2008 Woodie Awards
Should Rock Stars Share Their Political Beliefs? - Con
Music is Sold, Not Opinions
Tiffany Farmakis
Issue date: 9/8/04 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
Sometimes rockers can strike the wrong chord when climbing onto the proverbial soapbox.
With the recent activities in Iraq and the president's war on terrorism, more musicians and actors are publicly expressing their opinions using their wealth and status as a means to promote their ideology.
Should we assume that these entertainers can yield their celebrity as a vehicle to express their political views; can we also assume that their fans will be able to separate those views from the entertainers' work?
I don't think so.
Last year when The Dixie Chicks' singer Natalie Maines criticized President Bush at a concert in London, the group received a huge onslaught.
Although sales of the Chicks' album "Home" continued to rise on the pop charts in the week immediately following the singer's comments, the group encountered many criticisms and country music radio stations across the United States ceased playing the groups' music.
Big oops, all of which could have been avoided had Maines just kept her mouth shut.
"The problem with mixing music and politics," Tom Waldman, a former congressional aide said, "is that musicians are not politicians. You have to know what you're talking about, whether you're writing a song or just expressing yourself. I don't think that many are comfortable in that arena."
Another thing to consider is that all controversy erupts in context. Entertainers must consider their audiences first before shooting their mouths off.
The Dixie Chicks have a vast audience of people with varied political, social and economic backgrounds. Also large parts of their audience are strictly country music fans, a market that characteristically shows little tolerance for anything that could be interpreted as unpatriotic. Had Maines simply considered her audience, she wouldn't have incurred the huge backlash that resulted.
Finally, good looks or the ability to sing a song that resonates around the world are not good qualifications to discuss foreign policy. Entertainers, who talk about things they are not expert in, tend to come off a little goofy. As much as Sting is respected for his musicianship and intelligence, I would not ask him to do my taxes. So why should we give entertainers the same credibility as the experts?
We shouldn't.
With the recent activities in Iraq and the president's war on terrorism, more musicians and actors are publicly expressing their opinions using their wealth and status as a means to promote their ideology.
Should we assume that these entertainers can yield their celebrity as a vehicle to express their political views; can we also assume that their fans will be able to separate those views from the entertainers' work?
I don't think so.
Last year when The Dixie Chicks' singer Natalie Maines criticized President Bush at a concert in London, the group received a huge onslaught.
Although sales of the Chicks' album "Home" continued to rise on the pop charts in the week immediately following the singer's comments, the group encountered many criticisms and country music radio stations across the United States ceased playing the groups' music.
Big oops, all of which could have been avoided had Maines just kept her mouth shut.
"The problem with mixing music and politics," Tom Waldman, a former congressional aide said, "is that musicians are not politicians. You have to know what you're talking about, whether you're writing a song or just expressing yourself. I don't think that many are comfortable in that arena."
Another thing to consider is that all controversy erupts in context. Entertainers must consider their audiences first before shooting their mouths off.
The Dixie Chicks have a vast audience of people with varied political, social and economic backgrounds. Also large parts of their audience are strictly country music fans, a market that characteristically shows little tolerance for anything that could be interpreted as unpatriotic. Had Maines simply considered her audience, she wouldn't have incurred the huge backlash that resulted.
Finally, good looks or the ability to sing a song that resonates around the world are not good qualifications to discuss foreign policy. Entertainers, who talk about things they are not expert in, tend to come off a little goofy. As much as Sting is respected for his musicianship and intelligence, I would not ask him to do my taxes. So why should we give entertainers the same credibility as the experts?
We shouldn't.
