Today Show Blacklists Toby Keith But Features Singer Glorifying Johnny Taliban

NBC’s Today has yet to feature a segment with Toby Keith, singer of the #1 country hit, the pro-U.S. song “Courtesy of the Red White & Blue” which honors American soldiers, but on Monday it showcased Steve Earle and his yet-to-be-released tribute to the American Taliban, “John Walker's Blues.” Matt Lauer interviewed him and allowed him to sing the song in its entirety.

     In a July 21 story, “Twisted Ballad Honors Tali-rat,” the New York Post’s Aly Sujo described Earle’s song:
     “American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh is glorified and called Jesus-like in a country-rock song to be released soon by maverick singer-songwriter Steve Earle.
     “The controversial ballad called 'John Walker's Blues’ is backed by the chanting of Arabic prayers and praises Allah.
     “Earle's lyrics describe the United States as 'the land of the infidel.’ Those fighting Osama bin Laden's declared jihad against the United States and Jews are said to have hearts 'pure and strong.’ The song says when Lindh dies, he will 'rise up to the sky like Jesus.’"

Today has yet to feature Toby Keith's #1 Courtesy of the Red White & Blue, but on Monday it showcased Steve Earle's yet to be released John Walker's Blues

Far from being embarrassed by the song, Today, after having ignored Keith’s song, which he has been singing for months and which has been out for a month on a number 1 album, the show was proud of its “get,” plastering “Today Exclusive” in the top corner of the screen.

Earle admitted he’s not a big star: “I don't get played on that many mainstream radio stations any way and I haven't in a long time and I've made that choice. I get played more on public radio stations than I do anyplace else.” He rationalized his pro-Lindh stance: “I felt like, that we needed a target because we couldn't get Osama Bin Laden and, and I saw a lot of that hate being directed at this kid."

Lauer was far from hostile to Earle, wondering if he was “surprised” by criticism of the song for being “anti-American” and asking softball questions like: "So why did you feel you wanted to write this song in the first place? What was it about the story of John Walker Lindh that captured your attention?" And, noting that “comparing” Lindh to Jesus “has gotten the attention of some people. What do you think about that?"

It isn’t as if Today hasn’t had an opportunity to showcase Keith, who had a natural news hook in his dispute with Peter Jennings over why he was cut from ABC’s Independence Day special on which he planned to sing Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue. In late July he was in New York City to promote the album, “Vanished,” on which the song is featured.

The CyberAlert linked above also provides links to where you can hear an audio clip of Keith’s song or an excerpt of the video for it. For all the background on the Jennings/Keith matter, the lyrics to the song which led Jennings to boot Keith from his show and a RealPlayer clip of Keith singing the song for CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, refer back to the June 14 CyberAlert: http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2002/cyb20020614.asp#3

(Neither ABC’s Good Morning America, no surprise given how he has called Jennings a liar, nor CBS’s Early Show have brought Keith aboard.)

But on Monday, August 19, Today was more excited about a song that will not be released on CD until late-September.

MRC analyst Geoffrey Dickens noticed how Today kept plugging the upcoming segment which aired in the relatively prominent 7:30am half hour. (Recall that Today didn’t put Ann Coulter on until the lowest-rated half hour, 9:30am.)

Substitute co-host Campbell Brown announced at the top of the show: "And John Walker Lindh is back in the news but this time it's with a twist. The so-called American Taliban is the subject of a song called John Walker's Blues by country star Steve Earle and in it Earle imagines the world from Walker's point-of-view. And now some are calling Earle anti-American and even calling for a boycott of the album. In a Today exclusive Steve Earle will be here in our next half-hour to sing the song for the first time in public and respond to the criticism."

Later she noted: "Coming up in our next half-hour what was American Taliban John Walker Lindh thinking?"
Lauer touted: "In a Today exclusive we'll hear from country music star Steve Earle who tries to answer that question. Do the lyrics to his song John Walker's Blues make him anti-American? After your local news."

Lauer at the top of the 7:30am half hour: "Coming up in this half-hour country singer Steve Earle has ignited a firestorm of criticism and controversy with a song called John Walker's Blues, which some charge seeks to justify even glorify the actions of American Taliban, John Walker Lindh. In a Today exclusive Earle is here to sing that song for us and respond to the criticism for the first time."

