So, where are all the ARTISTS?

[moodforaday]

I've been thinking... Where are all the artists these days? Where are the poets, singers, actors, writers, writing poems, writing songs, making speeches, holding teach-ins? What the hell is Bob Dylan doing other than cavorting with Victoria's Secret models? Where, for that matter, is a NEW Bob Dylan when he - or she - is needed?

Joaz Baez will play for Cindy and her people at Crawford - that's awesome, but there should have been an event like this every week, if not every day, ever since Feb 2003!

What we have is a handful of journalists like Sy Hersh, another handful of internet commentators like Justin Raimondo, a bunch of bloggers, and a few courageous whistleblowers who are gagged by law and/or won't be heard on mainstream media. I mean, the truthtelling squad is down to maybe 20 people, and the best they can do in MSM is, like Seymour Hersh, to appear on a COMEDY SHOW for chrissakes. End rant...

[The Witch]

1. I wrote a song for cindy.........

...anybody wanna fund me making a record?.... :sarcasm:

[moodforaday]

3. No, but if you record it

I can host it on my site. Got a lot of disk space and not some (not a lot of) bandwidth to spare.

[doublethink]

21. Feel free to pass on this link .....

and song I recently recorded with my nephew ..... http://www.nonamesoldier.com Peace. :)

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Shameless plug

go to my webstite that game has a lot of comments on now, even if in the future


www.deistgames.com

I think they are around, and for god sakes we are making an effort, but breaking out of the fringes is almost impossible. I am willing to bet that Joan Baez would not get too far today, if she was just starting out, by the way

[SteppingRazor]

10. Of course she wouldn't...

Would anybody who sings ballads or other slow songs? It's just not what sells, supposedly.
Though I think Norah Jones would disagree.

[SteppingRazor]

4. Plenty of people write antiwar songs...

It's not them you need to ask about.

The right question is, Where are the A&R reps and label heads willing to market the stuff?

[moodforaday]

5. Label bosses are all

in Washington, I suppose.

There used to be all this talk about how the internet would provide an alternative distribution media, and sure enough, there are tons of bands to be found on the net, but they're all playing hip-hop and techno or some such. It's now uncool to be making political statements, and that's too bad, because people won't listen to facts alone, they need an emotional connection. Like what Cindy is doing, actually.

[SteppingRazor]

6. Plenty of antiwar bands...

Locally, we've got a hardcore punk band called Red State Riot. And a roots rock band called the Atomic Cowboys whose last album, "Wake Up!," was entirely filled with anti-Bush songs.

The Internet does provide an alternative to distribution, but it doesn't provide an alternative to marketing. You still need the major labels for that.

[cascadiance]

7. Elvis Costello just changed lyrics on his Cold Mountain movie song...

to be more relevant today and have anti-war words to it...

"You know you lied/Just bring the boys back home."

Read here:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/15/music.antiwar.reut/index.html

[DistressedAmerican]

8. Some Here. Not The Names You List Though

http://www.seedsofdoubt.com/distressedamerican/main.htm

[Cats Against Frist]

9. Real artists can rarely pull off overtly political art

that is easily digested by the masses. Art is much more subtle, and beholden to an aesthetic that lies outside the "easily stated," and the overtly, conveniently emotional.

There is some good work being done: http://www.canwehaveourballback.com/8howe.htm

but most people don't know about it, because they're looking for something more easily digestible -- pop artists, etc.

If you want to ask where are the "pop" artists -- singer/songwriters, slam poets, actors & actresses, rock-n-roll photographers, etc. are -- I don't know. I think a lot of artists spoke out, before the election, and are maybe tired, defeated, still have to make money, etc.


*edit for spelling

[derby378]

11. Got another pro-Cindy song on paper

Posted it here and on Daily KOS yesterday.

12. protest music

I think a lot of younger people are into rap music ??

[Marnieworld]

18. And you can't protest with rap?

Puh-leeze! Rappers are protesting and the young people are listening. Recruitment is way down. They're finding out somehow.

[I concur]

20. rappers...

