Political pop that could actually change the world

[imomus]

Eminem Mosh. He says 'Fuck Bush'. He says 'No more blood for oil'. He says 'Kerry on, give me hope'. He says 'Vote on November 2nd'. And the imagery in the video says a lot more. A message like this, from a star as big as Eminem, could actually change the outcome of the US election. Who says pop music is all neutered, spayed and tame? Who says that nothing anyone says makes a blind bit of difference? As brilliantly political as anything Bob Dylan did at the height of the 60s protest boom. Positively Brechtian.

Comments

[badspelling.livejournal.com]

thing is, you can get all excited about the possibilty of change--as I did after watching 'mosh'--but then you read these comments (http://www.mtv.com/news/youtellus/topics/e/eminem/102504.jhtml) and it kinda takes the wind out of your sails.

are these people really living in the same world as me?

though perhaps the most frightening thing about reading this is the dawning realisation that most of these people are of voting age.

[(Anonymous)]

though perhaps the most frightening thing about reading this is the dawning realisation that most of these people are of voting age.

It's sad, but to be expected.

Most of Eminem's singles seemed to be more or less exercizes in ego-boosting and artistic narcissism. I think people have a hard time accepting sweeping political statements from someone who's offered self-grandure and self-publicity for most of his career. Certainly those who disagree with the statements in the first place.

Adam

(That, and it's not catchy enough -- the biggest sin in pop!)

[imomus.livejournal.com]

But don't you just hate catchy pop? Those cynically calculated hooks repeated sadistically until they barb deep into your brain? Those couplets designed to haunt you at the most intimate moments?

What I like about this record is the message. The music is nice and grey and doesn't get it the way. And after all, that's where hip hop started: 'The Message'.

[(Anonymous)]

But don't you just hate catchy pop? Those cynically calculated hooks repeated sadistically until they barb deep into your brain? Those couplets designed to haunt you at the most intimate moments?

Heheh i cant tell if you're being cheeky or not =) Cos I agree but it just makes pop the perfect trojan horse! A melodic/semantic virius for the masses!

What I like about this record is the message. The music is nice and grey and doesn't get it the way. And after all, that's where hip hop started: 'The Message'.

I shall definitely give it some more listens. I think yesterday put me in the wrong kind of mood anyways (lunar eclipse and the fall of several of my friends making it a very strange event indeed).

[xiuhcoatl.livejournal.com]

I think perhaps the difference is 'watching' it versus listening. The music and lyrics are lackluster, a couple of catchy lines at best, but as pointed out, this actually seems purposeful. After a listen or two, you will not remember the melody, but will walk away with "the message" and a couple of key phrases ["No more blood for oil, we got our own battles to fight on our own soil"].

The video by the guys at GNN is brilliant, though. What I find "most frightening" is that the expectation for censorship is such that most people didn't believe this would be allowed to be aired). Honestly, I never believed it would make it onto MTV and wide-bandwidth sites like Yahoo.

And really, you could read those comments and feel disheartened, but I don't think it truly reflects the reaction, but rather than handful of people who wanted to stir the shit. Truth is, many Americans *are* just looking for someone to tell them who to vote for -- whether that "someone" is their peer group, coworker, minister, favorite talk show host or musician... why does it matter? Is MTV's attempt to influence young Americans to vote for Kerry any worse than the 700 Club influencing the religious right to vote for Bush?

When it comes down to it, an artist with the pop appeal of Eminem has one voice that can be sounded through his work to greater impact than leagues of unknown supporters and campaigners are able. This isn't merely a promotional tactic to sell music -- without a doubt, he is getting exposure for this video, but he's also losing a portion of his audience due to the vocalization of his political beliefs. I can respect that, regardless of whether or not I enjoy his music.