Audacious Acts of Defiance

Audacious: 1.: intrepidly daring, recklessly bold. 2.: contemptuous of law, religion, or decorum. 3: marked by originality and verve.

There are times in life when you just have to say “fuck it”. Sometimes it’s a job you hate, a relationship well overdue to be ended or just a general sense that someone is making you dance like a puppet for the general entertainment of others, and press what they think your art should be or sound like. Most conform like sheep, and some revolt like wolves. Real artists when faced with some ludicrous request to change lyrics or gestures because of the notion that it might offend the delicate sensibilities of the general public, typically do the exact opposite of that asked. Thank god for the defiant ones. In most cases, these acts of public insubordination result in even more popularity, and ultimately legend. Below are a few of the best examples of people who knew that what they were doing shouldn’t be compromised by the thoughts or opinions of others.

Nirvana-Top of the Pops- Smells Like Teen Spirit 11/23/91

The hilariously hypocritical policy of “live” performances on the supposed music program “Top of The Pops” required artists to sing live vocals over pre-recorded back tracks. Holy Ashlee Simpson. They had the balls to present this ridiculous idea to Nirvana. Nirvana. The most influential and greatest rock band of my generation. Well this is the way he wants, well… he gets. (for Wes)

N.W.A.-Detroit P.D.-Fuck Tha Police-6/19/89

     The tour of 1989 and rise of talented super-group N.W.A. was interrupted by a simple request by the Detroit Police Department prior to the show. Please do not exercise your constitutional rights tonight as free United States citizens. Please do not express the tone of the nation. Please do not sing “Fuck Tha Police” tonight. It seems that Motown’s finest, with the highest murder rate in the country at the time, had enough free time to spare 200 officers to make sure that these much brighter, young artists didn’t openly criticize them because this was their town. Seriously, I am in complete agreeance with Villain and his opinion pertaining to the above matters. (see 0:44 clip)

The Doors-Ed Sullivan Show-Light My Fire-9/17/67

Jim Morrison may have been wasted, but he was for sure a true poet and bad ass at heart that wasn’t ready to smile or change lyrics because it might infer to drugs that he was probably on at the time. Especially not for some corporate douchebag like Ed Sullivan. He may have broadcasted The Beatles first, but he absolutely didn’t understand them. After the performance when confronted by producers with the fact that The Doors would be forever banned from the show for non-compliance, Jim Morrison chuckled “Hey, man, we just did the Sullivan show.” Well put, sir. (see 1:30 clip)

The Who-Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour/BBC-9/17/67

     This was the cool show. This is a cool band.  This is a cool song. The people running the BBC at the time were not. The hit “My Generation” was banned from British radio initially because it supposedly was disparaging to people with stutters, or anyone who was a fucking geek. After topping the charts, the BBC put it back on the air…wow. At the end of some numbers, The Who likes to break everything on stage when they are really feeling it. Their drummer had a propensity for using double the explosives in his drum set, although he had no formal training in that field of expertise. He lost some hearing when it didn’t go as planned, but completely made history as one of the best examples of guys with perspectives like Keith Moon and The Who. When everyone else took one, they took two.

Eminem-The FCC/The United States Congress/MTV-(Birth-Present Day)

In the last few decades or so there have been 60 odds songs that have been edited due to explicit content for air play. Mr. Mathers proudly owns 17 of those 60. In 2001, a radio station in Colorado was fined $7,000 for playing “The Real Slim Shady” and offending one of their listeners. Compared to the “W.A.P.”s of today, it’s almost comical, but without Eminem those songs would not be able to exist. After winning his battle for free speech, he was again on blast during a senate committee hearing, accused of inciting less than moral behavior with his lyrics to America’s youth. And then there was that time in 2000 when he decided to show the world just how many allies he really had as he paraded an army of his clones through Radio City Music Hall, stopping row by row as he made his way to the stage, shredding celebrities to their faces on live tv. Bless you, Marshall. (see 2:05 clip)

Rage Against the Machine-SNL/BBC-Bulls on Parade/Killing In The Name-4/13/96:12/17/09

     Whoever was the booking agent for that SNL season, I bet they are not anymore. Somehow, they didn’t see the conflict of interest of having a billionaire presidential candidate host with Rage Against the Machine as musical guest. The band wanted to simply have American flags draped upside down in the background as a protest of the hypocrisy at hand.  SNL’s producers “demanded that we take the flags down, they said the sponsors would be upset, and that because Steve Forbes was on, they had to run a ‘tighter’ show. SNL censored Rage, period. They could not have sucked up to the billionaire more, the thing that’s ironic is SNL is supposedly this cutting-edge show, but they proved they’re bootlickers to their corporate masters when it comes down to it. They’re cowards.”-said lead guitarist Moreno. After a clearly inspired performance of “Bulls on Parade” the band was asked to not return for the customary second song later in the program by NBC execs. They went ballistic as you might expect, trashing not only their dressing room but also Steve Forbes, leaving pieces of the torn-up flags littered everywhere.

     “Killing In The Name” is the ultimate song to revolt to. BBC Radio 5live, who asked the band to come into their studio to perform the song live when it made Christmas No 1 in 2009. At 8:55 AM they did not perform the radio edited version as requested. Shocker. I guess they never heard the final chorus of that song before. (see 8:32 clip)

Prince-Gore Family/PMCR/RIAA-Darling Nikki-Most of 1985

When Tipper Gore bought Prince’s masterpiece “Purple Rain” like everybody else in 1985, no one could have guessed it would incite what we now know as the parental advisory label. This album has been compared to the greatest of all time in musical history, and Mrs. Gore had an issue with “’I knew a girl named Nikki/Guess (you) could say she was a sex fiend/I met her in a hotel lobby/Masturbating with a magazine'” and her outrage led to the formation of the Parents Music Resource Center, a group organized by herself and other prominent women in Washington, D.C. In their bid to raise awareness about sexual content in pop songs, the PMRC issued a list of the “Filthy Fifteen” songs they found most objectionable, with Prince’s “Darling Nikki” topping the list. The label had the exact opposite effect as albums with the “Tipper-Sticker” did substantially better sales wise than those that did not.

 “Darling Nikki” is still number #1 on the “Fifteen Filthy” song list, which is an even more impressive streak then any billboard record ever. The reality of this situation is that if Al Gore was even close to decent in bed, we may never have had a warning that the following music… is probably good. Andra Day said it best at this year’s Oscars when quizzed live whether “Purple Rain” had been nominated, won an Oscar, or nothing at all…

“It’s a brilliant song. It probably wasn’t even nominated and that’s some bullshit.”-Andra Day.

Amen.

https://www.wfmz.com/news/cnn/us-national/oscars-questlove-lil-rel-game-w-audience/video_e5e62e6b-aa55-5d47-bdff-a51575bd2baa.html  (see 1:28 clip)