Mainstream Music Artists finally speaking out...

[Toto]

Pink - Pink Pens An Open Letter To President Bush On New Album - http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1519661/20060103/pink.jhtml?headlines=true

Neil Young New album - Living With War - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4915672.stm

Lenny Kravitz, R.E.M. Record Anti-War Songs - http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1470746/20030325/kravitz_lenny.jhtml?headlines=true

[Janama]

Paul Simon and Brian Eno

http://music.hyperreal.org/artists/brian_eno/news.html

scroll down - there are four songs.

[Jerry Fletcher]

I hate to sound consistently cynical, but...

This seems less like 'speaking out' and more like toothless 'war is bad' material taking promotional advantage of the 'anti-Bush' Iraq policy to inject some 'fire' into the careers of these decidedly past their prime pop stars.

That, and simultaneously promoting the nauseating 'rock the vote' MTV campaign to be used as evidence that 'every vote counts'. (gag).

I'm sure these artists are voicing what's in their hearts, but unfortunately, I see their songs being used only to inspire the limited debates that power the charade of US politics.

More social justification for the ousting of Bush Co. and the installation of .... well, you know who.

[Toto]

This true to a degree Jerry but it is better than no dissent at all. So far most mainstream music artists have been silent about the war...Pink also did a song about how women are portrayed in the media .... Stupid Girls. This message needs to get out to young people as they are swimming in a sea of propoganda and deception really. MTV (empty TV). Neil Young is no idiot and he has a good reputation so he is no Charlie Sheen. The mainstream is going to use this to promote limited debates about and divsion of course that is their job.

[Janama]

There is also this lot

http://www.dixiechicks.com/

[Janama]

Stephen Colbert Roasts Bush

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcIRXur61II

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HN0INDOkFuo&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJvar7BKwvQ&

[kawazu]

[Toto]

My intention was not to create a dualistic argument over it all. There is enough of that going around.

Listen to Pink's Dear Mr President - http://www.radionewsamerica.com/media/kynd/president.mp3

___________________________________________________________

"Dear Mr. President"
(feat. Indigo Girls)

Dear Mr. President
Come take a walk with me
Let's pretend we're just two people and
You're not better than me
I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep
What do you feel when you look in the mirror
Are you proud

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye
And tell me why

Dear Mr. President
Were you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
Are you a lonely boy
How can you say
No child is left behind
We're not dumb and we're not blind
They're all sitting in your cells
While you pave the road to hell

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye
How do you walk with your head held high
Can you even look me in the eye

Let me tell you bout hard work
Minimum wage with a baby on the way
Let me tell you bout hard work
Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away
Let me tell you bout hard work
Building a bed out of a cardboard box
Let me tell you bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
You don't know nothing bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
Oh

How do you sleep at night
How do you walk with your head held high
Dear Mr. President
You'd never take a walk with me
Would you

[atm]

Telethons ad infinitum, Live Aid, Live 8, GOSH, "...all credit cards

accepted..." and witheringly on and on...

Need a reminder about who owns and controls the music/AV publishers,

distributors and retailers?

Do you really think the Bush Cabal lay awake at night troubled by the

latest downloadable 'it's-all-been-done-before-and-look-where-it-got-'em'

offering from an awl, aged hippy like Neil Young?

Think Dixie Chicks and please, no comparisons or contrasts.

All I can think of: Neil Young must be locked into one of those Adjustable

Repayment Mortgages; Lou Reed was too and we ended up having to

endure 'New York' [no pun].

Whatever it takes, just shift those units boys.

atm

[dilbert_g]

[stevensnell]

Musicians speaking out reminds me of those community clean up campaigns you see with a local politician standing near some rubbish holding a piece to camera (she's actually a Lib Dem MP in the UK)

Its a weak effort and they know it, but by 'saying it' they can say they've taken action. Wouldn't an affective anti-war track/sentiment involve a multilayered volunteer effort by the musicians and anti-war groups? Individually writing lyrics about cardboard boxes is about as affective as me writing in this forum and expecting the troops to start coming home.

Like Jerry/atm says, remember they all fall under the authority of their labels.

Bands like system of a down/greenday (and thousands more) have been banging on about america/war/drugs for years. When Pink writes "how do you hold your head high" about the president - compare that to "Drug money is used to rig elections and train brutal corporate sponsored Dictators around the world" (from 'Prison Song' 2001).

Perhaps we could all collaborate on our own single for internet release? I play a mean keytar

Regards,

p.s. - the rolling stones also have anti-war stuff in their latest album too, i guess old people really are useful after all...

