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
i wish i had time to comment on this thread, but i volunteered to go paint drapes over some michelangelo nudes before the big beatle record burning.
Agree or disagree with their messages - the one thing you can say about pop stars is that they're egos are so big that they all think because they happen to be holding a mic, for some reason you should care about what they think of politics.
I agree with markphd when he says: "I think there is a significant difference between putting politics into your music, and taking time out during a concert to preach politics. The former doesn't bother me at all. The latter I find annoying."

I have a question for those who would defend the concert preachers. Would you feel the same if you payed to see a performer and got a 30 minute anti-abortion diatribe?
I listen to music to be entertained.
Any musician that thinks I give a rats behind as to what their political views are has seen my last dollar.
Most of them are hypocrites that create more polution and consume more resouces than a small nation.
Last year Paul McCartney was bragging about a hybrid Lexus that he had purchased. You didn't hear that it was delivered by a charter 737 from Japan to England that consumed more fuel than 100 Escalades would circling the planet.

These idiots are so out of touch, surrounded by psychofants, that they actually think they make a difference.

Most of them are liberal- redistribute the wealth as long as they have a license to print the stuff.