I do Chuck Berry's "No Particular Place To Go" where he protests seat belts.

I do Good Hearted Woman, where a lady protests that her husband was always out cheating on her at parties and nite clubs.

Gary

Little bit of Bosnian humor, but also these guys are very political in their songs, English and Bosnian.And the way they sing it is all on purpose .Very rebellious.
https://youtu.be/0a5BJxrarL0

I guess the next question is, have you ever tried to make a political/social statement with your music?

The bigger issue is, do we just play what people want to hear or try to play things that enlighten and educate?

That probably comes down to the entertainer vs musician vs activist issue.

R.

Why would I, or anyone else, for that matter? When I perform in front of an audience, any audience, they didn't come to hear me sing or talk about politics or societal woes. In fact, they came for just the opposite - they came to hear the songs they love to hear and dance to, they came to get away from the day to day humdrum, they came to forget about the problems of the world as we know it, they came to have fun.

I came to entertain them, not educate them, or enlighten them, based upon MY views. That's not what I'm there for and not what I'm being paid to do. Anyone that thinks otherwise should, IMO, find another avenue to portray THEIR PERSONAL beliefs. If I were the owner of a nite club, restaurant, bar, assisted living center, retirement community, etc..., and hired a musical entertainer that decided that he or she was going to do that, I would fire them on the spot!

If YOU want to be an activist, DO IT! But, don't screw with show biz and use that as YOUR platform to convey YOUR BELIEFS to the masses. Do it right - run for political office, institute legislation, get that legislation passed by the masses (the voters), and you can sing your heart out from the political platform, polling locations, and any other such location.

The stages of the world are there for creative artists to display their talent and artistry - not political activism or to make a political statement. Sorry Russ, but this is one of those things that I feel deeply about and this topic should quickly be moved to THE BAR!

Gary

Can't agree with that. What about John Lennon, Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, etc. I could go on and on and I haven't even started in the acting and theatre world. And we're not just talking about the 60's, 70's, and 80's; the entertainment world has always had a history of social activism (bands were integrated long before schools).

I'm not suggesting that NH's and similar venues are the proper places for protest fare, but saying that politcal/social activism has no place in music and entertainment is kind of a stretch for me. I'm also sorry to see that it makes some people so uncomfortable that their first instinct is to 'move it to the Bar' - I guess so they don't have to see or be exposed to it. Maybe it DOES belong there but why is that always our first thought. JMO.

chas (a lifelong musician/social & polital activist)

What about all the really BIG artists from the music field as well as many other creative venues who actively promote causes
thru performance?

There is a small contingent of people in the public eye who think that it is their responsibility to educate as well as entertain.

George Carlin...Marvin Gaye...Stevie Wonder...Wynton Marcellus...Brad Pitt...the list is long and impressive.

I believe there is a place for audience education and for advocacy. And I believe it is my responsibility.


Russ

....and on the Right we have Ted Nugent......I understand he's currently lobbying for carry permits for toddlers and the visually impaired.

chas

How about Hanoi Jane? Just gives you that warm, fuzzy feeling, doesn't it!

C'mon guys, climb on that soap box and preach that crap to the other activist - this old man ain't gonna buy it.

What about John Lennon, Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte, Bob Dylan, Richie Havens, Marvin Gaye, James Brown? If it were not for their musical talents and audience acceptance of those talents, they wouldn't have a pot to ....

I never really thought of Harry Belafonte as an activist, either. Met him in Baltimore, nice guy, we talked about music - nothing else.

Taking it to the bar wasn't my first thought about this thread. My first thought is what the Hell does this topic have to do with playing an arranger keyboard? My next thought was, "What a BS topic to start on an arranger keyboard forum."

Now, I'm not trying to be an elitist, or anything of the sort. If Chas and others want to stand upon a soap box in a public square and preach to the masses that are willing to listen, knock yourselves out - it's your right as a US citizen. If you really think that will change something, go for it, especially if it will make things better for everyone - and I do mean everyone. Or, as I suggested above, run for political office, get a bunch of folks to fork over some big bucks to get you into the office of your choosing, and put forth the effort to get legislation in place that will make a meaningful difference for EVERYONE - not just some special interest group with their hands out, palms facing up. I'm all for it.

I paid my dues in this light, got some legislation passed that I thought would benefit everyone, spent $20,000 of my own money in just expenses to travel and testify in front of the state legislature and US congress, US Fish & Wildlife Service, Corps of Engineers and EPA. I would never have considered standing on stage while providing entertainment to an audience and begin preaching about the horrors of war, crime in the cities, etc... - it's NOT what I was paid to do.

Yeah, Joan Baez did this with her songs about the horrors of war, but anyone that has been shot at, and lost shipmates, which I have, already knows the horrors of war. I sure as Hell didn't need Joan Baez, or any other singer or Hollywood actor/actress who has never been anywhere near a war zone, to preach it to me in song, or any other format. Every vet I know personally, many of which have been dismembered by war wounds, would go back and do the same thing tomorrow.

I was lucky. The bullets intended to take my life missed their mark, but not by much. I did lose my lungs to my US Naval service aboard ship, and the asbestosis I contracted from that service will soon take my life, unless something else gets me first. I wonder how much time any of those individuals listed above spent in service to their country? I'm guessing that none of them would be pretty close to correct.

Chas, if I recall, didn't you retire from a career in the US Navy? Would you have joined, attended the Naval Academy, became an officer, or any of those things that helped shape your life had you followed the advice of any of those people you cited? In that time that you served, don't you believe that your service to our country had a positive impact on everyone? The answer is a loud YES! And, in that service to your country, you have become a very positive role model to a large number of people that you have come in contact with over those many decades. How positive of a role model was Hanoi Jane? How many GIs died because of her?

Nuff said,

Gary

Gary, I'm not going to pursue this because I agree that it probably DOES belong in The Bar. However, there have been numerous non-Arranger topics (many started by YOU) that have been introduced here in this forum and met with absolutely no negativity at all; why?

Since you're probably the only social conservative atheist I know, if and when we ever meet, I won't know whether to give you a hug or put on a Kevlar vest (I think I'll do both).

I don't see myself as a role model for anyone but I am VERY proud of two young ladies from INNER CITY Philadelphia that I sponsored in aviation camp and mentored when they were 14 and 15, who went on to become Captains at a regional airline and will most certainly get hired by one of the majors in time.

I don't dwell on my time in the military (10 years, not a career) but since I left, I have been involved in a number of charitable organizations, most notably, Habitat for Humanity. Getting too old for the long trips anymore so I devote most of my time to local Veteran's organization and the Democratic Party (such as it is, in this neck of the woods).

As far as these 'activist' musicians and entertainers not being anywhere near a war zone, I don't feel that is necessary to take a stand for or against something you believe in. It could be that they may be far more effective for their causes by taking advantage of their bully pulpits.

JMO.

chas