Should Celebrites Be able to turn Concerts into political events?

AMEN!

i have actually vented about this before, but it really irks me.
if there are any hiphop lovers out there, maybe you know what i mean, but its so annoying to go to a show and have to sit through the politics. even if i agree with the performer, thats not what i shelled out my money for. i just came for the music. if anybody has ever been to an El-P show, you know what i mean. the dude (imho) is awsomely talented, but i left the show hating him. He is a total prick. We had to sit through 15 minutes of "f*ck BUSH!!" just to get to the music. He uses his stage presence as if he is qualified to rant. EVERYBODY HAS OPINIONS, not everybody has a soapbox however.

performers should perform, if they are so interested in spreading the "f*ck bush" message, they should put it in their music or on the internet or pass out flyers. that way, those who want that message, can go seek it out. so for all performers, stick to the performance!

*sigh
-lost

Originally posted by FredT

Do people feel that her expression of political views (regardless of the content be it Anti or even Pro Bush) appropriate during a payed concert?

Interesting post, FredT.

Yes, she has the right to say whatever she wants - as long as there is an understanding of this before she accepts money to perform. (My opinion.)

I know a little about this. I used to be in the Army and that was definitely not the place to be politically active. AFter Iraq invaded Kuwait, we were given a direct order NOT to speak to anyone, especially the media on our situation. I took that very seriously and never had a problem with it.

The work I do now also sometimes precludes me from being able to accept speaking engagements. (Which sucks!) Conflict of interest etc. etc.

The bottom line is when you agree to work for someone, it's their line you must tow. If Ronstadt wants to advocate for Kerry, she should do it on her own time and dime.

Maybe they should have a disclaimer on each ticket:

The Concert You Are About To See is Being Conducted By A Liberal Idiot, Please Scalp This Ticket If You Don't Want Political Nonsense Shoved Down Your Throat

EastcoastKid, how the hell is your Army experience give you insight in to what Linda Ronstadt or any other Long Established Performance Artist is involved with in their career??? That makes no sense!!

It's like saying, "Well, I know a little about this cause I was a Dog Catcher once and while I was out catching stray dogs, it wasn't appropriate to voice my opinion to the general public." The don't relate at all. Unless you were Performing some kind of Entertainment for your Military Service, I don't see the connection.

These people are Paid To Perform. Do you expect the same jokes from a comedian every time?? The same songs from a Band?? Even a Play will sometimes alter certain lines and things from one show to the next.

BUT ASIDE FROM ALL THAT EVEN....

All Linda did is Dedicate a song to Moore. She wasn't 'Promoting Kerry!!!' Where the hell did you get that???

By the way, the song was Desperado. Do you people know the words to Desperado??? Well here they are....

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
You been out ridin' fences for so long now
Oh, you're a hard one
I know that you got your reasons
These things that are pleasin' you
Can hurt you somehow

Don't you draw the queen of diamonds boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet

Now it seems to me, some fine things
Have been laid upon your table
But you only want the ones that you can't get

Desperado, oh, you ain't gettin' no younger
Your pain and your hunger, they're drivin' you home
And freedom, oh freedom well, that's just some people talkin'
Your prison is walking through this world all alone

Don't your feet get cold in the winter time?
The sky won't snow and the sun won't shine
It's hard to tell the night time from the day
You're losin' all your highs and lows
Ain't it funny how the feeling goes away?

Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before it's too late

As you can see, the song is about a Rebellious Type person who tends to live their life taking on Battles that are for the most part Beyond his ability to fight. Yet he keeps trying even though the advice being given in the song is that he should stop fighting battles in that way. Hence the lines,
"Don't you draw the queen of diamonds boy
She'll beat you if she's able
You know the queen of hearts is always your best bet. "
and....
"Desperado, why don't you come to your senses?
Come down from your fences, open the gate
It may be rainin', but there's a rainbow above you
You better let somebody love you, before it's too late"

Basically, Moore is the Desperado who is going to end up spending his entire life alone and in pain cause he simply won't stop fighting something that is just going to leave him empty and hurt in the end anyway, so before it's too late he should just set himself free and enjoy what is left of his life before it's gone.

