LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD (Project 12, 8/12) features a series of crafted statements inspired by political commentaries at democraticunderground.com during July and August 2011. Instead of various presidents combining to make an overall political commentary on current events (as was the case in the 2007 theatrical release of Live Free or Die Hard), Barack Obama is the sole speaker of the remix. He is made to say the following:

The wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations spent a lot of money on my campaign to protect big Wall Street banks, quick profits, and fat executive bonuses, so business as usual can reign. I am going to keep on serving special interests, big corporations, and gas companies. And I intend to pretend that it is for the good of the country. Simply put: we need to extend tax cuts for the most fortunate among us, like corporations that have been making record profits. I'm happy to do it, and that's what we've been doing.

The fact is: this is a "shared sacrifice." We are sacrificing the American people and sharing taxpayers' money amongst the rich... We're not done. We need an approach that makes some serious cuts to worthy programs. If you're a senior citizen -- I've said it before, and I will say it again -- Social Security and Medicare will be eliminated. If you ask Democrats and Republicans, they say we've got no money, and they send you home. Meanwhile, we are killing innocent civilians around the globe. Live free, or die hard. Project 12.

The video is available in high definition on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7qlRdwXLT4.


Artist Bio:
Diran Lyons studied Sculpture and Painting at California State University, Fresno and New Genres and Painting at University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was a Regents Fellow. His art practice is heavily conceptual with exacting craft and edgy content, including indoor and outdoor installation, video and photography, painting and drawing, and performance. Lyons' recent Political Remix Videos have enjoyed wide exposure and acclaim, being the first remix artist ever to reach #1 on the IMDb most popular short film ratings.

Examples of his remix work have been presented at Ars Electronica 2008 in Linz, Austria, Open Video Conference at New York University, and The Audacity of Desperation exhibition, which toured venues in New York, Urbana-Champaign, and Los Angeles. His participation in notable film festivals and video exhibitions includes LA Shorts Fest at Laemmle Sunset 5 Theater in Hollywood, CA; Athens Video Art Festival 2010 at Technopolis in Athens, Greece; RE/Mixed Media Festival 2010 at Galapagos Art Space, Brooklyn, NY; amongst others.