Music and politics

How does an artist that does only instrumental music challenge his audience to political thought with his music?Does that make them just a minstrel?

What classical artists stop during a symphony to launch a political diatribe?

What if any movie you went to had a 10 minute segment of the director's polictics in the middle of the movie?

Artists are asking us to pay to see them perform - musicians, actors and athletes alike, but only musicians it seems get to stop in the middle of a paid performance to espouse their political views.

I don't believe most posters here advocate censorship.

IMO, most folks attend concerts to hear music based, loosely or otherwise, on the artists' recordings. Much of that music contains political and/or sociological inferences which is not new. One can go back to the slavery era and find songs laden with oppression, protestation, and discrimination.

Those concepts are what draw many of us to the music and the concerts. I go to hear the music not the artist rant and rave about his/her latest cause many of which are totally hypocritical. Case in point are the artists supporting greeen this and green that while flying from city to city in private jets. Or the animal rights activists with their steak dinners and/or fur coats.

Not a right wing nut or liberal weenie, just a casual observation.

Then again, I could be wrong.

Real artists challenge their audiences.

I didn't say that the challenge has to be political. As a matter of fact I didn't characterize the challenge at all.

Nor did I advocate censorship. I don't see how my comments could be read so.

Few people like being preached to, well at least outside of religious establishments. Good artist disguise their messages, great artists nearly make the message invisible. But it's their right out in the open for those who want to look. I once went to see a gangster film and instead saw a Marxist inspired analysis of how capitalism destroys family ties. Most people didn't mind the message -- the film won a Best Picture Academy Award.

What I find odd in so many of the posts is the attitude that I paid for a concert and somehow I didn't get what I wanted/expected. I got no sympathy for that attitude. A concert experience isn't like buying a tube of toothpaste. If you only want what you know you're going to get, then go to a prostitute. If you want the frequently unexpected and challenging, then get a wife.

Fmpnd, how dare that black man act upon his principles and inconvenience me!

Entrope,

Without coming within a mile of this debate, I only want to point out that instrumental music can very definitely be political. Any art that challenges conventional notions of beauty (from rock 'n' roll to Rite of Spring) can be seen as subversive and has often divided its audience politically. Politically charged lyrics and lectures are not necessary, though they can certainly help piss off those who remained indifferent to the music.

Indeed, some would argue that politics define art and that without politics all art is merely craft. I wouldn't necessarily support that statement, but I get the point.

Marty

Marty-

Point taken. I was referring to actions within the confines of a paid performance that have nothing to do with the performance itself.

Political viewpoints in lyrics, outrageous performances (Alice Cooper to Marilyn Manson) or instrumental music that challenges the conventional is part of the art and something that I accept.