Music and Politics

“When America was rocking to the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, the airwaves in China were dominated by songs with lyrics from Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book.” The undoing of China’s control on music is a combination of the people’s curiosity, and the internet. With a click of a button people now have the ability to bring the outside world in, without the permission of Big Brother. Without the musical oppression imposed by the Chinese Governement, musicians similar to B6 would not exist. From Shanghai, electronic musician b6 is one of many musicians using the internet to defy the Chinese government’s restriction on Music. Before the internet, B6’s only exposure to western music was through CDs bought off the black market. Now with his website Neocha, co-founded with Sean Leow, other aspiring artists have a place to promote their works. It’s a shame no one found this article important enough to comment on. This article not only shows how music transcends the political system, but also the importance of technology. Without the internet, it’s a lot easier for the government to control the music. The invention of the internet has opened a brand new world where people are no longer afraid to be heard, and music can do what it is supposed to do, free the mind.

www.npr.com

Black Masculinity: Dueling Images Of Power On “All Things Considered” November 8th there was guest by the name of Byron Hurt who had made a short documentary called “Barack and Curtis” examining black masculinity using Barack Obama and Curtis Jackson (a.k.a. 50 cent) as templates. He acknowledged that 50 cent’s image helped to reinforce the stereotype of black men being dangerous and scary, but at the same time he noted that 50 cent represented a form of power. 50 cent’s power is encapsulated in degrading women, talking about violence, and making money. The trouble is that for black boys who may not have anywhere else to look he represents the ideal. Also there is a risk that people will have an expectation that all black men are like 50 cent. On the other end of the spectrum there is president-elect Barack Obama whose power has more to do with intelligence and leadership.  The hope for people like Byron Hurt is that Obama’s image will help show the mainstream that black men come in more that one cut and make.

This post is a day late because I had issues logging in to the blog.

This article discusses the continued emergence of metal in the Islamic Middle East and its socio-political implications.  The radio host interviews Dr. Mark LeVine, author of Heavy Metal Islam: Rock Resistance and the Struggle for the Soul of Islam, who wrote about his experiences of traveling through the Middle East in order to meet and play with various hard rock musicians.  LeVine summarizes the atmosphere surrounding this music with a quote from a Middle Eastern musician with whom he was close – “we play heavy metal because our lives are heavy metal.”  The direct and visceral emotion of metal appeals to those who are responding to the hard times brought on by authoritarian regimes and economic disparity, especially when so much of the population is young (the Arab Middle East has the largest population of persons under the age of 25).  LeVine asserts that politically fiery musicians and those who follow them are the true radicals of the Middle East, rather than the oft-labeled al-Qaeda.  In truth, he continues, the al-Qaeda are reactionaries following the ancient pattern of employing violence against religious enemies; the radicals are the ones pushing for peace between the Middle East and the West.  These young people show their counter-culture mentality through the rejection of established norms – removing their head scarves at shows, tattooing band logos on their bodies, etc.  The interview ends with LeVine talking about one of the most popular death metal bands, Orphaned Land.  The band’s name is a criticism of the Israeli-Palestine conflict, with the band asserting that the holy land has in truth been abandoned by both sides due to their sinful means of fighting for it.

Link to article here.

In this audio clip, Justine Sharrock, an investigative journalists, discusses the particular songs used in torture. She brings up a point that many of the songs used are culturally palatable, meaning that they do not sound offensive to our culture but instead they would disgust the detainees such as the very sexual Christina Aguilera or the very patriotic American songs. She is initially confused by a Janine Garofalo tape being used as torture, but the content reflects values such as female sexual empowerment that would be very offensive to devout muslims. Also, it is known that songs that are more foreign will be more upsetting to the listener so genres such as country music are effective as torture. She also notes the popularity of “Enter Sandman” by Metallica as a form of torture, and that Metallica was in fact excited by this use because it proves that they hit their goal ie the music is indeed scary and intimidating, as intended.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/featurex/2008/03/torture-playlist.html

