Rockin' Against Whoever...As Long as I Get Paid!
I love the moment when I first saw the CD “Rock Against Bush.” I was extremely curious to see who was on it, when I looked on the back I saw all Emo bands which are normally crying about their girl problems. The only reasonable person I saw that was on the CD was Jello Biafra from the Dead Kennedys. Regardless of all of this, I think it is just a joke that there is an album called “Rock Against Bush.” What a terrible ploy to make money. It really seems as if hating George Bush is a fashion, I see shirts and even CD’s. Clearly these CD’s are not about getting a message out, instead they are just about making money. Now I dislike Bush as much as the next liberal but I don’t want to see CD’s of it, especially if you are paying $14 for it. If you want to get the message out do it in a way that it is accessible for all. Take a look at Rage Against the Machine, they did a free show in front of the Democratic National Convention they also did a free show in front of Wall Street and that is only the beginning. John Lennon was always out making his voice heard in a way that all can hear. U2’s Bono is over in Africa helping people with AIDS like it’s his job. I am very disappointed in Jello Biafra for falling into this pitiful trap; I hope he’s not that desperate for money. If you have a platform to have your voice heard, don’t abuse it for your own greed.
posted by Jeff at 11:44 PM
2 Comments:
It almost sounds to me as though some of those folks who have, as you say, fallen for the trap have discovered some of the joy of the free market system. It has always amazed me how, as athletes and artists age, they tend to cluster at the top tax bracket. It is at that point that they also seem to turn a little more conservative.
Who would have thought that Alice Cooper would spend his retirement on the golf course with the GOP, or that Sarina Williams, when on the phone with ex-President Clinton asked only for one thing from him... a tax break.
In Bonfire of the Vanities, the suggestion is made that a Republican is just a Democrat who hasn't been arrested yet. Likely true to a large degree. Today's young liberal, to a degree at least, is a conservative who just hasn't had to pay taxes and feed a family yet.
It is a hard fact that the best bands and musical acts, regardless of genre, are corporate affairs. Metallica is the shining example of that (see documentary filmed during studio sessions for St. Anger).
Anyway, keep fighting the good fight...
www.formerlyliving.blogspot.com
In general, I'd agree with you. But in the specific case of the Rock Against Bush, none of the artists were paid and all of the proceeds went to voter mobilization and print and TV ads to educate people about Bush's policies. In fact, one of the organizers of the tour that accompanied the album largely funded the tour by himself. This is an older article that talks about it a little bit:
Rock Against Bush
I completely hate bands or artists that just make a political statement because they think it will help their bottom line (like Toby Keith). But, a lot of the time, some of them are speaking out and they know it will hurt them financially (Dixie Chicks). Just because someone is an artist, they don't stop being a citizen. They have just as much right to speak as we do.
Post a Comment
<< Home