Posted on 03/07/2003 10:42:18 PM PST by petuniasevan
Posted Mar. 06, 2003
Eric Klister column: Look for musicians to turn up volume on anti-war stance
The bombs are about to fall, troops are set to be deployed and tanks are ready to roll, or so it appears.
I wonder what Bruce Springsteen and Madonna are thinking.
As sure as it appears that a war with Iraq is imminent, you also can bet that musicians are ready to launch their own attack in the form of protest songs, speeches and advertisements.
Curiously, the music industry so far has turned down the volume on anti-war sentiments. At this year’s Grammys, hardly a word was uttered, save for an inscription on Sheryl Crow’s bass strap and some gibberish from Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst.
It might just be the calm before the storm. Madonna is set to debut a new video on MTV later this month titled “American Life,” which supposedly “examines the horrors of war,” not that Madonna has any firsthand knowledge of what those horrors might be.
As well, a collective called Musicians United to Win Without War has bought ads in various major newspapers that say in huge, bold letters, “War on Iraq is wrong and we know it.”
Of course, the question is whether a musician, in particular one whose fame has grown beyond mere wealth to include influence, should be looked upon as some sort of sage whose opinions are more valid than anyone else’s. Really, the only difference between your opinion on war and Madonna’s is that Madonna can afford to air hers on television.
Certainly it is difficult to take a guy like Durst seriously. He wants “this war to go away as soon as possible,” yet he will go on stage and sing a song called “Break Stuff,” a tune that one can imagine might be blaring through the headphones of a soldier getting ready to launch a cruise missile.
There also is the idea that since musicians are more recognizable than politicians and have a great deal of influence over the youth of America, they are in some way obligated to say something. That, along with being an unfortunate commentary, only begs the question of whether it is better to be ignorant or misinformed.
Having said that, there is no denying the importance the music community plays during times of crisis. Music always has been a means to cope, a place to find solace, an outlet to vent. Look no further than Sept. 11 as evidence. But what was significant about the event from a music standpoint wasn’t what artists were saying in public-service announcements, it was the way in which their songs became important. Songs such as Springsteen’s “The Rising” and Five for Fighting’s “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” were not explicitly written about the terrorist attacks, but they became 9-11 anthems because people were able to attach their own meanings.
That’s a more powerful statement than anything a musician could say from atop a soapbox.
Not too bad.
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