Do politics keep you from liking certain artists?

[ken]

Whatever Mary, you're wrong. Artknocker has us all pegged.

[shin]

I dunno, I think there's something to be said about boiling the entire spectrum of political discourse down to a black and white format that even Sesame Street would find too simplistic.

[Artknocker]

That's some nice Karma you got there, Art.

Thanks, Shin--I appreciate all that your votes have done for me. I couldn't have achieved it without you.

~

I myself am trying to figure out what it is exactly that bugs me the most. I understand political passion, but to what degree they are politically active I think is the issue. Now, for example, if Green Day feels so strongly about Bush that they feel the need to make an entire album tearing him down and call it "American Idiot" (no, I haven't heard it so set me straight if that's not what it's all or mainly about--that's just what I heard), well, it's obviously their right and no one can stop them. It's up to the public to decide whether or not they want to buy it. It probably won't play very well in the red states, but if Green Day's willing to take that risk, that's up to them. Back to Pearl Jam. Like Green Day, I never considered them to be a particularly political band musically, so when Vedder takes time out of the concert to go off on a Bush tangent instead of just playing "Even Flow", I say "what the hell does this have to do with the music?" I mean, if you're going to make political comments in that arena, shouldn't it be relevant to what you're playing? And I also keep saying "what makes them think any of us care what they think? Why should we know? Do they think we're so dumb as to blindly follow whatever they say?" I will never understand that. I may continue to buy PJ albums, but they may be alienating some of their fan base, if only a small portion. Look, a band can certainly evolve, but simply taking cheap shots out of left field just reeks of opportunism. Instead of being a permissive liberal, I feel the need to call them to the carpet on it.

As for having celebs on political shows as guests--unless it's one that features them regularly in a balanced forum like "Politically Incorrect" (although that show was never balanced--they rarely had more than the one token conservative on at once in a transparent effort to make libs look like the majority)--I have to ask "why would they want to? What's the motivating factor behind this? What does the network want us to think?" In that case, if they're going to be on as the sole guest to discuss a particular topic, they should have some credibility: someone who has reached a conclusion only after doing their homework--and not just a skewed conclusion they want to reach to back up their own radical ideology a la Michael Moore. And they should not be bestowed the status of political commentator unless that becomes their main field. Now, if Alec Baldwin is on Conan O'Brien (hardly a political show) saying--among other things--(and in all seriousness) that he's going to leave America if Bush wins (I'm still waiting for him to, btw), I say that's not the appropriate forum for his hate-filled rants. The audience should boo his ass off, whether they're liberal or not.

[ken]

[Artknocker]

I think the people smiting me need to take the chill pill.

[superg]

Back to Pearl Jam. Like Green Day, I never considered them to be a particularly political band musically, so when Vedder takes time out of the concert to go off on a Bush tangent instead of just playing "Even Flow", I say "what the hell does this have to do with the music?" I mean, if you're going to make political comments in that arena, shouldn't it be relevant to what you're playing? And I also keep saying "what makes them think any of us care what they think? Why should we know? Do they think we're so dumb as to blindly follow whatever they say?" I will never understand that. I may continue to buy PJ albums, but they may be alienating some of their fan base, if only a small portion. Look, a band can certainly evolve, but simply taking cheap shots out of left field just reeks of opportunism. Instead of being a permissive liberal, I feel the need to call them to the carpet on it.

if you didn't know Pearl Jam was a political band, you haven't been paying much attention. From the fight with ticketmaster, to the appearances at the Ralph Nader rallies, to songs like "Bushleaguer" and "Green Disease", to their participation in the "America Comes Together" concert series, it seems rather obvious. I'm amazed that anyone could find that surprising.

[Artknocker]

I don't deny they're politically active beyond what I've described. But could you call them a political band like you could, say, U2? Forgive me, but I don't own any PJ albums, so all I've heard by them is what's on the radio. If their music was political to begin with, then I can understand their speaking out on current events. I wouldn't call the Ticketmaster thing or benefit concerts necessarily political. Playing at a rally is different from your typical tour date that I'm taking issue with. Hey, if some fans really want to hear his views at a concert, more power to them, but still more may not. I think they have a right to object if they think it takes away from the performance.

[shin]

artknocker said:

Thanks, Shin--I appreciate all that your votes have done for me. I couldn't have achieved it without you.

Wow, I had no idea 2 votes went that far nowadays! Methinks you're just being modest about how you've achieved it all on your little lonesome.

[Artknocker]

What I'm looking for is a track record--a genuine commitment to causes; not just some fleeting anti-Bush rhetoric simply b/c you're a Democrat so you want Kerry to win. Put your money where your mouth is. Don't just make sound bites or make donations only in election season. So in a strange way, I guess I'm advocating more political activism--if that's what you're going to do, then stick to it so we know who you really are and what you stand for. Be consistent.

[superg]

Well, I'm not much of a fan of U2, so I can't really say. Pearl Jam is a pretty political band though, and if you're the type who would boycott a band's work based on their political leanings, you would probably know that. It's not like they hide it at all (case in point: the song "Bushleaguer").

The point of the "America Coming Together" concert series in October 2004 was to get young voters to register (and thus, to vote out Bush). I'd also call playing a highly publicized Ralph Nader rally fairly political - by playing it, they're telling everyone on which "side" they stand... so surely during the months leading up to an election, it stands to reason that they'd speak at their shows about their distaste for Bush.

I think they have a right to object if they think it takes away from the performance.

I don't disagree with this - show your obejection by not going to the show the next time they come around.

[shin]

Art, did you know Evenflow is about homelessness, therefore proving that from the very start Pearl Jam has always been a political band geared toward social issues (Jeremy, Alive, Why Go)?

And did you know American Idiot is actually about, well, "red staters" (or at least the mentality thereof) and not the President, and that it has sold over 3 million copies nationally, has spawned 3 huge rock radio hits, and is selling just fine in those very same red states, because there are more than enough disenfranchised teenagers within those red states who quite frankly connect with what Green Day is saying?

More importantly, do you have any idea what you're talking about on essentially every issue you bring up? Which would make the stated purpose of this board insanely ironic.

[shin]

I lied. American Idiot is actually about Johnny Damon.

[MrGordon]

artists can say whatever the fuck they want on the stage. If you're going to let a political comment or two ruin your show, why not stay home? its your loss really.

[superg]

anyway, to answer the question the thread was designed to answer, my response is that I don't really know if politics affect my liking certain artists. I'd like to say that I don't care and that I'd be able to see past an artist's politics and appreciate the art for what it is, but I'm not sure that's true. Fortunately, it seems that every band or artist that seems to identify itself as being on the right is a band or artist that I really can't stand anyway.

[MrGordon]

I may as well answer the question as well. No, I don't let a bands politics make me not like them.