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■ ——
Union of politics, music
can open eyes to ideas
By Brian Peterson
Ivan Jirous has spent nearly
nine years in Czechoslovakian
prisons for various political ac
tivities condemned by the gov
ernment. He and his band Plastic
People of the Universe were ar
rested in 1976 for "creating
public disturbances" and “sing
ing indecent songs."
Their arrest lea ih part to the
internationally known human
rights document Charter 77. Ilr
ous has been arrested again, mis
time charged with "harming the
interests of the republic abroad"
(Spin, August 1969).
Jirous has a long history of ac
tivism and long has used music
to convey his ideas toothers. But
hd is not alone. Thousands of
musicians around the world
have similar histories of persecu
tion.
Why do these musicians take
such risks by performing music
which they must know will be
considered subversive and
, likely lead to legal difficulties?
• The circumstances are not al -
ways so extreme, but anyone
paying attention to music jour
nalism can observe that musi
cians of all styles and persua
sions are uniting the domains of
music and politics.
Many listeners complain that
political concerns are intrusions
upon music. Others appreciate
or even expect suen eiroris.
Musicians who dabble in
social concerns have two en
deavors: to produce the music
they enjoy, and to use that music
to convey whatever messages
they wish. Ideally, the two con
tribute to each other rather than
one overpowering the other.
The recent commercial suc
cess of countless performers
with political messages shows
that a* Union of the two can be
both possible and successful.
Tracy Chapman and 10,000
Maniacs are recent examples of a
conUnuing tradition of such fu
sion.
Mega-events such as Farm
Aid and Amnesty IntemaUonal's
Human Rights Now! tour pro
vide further^ evidence of the
possibility of success in this area.
Yet the question remains:
Why do musicians get involved
in social issues in the first place?
Clearly, they want to get a mes
sage to the audience, to commu
nicate ideas in the best way they
can.
There are as many methods
for communicating these mes
sages as there are performers.
Lyrics are the most obvious ex
ample, and spreading their mes
sage is facilitated by adding lyric
sheets to releases.
There are numerous other
means for the musical expres
sion of political sentiments. Al
bum covers probably do more to
sell records than advertising and
reputation. A striking image on a
cover stays with a listener
whether or not the album is
purchased.
The Short Sharp Shocked LP
of Michelle Shocked is an ex
ample of such, showing her
getting arrested at a Stop The
City demonstration in San Fran
cisco. For what it is worth, the
same photo idea was used on a
Chaos U.K. album called Short
Shatp Shock.
Tne release of an album, in
dependent of its lyrical content,
also can have political repercus
sions. With the advent of
glasnost, Western rock music is
entering the Soviet Union and
‘ further eroding East-West barri
ers.
The official USSR label, Melo
diya, has pressed more than four
million copies of the double
album 'Rainbow Warriors, a
money- and consciousness-rais
ing effort for Greenpeace (Roll
ing Stone, April 20, 1989). The
album features the likes of Sting,
Eurythmics, Grateful Dead,
Sade, Huey Lewis and U2,
among others just as varied.
Greenpeace also benefits
from concert" announcements
and proceeds from the single
“Little Fighter” by White Lion
(Spin, Oct 89), the top-40 metal
band that everyone likes to slam.
. The band's glossy photos
mav adorn the lockers of junior
high school students across the
nation, but it takes something to
open for AC/DC with ‘ When the
Children Cry,” a tender anti-war
number. —
Musicians also can benefit
causes by their mere appear
ance, such as providing public
service announcementslor vari
ous organizations.
Some more dosely gel in
volved with the causes they pro
mote. Sting recently spent ten
days with Kayapo Indians in the
Brazilian rain forest in an inter
national protest to protect the
See FIFTH on 7
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