Dont Censor the Music and Artistic Expression
Ann Powers said:
"Don't censor the music and artistic expression.
Eminem's music, in particular the songs "Kim" and "Stan," is a continuation of a tradition in music and American art in general: the Gothic murder ballad, which has been with us ever since the blues or Appalachian folk music. "Stan" is just like an Edgar Allan Poe tale, if you think about it. Johnny Cash shot a man just to watch him die. This is something that's had a very solid, longstanding role in culture.
Self-styled moralists are getting up in arms about something that has always been part of the literature of development. If you're a kid, you have to learn about violence, about hate, about death, about fear. That's part of becoming an adult. And if it's not fed to you by Eminem, you're going to get it from your own nightmares. The illusion that kids need to be protected from that is connected to a kind of fetishizing of innocence, which is unrealistic."
Ann Powers
Music critic, the New York Times
We live in a society where we are taught to hide our true feelings and emotions. When I look back at the way I have been educated at school and and home, I now know how hypocritical it was. Teachers and parents tried to hide some reality.We were pictured a safe world with nice people. Religion ( particularly the way it was taught) increased that wrong impression.
Eminem's work appears to be progressive for conservative people. But the same conservative people would also have rejected Baudelaire or any other controversial poet or writer centuries before. Conservatism is a form of intolerance in general.
I have felt insecure a great part of my life and I didn't know how to act the right way with people, being too much afraid to speak my mind.
There is something I will probably never get: why are references to suicide so taboo in people's mind? Many people also blamed Goethe for his work "Die Leiden des Jungen Werthers" ("The Sorrows of Young Werther") because a lot of young people committed suicide after reading his book. Not Goethe is to blame, but rather those young people's decision...but do we really need somebody to blame? Anybody has the right to end his life if he feels like his pain is unbearable. My cousin committed suicicide when I was 15. I was shocked, but I don't judge her for that. It was her decision to stop her immense sorrow.
MTV also censors notions that have to do with suicide.
The "Tatu" video "Not Gonna Get Us" was considered as shocking and would be censored not because it pictured two lesbian girls, but because they seem to commit suicide at the end of the video.
I was very surprised to discover that the word "die" in the sentence
"I'm so sick and tired of bein admired/
that I wish that I would just die or get fired » from Eminem's song « The Way I Am ». How is that possible ? How could MTV censor a word like « die » as if death didn't belong to our every day reality ?
They allow sentences such as « People killin', people dyin'/Children hurt and you hear them cryin'» from sugar sweet songs such as « Where is the love ? » from Black Eyed Peas and they dare censoring « die » in « The Way I Am » video ?
How far should we push hypocrisy ?
So many writers and poets such as François Villon in the 15th century in France have been considered as shocking for their use of vulgar language. Many people want to do as if vulgar and popular language didn't exist (I'm sure the same people use it in their privacy as well). Popular and vulgar words are part of our culture too, there is no reason to ignore it.
Why should we censor notions such as suicide, murder and death that are present in the music when our kids already play violent games on their playstation and watch "Hannibal" and "Scary Movie" on Tv? A little bit of violence helps kids to get rid of their own agressivity and shouldn't be viewed as necessarly dangerous and negative.
The best way to protect our kids is not to hide reality. The closer they are to reality, the better they are armed to face real battles in life.
I do teach English and German at public schools. I am an Eminem biographer and a freelance music journalist.
More Resources
Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exitingMore Music Information:
Related Articles
Jazz Yatra
Jazz is arguably the most argumentative form of music (even has diminished and argumented chords). So at the outset let me present my side of the argument.
Building Your Digital Music Collection
The previous two Tech Tips took a look at eight basic features of portable MP3 players worth considering before laying down some serious money on one of these devices. Once you have a nice new MP3 player with plenty of space for music, you need to fill it up! There are several ways to go about building your digital music collection, and we'll take a look at a few ways to do so.
Guitar Practice (Part 2) - Does Practice Make Perfect?
You've probably heard the saying "practice makes perfect" and it sounds true enough, but is t really? We all know the importance of practicing a new skill in order to become proficient at it. This is especially true when it comes to playing the guitar, or any other musical instrument for that matter.
