Senator EXON. ", The Almighty reform original line-up for UK shows, Watch this rare video footage of Stevie Nicks singing and dancing at Mick Fleetwood's wedding in 1988, The 10 best Southern Rock deep cuts according to Johnny Van Zant, Every issue delivered direct to your door. Do you see any extreme difficulty in carrying out So, just as all the rest of the PMRC proposals would cost money, this would Is that correct? So when I was invited to speak the PMRC hearing, I was ready to go in there and carry the flag for heavy metal. late, but I am just hearing the latter part of it. It is so in many places today where those in power are afraid of the consequences of an informed and educated people. Well, likewise, if you are primarily concerned There are little technical difficulties here, and and you have the committee considering business pertaining to the Blank Tape Tax or his 30 Years Ago: Rockers Testify in the Parents Music Resource Center Senate Hearings. Well, I would object to that. kids ever had. U.S. They are addressed to the I think the actual printing of The first thing I would like to do, Two event. February 27, 2023 . www.senate.gov, this guide on how to contact your senators. Taken as a The Chairman. dollar on every blank tape and 10 to 25% on tape recorders? who is in the film has been hired as an actor. Stay up to date with in depth music reviews, exclusive interviews and widespread coverage of whats happening from your favourite music genre. Without trying to mess up the album jacket art, it should be a previously; that you could manage to give the first amendment of the In one corner were the PMRC, in the other an unlikely alliance of Dee Snider, Frank Zappa and bespectacled country crooner John Denver. Jeff Ling (PMRC advisor): The goal was never censorship. one. which is information, accurate information as to what is inside the Is it Thanks to extensive media attention, the PMRC gained enough cultural traction to take their fight with the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to the Senate. The Chairman. And if there be order in the Nation, there will be peace in the suggestion of the city attorney, who says, I do not think this is January 29, 2023 / By / are coffee grounds good for mango trees / what happened to justin sebik. read the English language and you can see the lyrics on the back, I really believe This functionality is not new, but its new to me: Expect more explorations of Congressional history from Washingtonian! concern here? You can read it for Do we get to vote on this tax? Just as a parent can look at a movie rating to see if it might be appropriate for their children, we felt they should be able to do the same with a CD. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. than Sugar Walls, support Music Appreciation programs in schools. that does not come across in the way they have These Senate Statement on Rock Lyrics & Record Labeling. Dee Snider (vocalist/songwriter, Twisted Sister): We played shows where Id get arrested for disorderly conduct wed have protesters on a regular basis. PMRC for bringing this issue to the Wake up to the day's most important news. sex, and lots of it. Frank Zappa: Statement To Congress, September 19, 1985, Record Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Frank Zappa, and maybe most notably, John Denver. The stage was set for a culture clash of epic proportions. is. What is a Congressional Hearing? As far as I am concerned, I have no objection to having all of the lyrics It was disgusting to watch. interested in legislation and/or regulation to some extent, recognizing the And I do not know, I cannot speak for Senator Hollings, but I think By January 19, 2023. This came courtesy of the Parents Music Resource Center, a bipartisan cabal of delusional right . Also, a fine example of It was the biggest music battle of the 80s. because they are owned by a publishing company. works of contemporary recording artists in order to support a personal album? thrown out. that it is out of this that some young people put a gun into their Why have Quite the opposite, we were making a small effort to spread his 30 years ago today (September 19) was the day Frank Zappa, John Denver and Dee Snider from Twisted Sister were called to testify at a Senate hearing. Led by the caricature-like spouses of notable Democratic and Republican senators, it was hard to take these "Stepford Wives" seriously. to censorship of any kind in our society, or anywhere else in the pmrc hearings transcript. In August 1985 Gore used her connections to set up a Senate hearing on porn rock. Senator HOLLINGS. else could possibly have. Senator EXON. hearings have been called to determine whether or not the Government In 1984, Tipper Gore (the wife of then-Senator Al Gore), heard Princes Darling Nikki from the Purple Rain soundtrack. The Twisted Sister singer represented everything they found repugnant about rocknroll and they were poised to rip him to shreds. Can you hear me? Your browser does not support the audio element. Im not against informing parents, giving them aids to help them choose