Sure, up to the point where you start banning antiwar songs like “Imagine” and “Peace Train.” Then it becomes a political propaganda activity.
I think “Killing An Arab” by The Cure would be apropriate to censor, at the moment. Poor Robert, he must be killing himself for ever writing that song. It will be the mantra for these ass-hole racists that seem to be coming out of the woodwork lately.
Look, isn’t it kind of silly to talk about “censorship” and “banning”?
A radio station can play whatever the hell they want to. They could play nothing but Creedence Clearwater Revival, all day, every day, except for “Born On A Bayou” because the station manager once ate a bad scone and got sick while that song was playing and now he hates it.
This company feels that their listeners would rather not hear songs about war, death, destruction, egyptians, airplanes, and God knows what else. Maybe they are right, maybe they are wrong, but so what? I mean, the stations are spoon feeding America crappy songs all day every day. That’s not censorship, that’s just poor taste.
Especially seeing as it has absolutely nothing to do with the sort of nonsense people might think it does. Just because people don’t read anymore, does that mean songwriters have to only write in language that is completely clear, and doesn’t refer to any other work of art/book/movie/…?
Hmmmm…ok. Wasn’t implying that it WAS about what people might think it’s about. IIRC, a politician once tried to use Springsteen’s “Born In The USA” as his slogan. He obviously was preoccupied by the title. Just put the Cure song up there as a little aside from the OP. Please forgive any miscomunication…or don’t.
Umm…do you think that means we can get the ass-holes to read Camus?
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So what? Are private entities not allowed to engage in political propaganda? You certainly are exercising your right to over in GD. Why is Clear Channel not allowed to do the same – with their own radio stations, no less?
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I would venture to guess that “Peace Train” is on the list because every time it is played, airplay royalties go to Yusef Islam. The same reason that 10,000 Maniacs (who I don’t think any reasoning person would categorize as either right-wing or pro-war) took it off of pressings of the In My Tribe CD.
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If any really wants so badly to hear these songs, I’m sure they can find them at their local music store.
So what? It’s not like everyone who becomes Muslim is an evil being. Do you have any credible evidence that Yusuf Islam supports terrorism? Or are you just tarring him with the same broad brush that Frank Roque used?
Wow, it’s a good thing I didn’t say that, then, huh? And that I was explaining Clear Channel’s reasoning and not my own, huh?
Now, did you have a question for me, or were you just being contentious?
By whose definition? Yours? Are you the sole arbiter of these things? I must have missed that memo.
Any list of songs that might offend people is going to vary from person to person. I wouldn’t agree with all the songs on the list, but you wouldn’t agree with songs on my list.
But they key is that this is just a temporary cessation, not an outright ban.
“Peace Train,” as pointed out, has nothing to do with the subject of the song, and everything to do with the perception of the artist. (Somewhat incorrect – Stephens/Islam did call for the death of Rushbie, but has since recanted, saying he was too new to Islam to understand the ramifications. You may not believe that – it does seem to me that he realized he made a mistake and is rationalizing it – but the false perception is that he’s fully in agreement with the terrorists and that he shouldn’t receieve royalties or have his songs played).
I’m not sure what you are getting at. Is this because you think it absurd that people would warp something to their views. It happens. In fact there was a disclaimer on a Cure CD (forget which one) expressing the groups displeasure with certain misperceptions about the song. Call me dense, but I’m just not sure what you are talking about. The little I know of Camus (I asume you are speaking of Albert Camus) is that he is an existentialist; or by his own admission, an absurdist. Please explain.
I’ve never heard The Cure song being discussed, but I assume the title “Killing An Arab” is a literary allusion to Camus’s The Stranger where the protagonist does, in fact, kill an Arab (though he does not kill the man specifically because the man is an Arab, that part of it is just happenstance).
Who the hell listens to the radio anymore?
Thanks Amok.
I’m not sure if I should feel insulted or pleased that almost every band I have ever loved has a song on that list. I would classify around 70% of them as songs I personally would say I enjoy. Thank God that whether that list is real or fake, I don’t have to worry about it. All the stations owned by Clearchannel here wouldn’t be caught dead playing a song like Intolerance by Tool, and my favorite radio station is independent.
I have to wonder though - is this real or not? Even newspapers like the Christian Science Monitor which I would expect to have higher accuracy are reporting it as proven fact… I hope it’s not, but given the incredibly PC-paranoid mood I’ve seen in the USA since the tragedy, I wouldn’t doubt it in the least.
Heh, I’m afraid of Americans would be appropriate as well.
Erek
I’m surprised that “One” By Metallica wasn"t banned which is a song based upon johnny got his gun
erek