     Lauer set up the actual segment: "Country music star and Grammy nominee Steve Earle has a new album coming out called Jerusalem and one song on it has kicked up a storm of controversy. John Walker's Blues, which has yet to be released, is written from American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh's point-of-view. Critics have called Earle anti-American and gone as far as to call for a ban of the album. Steve Earle good morning, nice to have you here."
     Steve Earle: "It's good to be here."
     Lauer: "This doesn't even come out 'til the end of September this album Jerusalem, right? So, so someone gets a hold of a copy of this song John Walker's Blues. Are you surprised word on this has spread as quickly as it has?"
     Earle: "Well I'm certainly surprised that it's spread two months before the record came out. I was on vacation and then we started hearing that a local talk radio show guy in Nashville, Steve Gill, got a hold of a copy of it from a journalist who had written a piece for the New York Post and he was looking for comments and it sort of went from there."
     Lauer: "So why did you feel you wanted to write this song in the first place? What was it about the story of John Walker Lindh that captured your attention?"
     Earle: "I have a 20 year-old son."
     Lauer helpfully noted: "And John Walker Lindh is 20 years-old too."
     Earle: "He's 20 years-old. It's really that simple and, and it was the, you know I didn't, I didn't think anybody else was gonna write this song. And it was just 20 year-olds aren't done yet. And I believed a lot of stuff when I was 20 years-old with all my heart that I don't believe any more. And I felt like, that we needed a target because we couldn't get Osama Bin Laden and, and I saw a lot of that hate being directed at this kid."
     Lauer: "Do, in your lyrics, in your opinion, you'll sing the song for us in a few minutes, in your opinion are the lyrics supportive of John Walker Lindh?"
     Earle: "They're actually not. They're an attempt to get inside his head and sing the song from his viewpoint. And of course I'm speculating there because we've had very, very little access to John Walker Lindh. The only things that came out of John Walker Lindh's mouth that are in the song, you know, I saw on television just like everybody else did. And they are in the song. And a lot of the song is, is what I learned about Islam and, and this revelation of how ignorant we are all about Islam in this country, just from the research that I did trying to make the song work."
     Lauer: "When you hear comments in the New York Post, quote, 'Twisted ballad honors Tali-rat.', 'American Taliban fighter John Walker Lindh glorified and called Jesus-like.' Steve Gill, the guy you mentioned in Nashville says, quote, 'The song celebrates and glorifies a traitor of this country’ and he goes on to say 'Steve Earle runs the risk of becoming the Jane Fonda of the war on terrorism by embracing John Walker and his Tali-buddies.'"
     Earle: "Just don't hold your breath on the aerobics tapes."
     Lauer: "Surprise you the comments? They are very strong, they're calling for a ban of the album."

Earle: "Not really. I mean, this, this is one song on a record that's, that's, that's a pretty, admittedly a pretty political record. I mean my last record was a lot of chick songs. But the world's changed a lot since then and, and so I'm writing about things that, that are going on around me and I'm assuming characters and singing with their voices. And I've done that before. This is my 11th album and I've always done that."
Lauer: "Why don't you sing it for us and we'll talk on the other side. This is John Walker's Blues."

I'm just an American boy raised on MTV
And I've seen all them kids in soda pop ads
And none of 'em looked like me
So I started lookin' around for a light out of the dim
And the first thing I heard that made sense was the word
Of Mohammed, peace be upon him

If my daddy could see me now – chains around my feet
Well he don't understand that sometimes a man's gotta fight for what he believes
And I believe God is great, all praise due to him
And if I should die, I'll rise up to the sky
Just like Jesus, peace be upon him

We came to fight the jihad and our hearts were pure and strong
And when death filled the air, we all offered up prayers
And prepared for our martyrdom
But Allah has some other plan, some secret not revealed
Now they're dragging me back with my head in a sack
To the land of the infidel

Lauer picked up he interview: "Steve Earle. Let me read, if you will, some lyrics from the song, 'If my daddy could see me now -- chains around my feet, you don't understand that sometimes a man has to fight for what he believes and I believe God is great all praise due to him and if I should die I'll rise up in the sky, just like Jesus, peace be upon him.' Comparing or, or even mentioning Jesus in this song has gotten the attention of some people. What do you think about that?"
Earle: "Well Matt. But, but that comes back to, where that line came from was my own ignorance of Islam and, and doing the research for it just trying to learn the Arabic words in the chorus and all that. I went on Islam.com and what I found was, that, something I didn't know was every time a Muslim say the name Jesus he says, 'peace be upon him,' because Jesus was recognized as, as the last prophet before Mohammed. And I never knew that and I don't think you could find one in 10,000 Americans that knew that. And that's why it's in the song."