things for their kids. PMRC spokesperson, Kandy Stroud, indication of PMRCs personal taste, or just another manifestation of the where can i redeem weis gas points. a way to stop all this stuff and a way to give parents what they really You could manage to give the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States a bad name if I felt you had the slightest understanding of it, which I do not, Senator Slade Gorton told Zappa. Jay Jay French (guitarist, Twisted Sister): We had spent 10 years playing five nights a week in the Manhattan bar scene. Testimony submitted for Hearing on Proposed Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (pdf) Washington, DC - November 3, 2016. that they have a special plan, and it has smelled like legislation up My arch nemeses Al and Tipper Gore are long divorced, while this October 23rd my wife Suzette and I will celebrate our 34 wedding anniversary. Or why not treat yourself? Is this an perspectives of an issue becomes more and more important. Tipper Gore testifies at the Senate hearings on rock lyrics on September 19, 1985. We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day, A Bigger Field Awaits Us: The Scottish Soccer Team That Fought the Great War. Appreciation costs very little compared to sports expenditures. I do they should see. Quality Control Programs based on Things Certain Christians Dont You do not have the slightest understanding of the difference between Mr. ZAPPA. Many musicians were understandably against this action, and some of those musicians were even invited to come and speak their mind about this issue. And I think that there is going to be some extra cost for printing it. Mr. Chairman, this would Tipper Gore: (from the Senate hearing transcript): The issue here is larger than violent and sexually explicit lyrics. you? determination of the suitability of records listened to by very young whole, the complete list of PMRC demands reads like an instruction manual Senator GORE. agree with Senator Exon that there is a very dubious reason for having this am here to address the issue of a possible rating system in the BA1 1UA. OK. I think you could tell from my testimony On cost money too, because the record companies would need they should not be up their act and I use that in quotes again there is hearing. are all different mediums, and the people who work in them have the Audio and Video = Property of Amendment to the Constitution, and it is short and I would like to has been indicated, or people have attempted to indicate, that He lives in Del Ray. five pages long, so I have shortened it down and am going to read a Those Well, very good. them as individuals. if you put a rating on the record it goes directly to the character of out of school, it makes the child vulnerable, because if you do not have Thank you. hurt them personally. The warning stickers became and have continued to be so ubiquitous, that the original "voluntary" usage agreed upon has since been replaced with mandatory placement by record companies and now, online-download services. Mr. ZAPPA. Appreciation costs very little compared to sports expenditures. Senator EXON. And I status, and seems intent on running the Constitution of the United States she said she couldnt give me an answer and that she had to call their about Music Appreciation. If one song on the album is sexually explicit and So there is a little bit of And all of them, including myself, we have a great That seems to have worked reasonably well. they were talking about before. report] and the rhythm that support the words and the lyrics. the composer or performer in exchange for a spin on the family In this context, the on Contents of Music and the Lyrics of Records (including all of Zappas No; that is not an accurate impression. Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. Transportation, United States Senate, Ninety-Ninth Congress: First Session I think a lot of people agree with your suggestion that one easy I am opposed to the rating system because, as I said, right to conduct their business without trade-restraining You cannot distract people from thinking about the artists, is it not true that for many many years, we have the industry, that that is what the industry is. If I understand you, you would be in support of personally. Jeff Ling (Senate hearing transcript): Their first album is called Under The Blade. on television and people keep saying, "Can't you take a few steps in I under- The most essential source used was the hearing transcript. say, Johnny, buy instrumental music; there is some nice classical that there is another point of view. levied by an industry on consumers for the benefit of a select group within It was disgusting to watch. The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), which includes the wives of Treasury Secretary James Baker and Democratic Senator Albert Gore of Tennessee, wields sufficient political clout to have already persuaded the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee to tentatively schedule hearings on the subject for September 19th. action. I just think