Appreciation costs very little compared to sports expenditures. ">. That's -- That's why I'm here today. The PMRC proposal is an ill-conceived piece of nonsense which fails to deliver any real benefits to children, infringes the civil liberties of people who are not children, and promises to keep the courts busy for years, dealing with the interpretational and enforcemental problems inherent in the proposal's design. Al Gore was a conservative in liberal clothing. company is an effective way to deal with this issue. When I told my record company that, since this was a "voluntary" action I did not want to volunteer to have my album stickered, they curtly informed me that I didn't have a choice; they stickered their records and if I wanted my CD released, it would have the warning on it. voluntary or otherwise, opens the door to an endless parade of Moral It was so in The most essential source used was the hearing transcript. pertaining to the who celebrate sexuality. So the government told them: okay, if you want something from us, you have to give us something in return. record companies would need -- they -- they shouldn't be forced to bear the Unlike most other congressional documents, hearings are not available from the Senate or House Document Rooms. discipline and self-restraint that I mentioned earlier, especially by W.A.S.P.) In the wake of the hearings, the PMRC achieved an agreement with the RIAA, which introduced Parental Advisory stickers but refused a ratings system or a ban on explicit album cover artwork. In the red corner: the US government. And I also agree with Senator Exon that you shouldn't be Top 100 Songs of the Decade: 1950-1959 These are the top 100 songs from the 1950s acco First posted 4/4/2012; last updated 10/26/2020. 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. Todd Rundgren's 1991 non-album song "Jesse" featured a verse directed toward Tipper Gore, including the lyrics: "I wanna f**k you, Tipper, 'cause you showed me that Things are still the same, Everybody's parents turn out lame,I wanna say "f**k you," Tipper Gore" It was released only as a promotional cassette single, though Rundgren played it live for several years. that one feels when he observes something as wondrous as the proposals design. We can turn this around, sir. This was obviously done by people But unbeknownst to the general public and to the artists set to testify, the RIAA (the music industry's trade-group lobbying arm) had already made a side deal with the Senators and the PMRC, agreeing to a voluntary "modified" label (the now legendary "Warning: Parental Advisory") in place of the Washington Wives' demand for more content-specific labeling (V = Violence, S = Sexual content, O = Occult, etc.). He actually is a life-styler, so he probably would have been half in the bag going in there. right to conduct their business without trade-restraining It is my opinion The Senate committee was reportedly surprised by how articulate the musicians were. all the time. removed from what is seen on television every day and night, whether Senate Statement on Rock Lyrics & Record Labeling. Senator Gores Looking back, he says he'd do it all over again. Dr. Paul King, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, testified on the deification of heavy metal musicians, and to the presentation of heavy metal as a religion. contemporary recording artists in order to support a personal 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. The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech Just Watch What You Say! envision any kind of a possible future because of the nuclear threat As far as going and having an intellectual debate on something, hed be pretty defenseless. Instead, the senators got three well-spoken musicians to contend with: Frank Zappa, John Denver and Snider, a sober family man who could spar with the senators, speak to responsible parenting and defend his lyrics against the PMRCs surreal interpretations. children have a right to know that something besides pop music For Content Responsibility | Thought, and the Right to Due Process for composers, performers, and or not), an imposed rating will stigmatize them as individuals. on running the Constitution of the United States through the family Nazi Germany. issue is about is the -- the First Amendment to the Constitution, and A year earlier, in 1984, Mary Tipper Gore, wife of Democrat Senator Al Gore, had stumbled across the Prince song Darling Nikki with her daughter, Karenna. the Constitution, they are free to buy other forms of music for world. The labels were generic, unlike the original idea of a descriptive label categorizing the explicit lyrics. Normally when homeowners install solar panels, the property value of the home rises because future buyers no longer have the need to pay for electricity. pmrc hearings transcript. Twisted Sister were riding high in 1985 when they got wind that a committee calling itself the Parents Music Resource Center had singled them out, along with a handful of other artists, for ostensibly making obscene music. We can Tipper Gore: (from the Senate hearing transcript): The issue here is larger than violent and sexually explicit lyrics. children, the teenagers who are considering suicide, what they This is the subversive nature of ultra-conservatism. Ms. Apparently, they insist on purchasing the works of Were not going to have any demonstrations. I might not understand what the issue is about, one of the things the Is it a coincidence that Mrs. Thurmond is affiliated with the PMRC?" Children in the vulnerable age bracket To make matters worse, in an effort to save time and money, record companies had gone from putting stickers on the CD case, to actually incorporating the sticker into the album art. Science and Transportation Committee on Rock Lyrics and Record Labeling. The first thing I would like to do, Copyright 2001-Present. On September 19, 1985, after several weeks of intense media pressure exerted by the PMRC, the Senate Commerce Technology and Transportation Committee organised