Baffling Radio Banned songs after tragedy

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http://www.pioneerplanet.com/columnists/docs/LAMBERT/docs/137030.htm

what they don't want you to hear(the censors)

― Pennysong Hanle y, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

there's also an article on slate about this, with some commentary. pretty fucked up. but i just heard "war pigs" this morning, which made me kind of happy; i can't help but wonder if they're using it as some kind of "LET'S ALL GET PUMPED UP FOR SOME WAR!!!" thing instead of the absolutely anti-war statement the song obviously is.

― your null fame, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

it's the only way you'll EVER get "stairway to heaven" off the radio.

but: "what a wonderful world"? "america"? "bridge over troubled water"?

i heard "when will i see you again?" on sunday and was struck by how the melancholic turned into the desperate.

― fred solinger, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My favorite is still putting "Wipeout" on a list of songs with questionable lyrics, although lazily listing "all Rage Against The Machine songs" ranks a close second.

Why couldn't they include "God Bless The USA" for those of us who always get visions of Good Ol' Boys with pitchforks and torches when we hear that song? (Not even mentioning Minnesota can make that song feel comfortable to me.)

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm not saying this makes sense, but I'm guessing this is what CC is "thinking":

"what a wonderful world"? "america"?

"I've seen babies cry..."

"On the boats and on the planes / They're coming to America / Never looking back again /They're coming to America"

― scott p., Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm really bummed about "Holy Diver".

On a serious note - New York New York is the one that's really pissing me off. That's all I will say, I wrote about it on my website a tiny bit.

― Ally, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

yeah, but does anyone know the lyrics to "america"? i mean, really? i usually just go, "da da daaa, da da daaaa, they're comin' to america!"

and wait a second: "ruby tuesday"? but not "street fightin' man"? "sympathy for the DEVIL"? i guess they don't want to gut classic rock radio completely.

― fred solinger, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

or how about "(You're the) Devil in Disguise" by "Elvis." Not Presley, not Costello, not even Hitler--just Elvis. These people really don't have a f'in' clue, do they?

And what about the Creedence song being "Travelin' Band"--not the anti-draft "Fortunate Son" or the anti-war "Who'll Stop the Rain" or even the 100% surefire appropos "Bad Moon Rising"--"Travelin' Band." Jeeee-sus.

― M. Matos, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

...and let us not forget Bob Dillon and Jimmy Hendrix. Clear Channel: a brodacast behemoth cast by folks who care about music, obviously.

― M. Matos, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Just another example of how well the music executives understand music.

― Pennysong Hanle y, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Call me crazy, and I guess this goes not only for clear channel but also for many others in the media (and also individuals), but not only is this censorship issue pathetic, the whole idea that art and music is supposed to shift into some comforting and uplifting (or for that matter patriotic) little compartment because of the attack seems ridiculous. I don't personally believe that there is any point where the right thing to do is to hide behind what is familiar, what allows the mind to be numbed. I would much rather listen to incredibly sad, tragic, and pertinent songs at times like this, look for artistic expression that forces one to sense exactly how terrible things are. That seems to be the only way torward actual comfort. For once, everyone is actually experiencing life as it is in the present as opposed to being numbed. There is nothing at all wrong with escapism but when it turns into brainwashing in the name of escapism (either self imposed or by clear channel) than it becomes a problem.

― klaus von k., Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

"I'm leaving on a jet plane; Don't know when I'll be back again..."

― Andy, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Remember Massive Attack changed their name in 1991 to Massive, indeed my copy of Blue Lines on tape - bought April 1991 has Massive, not Massive Attack on the front.

It is good job that Massive Attack's next album has already been delayed to 2002 !

― DJ Martian, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Small problem, folks -- we've all been had. Clear Channel has posted a statement saying there *isn't* a banned list, thus the whole confusion over what was banned in the first place. This was a joke (which explains things like 'all Rage Against the Machine songs' and as Dan loves to point out, "Wipeout").

Go here and click on the news story about the banned list to read the official response.

Lesson for all of us, including me -- things like this automatically play to our own biases. Which explains a lot of reactions after last week, doesn't it?

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm gonna be the first to proclaim this the greatest joke ever. This is because it was fiendishly clever and not at all an attempt to save face for falling for something which, in retrospect, was pretty blatantly obvious. Ah frame of mind, you cruel, fickle bitch! No, come back, I didn't mean it... *coos*

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Waters are now actually muddier -- allegedly somebody without actual corporate authority 'suggested' a list. My guess is that said person is being made into a scapegoat.

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 18 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My friend Dan called me from LA, he told me "Killing An Arab" by the Cure is big there @ the moment. So that definitely needs banning.

― duane, Wednesday, 19 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I have friends in the college station who played Masters of War back to back with Ballad of the Green Berets. He got in trouble for his "insesnitive use of irony"

― anthony, Wednesday, 19 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

AAAAAARGH. I hate stupid people who've never heard of Camus.

― Dan Perry, Wednesday, 19 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Maybe I'm splitting hairs, but from what I've read these songs were not "banned." They just cautioned their programmers about playing them. This is a private company trying to make a profit by appealing to customers, so I think accusations of "censorship" are misguided. It's the business with the FCC and the high costs of radio licenses that's screwed up, not the business decisions of the company, IMHO.

― Mark, Wednesday, 19 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Do any smart people listen to American radio anyway? Apparently it's even worse than radio here, which could've been playing wailing muezzins for the last week for all I would know. (Come to think of it...anybody know any good Arabic pirate stations?)

― dave q, Wednesday, 19 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I hadn't read the whole thread...there's a joke here somewhere and it's on me.

― Mark, Wednesday, 19 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I basically mentioned this above, but I think while the censorship itself is a problem (suggested, banned, or otherwise- those who defend clear channel's practices by saying it was only a suggested list obviously have no idea how Clear Channel runs its business...) another and equally important problem is that people are actually incapable of listening to anything but trite crap at times like this. Business practices like Clear Channel's and those we are already seeing in Hollywood (taking down ads for movies, etc..) may not be important in themselves, but they point to a greater issue, and that is the grade A bag of shit people will be asking for in both popular entertainment and for that matter supposed higher or alternative forms of art, because of there inability to deal tragedy. I'm not saying anyone should be able to deal with this mess right now, but I do think something can be said for not hiding from it in tasteless mid-western american trash sung by anorexics.

― klaus vk, Wednesday, 19 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

This is feckin ridiculous. I read about it the other day. Imagine by John Lennon? I don't know I honestly don't know.

― Ronan, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

No, "Imagine" was banned by the Taste Police, about time too.

― dave q, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

And what about the UK? BBC Radio One drop ped popular childrens show character Bob The Builder's latest cash-in novelty platter from their playlists!

Looks like Massive ~~Attack~~ might need to change their name again...

― Old Fart!!!!, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Taste police.......how do I join

― Ronan, Thursday, 20 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Here's the full story from good old Snopes:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/radio.htm

So, there's a bit of truth to it, but mostly hype. Everyone needs something to be outraged about, right? Although you'd think we've got plenty to spare at this point...

And, yeah, American commercial radio, of the Clear Channel franchise variety, is pure crap.

― Layna, Friday, 21 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What about the non-inclusion of "Psycho Killer" on this non-list?

― 1 1 2 3 5, Sunday, 23 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

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