Do politics keep you from liking certain artists?

[shin]

Vincent Gallo's a huge fan of George Bush. Just wanted to point that out.

[poodley]

Hi SuperG you ditchpig, hows Clubber ?

[superg]

haha, clubber's fine.

how're you doing Poodley?

how're your Yes albums? still excrutiatingly wanky?

[Artknocker]

it stands to reason that they'd speak at their shows about their distaste for Bush.

But is that the appropriate venue? Regardless of whether they're a political band, should they absolutely take advantage of whatever outlet is available to them? And not just about discouraging people to vote for Bush, but about any cause of theirs. Sorry, but getting preached at at a concert just doesn't sit well with me. Now, if I was a big fan of their music, I wouldn't boycott their albums or not go to their concerts just because they speak out on social issues. At least I would still get to hear the music. But at a show, they should be about giving their fans a good time and maximum value for their money. If I didn't know going in that it wasn't going to be just music, I might feel slighted (and hence, not go next time they're in town). I think in this case they're only hurting themselves.

Btw, if a song about homelessness makes a band political, then I guess Phil Collins can be considered political, too, right? Not every social issue has to be divided on political lines.

[poodley]

I never liked bloody Yes SuperG, that was Pickaxe tampering with my profile, I was more of a Doors/Zep type poodle.....but yes I am fine and well, Does Evac ever come here? He was the only PJ person that was always nice and polite to me.

[poodley]

S'cuse me Art but I'm catching up here, I shall smite you if you do that again

[Kensterberg]

Excellent points about PJ and Green Day, shin.

It's funny that U2 are continually dragged out as the archetypal "political band" when actually there's very little overtly political in their catalog. Sunday Bloody Sunday is certainly an issue song, but its politics are pretty much of the "stop the killing" variety -- a position which U2 have pretty consistently stuck with throughout their career. Bullet the Blue Sky in its original incarnation was very much a critique of American imperialism, but even there the verses are so abstract as to be relevant to almost any use of violence ("you plant a demon seed you raise a flower of fire"). Come to think of it, U2 have probably averaged less than a single overtly political song per record over their entire career. And almost all of their most political work has been about "the troubles" in their own country, something which they certainly have the legitimacy to address, as does any Irish citizen. But the vast majority of U2's output (all of Boy and October, and virtually all of The Unforgettable Fire, Achtung Baby, Zooropa, Pop and All That You Can't Leave Behind) is concerned with the personal and spiritual (there are a lot more U2 songs about God than about any political subject) rather than the obviously political. If U2 are among the most political bands, then that really says something about how apolitical we like our artists. Bono has never been shy about taking a stand in interviews or other forums, but U2 are hardly a "political" rock and roll band.

Now the Clash, the Clash were a political rock and roll band. Even when they didn't know what the hell they were talking about, they were a political rock and roll band.

There ain't no asylum here, King Solomon he never lived 'round here ....

[superg]

Sorry, but getting preached at at a concert just doesn't sit well with me.

and that's fair enough. But if you're a big enough fan of Pearl Jam that you're gonna shell out $50 to seem them live, you should probably know that you're gonna get preached to, at least a little. Like I said, they don't hide their politics, and they never have. It's not a secret that they're gonna talk politics from time to time - if you don't like it, don't go to the show. pretty simple.

as for max value for their money, Pearl Jam shows routinely go well over 25 songs.

I think in this case they're only hurting themselves.

how so? financially? I doubt they care.

Anyway, I can see what you're saying - if I liked some balls-less band like say, Good Charlotte enough to go see them live, and they turned the whole thing into a soapbox about how much they hated Canada, I'd be upset about it - I'd feel pretty blindsided, since it would have come out of nowhere. Pearl Jam however, have always let their feelings be known. A short anti-Bush rant couldn't possibly be surprising to anyone.

[MrGordon]

"still excrutiatingly wanky?"

ha!

Art, you speak as if half of Pearl jam's act is Eddie spewing comments. Mostly, its killing dead air with guitar changes, coming back from an encore or whatever. The odd time they might play with a Bush or a Gore mask or something, but its relativly minor.

Just because people paid for the show, they can't have an opinion? thats ludicrous. should they dress the way the people expect them to? promise to play Even Flow? I dont know, once again, basically, if someone wants to let a little comment and some artistic expression that is relavant to the song's subject matter affect them, its really your loss.

How can you say such a thing and have a picture of Bill O'Reilly as an avatar? he makes a living using a medium to express his ideas and opinions doesnt he?

[superg]

poodley said:

I never liked bloody Yes SuperG, that was Pickaxe tampering with my profile, I was more of a Doors/Zep type poodle.....but yes I am fine and well, Does Evac ever come here? He was the only PJ person that was always nice and polite to me.

evac has faded away, unfortunately. he ditched his high-speed connection, then couldn't keep up anymore. a pity. good guy, that one.

also, I'm pretty sure I was always nice to you. sarcastic sometimes, but who the hell isn't?

[Kensterberg]

Art -- Of course the stage is the appropriate place for voicing political opinions. The right to free political speach is fundemental to the idea of representative democracy in the US. Where the hell else are people supposed to talk about politics but in public? And so Eddie Vedder or Bruce Springsteen have a bigger number of people listening to them than I would if I got up on stage, so what? As has been said before, they've earned that forum. There are a lot more people who care what the Boss says than who care what you or I say. It's absolutely appropriate for him to voice his opinions in public.

And whether or not I agree with anything any of these artists say, I shall defend to the death their right to say it in a public forum.

[MrGordon]

challenges Ken to a DUEL TO THE DEATH!

[poodley]

superg said:

poodley said:

I never liked bloody Yes SuperG, that was Pickaxe tampering with my profile, I was more of a Doors/Zep type poodle.....but yes I am fine and well, Does Evac ever come here? He was the only PJ person that was always nice and polite to me.

evac has faded away, unfortunately. he ditched his high-speed connection, then couldn't keep up anymore. a pity. good guy, that one.

also, I'm pretty sure I was always nice to you. sarcastic sometimes, but who the hell isn't?

Tut, I liked Evac, on the whole the PJ board were fine, I had some interesting conversations with Clubber on the subject of hamsters.

[Artknocker]

I'm not saying anyone should be arrested for anything. I'm not questioning anyone's rights. The question is when should those rights be exercised and when should they be curtailed? For example, can a person insult the President to his face? Yes. Should they? Well, I guess it's all a matter of opinion.

[shin]

A simple question for Art that can basically put this entire thread to rest.

www.asyfreedomwalk.com/

Should Clint Black keep his opinions to himself when he performs that concert?