I was home sick from school the day of that first Major League Baseball session in congress discussing steroids. Maybe you remember; it was the one where Mark McGuire kept saying he wanted to “talk about the future” since talking about the past would mean admitting he was juiced out of his mind for his record-breaking ’98 season. Anyway, all the big channels were covering it, so I watched. At the end of the hour or so, absolutely nothing had been accomplished. Nobody had admitted any wrongdoing, nobody had presented any plans for moving forward. There had been no rational discussion of the facts at hand. Everybody knew steroids were rampant in the league and the problem had to be addressed, but congress’s session was nothing more than a bunch of name-calling, finger-pointing and question-evading. Ugh. I hate politics.
No, I mean I really hate politics. I hate everything about them (except, of course, really good political cartoons). I hate how politics is boring and vulgar. I hate how it’s damn near impossible to get anything done (proof: recent health care bill). I hate politicians themselves; they’re generally sleazy and dishonest. Everyone says whatever he or she needs to get votes rather than trying to solve problems. None of these adultery/bribery scandals surprise me any more. I’ve got a ridiculously cynical view of everything even remotely political (and I’m only twenty-one!). So it should come as no surprise that one of my least favorite things is—you guessed it—when musicians get political.
First, I hate when musicians voice their political opinions off-stage. Musical talent doesn’t warrant your preaching ideals. Just because you can play guitar doesn’t mean you’re allowed to tell us who to vote for. And it drives me crazy that some people might actually be swayed by what musicians/actors/entertainers think. Still, all that talking-head and sound byte garbage can be forgiven or ignored–just listen to the music and forget the people who made it. What I hate even more is when politics affects the music.
I’ve always disagreed with the idea that music can/should be used as a political tool. I know, I know—art can inspire revolution or challenge authority and all that stuff. I’ve heard the story about how the Rite of Spring caused a riot. Still, please keep politics out of it. That’s not why I listen to music. I have my own political opinions, but I don’t derive them from my favorite songs or lyrics. I read books and newspapers; I deal with facts and statistics and sound arguments. Music can make us feel a range of emotions, but level-headed debate and logic are the only way to run a country. Political lyrics drive me crazy. I like rap songs about money and cars and expensive clothes. Who cares what Young Jeezy thinks about the the economy? Keep writing rhymes about your Maybach.
Besides, musicians who “raise awareness” through their songs aren’t really doing much. They’re largely singing to people who already know about the problems we face. And it’s hard to argue that singing a song about how we need to cure cancer is more useful than spending the same amount of mental energy in the laboratory. Maybe that song can capture a specific emotion and make us vicariously feel the pain of cancer, but it won’t make any progress in curing the disease or getting more government funding. Music is aurally pleasing. That’s it.
One of the many reasons I love electronic music is that the genre has nothing to do with politics. It’s “all about the music, man.” Many electronic songs don’t have lyrics. Or maybe they have “lyrics,” usually just a looped sample with the same phrases repeating and stuttering for an entire track. But those phrases aren’t about the income tax or farm subsidies, they’re about partying or sex or having fun. I can’t name a dance song that has politically-driven lyrics. And that’s a good thing. When I’m dancing, the last thing I wanna think about is who to vote for.
Keep in mind that this is just one music lover’s opinion. People listen to music for different reasons, and I understand that. I know a lot of people who strongly disagree with everything I’ve just written. (Many of them play acoustic guitar in the park by my house and aren’t particularly talented.) Seriously though, I think music should be an escape from the mundane, ugly world of politics. It shouldn’t be contaminated. Music doesn’t and shouldn’t tell us how to live our lives or what to think about the mid-term elections.
And now that I think of it, readers of this blog probably don’t give a shit about my political views either. So let’s keep music blogs and politics separate, too. Deal? Here’s a song that won’t tell you what to think about global warming. But it sounds damn good. And that’s all that really matters, right?
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
OMG raw website. Thanks for the post!