List of “˜banned’ songs clearly constitutes censorship
By Daily Bruin Staff
Sept. 26, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 Brian O’Camb O’Camb would love to
hear what you put in your pipe. Contact him at [email protected].
Despite what its name might imply, Clear Channel Communications
is anything but; rather it is clogged and full. Just exactly
what’s clogging it up … I’ll let you fill in the
blank.
Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, CCC regional
station managers compiled a list of 164 potentially
“offensive” songs. CCC management then distributed this
list to its 1,000 radio stations.
Among the songs deemed “offensive” were John
Lennon’s “Imagine,” Alanis Morissette’s
“Ironic,” Bob Dillon’s (yes that’s how it
was spelled on the list) “Knockin’ on Heaven’s
Door,” and anything by Rage Against the Machine.
But the day after the list was circulated, CCC issued a
statement: “Clear Channel Radio has not banned any songs from
any of its radio stations.”
Well, I guess the original list didn’t officially
“ban” the songs from the air … but it did ask
politely.
Regardless of how it was done, CCC propositioned censorship,
presumably in consideration of taste, but likely in the name of
propaganda. After all, The Cure’s 1980 single “Killing
an Arab” didn’t make the list, and it would most
certainly incite some yahoo to start shooting
Middle-Easterners.
So in the interests of our nation’s morale, I would like
to suggest another song to add to the CCC’s list of
“offensive songs”: Weezer’s “Hash
Pipe.” (Note to those who’ve only heard the song on MTV
or the radio: it’s “Hash Pipe,” not “H***
Pipe.” Note to MTV and radio stations that censor music:
stick that in your pipe and smoke it).
So why then, in light of the terrible tragedy that recently
befell our country, should we ban “Hash Pipe” from the
list? If you guessed that it’s because of a drug reference,
you only get half a point. After all, the Red Hot Chili
Peppers’ ode to heroin addiction, “Under the
Bridge” made the grade.
Illustration by JENNY YURSHANSKY/Daily Bruin
The problematic word here is “hash.” According to
the Oxford English Dictionary, the Arabic word assassin literally
means “a hashish-eater.” It was first attributed to
“Certain Muslim fanatics in the time of the Crusades, who
were sent forth by their sheikh … to murder the Christian
leaders” and used hashish to calm their nerves.
Since its original usage, the term has since taken on the more
general meaning of a “killer of public personages.”
Of course, only nerdy English students such as myself would ever
know this. But I do bring up this etymological tidbit for a reason.
Awhile ago VH-1, which is owned and operated by MTV, aired the
“100 Most Shocking Moments in Music History” list.
Topping that list was the assassination of John Lennon.
I don’t know about you, but the word assassination (as it
is used today) is a lot more offensive to me than the word hash. It
might be argued that my reasoning is strange and over the top. That
may be true. But Weezer’s song does illustrate just how
subjective (and silly) the CCC list is while highlighting the
subtle differences between censorship and propaganda.
The list proposed by CCC is clearly an example of censorship,
which necessitates the withholding of information or ideas.
Propaganda, on the other hand, is an excess of information that
is controlled and distributed by the institutions of power.
Certainly propaganda may be culled with a careful bit of
censorship, but in my mind, the two are distinctly different.
For one thing, I hate censorship more than propaganda.
Propaganda is all a matter of reading: you can choose to buy into
it or you can choose to not believe it.
Censorship, on the other hand, allows no choice; the
“questionable” material can never be experienced, and
judged on its own merits.
To me, some of the banned songs, such as Pink Floyd’s
“Run Like Hell” and “Mother” evoke memories
of junior high-school awkwardness. Others, like Rage Against the
Machine’s “Killing in the Name” remind me of
driving to soccer games with my friends, not acts of terrorism.
Music is a personal means of expression ““ and it’s
accepted on a personal level. All songs mean something different to
everyone that hears them. In my opinion, “Muskrat Love”
is one of the worst songs ever recorded; my former soccer coach and
his wife, however, had their first dance to it at their
wedding.
Music is a means of emotional release. We have it at weddings,
parties, Mass and even funerals. Music is ritualized in almost
every part of our daily lives.
I guess the CCC missed lawmakers on the steps of the Capital
singing “God Bless America.” Sure, the song is full of
propaganda ““ both patriotic and religious ““ but in this
instance, it was sung as a means of healing.
Rather than serving as purveyors of taste, CCC should take a
page from MTV, which following the attacks, was barred from its
offices. With no access to studios, MTV had to live up to its name
by broadcasting music videos 24/7.
CCC should try something similar. Rather than banning songs (or
bands) from the airwaves, the company should allow people to listen
to the radio and form their own emotional responses to broadcast
material.
After all, as the old saying goes, music soothes the savage
beast.