     Lauer: "And when you say, 'Now they're dragging me back with my head in a sack to the land of the infidel,' what do you say to people who, who are going to hear that when it comes out in September and say, 'I don't, I don't want to hear this song I think it should be boycotted, it should be banned on radio stations?'"
     Earle: "Well I think it's-”
     Lauer: "I mean it's freedom of speech for you to write it and say it."
     Earle: "Right.”
     Lauer: "Is it their right to say boycott it as well?"
     Earle: "Well sure it is. And, and I don't get played on that many mainstream radio stations any way and I haven't in a long time and I've made that choice. I get played more on public radio stations than I do anyplace else. Occasionally I get played on commercial radio stations with the odd record, I make a lot of different kinds of records. But it, for me it's, it's a matter of when you assume a character you have to know as much as you can about that character and try to get in that voice. And I've always done it. There's been a, I've written about more despicable characters and in the voice of more despicable characters than John Walker Lindh."
     Lauer wrapped up: "The song is called John Walker's Blues. The album is called Jerusalem, out at the end of September. Steve Earle, thanks for your time."

Keith’s lyrics probably embarrass the Today producers while they are proud to highlight something which draws attention to how Americans are intolerant haters. -- Brent Baker

You assume he is trying to dig himself out. It has been well established that: a) He doesn't much care about making popular, big selling albums. And b) He's a far left lib.

And exactly what does him being a recovering drug addict have to do with this?

As far as idol worship, you got the wrong guy. I've only recently been introduced to his music (within the last 3 weeks). I'm just trying to inject a little sensibility into an emotional based attack on an individual.

Man, I'm so proud that you've mastered the "copy" and "paste" features! What's next? "select all"? "Cut"?

I've read the lyrics. I've heard the song. I'm waiting on you to show me how they glorify Lindh.

I've stated my position: to wit, that it's written from Lindh's f-ed up perspective; if anything, it shows how he was duped by Islam.

What do the lyrics mean to you, that you find so offensive.

Written in first person or otherwise it is meant to raise the status of Johnny Al Quaida and thus glorify him. Your buddy is pretending to be the trader, comparing himself to some peoples savior.

The case has nothing to do with the Patriot Act so even if you believe the lies of your Idol, who is attempting to bail himself out of the situation, it does not belong in that collection.

Don't beat yourself up because you lack comprehension skills.

You have failed to make the point that the song does not glorify the filthy little trader who is compared to Jesus Christ.

Grow up and maybe you can change from a lamb to a ram.
Let me know if that ever happens good luck until then.

"No need personally insulting musical taste."

Then why did you inject it into your argument? Its rather telling that you accuse me of of having bad taste (regardless of how subtle you tried to be), then when I toss that back at you, accuse me of making a personal attack.

Sounds just like the logic the terrorists have been using. They bomb us. We respond. They accuse us of terrorism.

As for why he didn't write something patriotic to get attention... well that's easy. If he writes something patriotic to get attention and it's no good (there has been a lot of that) it won't get any play, or get him a TV interview. On the other hand, if he writes something controversial, its garanteed to get him publicity, no matter how bad it is. It is also garanteed to generate interest in his work and boost sales of his previous records (which I sure there are plenty of collecting dust somewhere).

In Vegas, it's known as playing the odds. However bad I think his music is, I'll give him one thing, he's clever. Clever enough to fool you and Matt anyway.

If you like his music - good for you. Liking it doesn't require defending his reasons for writing a particularly heinous song just for the publicity it would gain him.

Written in first person or otherwise it is meant to raise the status of Johnny Al Quaida and thus glorify him.

How? Your buddy is pretending to be the trader, comparing himself to some peoples savior.

What, exactly, is Steve supposed to be "trading"? Beaver pelts? Magic beads? What? I didn't think the song was about a trader, but I may have missed it, since my comprehension is not too good.

You have failed to make the point that the song does not glorify the filthy little trader who is compared to Jesus Christ.

Who is this "trader" to whom you keep referring? I'm really confused now, what with my poor comprehension and all. But as to the Jesus reference, Muslims (incorrectly) believe that Jesus was a prophet. (Incidentally, the one unforgivable sin in Islam is proclaiming Christ to be God's son. I knew that, but I'll venture you didn't. Following your logic, that makes me a Muslim.)

So, when the subject of the song sings he'll rise to the sky "just like Jesus", I suspect the subject of the song was (incorrectly) assuming he would go to heaven.

Seriously, though, clue me in on this "trader" thing.

I've stated my position: to wit, that it's written from Lindh's f-ed up perspective; if anything, it shows how he was duped by Islam. What do the lyrics mean to you, that you find so offensive.

First off, since you are so slap happy about pointing out grammatical errors, let me return the favor by informing you that "What do the lyrics mean to you, that you find so offensive." is a question, and should be ended with a question mark, not a period. I won't even go into details about how it was so poorly worded, and obvious proof of your publik skool edjukation.