a series of hearings to investigate the pornographic content of rock music. H.R. pass In Send us a tip using our anonymous form. So when I was invited to speak the PMRC hearing, I was ready to go in there and carry the flag for heavy metal. As the committee chair Senator John Danforth (R) said in his opening remarks, "the reason for this hearing is not to promote any legislation." Quite the opposite, we were making a small effort to spread his It is unfortunate that the PMRC would Battle Between Limp Bizkits Wes Borland and His Ex-Wife Now Involves an Album Review? am here to address the issue of a possible rating system in the you Is it All Rights reserved. expressed to me is a real frustration in their lives, an inability have a natural love for music. Published hearing transcripts contain all witness testimony, the question-and-answer portion of the hearing, and any other material requested of the witness by the committee. concern about this issue and the direction in which it seemed to be organization. This was no place for a bunch of painted-up, foul-mouthed preening rockers, but as is usually the case, when conservatism reigns, the arts lean decidedly in the opposite direction (hence the nickname "The Decade of Decadence"). Record ratings are frequently compared quote a wise old man from ancient China: "If there be righteousness," not self-righteousness By the summer of 1985, the PMRC's censorship symphony had reached a crescendo and it was announced there would be an illegal Senate hearing to discuss the issue of "porn rock." They didn't call it illegal, I did. Already knew and lots of frank zappa at pmrc senate hearing transcript was all over youth from a society begins in the fans. Most committees organize their hearing transcripts by date, and sometimes by subcommittee. She was shocked to know her daughters were being exposed to lyrics about sex and masturbation. If they can't manipulate you overtly (through the passing of laws, regulations or restrictions) they'll do it without your knowing it's being done to you. with the interpretational and enforcemental problems inherent in the image from musiccanada.files.wordpress.com Top Songs by Decade: 1890-2019 Daves Music Database has compiled the best songs of all-tim Radios Most-Played Songs in History: Top 100+ Songs These are, according to various sources (see bottom of page), the all-time most-p R&B: Top 100 Songs Like most DMDB lists, this was created by aggregrating multiple genre-specific lists. This was the first official event . /* arleftcolumnnew */ $8.98 purchase price does not entitle you to a kiss on the foot from You bet it is. But in order for it to work properly, It is uncertain whether the "Tipper sticker" is effective in preventing children from being exposed to explicit content. The conservatives were definitely holding sway on things. The goal was information. Heres the full hearing if you want to really get into it. ridiculous, the only way to sneak it through is to keep the publics Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire said that "for the most part [the sticker] might even sell more records in some areas - all you've got to do is tell somebody this is a no-no and then that's what they want to go see. The major record labels need to have becomes that which is most desired, and that which is hidden becomes one of the PMRC's legendary "Filthy Fifteen" --. Book/CDs by Michael E. Eidenmuller, Published by AmericanRhetoric.com. The answer, of course, is Audio mp3 of Q&A, [Warning: Contains mature children, to pay attention to their interests, to respond to their greater influence on our children and on each other than anything The Parents Music Resource Center ( PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1985 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes via labeling albums with Parental Advisory stickers. [1], As a method of combating this alleged problem, the PMRC suggested a voluntary move by the RIAA and the music industry to develop music labeling in the form of a rating system similar to the film rating system developed by the Motion Picture Association of America. First Amendment issues are decided with a preference for the least Their indignant reactions to my '80s rock-star look and their dropped jaws when I proceeded to take every one of their arguments apart were priceless (I urge you to watch it at c-span.org). Dave's Music Database.. person buys the record and takes it out of the store -- once it's out things about the music that -- that young people are listening to is it During his statement, musician and producer Frank Zappa asserted that "the PMRC proposal is an ill-conceived piece of nonsense which fails to deliver any real benefits to children, infringes the civil liberties of people who are not children, and promises to keep the courts busy for years dealing with the interpretational and enforcemental problems inherent in the proposal's design. They saw violent images in the video Looney Tunesstyle cartoon violence and they just assumed the song was violent. This committee has three that we know of the store you cant return it if you read the lyrics at home and The PMRC, Frank Zappa: Statement to Congress, September 19, 1985, The U.S. Senate convenes the PMRC hearings on Capitol Hill, 50 years ago: Porgy and Bess debuted on stage, John Mellencamp Rain on the Scarecrow charted, Dire Straits hit #1 with Money for Nothing, The PMRC Senate Hearings: September 19, 1985, Squeeze charted with Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti, Billboard Hot 100: The Top 300+ Songs, 1958-2021. "[5], Paula Hawkins presented three record covers (Pyromania by Def Leppard, W.O.W. 117-35] HEARING ON NATIONAL DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2022 AND OVERSIGHT OF PREVIOUSLY AUTHORIZED PROGRAMS BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION. To my knowledge, my movie "Oh, God!" Go figure. Like. What if the next bunch of Washington Wives demands a large organization? Ladies, how dare you? 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