Good morning, class, today at NV’s Thursday free chat session, we’re going to talk about rock and roll, the Hall of Fame, Rage Against the Machine, Frank Zappa, Prince, Tipper Gore, Ronaldo Ray-gun, censorship, and fascist theocracy.
If none of that interests you, remember this is a free chat and you’re welcome to head straight to the comment section with your contribution. Because this is a FREE chat, and under the NV Constitution, you have First Amendment rights to free speech (chat) — provided you voluntarily observe what our lovely, dear Rachel labels the “no assholes rule.”
Are you still with me?
Today’s Topic
Today’s topic starts with the announcement of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s announcement of this year’s inductees: Willie Nelson, Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, The Spinners, and Rage Against The Machine. (Read more on that here.)
Rage Against the Machine released a statement on their induction that, in part, describes themselves as:
“A band who is as well known for our albums as we are for our fierce opposition to the US war machine, white supremacy and exploitation. A band whose songs drove alternative radio to new heights while right wing media companies tried to purge every song we ever wrote from the airwaves.”
(Find the entire statement here)
Rock music has been criticized and judged as immoral for decades, and ramped up in the moral outrage/Ray-gun era when a 1985 Senate hearing included Tipper Gore, Dee Snider, John Denver, and Frank Zappa. The end result of the hearing for government censorship was the Explicit Lyrics warnings you still see on recorded materials.
Tipper Gore was upset when she and her daughter came home with a Prince album that included the primary offender on the “Filthy Fifteen” list, a song called Darling Nikki.
In the aftermath, Frank Zappa was a guest on a heated episode of Crossfire, battling conservative pundits and a self-appointed theocrat.
“The biggest threat to America today is not communism. It’s moving America toward a fascist theocracy, and everything that’s happened during the Reagan administration is steering us right down that pipe.” — Frank Zappa
So….. What do you want to talk about today, class? Rock and roll, the Hall of Fame, Rage Against the Machine, Frank Zappa, Prince, Tipper Gore, Ronaldo Ray-gun, censorship, or fascist theocracy?
Maybe you have another topic? At any rate, let’s talk, shall we?