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Music and politics

A post yesterday about U2 prompted me to listen to them today. And one comment from yesterday got me to thinking. The author wrote dismissively that they should "keep their politics to themselves." (Those may or may not have been the exact words, but that gets to the point.) As I've been listening this afternoon, I've thought: I'm neither a born-again Christian nor a political leftie, but I do love this band. And then I thought further: If I listened only to bands or singer-songwriters whose politics were like mine, I surely wouldn't spin a whole lot of recordings. (For the record, I consider myself a radically pragmatic centrist with occasional libertarian leanings. Got any bands who'd fill that bill?) I care about the music, and not about what the people making that music happen to believe. Am I alone in this? Do others dismiss certain artists because of their politics -- or religion or the kind of car they drive or whatever else?
hodu
cruz123
586 posts
 
I could care less about an artists politics or religious beliefs, but I do care if that artist feels compelled to constantly remind me of their beliefs on stage or in their music. It's just a turn off for me.
kurt_tank
1,189 posts
 
I agree with Cruz123. I get very, very tired of being hit over the head with some artists' political viewpoints. (And, why is it almost always the left leaning musicians who do this?)

One other thing that I have found (IMHO, anyway), is that when an artist starts putting lots of political spin in their music, it is because their talent level has dropped to such a point that they have no talent left, or anything else to write about, and figure (rightly so), that the left leaning music lovers will just drool all over themselves when their music comes out. (The Grammy's and the Oscar's awards do seem to prove my point.)

I don't mind an artist having a political viewpoint, (hey, we all do), but they should just keep it to themselves, and don't use their stage act as a bully pit. I don't pay good money to listen to their political rants.

Several artists, including the aforementioned U2, have permanently turned me off their music with their ranting and raving like lunatics.

My two cents worth anyway.
grimace
624 posts
 
U2 has been leaning to the left for almost thirty years. If you're just noticing it now you haven't been paying attention.
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entrope
482 posts
 
I attended a Roger Waters show which was excellent until he took 10 minutes mid-show to bash Bush, Blair, & Iraq to lead into "Bring the Boys Back Home". It was really off putting and took much of the savor from the show. Many artists do this kind of thing.

You pay your money to hear the music and see the performance of an artist. If politics are included in the music you know going in what to expect. But to have artists use the crowd assembled for a performance to espouse a political bent or speak from a political agenda on the stage is to me unprofessional regardless of whether the crowd agrees or not.

If I paid money to hear James Carvell or Karl Rove speak at an event then I expect a political agenda and it what I want to hear. I would be disappointed if they sang and did not talk politics.
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