[Toto]

And who would pay for this large anti-war effort? The labels don't hold total authority over every artists and when indie artists do anti-war songs they know its cool to do this and they are not risking that much in doing so when lets say Pink/Indigo Girls do they know they have to deal with the corporate world to get it out there. Some may think that these are token efforts but a movement has got to start somewhere. Indie bands have not done this yet. Its not easy writing about this type of issue today without coming across as a 60's stop the war type thing. People dont want to be preached to. I was invloved in the so-called "antiwar" movement and i can tell you there were many fights that broke out between different groups and persons. Many groups have their own agenda just as some say these labels do so.... There is big money hehind a Live 8 type agenda so the idea that these artists could do that with the anti-war or pro peace idea is far off for now.

[Ormond]

I guess Bruce Springstein is possibly less appreciated by those outside America than those of us under house arrest here, but there once was an inspiring music tradition in America. Springstein has for most of his career tried to keep that spirit living.

The tradition I'm referring to is the folk music, the spirit of the old America of the people. His latest is a ressurrection of Pete Seiger songs.......and I mean the 50's 60's folk revivalist Seiger, not the one who did the 70's rock stuff.

Seiger is 84 now, but back in the early 60's before the Tavistock project Beatles washed the American Folk movement back to the discount rack, Seiger was reviving the songs of the Republic prior to the Civil War. Songs that were strummed in pioneer towns and nobody knows who wrote them.

Most Americans groan at the mention of these old songs, such as 'John Henry, the Steel Drivin' Man', as the folksy versions don't play well now.
Springstein has succeeded admirably in giving these early American folk songs the gritty punch they had all along. The are songs of a people undergoing struggle---against the encrouchment of 'big' technologies of their day....railroads, machines, industrialization.

During a time when the power of music to unite the common folk is at an all time low due to commercialization, I think Springstein has chosen a brilliant path. It's brilliant to not simply write songs against NWO or the war in Iraq, per se, but to ressurect the real energy of the perrenial battle against "the Man" and his soul crushing "big" whatevers. And for many of us in America, now humiliated and feeling weak and stupid that we've let our country be taken over by corporate crooks and shitty greed, it might just be inspiring. We need a groundswell of invigoration to remind us of what our great grandfathers would have done in a position like this.

Anyway, Bruce, Bravo.

[atm]

[quote="stevensnell Wouldn't an affective anti-war track/sentiment involve a multilayered volunteer effort by the musicians and anti-war groups?[quote]

Steven I think you may be unwittingly falling for the "...feed the World,

let them know it's Christmas time..." standard 'voluntary' charity

propaganda so watch out chump!

It's all been done before, per my last missive, and to no end whatever.

Entertainment is an industry, just that, an industry: a vertically-

horozontally-diagonally integrated, amoral, bottom-line focused

uberopoly. Industries do not do charity and they do not rock the

boat. Period. And what about the 'charities' and their heavy trading

positions on the global bourses (and Neil Young too no doubt, not to

mention the Lennon estate, The 'from band to brand' Rolling Stones...).

The rest of your points are charactertistically, dare I say it, most

entertaining. Remember: the revolution will NOT be televised on MTV.

atm:

[stevensnell]

Monday, Morning all

I don't believe a large effort by musicians and anti war groups would be expensive. I think the assumption is that you need a large corporate name/brand/tv channel to get the message out so people will attend. I think events like the 'penny arcade expo', the make faire, and to a lesser extent some 'flash' mobs are good examples of minimum-to-nil advertising but a large community/word of mouth support.

I specifically meant a volunteer effort because I felt Live 8 was so bad I almost started corresponding with Mark Thatcher.

Examples of cheap music production vs. large popular support are DJ Dangermouse's 'Grey Album', the Kayne West Beach Boys mashup, and a few more I can't remember on monday morning.

I agree people don't want to be preached to, so the purpose would not be to 'inform' anyone or create public support for anti- war (that's already in its 3rd year). The aim would/could be to help those affected by it - baby steps. People want to help, we just need to create a no pressure outlet for their charity that doesn't include merchandising/branding OR wristbands. I was recently given a Good Gift, and that's the kind of effort I applaud. Basic but affective.

The good thing from our point of view is that we wouldn't contact 'celebrities' for endorsement. Obviously we'd need a initial pool of talent, but that doesn't have to mean U2 - it could mean your local folk band, DJ or keytar soloist. I'd rather see a few buskers with stickers pointing to the website than P Diddy trying to rock my vote. More Make Trade Fair hands, less Live8 wrist bands.

I saw this quote on a website this morning which I think applies here:

"The fact was I had the vision...I think everyone has...what we lack is the method" - Jack Kerouac.

I also think this will take years, so for the sociology-minded would be an interesting longitudinal study.

I agree with you about 'the boss' Ormond, although I'm not really a fan of his music. I thought folk music died the day Dylan went electric?

Thanks for the warning atm, I almost called sting. You might enjoy this matter of fact criticism of 'Do they know its christmas'.

Regards,