This article is about all the support that Obama got from mainstream rappers and producers like Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z and etc… Hip-Hop has been America’s black first response to national news. Like the election this year, the L.A. riots of 1992 and Jesse Jackson’s run in 1984. The rappers help get the word out. For instance Young Jeezy’s new album, The Recession, had several tracks that were related to, the economy, election, and democracy. One his most notable tracks is My President where he basically tells us his president is black. This is the first time Young Jeezy voted. Nas let out a track the night before the election and it got lots of internet play. All these things helped further the goals of Obama’s campaign. Obama appreciated this but he couldn’t acknowledge it in the mainstream. Musical practices are impacted by politcis just as politics are impacted musical practices. It is a semiotic relationship in that politicians can control the masses because of what they do and what power they have and musicainas can control the masses by popularity and society has put them on pedestal even though they are common people which lets their voices be more the politicians. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96748462

linkEver since its creation by George and Ira Gershwin in 1935, Porgy and Bess has seen a lot of controversy on the stage. Within the past 73 years of its production on the stage, it has been touted as racist and stereotypical, some critics being skeptical of the authenticity of the work in terms of portrayal of real life in the slums. It is these same political ideas of equality that prevent it from being performed as often as it should be. However, even through all of these discrimination, the opera has come to be a great success, to the point where it is internationally performed. One of the things about Porgy and Bess is the timelessness of its themes: racial segregation (to a certain extent), poverty, crimes, and drug abuse are still existent in our modern day, allowing the audience to still connect with the themes. Most importantly, however, the directors of this particular staging have focused on allowing the music to speak for itself, breaking through the idea of stereotyping the Black people of the South. ***I believe that this article plays heavily into the politics of today. Where before blacks were segregated, separated, and culturally looked down upon, they are now equal to others to the point where we can have a black president. The importance of staging this opera is to show that even though we have progressed a great deal, these situations still exist; the music itself plays into the racial divide between blacks and whites that is still seen in the south. The history of this performance has seen as many changes as our country itself: when it was first produced, the all-black cast was seen as a daring and bold move, and now, it is seen as a commemoration of that first step that opened the doors to so many classically-trained African-Americans. The one thing I would like to note, however, is that in the past, certain performances were done by whites completely in black-face (not the way Gershwin intended), and now the entire cast is black; however, most of the other operas are completely color-blind. If, say for example, a Strauss opera called for a character to be a “white male”, would it be racist to deny any other race that role? if you answered yes, then why is it not racist to deny a white person the role of Porgy or Bess? Another example of this could be in Madama Butterfly: the main character is supposed to be Japanese, and if a white person is cast, they usually put on makeup to make themselves look more Asian from a distance. And yet if a white person attempted to try and put on black-face makeup in order to be in Porgy and Bess, it would be found extremely offensive….perhaps racism is not completely gone as one might think.  

View original article on NPR 

Even after the regime of Chairman Mao, when most of the songs on China’s radio stations had lyrics from Mao’s “Little Red Book,” the Communist government still continues to maintain control over China’s radio airways, censoring songs that contain sex, violence, even what is considered to be “low class humor.” It is one facet of the government’s ‘media management.’ However, this hasn’t prevented Chinese citizens—musicians and avid listeners—from finding ways to get around the governmental censorship. First came the black market CDs, although this didn’t prove to be a necessarily easy route; it was still hard for people to obtain “foreign” music this way. With China’s introduction to the internet in 1999, Chinese citizens were able to gain access to music file-sharing programs, such as Napster; instead of relying on the black market for contraband music, one could download via computer. The internet continues to be especially important for independent musicians who wish to support themselves with their music; Web sites such as Neocha have sprung up on the net with the intent of providing them with the means to promote their songs, gain publicity, and connect with other artists online.

http://www.alternet.org/story/12880/?page=2

In April of 2002, an article came out in Alternet, a news magazine dedicated to supporting independent media and inspiring “action and advocacy on the environment, human rights and civil liberties, social justice, media, health care issues, and more,” that questioned the continuing existence of music as a form of activism and protest. The article describes the genre of the protest song and the plethora of musicians performing songs for peace during the Vietnam War Era.  Though it is easy to romanticize that time as one of activism and idealism and people doing something to change the world, we must remember that not all music of the time was progressive and many, such as the Andrew Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”, were blatantly and thoughtlessly patriotic.

