1. Home
  2. music
  3. 1244926021

Music and politics

A post yesterday about U2 prompted me to listen to them today. And one comment from yesterday got me to thinking. The author wrote dismissively that they should "keep their politics to themselves." (Those may or may not have been the exact words, but that gets to the point.) As I've been listening this afternoon, I've thought: I'm neither a born-again Christian nor a political leftie, but I do love this band. And then I thought further: If I listened only to bands or singer-songwriters whose politics were like mine, I surely wouldn't spin a whole lot of recordings. (For the record, I consider myself a radically pragmatic centrist with occasional libertarian leanings. Got any bands who'd fill that bill?) I care about the music, and not about what the people making that music happen to believe. Am I alone in this? Do others dismiss certain artists because of their politics -- or religion or the kind of car they drive or whatever else?
hodu
tvad
9,467 posts
 
I have a question for those who would defend the concert preachers. Would you feel the same if you payed to see a performer and got a 30 minute anti-abortion diatribe?
Minkwelder (Answers)

Yes, because I support their First Amendment rights.

If you don't like to hear politics at concerts, then don't attend the ones with politically vocal performers.

It's pretty simple.
route9's avatar
route9
55 posts
 
most artists are progressive to begin with,whether they are writers,poets,singers etc.etc.those performers that have their roots from the 60's or 70's ,they are even more so.politics has always been intertwined with song since forever.
like the poster previously said..don't go,listen or buy.listen to the lawrence welk reruns and new age music.
joeylawn36111
574 posts
 
I personally hate it when foriegn bands critisize the US politically - they just need to "Shut Up and Sing" just like Audiofeil said.
bongofury
1,160 posts
 
I LOVE POLITICALLY SLANTED MUSIC. The world would be poorer without the varied songs like Big Bill Broonzy's "This Train", Bruce Springsteen's "Youngstown", The Clash's "Washington Bullets", The Beatles "Revolution", Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man", Green Day's "American Idiot", and U2's "Pride" in our daily lifes. You would have to live in a cave not to give these artists their fare shaking in reshaping popular culture. Why sit back in silence? I see no reason that they not share their views openly in public as an extention of their celebrity.
entrope
482 posts
 
Bongo-

Did you drop $100 on the concert ticket to hear an artist perform or speak to their politics?
More to discover