Elton attacks 'censorship' in US Sir Elton John is currently performing in New York Elton John has said stars are scared to speak out against war in Iraq because of "bullying tactics" used by the US government to hinder free speech. "There's an atmosphere of fear in America right now that is deadly. Everyone is too career-conscious," he told New York magazine, Interview. Sir Elton said performers could be "frightened by the current administration's bullying tactics". The singer likened the current "fear factor" to McCarthyism in the 1950s. "There was a moment about a year ago when you couldn't say a word about anything in this country for fear of your career being shot down by people saying you are un-American," he told the magazine. The singer said things were different in the 1960s. "People like Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, The Beatles and Pete Seeger were constantly writing and talking about what was going on. Backlash "That's not happening now. As of this spring, there have been virtually no anti-war concerts - or anti-war songs that catch on, for that matter," he said. He voiced concern that it appeared acceptable to speak out if you were pro-Bush, using the example of country singer Toby Keith, but not if you were critical of the President, as in the case of country rock band, the Dixie Chicks. "On the one hand, you have someone like Toby Keith, who has come out and been very supportive of the Bush administration and the war in Iraq - which is OK because America is a democracy and Toby Keith is entitled to say what he thinks and feels. "But, on the other hand, the Dixie Chicks got shot down in flames last year for criticising the president. They were treated like they were being un-American, when in fact they have every right to say whatever they want about him because he's freely elected, and therefore accountable."
well, my take on the two examples he provided is that the dixie chicks shoulda considered their audience WOULD turn on them for being anti-war, anti-bush. their fans are the heart of bush's constituency. when their fans backlashed, this was no surprise. other performers who are not marketing to the typical country music lover have no troubles speaking out against bush, look at the celebrities who are associated with moveon.org. that's not censorship, that's fans protesting with their dollars. the bad reviews were from the very people you would expect to give bad reviews. as for no protest songs catching on, well shit, i've yet to hear one that's all that catchy. maybe it's not JUST the public, but lackluster songwriters? i can't tell you how much i love that Fuck Ted Nugent song, but i love ted nugent. a good song is a good song, i don't care what it's about. so anyway, what's y'all's take?
On the lack of protest songs, I think it's in part just that songs with that sort of subject matter have been pushed underground, for the most part. Protest songs aren't going to get much airplay nowadays, and mainstream music today tends to recycle the same old poppy stuff, more concerned with selling than with making a message. Another thing is that there was much more social and political unrest in the 60s and 70s, and thus the music from that time had more inspired commentary. For a while since, there hasn't been quite as much a wealth of things to bitch about, besides teen angsty stuff. That may start to change now, but it won't ever come about as easily as it had in the sixties, the powers-that-be have a much tighter grip on what gets on the airwaves these days, and the "big bands" nowadays are usually much more commercially minded.
As I much as I thought as I was disgusted by the shit the Dixie Chicks caught last year, I think the biggest reason they caught so much shit is because they were in country music. I think if a rapper or rock star says something similar to that, then they'd be less likely to catch shit because their fanbases are a lot more liberal than that of a country music star. Maybe, it's me, but I think there have been a lot of celebrities who have voiced their dissaproval of the war in Iraq. As for the lack of great anti-war songs, I really don't know why...
i think this whole thing over linda ronstadt is pretty funny, too. i really don't give a flying fuck about her political views. it's just as arbitrary as listening to my plumber's views. as a matter of fact, since i can identify better with my plumber, i'd figure he's be a better person to ask. however, i don't want him sitting there under my sink charging me by the hour for his labor, doing nothing by spewing his unsolicited opinions. you pay someone to entertain you, or you pay for tickets to a lecture on someone's personal political views. but then there's thaqt quote by her that she's afraid that conservatives are taking over the country. sorry, baby, we've always been here. we're just not sitting politely anymore. you can't call it not bein able to express her political views just because half her audience vehemently disagreed with her. it's not like she's been arrested, she was fired for not doing her job.
I pretty much agree with what Elton John said. Atleast that is how things look in my eyes. As far as the whole deal with Linda Ronstadt...I think it was a little stupid. So she stated her opinion....why is she given shit for that? I just have to wonder if her opinion had been for George Bush, if she would have been treated the same way.
i have no idea. however, in super volitile times, in vegas, where ironically conservatives and fundies spend their vacation dollars, it's another case of knowing your audience. and her audience voiced their displeasure. turns out, the conservatives who have usually sat quietly are now learning the concept of protest. instead of arguing quietly, they're learning the art of shouting down the opponent, instead of just being shouted down. kill the enemy with aggravation. god knows uber liberals have been using it for ages. as for elton john, no one whatsoever has ever been stopped from voicing their opinion. they just have to take the consequences of being disagreed with by their public. if they're too cowardly to do so, then so be it. but i think it's all a crock of shit.
