If I thought someone's politics were the equivalent of their personality, I'd hate a lot more of my friends.

As someone who has gone to 1 or 2 hardcore shows, the only political banter between songs that really bothers me is when it's "We all need to rally together and make a difference, we need to get Bush out of the office this year and we ::long lecture::, NOW LETS SEE SOME FUCKING MOSHING"

You know, it's like Puff Daddy with political banter between songs, fuck that. What gets me is comercial artists trying to have an opinion, it's really cute.

edit: I mean, everyone should shut up and die.

I guess it depends on how narrowly you define politics. A guy doesn't have to come out and say George Bush sucks to be political. He can base songs on the plight of the working class, and I would consider it political. He may not align himself with a particular political party's specific world view, but he is still making a political statement.

Here's a good link that describes what I mean without my having to type several pages...

http://www.militantesthetix.co.uk/opticsyn/art-pol.htm

Oh yeah. I am just saying there is no collective bad time possible anymore.

I don't think people are misinformed. I just think that you can give people enough info to start a riot and they won't do it.

How bad can it get? We are lied to constantly as it is, and it all is just a big disjointed grumble from everyone with nobody really doing anything about it. But why should they? No matter how bad it really is, it still isn't really that bad. Which is the paradox.

I think people are more inclined to tip shit over and set things ablaze after their sports team wins than they are over an infringement on their rights or beliefs.

Thank you! This is the key here - these people are no more qualified to offer an opinion on politics than I am, or you are, or any random person you see everyday. For some reason, they've taken our support of their music as an indication that they are superior and that they have some obligation to educate us little people who obviously have no brains (since we're apparently unable to determine our political stance by ourselves.)

This is true - but to turn off an artist because of what they're saying...

I like the Boss...I like Bright Eyes...
I think that perhaps they were singled out because they did those MoveOn benefits 'round the time of the election...



I think it's ironic that people always ask actors/musicians/etc. about their opinions, where songs come from, what inspires them, etc. but, once someone starts talking politics (liberal or conservative), they start being attacked. Is watching "VH1: Storytellers" that much different that having someone talk about politics on stage, then playing a political song?

Besides, I think that, before Damien Jurado is going to attack people for talking about politics at political rallies/fundraisers, that he should think twice about his yearly appearances at Cornerstone and the ilk. Politics and religion are at about the same annoyance level to me - he should think a little more carefully about what kind of house he's living in before he starts casting stones...

hahah I just read this in Paste the other day. I was thinking "Wait till the obner board gets ahold of this."

people always do ask actors and musicians stuff about their political motivations, personality issues, personal problems, religious beliefs... on vh1. and in magazines. somewhere where they're not being paid to put on a show. if a newspaper asks an artist where they're coming from, then i'm reading that piece going, "f'in yeh man! where ARE you coming from?" i don't want the artist to have a little q&a time (really, just the "a" time) at a show, unless its all part of the song, part of the show, whatever.

cornerstone, in my opinion, is very much like political shows, or at least a festival that revolves all around an issue or idea: Christianity and somewhat Christian artist or whatever. like i said in the post before, there's a time and a place. you go to cornerstone with some expectation of religious dialogue or re-enforcement. i'm not going to go to a beck concert in hopes that he'll tell me all about his religious beliefs in scientology. i want to be rocked and to have some great transcendent moment of music greatness.

plus i think jurado gets a chunk of change whenever he plays cornerstone

Cornerstone is a different type of environment. Not that I have ever been. But friends of mine have been. You'd be surprised at how many artists that play that festival are leftist. Cornerstone is pretty much the only Christian based festival that would even consider bringing a band like Pedro the Lion to play there.

I don't really know where I stand on artists speaking their views from the stage really. I guess it depends on the artist and how they present their views. If they are telling me something that gets me to think or moves me in an emotional or intellectual sense, whether I agree or not - I don't care if they talk. I can think of plenty of times when I was thinking to myself "I wish this asshole would shut the fuck up already." But there have also been times where I'm thinking "Maybe he'll say something." I've seen Bright Eyes 3 times and I don't remember him being all that preachy. But these times were pre-"election frenzy." Ultimately, they have a right to speak from the stage of course. When you pay for a ticket to get into a show, it's not up to you to decide how the artist will present themselves. Yeah, if the artist speaks for 90% of the show and plays 2 songs, you can call them an asshole and I'll see your point. But ultimately, it's their show. You could always just give them a shitty review.

beck's a scientologist?

I'm a Billy Bragg fan, if I don't get a lecture with my gig I'm always a little sad.

He's married to one. I don't know if he converted, though.

Wow. I guess if the lady gets him enturbulated that's his business and all, but it just seems so silly.

After all that blathering on Sea Change and now he's married to a scientologist?

Beck was supposedly raised scientologist.

Thanks for the reminder. I've been forgetting the daily affirmation.

Edit: And no wonder I don't like Beck.

I have no idea what it's like now, but I went to the first few in the late 70's and early 80's when they were Jesus People USA-run affairs and they were interesting clearinghouses for all the "unacceptable" elements of Christianity. Like myself, actually. The dudes who were all about chilling out and showing someone where the soup kitchen was, not about telling them their doctrine was fucked and they were going to hell tomorrow afternoon.

This is like when Entertainment Weekly cites a list of celebrities that like an item, a band, or whatever. It's as if some actor douchebag gives "cred" and "hipness" to an album, that we should give something more attention because Ben Stiller likes it. Just because they act in movies doesn't mean they know shit about music.

Just because a musician can write good songs, doesn't mean they know shit about politics. Their endorsement or condemnation of a political figure means jack shit. I don't care about any musician's opinion about politics.

Musicans, like Ben Stiller, can say what they want and like whatever candidate they want, but the fact that they are a musican gives them zero weight in the credibility department. I think the basic problem is that musicians' egos are too big.

I am firmly in the "less talk more rock" camp.

what's ben stiller's album like? what's it called even?

i like to arbitrarily conflate artists, their views, and their art.

So the only ones who should talk about politics are those who are officially given the title "political commentator" and work for CNN or Fox News?

If a musician cares about politics, and studies it, why shouldn't they talk about it? Just because people with a bizarre inferiority complex will take it as them thinking they are "superior"?

I've never understood the "Poor me, they make me think they think they're superior!" thing.

Were you on the debate team?

I never liked Damien Jurado until now.