~*~Politics in Music~*~

[esa]

Here's a question for ya. (And forgive me if this is a repeat, I looked through topics and didn't think I saw anything to this effect).
Do you think it's a good or bad thing for a band to make a political rant part of their show?

This past month I have heard two groups do one hell of a performance. I love the music. I love watching the crowd react to the band...the music...everything. But the thing that caught my eye is the one guy from band X (gonna leave out the name of the band) went on a rant about 'killing the people of Iraq and Afghanistan...fk them...they're worth nothing...they should be terrified of the USA cuz we're going to stuff our boots and fists up their asses. Make them pay for what they did to us.' Well, as I'm standing there head nodding to "fk iraq, fk iraq" I realize..."Hey, this is like a cult." It was cool to see everyone in the same mode. Middle fingers in air. Then we went right back into the song. This was similar to the other band as well.

Now, I was torn. Yes, I feel these bstrds need to pay for what they did to the US. They need punnished and vengence is rightfully ours. But on the other hand (i'm dubbed "the moral compass") all I can think is that not all Iraquians are bad. Not all Afghans are bad (in fact they're rather warm and make great throws for the sofa )... They are being brainwashed to follow the rules of their leaders under false pretense of a god.... So... does doing that chant, having people believe that, does that make us any better than thoes people? Does it make us equal or worse?
I have mixed feelings. What do you think?

[bfoust]

If I had a band, I would never bring up politics. The only thing I would do is sing the National Anthem every night before the first song.

Politics would probably make me quit seeing a band as more than likely they wouldn't be talking about my leader nicely. :\

[lonewolf]

Hey, politics and music have been strange bedfellows for a long time. Look at Yankee Doodle and Dixie or a host of others throughout history.

Rock music became very political during the 60s & 70s with the Vietnam war and hasn't really let up since.

If you are talking about going up on stage and announcing your support for a particular candidate, its probably a bad idea, although its our prerogative. You may alienate some of your fans and I saw a poll where after Springsteen's shows for Kerry, 2/3 of the people polled that heard about it went to Bush.

[ToonaRockGuy]

Hmmm...one of my favorite groups was very politically outspoken...Rage Against The Machine.

But I have to agree with Jeff's post regarding stumping for a single candidate. And I'll go on to say that if the music is politically charged, then I don't mind. Freedom of Speech, you know. But I can't go to a show and listen to a band stump for a candidate or issue between songs. It just turns my stomach, even though they can do whatever they want.

[songsmith]

I'd be willing to bet the whole "fk Iraq" thing was the frontman playing to the audience. We all do it at some point, whether or not we admit it, and if it's a metal band, once you get the crowd whipped up to a certain point, you could say, "Fk Hello Kitty!," and the sweaty guys up front would throw the bird and give you a "hell yeah." It's a beautiful thing.
The dude may or may not give two shites about the situation in the Mideast, but for that instant, he's all patriotic integrity. Next break, he's smokin' dope and drinkin' Jack, and Iraq is a distant memory. Old people have their version of the whole scene... do you think Lee Greenwood sleeps with American flag sheets? I doubt it... sure, he's Proud To Be An American, but you can only sing a song about a thousand times before it starts rubbing your d*ck-nerve the wrong way. The guy's recorded dozens of records, and had a bunch of radio hits before that one, and the old folks sit quietly until he does...The Song. He bears down, three and a half minutes go by... God bless...the...U...S...Ayyyyyy! Thank you, good night! Pay me now.
Does that make him a bad guy? No, I've worked with him, and he's a very nice guy. He simply sees a niche, a way to reach an audience, and goes for it. I would, too. It's like when 30 year old guys do teen-angst songs. They're kinda over that stage of their lives, but they remember it, and hell, it sells records. You do what you gotta.
I think politics in music is mostly about sales. I never wrote anything political because I always saw music as an escape from that, but that's just me.------>JMS