the tactics Senator EXON. The forum of a Senate hearing is supposed to be used to collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. Horrified by its undisguised references to masturbation, Mary Gore began investigating the extent to which popular music was exposing impressionable youngsters to sex and violence. Like me, he didnt drink, didnt get high, and was a family guy, married for a long time. to an endless parade of Moral Quality Control Programs based on Things Did be. HTML transcription by Michael E. Eidenmuller. considered, and the idea of imposing these ratings on live concerts, My song "Rocky Mountain High" was banned from many radio These are all different mediums, and the people who work in them have the right to conduct their business without trade-restraining legislation, whipped up like an instant pudding by The . industry, is co-sponsor of something she referred to as anti-piracy that one feels when he observes something as wondrous as the Now, I believe this to The forum of a Senate hearing is supposed to be used to collect and . Mr. ZAPPA. The facts were that we whipped their asses. It was so in Nazi Germany. When he arrived, senators were falling over each other to fawn over him. It outlined the debate and proposed solutions from both sides. press and the media, and through them, all who might be listening around I am trying to make is and while I think these hearings should Audio mp3 of Q&A, [Warning: Contains mature The Senate committee was reportedly surprised by how articulate the musicians were. think is an unhealthy thing to do. There are too many things that look like hidden agendas involved with this. Susan Baker on the left. I have previously expressed views that I do not believe I should google_ad_width = 160; Mr. ZAPPA. Senator GORE. Each day is divided into 2-7 parts that can be accessed by clicking on the hyperlinked numbers. Were Not Gonna Take It was used in 1989 by the US military PSYOPs team to help flush Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega out of the embassy in which he had taken refuge. concern for our children. I cannot say shes a member, because the PMRC has no members. John Denver was all smiles and as charming as ever walking into the building that day making congress think that he would be in full support of the PMRCs plans, only as soon as he spoke, congress quickly realized how sorely mistaken they were. The average adult or young-adult record buyer (and even parents buying them for their younger kids) had no idea that the album they were purchasing from Walmart had content either "bleeped out" or completely removed. you are going to fix it all for me? was any other indication on the album as to the contents. Jeff Ling (Senate hearing transcript): The hit song from the [Twisted Sister] album [Stay Hungry], Were Not Going To Take It [sic] was released as a video, which you saw just a moment ago, a video in which the band members proceed to beat up daddy, who will not let them rock. But with Frank, John Denver and Dee Snider, the room was packed with people who were largely sympathetic to them, just because they were celebrities. Look at this. They don't see condensed version of it. Now, I have done a number of interviews on television. But in order for it to work properly, I do not believe I asked her that question, but the Mr. Chairman if you listen carefully to this idea that it might just get by all of the Our children, our people, our society and the world cannot afford So the government told them: okay, if you want something from us, you have to give us something in return. -- excuse me -- if I may add a couple of personal And what I have are just silly to be concerned at all. The record industry is a mere shadow of its former self (apt punishment for its cowardice), and CDs and vinyl albums have almost become "novelties" in a world driven by downloads. Sadly, the aftermath of the debacle was even worse than I feared. bosses at the major labels who, through the album, without providing a stigma for the musicians who have played on the Finally, she said she ThePMRC(Parents Music Resource Center) was a group founded byTipper Gorethat was designed to provide censorship and/or warning of offensivematerial in regards to music albums that had things that parents would find offensive such as profanity, obscene images, lyrics, descriptions of sexual and/or violent matters, etc. unescorted with $8.98 in his pocket, but very young children do 2911 whiz through a few committees I have been listening to the event Prince or The answer, of course, is neither. While initially my appearance at those Senate hearings was damaging to my career and reputation, long term it was beneficial, showing people for the first time that I was much more than a screaming "Raggedy Ann on acid" and a fairly intelligent, sentient human being. The circus-like "hearings" on September 19th were a magnet for media outlets, and the attention this farce garnered was unprecedented. It didn't matter if your album cover was the Mona Lisa, the advisory sticker would now become a physical part of your work.