Design Counterprotest Playlists

Cafe Society
1

While walking to check my mail, I got near a protest of some sort on campus. I didn’t want to get close enough to read all of the sign–and they had way too much text on it–but I was able to read “ROAD TO HELL FIRE.” Well, I then got an idea that it’d be fun to go with a playlist of music that counters whatever the protest was about. The idea died for want of a ghettoblaster, but the idea was too good to pass up, so I put it here. So, what would you play in a counterprotest? You don’t actually have to do anything other than sit there with the stereo, so don’t worry about the music drowning out your counterprotest. Also, you’re trying to amuse yourself while annoying the protestors, so irony and such is fine. Here are some of my ideas:

For the religious protest in question:
AC-DC “Highway to Hell” (of course) along with probably “Hells Bells” and “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
Rob Zombie “Dragula”
Probably something by Black Sabbath
Probably something by Metallica (Holier Than Thou, perhaps)
Some Rage Against the Machine
Some Rammstein (hey, it sounds angry and is in German, what else do you need?)
Blue Oyster Cult “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper”
Maybe Depeche Mode “Personal Jesus” (more for the irony than anything else)
Cake “Sheep Go To Heaven” (Hey, who can resist putting it in with a title like that?)
“Sympathy for the Devil” Take your pick between Guns N’ Roses and the Stones.
For an anti-war protest:
Lots of stuff by the Charlie Daniels Band (I suggest “The South’s Gonna Do It Again” and “In America”)
Outkast “Bombs Over Baghdad”
Those annoying glurgy songs like “God Bless the USA”
Some Springsteen, especially “Born in the USA” (the irony makes it funny)
CCR “Fortunate Son” (same deal with the irony)
Duran Duran “A View to a Kill”
Holst “Mars, the Bringer of War”
Williams “The Imperial March”

2

Springsteen “Born in the USA”
CCR “Fortunate Son”
How are these counter-anti-war???

For your first category, do the Depeche Mode trifecta:
“Never Let Me Down”
“Personal Jesus”
“Blasphemous Rumours”

3

That’s the point. They’re actually anti-war but people often don’t actually listen so they get a reputation as upbeat patriotic songs. Since the point is to amuse yourself while irritating the protesters, knowingly playing an anti-war song as a protest against an anti-war protest is funny.

4

War:
Ted Nugent’s “Bound and Gagged”

Toby Keith’s “Red, White, and Blue: the Angry American” (I may be mis-remembering the title, but you know the one I mean. The one that supposedly spawned a feud with the Dixie Chicks.)

“Okie from Muskogee”

Chris DeBurg’s album The Getaway is most famous for the song “Don’t Pay the Ferryman”, but it has several others that would fit the bill. “Borderline”, and the last three songs on the album, played as a medley: “Revolution”, “Light a Fire”, and “Liberty”.

5

For a peacenik march:

“Revolution” by the Beatles.

Robin

6

Run In with the Devil - Van Halen (ok, it’s Runnin’)

Devil Inside - INXS

7

Alan Jackson and his 911/Ladder to heaven/Freedom isn’t free type songs.