Want a singer who shares your views? Grab a mike (ROEPER CONDEMNS SPRINGSTEEN BOYCOTT)

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | August 19, 2004 | RICHARD "DOPEY" ROEPER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

[j_k_l]

Dave Mathews, a white guy from South Africe doesn't like Bush's administration. Could it be that Powel and Rice aren't the right color for him? I guess Dave believes that blacks are only good enough to be his backup band but not in power.

He likes Kerry can you imagine how much more excited Dave Mathews would be if Robert KKK Byrd were running?

[Ciexyz]

I'm sick to death of hearing the same two Springsteen songs on the radio for the last twenty-some years. I always hated the one about "Got a wife and kids in Arkansas jack ...left one day and never went back." It bothered me for years that the media was glorifying a song about a guy abandoning his wife and kids.

James Taylor got a lot of my money thirty years ago. Never again.

[Alcibiades]

So when an "artist" basically calls us idiots if we vote for bush we are supposed to go on buying their music.

Anyone else ever notice that the movies that win all the awards and high praise from the critics like roeper are the worst ones? If a movie wins a lot of critical acclaim I generally refuse to watch it. My wife made the mistake of renting "Lost in Translation" last year after all the critics hype. Man was she pissed.

[wasp69]

Attention, all Bush-loving conservatives!

We need to talk about your taste in music. Do you have anything by any of the following artists:

Ummm, let me see....

Bruce Springsteen
Nope

Sheryl Crow
no

the Dixie Chicks
uh-uh

Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
nah

Usher
nada

Pearl Jam
burnt it

R.E.M.
nein

Five for Fighting
no way

Bright Eyes
no how

My Morning Jacket
forget it

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals
won't buy it

James Taylor
couldn't pay me

Jackson Browne
couldn't pay me enough

Bonnie Raitt
won't do it

Jurassic 5
wouldn't happen

Keb' Mo'
fuhgedda bout it

and/or Death Cab for Cutie
got more sense

I guess that about sums it up. However, I will happily listen to my Charlie Daniels, Ted Nugent, and Toby Keith CD's while these empty holes make farts in noise makers.

[kaylar]

Bruce Springsteen-NO.Loathe his work-mostly screechings and caterwaulings.

, Sheryl Crow-No. Hate her muzak, especially "All I wanna Do"

the Dixie Chicks-No. Dislike country music.

, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds-Who?

, Usher-Who?

, Pearl Jam-Yes. But I haven't listened to it in years

R.E.M-No.

, Five for Fighting-No

, Bright Eyes-No

, My Morning Jacket-No.

, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminal-No

James Taylor-Is it 1975 again? No.

, Jackson Browne-See James Taylor. No

, Bonnie Raitt-Ho

, Jurassic 5-No.

, Keb' Mo' and/or Death Cab for Cutie-No

.

[kaylar]

My comment on Bonnie Raitt is a typo-it's yet another NO (but for all I know, the typo COULD be more accurate...)

[Pebcak]

Water all over the keyboard moment.

You have to wonder about these entertainers management. Is this a strategy to alienate 50% of their potential audience?
For anyone who says they "hate" the President, it should be higher.

Roeper sounds like an apologist.

[dirtboy]

If so, I regret to inform you that you cannot listen to them any more -- not if you're going to remain loyal to your president and your party.

Fine by me. Most of them should have retired years ago.

This is America. We're supposed to celebrate our differences and the right to express them.

I'm expressing my differences with these morons by calling them morons and refusing to buy any of their albums. Your point is?

[Zhangliqun]

"Hey. John Rocker didn't merely express his political views. He called a teammate (unnamed in the article, but since revealed to be Randall Simon) a "fat monkey". He directed hate speech toward fellow players and a large percentage of the potential audience for his sport. MLB had every right to suspend him for that.

Trust me, as a lifelong Braves fan (look at my handle) and a big Rocker proponent, I was pretty pissed when that stuff happened. But as a business, MLB was completely justified in their reaction."

***

I wasn't commenting on MLB's reaction to John Rocker, I was just making the point that famous people sometimes do things that so wildly overshadow the reason that they're famous that these things become their new identity. People now think of Rocker as a "dumb cracker" (I can say that, I'm from Eastern NC) instead of a baseball player, just as people now think of Barbra Streisand as a screechy political hack instead of a singer/actress. Or O.J. Simpson as a double murderer instead of a football/TV/movie star.

I was pointing out to Roeper that I doubt he could be so indifferent toward Rocker "views" as he claims we should be about Springsteen & Co's "views".

[weegee]

He never wrote a column protesting his movie critic partner Roger Ebert for giving a movie 0 stars because it was about a man on death row getting executed in Texas for a crime he did commit. Roger liked the acting, he liked the director. He hated the plot turn that made a man who was proclaiming his innocence actually guilty of the crime.

A ZERO star rating from a critic tells audiences DO NOT THINK ABOUT GOING TO THIS FILM ("boycott it").

[weegee]

The byline is wrong, shouldn't that read Sun-Times Communist?

[weegee]

Attention, all Bush-loving conservatives!

We need to talk about your taste in music. Do you have anything by any of the following artists: Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, the Dixie Chicks, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Usher, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Five for Fighting, Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Jurassic 5, Keb' Mo' and/or Death Cab for Cutie.

If so, I regret to inform you that you cannot listen to them any more -- not if you're going to remain loyal to your president and your party.

It's not so much about party "loyalty" as it is a rejection of funding Democrat politicians. These artists are currently on a fundraising tour but their "regular" concerts have ALSO been turned into quasipolitical rallies although the audience is often unaware until the activist singers start spouting anticonservative/antiBush venom from the stage.

Defund the left by joining the boycott.

[NYCVirago]

Do you have anything by any of the following artists: Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, the Dixie Chicks, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Usher, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Five for Fighting, Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Jurassic 5, Keb' Mo' and/or Death Cab for Cutie.

Roeper acts like all these artists are at the top of the charts, and it will be such a sacrifice not to listen to them. Half the bands most people haven't heard of, and most of the rest are has-beens.

[Hildy]

I love Keb Mo. I think he's beholden to Bonnie Raitt who brings him on tour with her. He's a terrific songman. Alot of his songs are very spiritual and religious. I'm very unhappy to hear this.

[weegee]

It's practically un-American.

The common lie of projection by communists and anarchists. Even Al Qaida's handbook showed how to use the constitution to protect those who seek to destroy this country/constitution.

[weegee]

If I like a song, I like a song. Just yesterday morning, I put in some quality time on the speed bag while listening to "Milkshake," among other tunes, and I didn't once pause to consider the political views of Kelis.

Hmm. What about the liberals who resent hearing a favorite band's song used as bumper music on a conservative talk radio show? Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity have both had fans try to upset the apple cart by protesting to the performers. Sean may actually have to change one of his songs as a result.

If these hosts can get past the artists' political leanings, why can't their fans get over conservative hosts using the songs?

[weegee]

If the Boss converted to the GOP way overnight, I'd still love "Born in the U.S.A."

Even though some conservatives misunderstood the real meaning of the song.

The shot of Bruce Springsteen pissing on the flag should have made his antiAmerican stance quite clear:

[weegee]

I suspect that Roger Ebert savaged Vincent Gallo's Brown Bunny at Cannes last year (calling it the worst film EVER to play there) and exaggerating the outrage strictly because of Gallo's unapologetic conservative politics.

Reviews are coming in now that are much better although the film still won't be for everyone.

[RightWingAtheist]

Well, I'm Republican, atheist and short, and I Roeper would probably appreciate me about as much as a rancher appreciates anthrax.