a cbs executive was quoted as saying about sundays upcoming grammy broadcast “”there is a time for political commentary, this (the grammy’s) is not one of them!””
sorry to be inflammatory, but that’s the dumbest thing that i’ve heard in ages. an awards show dedicated to music and musicians, and the network that is hosting the broadcast is planning on censoring musicians who are thinking of speaking their mind about political issues?
i would like to point out two things:
1-we live in a country wherein freedom of expression is a right defined and protected by our constitution. the musicians who will be speaking and performing at the grammy’s are not employees of cbs. they aren’t paid actors reading a script. they are, ostensibly, free citizens who have the constitutional right to express themselves in whatever legal capacity they see fit.
2-one of the things that has made the history of popular music so interesting and dynamic is the tradition of political activism among musicians. the most remarkable musicians of the last 40 years have been people who’ve been outspoken about a wide range of social and political issues. off the top of my head i think of john lennon, bob dylan, cat stevens, the clash, the sex pistols, u2, public enemy, rage against the machine, the beastie boys, and marvin gaye, to name a few. to have an unscripted television broadcast ostensibly based around the best and brightest in popular music (i know, i’ve seen the grammy nominees…’best and brightest’ is me using some pretty serious poetic license…) and then restrict the musicians freedom of speech is loathsome.
it would be nice if as a form of protest every musician who won an award said nothing at the podium.
moby