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From: rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen)
Newsgroups: net.music
Subject: Re: Instrumental vs. vocal popular music(rating records,really)
Message-ID: <1741@pyuxd.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 21-Sep-85 15:11:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: pyuxd.1741
Posted: Sat Sep 21 15:11:05 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 22-Sep-85 06:29:24 EDT
References: <1477@brl-tgr.ARPA>, <612@grkermi.UUCP> <1192@mtgzz.UUCP>
Organization: Whatever we're calling ourselves this week
Lines: 52

> 	Frank Zappa is not the only rock star to come out against the
> rating system. Frank spoke in front of Congress yesterday (in a suit
> and tie, no less). Two members from Twisted Sister were also there
> (in their usual strange garb). Unfortunately I didn't get to hear what
> they had to say since I was on the phone at the time.  [SHARON BADIAN]

Dee Snider was (to be honest) surprisingly eloquent.  When asked by Sen. Gore
whether he thought it was reasonable that parents should have to listen to the
music their children buy if they want to scrutinize it, Snider responded that
"being a parent is not a reasonable thing, it's a very hard thing".  He also
delineated several deliberate lies (about him and about his group, Twisted
Sister) told by people like Tipper Gore (the senator's wife, founder member
of PMRC).

> 	One of my friends contends that as soon as you rate records
> teenagers will be sure to buy any record that has the worst rating just
> to make sure they catch the bad words, Satanist references and generally
> anti-social lyrics. To a large extent teenagers can't understand the
> words well enough and if they can get the words don't necessarily know
> what they mean. The song "She Bop" by Cyndi Lauper is a wonderful
> example. Has great, catchy lyrics. Great to dance to. So how many
> teenagers actually know what it means? How many adults know what it
> means?? From my informal study, most of the people I know did not know
> what that song was really about. Now you slap a sticker on Cyndi's
> ablum that says this album contains objectionable material and you
> can be damn sure those teenagers will find out why it's objectionable!

Most people deliberately the (as a matter of fact) very religious element in
the song.  (Who do you think the "HE^" is in "I know HE^ will understand"?)
I hear Donny Osmond said exactly the same thing regarding ratings:  a "G"
rating would be a death knell for sales, he'd "have" to include "smut" on
his records in order for them to sell.  (If he's so principled, why wouldn't
he continue living by principles and take a cut in income?)

> I think these movements are just excuses for parents. It's so easy for a
> parent to say "Look how screwed up my children are! It's no wonder when they
> listen to this evil stuff." Most teenagers are not as impressionable as we
> believe. They get their value systems from their parents, not records. If you
> manage to keep your kids from listening to this terrible music and they still
> turn out to be delinquents, who will you blame next?

Well said.  Frankly, I would only support this rating system [ :-) ] if it also
warns against "offensive religious content" of any kind.  If I as a
non-believer don't want my kids to hear vile filth about "God" (as found on
those horrible Cyndi Lauper and Prince albums), I have as much right as these
other parents to see a rating warning me about this.  Of course, to avoid any
indiscretion regarding particular religions, albums by both the Joyful
Christian Choir and Antichrist Sex Perverts would have to have exactly the
same warning (can't discriminate against different religions, can we?). 
-- 
"Wait a minute.  '*WE*' decided???   *MY* best interests????"
					Rich Rosen    ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr


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