Protest singers renew their cry
By Geoff Edgers, Globe Staff | April 16, 2006
He's a sideburned folk singer with a local following. She's a pop-rock princess, her jeans worn low. And there are others: grunge masters, indie-rock heroes, and country legends.
They are protest singers, circa 2006. While they might not sound anything alike, a number of musicians -- from Mark Erelli and Pink to Morrissey, Merle Haggard, Pearl Jam, and the Dixie Chicks -- share an opinion on the war in Iraq. It should end, several new songs say. And when the name George W. Bush comes up in a tune, it's not to wish him luck with the midterm elections.
In fact, a flurry of recent and upcoming albums take a strong antiwar stance. They're aggressive and unapologetic, ranging from the abstract musings of the Flaming Lips -- who don't name Bush on their new album but have repeatedly invoked him in interviews as the inspiration for it -- to the 69-year-old Haggard's blunt lyric, ''Let's get out of Iraq an' get back on track," on the recently released song ''America First."
This isn't the first time musicians have mobilized against the Iraq war, and against Bush in particular. In 2004, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and dozens of other big-name stars raised millions for Democratic hopeful John Kerry's campaign through a series of concerts, some organized by Rolling Stone magazine founder Jan Wenner. But the pop community hasn't made many waves politically since Bush's second-term victory, other than hip-hop star Kanye West's unexpected slam on the president during a Hurricane Katrina telethon last fall.
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http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2006/04/16/protest_singers_renew_their_cry/
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