All you people who are making this instance of Linda Dedicating a song into some Big Political Speech are INSANE!!! The only ones making this into some big political scandal are the ones who are getting offended by it, because they haven't even taken the time to understand the situation from any viewpoint but their own myopic perspective.

Jesus H. Chr... Mojo, calm down.

I was saying I know what it's like to not be able to express your own views publicly. THAT's ALL.

Personally, I thought the guy who fired her was a complete A-hole.

Thanks for the lyrics, but I know that one by heart.

I think that if they are being paid to do a show, and they turn it in to something else, they dont get paid..

What I had read she just detcated a song to MM, and was booted out.

When Ashcroft and Powell shut up, maybe singers will.

Powell Dumps Diplomacy for Disco

I think political activism in any form is great, but then I'm old. IMO the 60's were the greatest thing to happen to this country. Frankly many of today's youth scare me.

Were they at Woodstock, they'd be the ones screaming SHUT UP YA DIRTY HIPPIES I CAME TO SEE SHA NA NA! Totally missing the point altogether.

If the spirit and personality of some folk, punk, rock, reggae or rap artists bothers you, then maybe you should try flag wrapped country music dripping in it's own patriotic bile.

Or is the old liberals should be seen and not heard, but Ted Nugent is God?

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
Jesus H. Chr... Mojo, calm down.

I was saying I know what it's like to not be able to express your own views publicly. THAT's ALL.

Personally, I thought the guy who fired her was a complete A-hole.

Thanks for the lyrics, but I know that one by heart.

I'm calm Kid. Thanks for addressing me by my full title, BTW. mOjOm is just fine by itself though, really!

I wasn't trying to seem like I was jumpin' your case Kid. At least not exclusively. But have you read the posts in this topic so far??? It's like listening to a Drunken Disinformation Agent who stutters and gradually embellishes more and more on the events surrounding one insignificant story.

In general, when talking about 'Famous People' using event's as their Personal Platforms, I agree to some extent as I find most of it pointless too. However, like I said earlier, they do it cause everyone in the world treats them like Demi-God's in the first place instead of normal people. So I understand why some of them are deluded enough to actually think people care what the hell they have to say anyway.

In this specific case however, nobody even bothers looking at it for what it was. A performer dedicating a song to someone, which happens in every live performance since the dawn of man. Yet, this time, it resulted in a huge political outcry for no reason and a well known and long time star being ejected from a hotel casino mid show and treated like she suddenly turned into 'G.G Allen' and started defecating on stage and punching people in the face. It's just ridiculous and as always it turned into some 'Idiot Liberals' 'Stupid Conservatives' B.S. when it had almost nothing at all to do with that.

So I'm sorry if I seemed out of line, I just get so sick of all the Stupid Political Party b*tching, especially when it ends up completely washing out the more important and significant aspects of what could be discussed, such as Media Bias, Removal of Basic Freedoms, etc. Hope you understand and aren't too offended and all that.

Me personally, it doesn't bother me if I'm at a concert and someone dedicates a song for a political cause, or says what they feel. I actually cheered the Dixie Chicks when they took their bold stand on Bush. I hated to see the machine whack them so. It was just plain stoopid. It just shows the GOP weakness, really? I mean, what's the big deal, right? They need to develop some thicker skin.

My biggest reaction to how they hustled Ronstadt out was, how mean! I guess the point is, the GOP is skeered shiZitless of losing the Nov. election. They feel it deep in their bones and they are lashing out in every conceivable direction.

I'm a registered Republican and I think it's hilarious, if you can believe it. I've seen my party become so abusive and uncivil it really sickens me. This is NOT the party I joined and it is NOT the party I will support.

ps.. I think BushCo.'s just mad 'cause all the cool people want Kerry to win!!! I mean who wants to come to another inaugural with Ricky Martin and Wayne Newton?!

"I actually cheered the Dixie Chicks when they took their bold stand on Bush."


They didnt take the stand very long. As soon as it turned bad they jumped ship.

Yes you have the right to free speech.

No you don't have the right to make people listen.

