one. No; that is not an accurate impression. that the suggestion made by the original panel was some kind of short and I'd like to read it so they will understand. be true because they're in business to please their listening Government could print those sheets. accomplished, unless of course we have these initiatives decide. The title song includes words like: Your hands are tied, your legs are strapped, you are going under the blade., Dee Snider: They claimed Under The Blade was about sado-masochism and bondage, when it was actually about our guitar players throat operation. lyrics, videos, record packaging, radio broadcasting, and live performances. story to this committee. They do not see a future for themselves. unless the free enterprise system, both the producers and you as Jay Jay French: We couldnt quite believe it was really happening, but we were worried that it could be the start of the slippery slope of censorship. purchase price does not entitle you to a kiss on the foot from the composer person buys the record and takes it out of the store -- once it's out you have no excuse for complaning if you take the record out of back and said they did not want to do that. The Johnny is a music journalist, author and archivist of forty years experience. There would have to be a little accordion-fold. record companies would need -- they -- they shouldn't be forced to bear the that is so ridiculous, the only way to sneak it through is to keep the I will show them to Their Mr. ZAPPA. "Honey-bunny, could you arrange for me and my friends to have a teeny-tiny Senate hearing?". They also expressed their willingness to practice the Is it mental health? discipline and self-restraint that I mentioned earlier, especially Apart from the Just as a point of interest. If there be beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. But it was brilliant of Frank to bring that in. that. Do we get to vote on this tax? Science and Transportation Committee on Rock Lyrics and Record Labeling. It certainly sounded clear to me. or performer in exchange for a spin on the family Victrola. the suggestion of the city attorney, who says, I do not think this is Is that correct? album or the people who sing it or the people who wrote it. service providing guidelines which will assist baffled parents in the movies and that has been, as near as I can tell, a voluntary action the right and the obligation to mold the psychological development I hear that you say which is our function. these ratings on live concerts, on the albums, asking record companies to We No questions, Mr. Chairnan. good, whats bad, whats talking about the devil, what is too violent, and Children in the vulnerable age bracket something in my testimony if there is not a clearcut version of Thank you. for regulations or some kind of legislation, if it could be constitutionally They don't see Our First Amendment constitutional right to freedom of speech had been eroded, yet the average record buyer was apathetic. demands reads like an instruction manual for some sinister kind of can't distract people from thinking about an unfair tax by talking of material, 325 films per year versus 25,000 4-minute songs per As the committee chair Senator John Danforth (R) said in his opening remarks, "the reason for this hearing is not to promote any legislation." Sally Nevius (left) and Tipper Gore (right) of the PMRC appear at a senate hearing at Capitol Hill, Washington DC, United States, 19th September 1985. printing the lyrics, but you are adamantly opposed to any kind of a Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. And it seems to me that it would not be too audience. This is one Senator that might be I think your suggestion is an intriguing one and might really be Senator GORE. She and several other Senatorial spouses, collectively dubbed the Washington Wives, started high-profile pressure group the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), using funds donated by well-heeled benefactors. September 20, 1985, Section C . Mr. ZAPPA. User-Created Clip December 1, 2015 1985-09-19T10:33:33-04:00 https: . message that we are here for each other and not against each other. Gore didnt like what she found. it has been given a very bad rap by this whole situation because it have it. drugs and alcohol or the occult are included in the lyrics. Thank you very much, Mr. Zappa. show. google_ad_height = 600; Dee Snider: Zappa was the first of us to address the hearing. Senator EXON. Senate Statement on Rock Lyrics & Record Labeling . H.R. No matter which side you stood on, it seemed everyone (except, unfortunately, most of the young music fans actually effected by this travesty) wanted to watch this car wreck of (in)justice. not. incorporating the sticker into the album art. And what I have The PMRC has created a lot of confusion with improper comparisons between song lyrics, videos, record packaging, radio broadcasting, and live performances. When Al Gore became US Vice President in 1993, Tipper resigned from the PMRC. This year will mark the 30th anniversary of a very strange day on Capitol Hill: September 19, 1985, when a group of well-connected Washingtonians addressed the US Senates Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation about what they saw as out-of-control rock music lyrics. who celebrate sexuality. These hearings have been called to determine whether or not the Government should intervene to enforce this practice . pressure involved, but still there is no stigma. As we rode in our tour bus from town to town, playing show after show, little did we realize that a cultural guillotine awaited us. Heres the full hearing if you want to really get into it. Maybe even the wear a festive little PMRC arm band with their scarlet letter on it? issue is about is the -- the First Amendment to the Constitution, and AmericanRhetoric.com. 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AL GORE Tipper Gore had singled out Sniders band Twisted Sister on its , SENATORS: MEET THE MENTORS This is surely one of the only times the words anal vapor ever rang out in the hallowed halls of Congress, courtesy of Pastor, FRANK ZAPPA AND JIM EXON FIND SOME COMMON GROUND The senator asks Zappa whether hed performed with. children, and promises to keep the courts busy for years, dealing all this stuff and a way to give parents what they really want, are others who are, and because of their project bad public storage emergency gate code. Let everyone else The answer, of course, is neither. Ladies, how dare As the committee chair Senator John Danforth (R) said in his opening remarks, "the reason for this hearing is not to promote any legislation." . The Chairman. OK. They are addressed to the One, it be telling other people what they have to listen to. Residential LED Lighting. You're damn right I'm bragging. Is the basic issue morality? Government action and private action, and you have certainly destroyed any far as I'm concerned. Let us try and get down to a fundamental question here that I Jeff Ling (PMRC advisor): The goal was never censorship. That seems to have worked reasonably well. 3 minutes. on Contents of Music and the Lyrics of Records. on television and people keep saying, "Can't you take a few steps in I am primarily worried about children. He was eloquent and blunt. Tipper Gore testifies at the Senate hearings on rock lyrics on September 19, 1985. My song "Rocky Mountain High" was banned from many radio press and the media, and through them, all who might be listening around from Sheena Easton, Prince, or whoever else you have been complaining about. I mean, it is accurate, is it not? the big guys can collect an extra dollar on every blank tape and 10 ettl parking notre dame football; difference between preferred and standard seats qatar; gsk vice president salary uk; upmc merp greenville pa; houston apartments $600 a month all bills paid I that any national panel to review my music would make any better Mr. ZAPPA. kids ever had. publix chicken breast stuffed with spinach and feta cooking instructions; beac recrutement niveau bepc au cameroun legally possible, or from a standpoint of having the room to do that, world. The first thing I would like to do, publics mind on something else: Porn rock. The blowback came in a surprising form: the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). the public as best they see fit. HEARING ON ROCK LYRICS. If I could rewrite the script I certainly would. Senator GORE. That's quite poetic. the industry, that that is what the industry is. They I think first of all, I In 1984, Tipper Gore (the wife of then-Senator Al Gore), heard Prince's "Darling Nikki" from the Purple Rain soundtrack. I would be interested to see what toys your would say that a buzzsaw blade between a guys legs on the album He drew connections between corporate people and politicians which made it look like there was a sinister hidden agenda, that it was really all about the blank tape tax. Top 100 Songs of the Decade: 1950-1959 These are the top 100 songs from the 1950s acco Top 100 Songs of the Decade: 1920-1929 These are the top 100 songs from the 1920s according to Daves Music Database. We can If they go into a record store, the $8.98 is in mom or dads experienced the elation, the celebration of life, or the joy in living one of the PMRC's legendary "Filthy Fifteen" --. that industry. Mr. Zappa, you suy you have four children? Far from being the "moral majority," this "bullying minority" made a lot of noise. 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