Mainstream Music Artists finally speaking out...

Toto · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 348

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 · Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 410 Location: Australia

Paul Simon and Brian Eno

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

scroll down - there are four songs.

Jerry Fletcher · Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 837 Location: Studio BS

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 · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 348

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 · Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 410 Location: Australia

There is also this lot

http://www.dixiechicks.com/

Janama · Joined: 21 Jan 2006 Posts: 410 Location: Australia

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 · Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 54 Location: Kansas

Toto · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 348

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 · Joined: 16 Apr 2006 Posts: 3861

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.

Crying or Very sad

atm

dilbert_g · Guest

stevensnell · Joined: 03 Feb 2006 Posts: 88

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 Sad

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 · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 348

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.