Ars est celare artem! (Real art is to conceal art)

[cascadiance]

13. I thought it very telling that Edwin Starr who did "War"...

died of a heart attack the day before we went into Iraq!

http://www.activebass.com/news/item.asp?i=367

Though it wasn't discussed heavily, I wonder if the pending war we were about to embark on had anything to do with the timing of his early passing then! Now "War" was a GREAT protest song of the Vietnam era!

[Swamp Rat]

14. One must sell their corpus and animus to the Media Monster.

I'd rather play Bach on my guitar all by myself in my bedroom, or percussion during Carnival for thousands of jiggling naked bodies, than waste my time with Corporate Art™.

My gallery of vandalised fotos:
http://news.globalfreepress.com/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=4

[Marnieworld]

15. ummm

Bruce Springsteen "Devils and Dust"
John Cougar Mellencamp had a song but I can't remember the name.
Six Feet Under has been blatantly anti-Bush this season.
Eminem's Mosh was oh so very powerful.
There was a large group of artists on board with the "Not in Our Name" campaign in 2003
Dixie Chicks were so attacked that it is now a phrase to be "Dixie Chicked"
Janeanne Garafolo completely gave up her Hollywood career to become an activist.
Harry Belafonte speaks his mind freely.
Every artist that was a part of the "Voices for Change" concert series, a few I've already mentioned but Dave Matthews Band comes to mind.
Sheryl Crow is against the war.
Green Day is no friend of Bush.
A friend of mine was heavily involved in a NYC project entitled THAW (Theater artists against the war)before we even invaded.
Check out the genius play by Tim Robbins called Embedded all about the war and it is available on DVD now.
We have "Over There" on FX but I can't comment on it because I haven't seen it.

That's off the top of my head but there are more I'm sure.

This is all in the days of Clear Channel (insanely pro-Bush) owning most of the radio stations and the concert venues and actually fires dissenters (Howard Stern) and organizes boycotts and CD burnings of Artists.
We are also in the days of not as many people dying as in Vietnam(yet)no draft (yet) and most of the media that people rely on for information is complete bullshit propaganda.

In essence, give it some time. The more horrific it gets the more songs you'll hear. The more plays and movies will be written about the soldiers stories and their families.

"Stop. Hey, what's that sound? Everybody look what's going down."
"1234 What are we fighting for?"
"War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing."
"Mother Mother Mother. There's far too many of you crying."

We can still sing the old songs because they still fit this tragic stupid war like they fit the other tragic stupid war.

[PunkPop]

25. Green Day is in Texas starting tomorrow

Houston then Dallas then San Antonio. Stopping by Camp Casey could at least bring a little more exposure to the anti-war cause for a younger audience.

[Marnieworld]

26. Is Green Day going to Camp Casey?

That would be sooooo cool!

[PunkPop]

27. I would love that too

but don't know if they will or not.

Looked for a contact email on their site but couldn't find anything. I have to think they are aware of Camp Casey. If they are traveling by bus they will basically be passing right by it twice in the span of two or three days.

[JackBeck]

16. Well, I don't think Madonna will be going anywhere anytime soon

[halobeam]

17. IMO.. as a writer, I experience isolation and deep despair

before I pour myself all over blank pages. Once it starts, the world might be ending... the heavens might open up, but I'll die with a pen in my right hand. Nothing will or ever could stop me at that point.

Patience, it's starting to trickle out now... note the latest songs and videos... isolation and deep despair stage is coming to an end. The fury begins.

[evirus]

19. answere

i think the problem is that we pay people more to hit a ball with a stick then we do to entertain our imagination and our souls

[gatorboy]

22. Let's not forget the Dixie Chicks!

They were opposing Bush when many others sat on their hands, afraid to risk it.

[mattclearing]

23. They are busy posting on message boards.

:hi:

[CountDmoney]

24. System of a Down's new record

is anti-war in a big way. There's a song called Sad Statue that makes me cry everytime I hear it.

[evirus]

28. pretty good

yah thats a pretty good song

"you and me will all go down in history, with a sad statue of liberty and a generation that didn't agree"

dosnt realy make me cry but it seems to be a vary good refelection of whats going on today