I noticed when the Iran protests happened and when the Ukraine war began, actors, comedians and people with large followings were quick to be active on social media sharing information and ways to support.
Musicians were pretty quiet. There are obviously some exceptions, but musicians (especially mega stars) have not said much about the impact of Tate’s toxic misogyny, our increasingly authoritarian government, climate change or a range of huge issues in recent years.
I’ve touched on this a few times on the new series of the Drowned in Sound podcast with different guests but I thought this comment with Emma Garland really hit on something, when we were discussing how some musicians will shy away with some topics for fear of being dogpiled by someone like Glinner. We also talked about whether there’s as much space for musicians to talk about the upcoming UK and US elections and whether media needs to adapt a bit…?
I wonder if the more precarious music becomes financially and the harder it is to reach fans on social media, whether we’ll see more acts dodging big topics? Or are there artists speaking up but it’s not cutting through to me as much as media isn’t reporting on it or algorithms is favouring other posts? Maybe being outspoken on social media has become passé?
(Just want to quietly say that everyone in the immunocompromised and “we don’t want to be disabled / immunocompromised via COVID” communities really appreciate The Anchoress speaking out and insisting on everyone wearing N95’s and HEPA filters being run at shows. She’s been showing up in a number of articles and longform pieces, this one for instance. You’re working with a good one and I wish other artists would follow her lead, it’s been incredibly disappointing that they haven’t.)
My first reaction would be: Were they really much more outspoken in the past? If they were, were they generally on the right side of history or were they just being gobby cunts about whatever crossed their mind at that particular moment in time? The big mass movements aside, I can’t remember any period where musicians were willing to shout above the parapet more than others.
Considering current social media ‘culture’, I can understand why some wouldn’t (even if it’s nice to kneejerk otherwise). It’s not even a case of knowing your audience have your back anymore - Death threats and other bullshit seem inevitable for anything that some prick behind a computer deems controversial.
Personally, if a musician I like is a dick about something, I have no problem changing my opinion about them or, sometimes, calling them out on it. I’m not going to be the kind of person who criticises them for not doing something though. It’s one thing for them to believe something in private, another thing for them to inadvertently become the leader of a cause. I don’t know their personal lives and I shouldn’t expect them to do the latter just because they perform music.
This is sort of why I was asking. I feel like a lot of political artists have been handed down to different generations or stood the test of time a little more - thinking about George Michaels and Billy Braggs, Rage Against the Machines and awful sorts like Eric Clapton.
I guess with humanitarian issues, PETA and veganism Paul McCartney and various other musicians have spoken up over the years.
I remember when I first started DiS we partnered with Love Music Hate Racism and was perhaps a bit closer to seeing orgs like Oxfam, WaterAid and Shelter being around music scene and artists I’ve worked with doing various fundraisers for things like Music Venue Trust and Flying Seagull project (who entertain kids in refugee camps).
Maybe the rise of the super rich being musicians means there’s a lot more Winston Marshall’s out there than I realise?
That’s awesome. While you’d always hope for 100%, 50% is incredible compared to what you see in the wild. It goes to show the power of speaking out and fighting against the hyper-normalization and soft peer pressure - a ton of people actually are willing and just need some combination of a reminder / encouragement / “permission” of some sort. Deerhoof are good eggs.
That’s good. We had about a third of fans at some Anchoress shows. And lots wore masks when coming to the merch desk. We managed to get through the tour without anyone getting sick. The massive hepa filters on stage and several venues having their own helped. Plus it being warm we could have fresh air let in to stop it being too airless sweatbox.
Catherine has had to mute various posts after speaking up but we’ve really pushed for industry change. Had some people get on board amongst the friction.
Smart Air are now renting out some of the blast mini filters we used on stage if any artists want to look into getting them Rental shop - Smart Air UK
Amazing how few UK bands vocally backed Remain in the lead up to the EU referendum, given what it meant it for touring artists. On the day, the message from the majority was just “vote”, at least anecdotally based on who I follow.
Yeah it was really odd. I think a lot of that was because the artists who cut through have channels run by management and label reps, and probably over thought it all.
There was this campaign but not sure many big names got involved https://music4eu.com/
I’m thinking a lot about how to try to do something like Rock the Vote in the US but maybe music just isn’t the force it once was?
Reznor was such a great interviewee when I spoke to him about The Social Network OST. Am a huge fan and was so worried it wouldn’t go well and he gave me an extra 15 mins as he was enjoying the chat. We had been DMing about doing something for DiS podcast before he quit Twitter but will try again.
Amazing. I’m a huge fan as well. Great to hear he was a good and generous interviewee. I’ve seen and read A LOT of interviews with him over the years and he always seems to give very well-thought out and pretty honest responses.
If you haven’t heard it, his episode of Rick Rubin’s Tetragrammaton podcast from earlier this year is well worth a listen.
Yeah find the idea of an outwardly presenting “political/left band” like Sleaford Mods having nothing to say about this extremely political moment and chalking it up to ignorance as grimly hilarious
I dont know whether to think it’s a shit response because he’s hiding behind “I’m a musician” or it’s a poorly worded response effectively saying he wants the war to end and no one else to die
I think there was tonnes more political music around twenty or thirty years ago. Perhaps it was just the circles I was moving in, but so many bands I was following had clear opinions and stances. Just off the top of my head, in the early 90s the Levellers were able to draw a record Glastonbury crowd (a record that stood until Elton John afaik) singing songs railing against police violence and government hypocrisy, the revival of the ANL was very much led and publicised by musicians, acts like Blaggers ITA who were extremely vocally anti-fascist got lots of press coverage and signed to majors, Senser had a top five album with lyrics like “I don’t give a fuck about Combat 18 / You see your BNP you ain’t shit to me / Loud mixed-Briton, proud of my ancestry”.
Its kind of both, but its just amusing to me that a band who famously sing about a lot of political issues are now saying “ah this one’s not for me I’m just a humble musician, people dying in war is bad tho isnt it”
Oh yeh I’m no fan at all of them and what they’ve said previously on other matters. I’m just not sure it’s the “gotcha” that some people are claiming it to be on their views on this issue
Generally speaking I’m sympathetic to the idea that nobody is obliged to form an opinion on something just because someone else has asked them to. But I find it very surprising that anyone who professes to abhor war and murder doesn’t have a clear position on this.
Unless there’s context I’m missing it feels like there’s something disingenuous about his tweet, given that he ended the concert over a flag being thrown on stage. That’s not merely objecting to being asked to “pick sides”.