Many musicians of today who had a history of using their music as activism have been doing so less than they used to.  A central reason for this is the monopolization and centralized control of the music industry.  Indie record labels, once the haven for alternative opinions in music, have now become another label for marketing, as the article describes, “a tool for the petty bourgeoise.”  Artists are being censored or having to censor themselves to succeed.  An example of this can be found in the Michael Franti and Spearfish song, “Bomb Da World.”  He was hired to play on The Late Show, but because of the lyrics, “You can bomb the world to pieces, but you can’t bomb it into peace,” his program was not aired until months later.  Many other artists are simple not writing songs with the same anti-War lyrics.  Both U2 and Niel Young have historically sang very political songs to protest war, but lately have sung much more songs to glorify the United States than to question its actions.

Though music as activism for peace is not as widely spread as it once was, it is still present and important.  A Leslie Nuchow song, “An Eye For An Eye (Will Make the Whole World Blind),” expresses Ghandi’s philosophy of peace and turning the other cheek.  Although 9/11 unleashed a flurry of complete patriotism in music, it also began some expressions of a need for peace through music.  Some demonstrarions and gatherings after 9/11 featured songs such as “Dona Nobis Pacem (Give Us Peace).”

In August 2008, Valery Gergeiv, the principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted a concert in South Ossetia.  Celebrating the Russian victory over Georgia, the orchestra came from St. Petersburg and the concert was organized by Russia with “the theme of the stirring appeal of patriotism.”  Many people criticized Mr. Gergeiv for this political move, especially with such a one sided view of the conflict.  However, Mr. Gergeiv clearly states his feelings on the conflict, flatly blaming Georgia for the destruction and the death that he encountered in Southern Ossetia’s capital, Tskhinvali.  No one can blame his feelings; Mr. Gergeiv is from Ossetia himself, and his family still lives there.  However, one must also take into consideration the powerful forces of music, and how a concert such as this can really move people, and cast a political situation in a certain light.  The music chosen for this program, Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky, is uplifting and inspiring, but it was performed with the purpose of over glorifying the victory and only honoring the Russian side of the conflict.  Music, which is such a powerful way to convey feeling and emotion, can temporarily or even permanently alter people’s perceptions of things, and in this way, it can be a powerful tool for people to yield.  This is why people have denounced this particular concert as propaganda; the music is being played with a clear bias, and a set purpose, to celebrate the victory of Russia and to inspire patriotism and to glorify Russia. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4579829.ece 

North Korea is known as one of the most, if not the most, closed off country in the world. Its people are poor and starving, and it is safe to assume that the communist state has a poor international image. Its relationship with the United States has long been tenuous and tense at best.

As a result, the “lavish welcome” given to the New York Philharmonic in North Korea was perhaps a little ironic. A “gala performance of traditional music and dance, and an endless banquet with quail eggs, roast mutton and pheasant-ball soup” were among the luxuries presented to the orchestra. The orchestra was part of a group of 400 to be allowed into the country, the largest number since the end of the Korean War. In addition to the performers, the group included journalists as well as couples willing to pay $100,000. The performance was also broadcast to households throughout North Korea, “a novelty for a populace shut off from the world by government censorship,” as Wakin describes.

The performance occurred as North Korea was negotiating the end of its nuclear weapons development, and Wakin describes the invitation to the orchestra as “the first hint of a broader thaw in a half-century-long cultural standoff.” Skeptics state that this exchange is hardly comparable to, for example, the improvement of relations with Maoist China in the 70s. They point out that, despite the somewhat recent inclusions of international businessmen and other more modern improvements, the overall “regimented economic and political life” has hardly changed. Personally, I wonder how much of all of this is in earnest, and how much is just for show.

The Bush administration attempted to disassociate itself as much as possible from the event; Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, for example, did not attend.

As stated in the second New York Times article, the orchestra played pieces such as Gershwin’s “An American in Paris,” part of Wagner’s “Lohengrin,” Dvorak’s “New World” symphony as well as the traditional Korean piece “Arirang;” the latter song holds great sentimental significance to Koreans in both the North and the South. The performance ended with encores and standing ovations; the audience and orchestra waved to one another as the show ended. The New York Philharmonic is not the first orchestra to attempt to improve international relations; the Philadelphia Orchestra, for example, visited the Soviet Union in the 1970s.

Through music, the New York Philharmonic was able to reach the people of North Korea in ways that government policies could not.

NYT: “North Korea Welcomes New York Philharmonic”

NYT: “North Koreans Welcome Symphonic Diplomacy”