If Setting The Gain Correctly is So Important, Why Dont Mic Preamplifiers Have Meters?
When you first learn how to use a mixing console, you will be shown how to set the gain. Your instructor - either in audio school or in the workplace - will emphasize the importance of this and kick your ass every time you get it wrong, until you can't do anything other than get it right.
Lori Nuic Sparkles
A soulful vibe along with an amazing voice is what Lori Nuic is gifted with, she got the crowd grooving as she performed at Launch Pad at the Cameron House for the first time.This young starlet started out by playing a big part in a high school musical, Leader of the Pack, bringing her to the stage today and playing songs that any crowd would love.
Paint Your Own Musical Landscapes!
I don't know why, but I find the idea of interpreting nature musically to be very appealing. Maybe it's because I'm attracted to nature's beauty, but the notion of communicating that beauty musically has always intrigued me.
Modal Theory for Guitar Players - Part 1
IntroductionThe fact that you are holding this in your hands suggests that you have got to the point in your explorations of, and curiosity about the guitar that the next step is the modes. Maybe it's because you have read somewhere that Steve Vai loves the Lydian mode, or you have listened to music by Frank Gambale and wondered what he was up to.
An Interview with Jon Bon Jovi - 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Cant Be Wrong
The idea originated with singer Jon Bon Jovi. Jon kept upping the ante with his label and ultimately they consented to a four-CD set of essentially new material.
Guitar Facts: A Glossary of Terms
It is said that the forerunner of the guitar, the lute, was created by the Greek god, Apollo. In India, it is believed that the sitar, another stringed instrument from which the guitar is descended, is sacred to the goddess Saraswati.
Legend Vega Releasing New Pop CD
Legend Vega is scheduled to release her newest CD this summer, Personal Space. Fans characterize Legend's style as a cross between Mariah Carey and a female version of Ricky Martin.
Spectral Muses Revisited: The Channeled Melodies of Rosemary Brown
Rosemary Brown (1916-2001) was a middle-aged South London widow, making ends meet as a grade school kitchen assistant, who rocketed to international fame in 1968 through a BBC broadcast recounting her purported collaborations with long-dead composers. These included Liszt, J.
Piano on the Right-Side of the Brain
Some of you may remember a book titled "Drawing on the Right-Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards.In this book, Betty Edwards tried to teach you how to see differently.
CD Mastering using Har-Bal
Feel free to download the entire manual detailing the mastering process from Har-Bal complete with pictures of all the tools needed to create a great sounding mastered cd .http://hdqtrz.
Copyright Basics for Songwriters
Should you copyright your song? If you're a songwriter, sooner or later you will probably have some questions about getting your material copyrighted. Since I've already been down this road before, you might be able to benefit from my experience.
A Brief History Of Gibson Guitars
Gibson guitars have been around forever. It's funny, but although Gibson has produced some of the most amazing guitars in history, perhaps the company's largest contribution to music has been through their advancements in pickup technology.
5 Sure Fire Ways to Get Radio Play for Your "Independent" Music!
You have to find radio airplay time if you're going to be heard and we're not just talking the local college campus. The trick is called promotion.
Taking iPod Culture into Clubs as Well as Cyberspace: Jonny Rocket Interviewed by The G-Man
Already making plenty of noise in the marketplace is a new concept called Playlist, which exists both as a club and as an online music competition (see www.ipod-dj.
Your PC Is An Awesome Singer... If You Let It!
As an amateur songwriter, who struggles with a computer far from powerful enough to run the necessary software to record vocals of good quality, I have looked for good solutions. And I've found a few.
Turn It Up: Plugging Into The Perfect Guitar And Amp Settings
Yowza! Did you hear that hideous noise? It sounded like a combination of nails on a chalkboard, a cat in a dryer, and a baby wailing at the top of his lungs. Do you have any idea of what made that awful sound? As a long-time musician, I think I may have the answer for you.
Facts about MC Big Proof
Facts about MC Big Proof"If I was you, suicide would be a way of life. If you was me , you'd kill you.