Reporter:
You’ve been fiercely critical for years about others in your industry — are their actions motivated by anti-Semitism, stupidity, fear, all of the above, or something I’m not thinking of?
John Ondrasik:
It is a combination of cowardice, wokeism, fashion, idiocy, and a growing trend of Marxism in the youth fomented by academia, media, and leftist influencers.
Washington Reporter:
In interviews with me and with others, you regularly single out Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Steissand, and some other washed up stars — is there anyone who’s impressed you in Hollywood?
John Ondrasik:
I don’t feel they are washed up. If the iconic musicians who were on the stage with me at the Concert for New York City condemned Hamas after October 7th like we all did in condemning Bin Laden after 9/11, I believe we would not be here. Their silence and cowardice gave permission and cover to the radicals to hijack the narrative.
Washington Reporter:
Do you think that the next generation of talent is going to be better on these issues or even worse than the retiring generation?
John Ondrasik:
Unless we stand up to Marxist academia, terrorist propaganda feeding our kids on Instagram and TikTok, and the world that has gone mad, we will lose this generation of children. This is truly the battle for the soul of civilization.
Washington Reporter:
Finally, what’s next for John Ondrasik? When will we see you in the D.C. area yet again?
John Ondrasik:
I will continue to fight the good fight, and look forward to our next D.C. concert. As you have seen Matthew, you never know who might hop on stage and sing the question “What Kind of World Do You Want?”