The last people you should expect to toe the line are rock ‘n rollers and besides, without loud-mouthed, opinionated musicians the world would be a terribly boring place. Imagine if there had never been a John Lennon and his “all we are saying is give peace a chance”, no Ozzy and the infamous bat decapitations, no Kanye West interrupting that oh so all-American Taylor Swift (bless you Kanye), no Bob Marley telling us how to chill out and love each other, and the list goes on because there is no end to the musicians who’s messages we relate to no matter how profound or absurd – let’s face it, artists add colour.
Why don’t accountants (no offense to accounts) spend a lot of their time pissing people off with their vociferous opinions? A few reasons:
1. They don’t have microphones.
2. They risk losing their stable jobs.
3. The might care what other people think of them.
Why do musicians seem to enjoy imposing their souls on other people regardless of the repercussions? The converse of all those reasons:
1. They have loud microphones, sometimes with added delay for effect.
2. They don’t have stable jobs.
3. They don’t care what people think of them.
4. They have no choice.
What I’m trying to say is:
“As a great democratic society, we have a special responsibility to the arts. For art is the great democrat, calling forth creative genius from every sector of society, disregarding race or religion or wealth or color. What freedom alone can bring is the liberation of the human mind and a spirit which finds its greatest flowering in the free society. I see of little more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than the full recognition of the place of the artist.”
- John F. Kennedy
Thanks John.
Thanks people.
Peace in the Middle East
P.S. Question everything!