We all need to relax.

Originally posted by SpittinCobra
"I actually cheered the Dixie Chicks when they took their bold stand on Bush."


They didnt take the stand very long. As soon as it turned bad they jumped ship.

You havn't heard Natalie Maines lately, then. Clear Channel pricks can only keep a person off the airwaves for so long.

Originally posted by EastCoastKid
Clear Channel pricks can only keep a person off the airwaves for so long.

I hear that, I cant believe I use to work for those fools, way before I knew anything.

I absolutely despise commercial radio. I also despise the fact that these big Ayehole corporate entities have bought out damn near all private radio stations. That is SO not Democratic. It's brain-polluting and brainwashing! I think all of these ClearChannel (& others) program managers oughtta be taken out back and ____ . Redacted for your protection.

I love the human race!

We take people with IQs of 100 or less, who show idiot savant syndrome, make them millionaires for singing pop songs (usually written by someone else), or to read a script (written by someone else) whilst pretending to be someone else, resculpted by a plastic surgeon to look like someone else. And then once we have put them on a pedestal, and ascribed so many wonderful attributes to them, we are enraptured by their intellectual thought on humanity and politics?

I love the music, I love the movies, but I keep it real I don't need someone else to help me decide what I should think. This is not just aimed at Linda Ronstadt, the Dixie Chicks, etc. - its a general statement.

I think its time that movie stars and singers were paid the same as everybody else and that the hero worshipping be placed in the right context... they are no better than the girl at the check out at quickie mart, in fact most of them did that before you made them millionaires. In some cases they are even less educated than she is.Would you ask the check out clerk for her political opinion, or does it depend on whether she earns an outrageous amount for having siliconed lips and boobs and reading other peoples words?

It is what it is.... Someone seems diguntled about the way of life in america.

I think they get paid for all the trouble they do go through.... They have no life, so need to get paid for that.

I agree that I do not let people make up my mind for me, but Im not mad at them for being what they want.

Dont hate the people that play the game, hate the game.

They have no life? The girl at the quickie mart has no life, kids to feed, gets paid nothing, lives in a dump, broken down car, etc etc.

They get paid millions, adored by millions more, have personal trainers who visit them at their Beverley Hills mansions, have personal assistants who do all the chores for them , chefs, managers, publicists, agents, the latest in cars, a nanny to look after the kid, a plastic surgeon to keep them desireable.... etc ad nauseum.

They have lives and you are paying $10.50 every time you go to the movie for them to have that life.

BaH, Rock Stars Are Not Employees! They decide what they are going to say and how they are going to say it. If you pay $50 to see Kiss or Billy Joel than expect to see Kiss or Billy Joel. Good, Bad, music, political views, audience interaction, tossing pigs blood into the audience, what they think about sex with many partners, and anything else they feel like talking about between songs. If you want straight music without the musician being who they are on stage than go see the back street boys or something. You should expect to see all of the artist just as you should expect to see entertainment.

If you havent figured out yet, MONEY does not bring happiness, freedom, love, or a life. Its what you make of it. Privacy make a huge diffence in people's lives. The get piad more for the Privacy that is taken away.


I think we have diffrent points of view. I have been In the gutter, and I have been on top. Not as on top as them but not bad. I cant be mad at people that WORK hard for thier money, Just because you dont think they are working hard to make records, movies what ever. They are.

There were a lot of Democrats offended by the Dixie Chicks "bold stand against Bush". It doesn't take much courage to pander to an audience when you're overseas. Just look at Bonnie Raitt. It wasn't a GOP thing ECK, it was an American thing.

I think that the straw that broke irt Rondstadt's case could very well have been the person that she dedicated the song to. Had she dedicated the song to the poor and homeless, I doubt she would have been run out on a rail. Classless of the management? Maybe, but so was her statement before the show, something like "I hope that if I keep annoying them enough, they won't ask me to come back". They were OK when it comes to taking their money, just don't ask her to act like anything but a petulant child, right? Is that what is meant by artistic license?:shk:

Regardless, she can speak her mind on her own time, not on Aladdin's dime. Just my centrist .02.