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Volume CXXXII, Number 17 |
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Apathy on all of the American airwaves
MACAELA FLANAGAN
COLUMNIST
It's been said that history repeats itself, but is that true in the case of music?
In the February 20 edition of The New York Times, Brent Staples printed an article entitled "The Trouble With Corporate Radio: The Day the Protest Music Died."
In it he describes that heavy corporate dictatorship of the airwaves has dramatically reduced the number of controversial songs, more specifically, political songs, we hear played on popular radio. During the late 60s and early 70s, rock music became the anti-Vietnam weapon of choice, and had a large part in spreading anti-war sentiments to the population at large. Over 30 years later, our nation once again stands divided on the question of war-but where is the music?
I don't think I am alone in saying that any rock lover who looks back at the music of the Vietnam era does so with a slightly nostalgic view. Though I would never hope to live through an age where I would be subjected to the gruesomeness of the Vietnam War and its effects, the music of the time somehow seemed more alive and connected to anti-war society. Even if we weren't alive to witness this musical protest ourselves, we've learned about the war through documentaries, movies, and classes, and all of them incorporated the music of the time as a very important piece of history. It seems as though voices were actually singing about issues that were to alter the face of the world.
Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," the Rascals' "People Got to Be Free," both made the top-10 charts during the Vietnam era. They were helped by a host of other protest songs: Crosby, Stills, and Nash's "Ohio," Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction," and a whole lot of Bob Dylan are only a few of the multitudes using music as a peace-promoter during a time when our country was engaged in war.
Music is a powerful tool that reaches the masses just as the media does, but allows for heavy personal and societal reflection, often stirring emotional reactions to what we hear. War is one of the many pressing topics we face in society today, but a subject we hear little about on pop radio. Political objection is often a subject that requires a little more chutzpah to verbalize, and therefore it is either not said or tucked away neatly near the end of the album-far from any radio single. No-brainer singles still round out the tops of the pop charts.
But if we look a little deeper than the popularized music of the masses, there is hope. In a recent interview by Josh Frank in CounterPunch, female punk band Sleater-Kinney was praised for singing songs protesting US attacks on Iraq. "I don't know why there aren't more artists writing about the pending war or the government," vocalist/guitarist Corin Tucker is quoted in the interview, "I guess protest songs are sort of uncool these days."
Their "Combat Rock" off One Beat directly addresses America's lack of peaceful anthems: "Where is the questioning? Where is the protest song? Since when is skepticism un-American? Dissent's not treason but they talk like it's the same…" While Sleater-Kinney can be applauded for releasing songs with fervent lyrics that have the capacity to catapult one to action, you won't hear them on corporate radio, and the above quoted interview won't be reprinted in The New York Times. Although one of the best known indie-bands of today, Sleater-Kinney's powerful messages are going unheard by the majority of the population, yet they are saying more than any of their widely-distributed musical colleagues.
The question of war is one that has been constantly discussed since America felt the depths of terrorism almost a year and a half ago. It is impossible to turn off the TV without hearing statistics or deadlines or seeing images that relate to Iraq, yet the radio is ignorantly quiet. Pop chart artists of today must have opinions on the war, but none of us are hearing opposition in their lyrics, despite what they might say in an interview. We all know that not everyone reads the paper, but most everyone listens to music.
Corporate radios have one of the most powerful anti-war tools imaginable sitting in their hands, but opinions and worldly concern are taking a back seat to money and conservatism.
I'm not sure what's scarier: the thought that we are on the brink of war, or the thought that, when it comes to discussing war, the radio-one of the largest broadcasting tools in existence-is silent.
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