Mightier than the sword

Illustration by JARRETT QUON/Daily Bruin

By David Holmberg and Chris
Moriates
Daily Bruin Senior Staff Politics has found many different voices
throughout the years to sing its melodies. From the protest anthems
and rock of the tumultuous ’60s to the rap movement of the
early ’90s, music has provided an outlet for some of the most
controversial and unpopular of political ideas. Now, after years of
what many have considered a time of pop music stagnation, the times
may be a-changin’. With the recent attack on United
States’ soil, politics has once again become popular, raising
the question will popular music become political?

Political music is as important as whatever is in the New York
Times,” said Nina Crowley, the director of Mass. M.I.C.
(Massachusetts Music Industry Coalition), an organization that
fights for freedom of speech in music. “If a song gets played
nationally on the radio, then it will reach a lot more people than
any newspaper ever can.” Popular music is undeniably an
important medium of expression. From Bob Dylan to Rage Against the
Machine, the microphone has sometimes proved mightier and more
effective than the sword. “Music is powerful because
it’s a form that really brings people together, which is
really important in political struggles,” said Jiro
Yamaguchi, percussionist for the band Ozomatli. “But not only
political ““ music concerts bring a lot of different people
together in one place. Music tears down a lot of barriers.”
In the current atmosphere, with war knocking at our door, political
messages seem to be making their way back to the forefront of
popular culture. “There is definite connection between
people’s expression through music and art and what they are
experiencing and feeling in their lives,” Yamaguchi said.
“I’m sure that there have already been songs written
about (Sept. 11).” The country may be more susceptible to
political messages due to the terrorist attacks and current
political atmosphere. With this could come a renewed emphasis on
lyrical content, as the public searches for significance in the
rubble.

BRIDGET O’BRIEN/Daily Bruin Senior Staff In one of the
most politically controversial moments of the year, Rage Against
the Machine and Ozomatli performed to a large crowd outside the
2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Many of the
people in the crowd held up protest signs and the show incited a
small riot from angered fans when police were forced to shut it
down.

Dr. Dan, a member of the local Los Angeles band Betty Dylan,
commented on how the Sept. 11 tragedy has changed the public focus.
“Some things have gained new meaning,” he explained.
“Like all of the deeper stuff, such as Bob Dylan’s
songs. Everyone is sharing and it’s become sort of group
therapy for the world.” With this sort of openness, old
questions of freedom of speech have been reawakened. While America
prides itself on liberty, it is still not without its censors. In
response to the terrorist attacks, Clear Channel Communications, a
company that owns about 1,170 radio stations worldwide, has
recently released a list of approximately 150 songs that it
requests its radio stations voluntarily to not play. According to
Crowley, the list completely “black balled” any song by
the band Rage Against the Machine. “That’s no longer
about how people feel ““ that’s political,”
Crowley said. These recent steps seem to be frightening
political-minded musicians and their supporters. “With the
actions that did happen, I see a sort of return to
McCarthyism,” said Jord Samolesky, drummer for the political
punk band Propagandhi. “But right now it is even more
important to hear alternative and dissenting views. We
shouldn’t narrow the debate.” Some artists point at the
media for attempting to only present one side of the argument.
“Right now through the media you are only hearing one
viewpoint,” Yamaguchi said. “It is all cries for war
and how we have to strike back. We need to have a cry against
injustice.” Music has historically brought the arguments that
are not always well publicized through the mainstream media to the
younger generations. Even in times of war, a lot of the youth of
the country will turn to MTV. “There is no better medium than
music to reach the youth,” Crowley said.

While music has always been used for emotional expression,
during the 1960s it took on a new direction as a form of political
statements. The late ’60s were bombarded by songs with social
or political undertones, ranging from Bob Dylan’s revision of
folk music with “Times They Are A-Changin'” to
Jimi Hendrix’s psychedelic rock revitalization of the
“Star Spangled Banner.” The people of America had
something to say, and they were doing it through song. As the
turmoil waned after the end of Vietnam, so did the abundance of
politically minded popular music. During the late 1970s, 1980s and
1990s, music, for the most part, once again became just another
form of artistic diversion and absent-minded escapism. Music began
to rely heavily upon image and infectious pop melodies to lure in
audiences. “The establishment has realized the effect of the
music of the ’60s and has tried to depoliticize it since
then,” said Samolesky. “There is a role of musicians to
bring this stuff up and it is important for politically-minded
artists to stay visible.” Of course, not all politically or
socially conscious music died when the troops returned home from
Vietnam. However, there was now no unifying cause for the public to
unite against. Is it communism we are fighting or capitalism? Are
we protesting police brutality or are we singing for Tibetan
freedom? People have always been divided over issues, but in the
last 20 years there has been a complete fragmentation of public
opinion, with no one even agreeing as to what cause is important,
let alone what to think about it. “There has never been any
unity before,” said Dr. Dan. “But we now have a common
goal and this is going to be a lesson in cooperation. The U.S. has
always been about building, and now people have a bigger focus on
life.”

Does this mean the end then of the likes of pop favorites like
Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys? Popular music recently has
seemed to fall back to politically uncharged lyrics, reminiscent of
the early 1960s when the Beatles sang such shiny clean pop hits as
“I Want to Hold Your Hand.” “What’s
happened has brought up the issue of what will we live and die
for,” explained Dr. Dan. “So now the bubble gum stuff
and the music of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera isn’t
really relevant anymore.” All will agree that the world has
changed, but the fate of music artistry remains another issue.
“I hope this does change music, and I hope that the younger
artists realize a lot of their inner anger is misdirected,”
said Gregg Rolie, the original keyboardist and one of the founding
members of both Santana and Journey. Rolie has been active in the
music scene since the early ’60s. “All of civilization
is threatened, but I also think to write about it is futile.
It’s just so big,” he added. Whether or not the
“first war of the 21st Century” brings back the music
of Vietnam is yet to be seen, but there is no denying that it will
affect art in a profound way.

Political changes affect music, but just how much music changes
politics is a completely different question. Historically, it is
hard to determine how much the protest songs of the ’60s
changed politics. The United States’ involvement in Vietnam
was lengthy, but whether it would have lasted even longer if not
for the words of Buffalo Springfield’s “For What
It’s Worth” or Country Joe and the Fish’s
“The Fish Cheer &
I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag” is difficult
to say. However, anyone who lived through the Vietnam era will most
likely remember the songs that captured the sentiments of a nation,
from those who wanted to keep fighting to those who were crying out
for peace. In retrospect, the ’60s and ’70s are decades
that cannot be separated from their music; it seems to be woven so
tightly into the fabric of our history that it cannot be torn free.
The strong political atmosphere that is quickly engulfing the world
will present a new challenge, for artists to bring meaning to their
work. Through war comes open-ended questions and a new generation
that will look to music for the answers. “The Beatles did it
well,” Rolie said. “But these are hard things to write
about. We don’t need anymore red, white and blue anthems. The
whole world needs to wake up and live together, to put the dove in
the air and not missiles.”