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On a Listserv that I subscribe to a member discussed the lack of musical artists who were publicly discussing the upcoming election. A debate ensued about whether people were actually interested in what their favorite artist had to say. After all, does their opinion really matter?
I couldn’t help but think that perhaps artists were afraid of getting Dixie-Chicked – the music industry is on a rapid decline and based on the bevy of summer festivals – apparently there was an over saturation of musical festivals this year that forced organizers to lower ticket prices – musical artists are having to shuck n’ jive a bit more just to make a buck. Musicians cannot afford to annoy their fans, so perhaps they are trying to avoid controversy? Plus, artists / politicians like Bono are getting ridiculed for their passion for politics and humanitarian efforts. People want their artists to ‘shut up and sing.’
However, it is undeniable that the younger generation not only looks up to their favorite musical artists as role models, they also value their opinion which is why there was such a backlash after the recent joke by MTV Award host Russell Brand after he derided the Jonas Brothers for wearing purity rings, symbolizing their abstinence from sex until marriage. People were outraged – well, mostly middle aged fathers who probably manipulated their pubescent, nubile daughters into ‘saving themselves’ – so much that within the next couple of days after the awards show, the brouhaha was a national news item.
Despite the bevy of artists that performed at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, there has been a bit of a lag this election year. However, some musicians / rock legends, mostly those whose spotlight has dimmed a bit, such as Ted Nugent, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Guns n’ Roses / Velvet Revolver’s Slash, have officially supported the candidates.
Surprisingly, some metal hans have also gotten involved. Decibel Magazine had a recent post on T-shirts supporting Obama but because the design was a clear rip-off of artwork originally designed for black punk legends Bad Brains, they suggested that people donate money to the campaign and skip the shirt. Disturbed's David Drainman has also supported Obama. the most popular and prominent band, the recently re-grouped Rage Against the Machine held a concert at a DNC Protest in Denver, the same week as the Convention.
Instead, musical artists have decided to throw fundraising concerts and parties instead. Earlier in the year, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel threw a concert, as well as Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz. In the last month I have been getting a few notices via email about fundraiser's for Barak Obama. One, which happened in early September, I considered maxing out my credit card to travel to NYC to check out. Living Color, Earl Greyhound and one of my favorite bands of all time The Family Stand put on a fundraiser in Brooklyn. The wonderful Brown Girls Burlesque rocked the crowd at the Women Rock the Vote 11 in August and The Roots’ Questlove hosted a show in September, also in NYC. Last night, a bevy of Jazz greats came out for the Jazz for Obama concert.
On October 13th, The Grateful Dead will play at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center, with The Allman Brothers. Why haven’t I mentioned John McCain? Because he accepted public funds for his campaign and because of the restrictions that accompany that decision, he can no longer raise public finds. I assume that if he was still able to raise funds, many of the acts would probably fall on the Country side of things..........