As far as my interpretation of the lyrics:
We came to fight the jihad and our hearts were pure and strong
As GWB said, you're either with us, or against us. There is no middle ground. This line in the song shows a belief that the Muslim extremists are "pure of heart", ie, they are on the side of righteousness.
And when death filled the air, we all offered up prayers
A not so subtle reference to the cheering and celebration on the streets that occured in the middle east after the 9-11 attacks. I found that as repugnant as seing the video of the bodies of U.S. soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu.
To the land of the infidel
More of the same ol' "The United States is evil" B.S. I'm sick of hearing it.

I've listened to this song. It really sucked. It sounded like the Osama bin Laden version of the "Be All That You Can Be" song they used to use in Army recruitment commercials. If Steve Earle wants to create propaganda messages for the enemy, then I have absolutely no problem with putting him in the same category of scum as Hanoi Jane.

If you can't deal with the fact that other people believe your hero is scum, too bad.

Sigh...And here's what you'll never understand, so I won't say it anymore. To me, the lyrics point out how misguided Islam is. Following your logic, Earle must think that America is, indeed, "the land of the infidel."

But since I know he's not a Muslim (he's an agnostic, incidentally), I know that's not the case.

The song was written from the perspective of a young guy who converted to Islam, betrayed his country, and made some really screwed up choices. To me, anyway, it shows Lindh not to be a sympathetic character, but a dupe.

Congratulations, at least, on attempting to analyze the lyrics.

Don't get me wrong, I'm here in Music City, and I hate what they've done to commercial radio. The whole "O Brother" thing was really a backlash, and long overdue. But there's still a baby in that bath water. Trisha Yearwood. Nickel Creek. Even Garth when he's not on his soapbox. Oh, and don't forget Alison Krauss and MC Carpenter (If I weren't married I'd be stalking one of them right now).
When I was in college, all I wanted to hear was 'thought-provoking' music. However, I've since learned that music (popular and otherwise) can serve other purposes that are no less noble:

Helping a tired soul relax after a hard-day's work
Bring back pleasant memories of long-lost loves
Ease the grief of one who is hurting, and my favorite:

Get my wife "in the mood"

Since Shania accomplishes that task, you can't convince me she's not an "artist". ;)

Congratulations, at least, on attempting to analyze the lyrics

Oh, I more than "attempted" to analyze the lyrics. I succeeded, unlike yourself. You seem to be quite content to accept the back peddaling excuses of your favorite songwriter, rather than use your brain and think about it for yourself.

As I said before, you display all of the fine qualities we have seen over the years by all of the Klinton apologists. Steve Earle is your hero, and he can do no wrong in your eyes, and you would probably staunchly defend him with the same ferocity if he wrote a song from the perspective of a serial child rapist.

I have the ability to discern quality (as I perceive it), and I use it. Just because someone happens to be your favorite song writer, author, actor, politician, or professional athelete, doesn't mean they deserve a free pass. I have heard songs from my favorite artists that I thought were terrible. I've read books by my favorite authors that I didn't think were any good.

I've heard this song. There is no way anybody with any sense of objectiveness could believe that it's one of Steve Earle's best pieces of work. The song sucks, and regardless of what back peddaling excuses he wants to make now, I do believe he wrote it with the intention of causing the reaction he has received.

When I first heard about this song, it was reported that he sang it during a performance in Canada before high tailing it to Europe to hide for a couple of weeks. He prefaced this debut performance with a disclaimer along the lines of "This next song will probably get me deported."

REVISED

Jihad Johnny (Set to the tune of Guitar Town by Steve Earle)

Hey pretty baby are you ready for me
It's your expat american muslin convert jihad fighter from californay
I'm just out from frisco headed for the land of allah
There is FBI agents all around no local yokel gonna tell me that i can't go fight for the jihad

Cause me and the boys from miles around are going to the land of allah and join up with al queda

Nothing ever happened around my home town and i was bored So i heard this muslim voice call and i went down the lost al-queda highway.

Everybody around told me you can't get too far on 1,000 dollars and a worn koran

I'm a brand new man now with my new found religious beliefs

Hey pretty baby now i'm in Afganistan and i wake up in the middle of the night i wouldn't get out of here cause i'm fightin' for allah now

Well i'm fightin' like hell against the Americans with my muslim brothers

I got an AK-47 and i'm fightin' for allah and new country now.

Hey pretty baby don't you know it ain't my fault they say i ain't no traitor since i went to Al-Queda town

They say people wanna hang me bad and i'm just a kid who didn't know any better

Johnny went on his jihad against America and when he got back he was treated like a golden child from californay

Back in californay gonna be out in 20 that's what they say i get cable tv and i'm still alive

Mike Spann fightin' for the red white and blue died in that hellish prison in afghanistan

Hey steve earle boy you sure do love it here in the land of infidels
Your political causes are as misguided as your song about johnny boy

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