Censorship And Music: Part 2

Summary

Ongoing History of New Music: "Censorship and Music: Part 2" Summary

Episode Title: Censorship And Music: Part 2
Host: Alan Cross
Release Date: July 30, 2025
Podcast Series: Ongoing History of New Music
Description: This episode delves into the intricate and often controversial topic of censorship in music, exploring various case studies, governmental actions, and the impact on artists and fans alike.

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Introduction to Censorship in Music

In "Censorship and Music: Part 2," Alan Cross revisits the enduring issue of music censorship, highlighting why certain songs, bands, or music styles face suppression. Drawing from archived episodes dating back to 1999, Cross emphasizes the episode's continued relevance, promising listeners an insightful exploration into the motivations and consequences of censoring music.

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Canadian Censorship: The Barenaked Ladies Incident

One of the episode's focal points is the 1992 controversy involving the Canadian band Barenaked Ladies. Alan Cross recounts how Mayor June Rowlands of Toronto intervened to ban the band from performing at a significant New Year's Eve event at Nathan Phillips Square. The mayor deemed the band's name "objectifying and offensive," showcasing a misinterpretation of the band's intent.

Notable Quote:
“The name Barenaked Ladies is not supposed to be interpreted as sexist. Ed Robertson explains. The name is just sort of naivete. It's supposed to be kids' language. It's supposed to imply children's excitement.” (02:36)

This incident illustrates how governmental bodies can act on perceived sensitivities, sometimes misjudging the artistic intent behind a band's name or message.

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International Censorship: The Smiths and The Cure

Cross provides international perspectives by discussing censorship cases in the UK, focusing on The Smiths and The Cure.

The Smiths' "Suffer Little Children" Controversy

In 1984, The Smiths faced backlash for their B-side track "Suffer Little Children," which mourned the victims of child murders in the UK. A misunderstanding led to public outrage when a relative of one of the victims heard the song in a pub and perceived it as sensationalist. This reaction prompted large chain stores to ban the single and the band's debut album.

Notable Quote:
“Morrissey wrote letters to the parents and called them on the phone, apologizing for the misunderstanding. And eventually, though, things worked out.” (05:29)

The Smiths managed to mitigate the situation by directly engaging with the affected community and donating royalties to charity, underscoring the importance of communication in resolving censorship disputes.

The Cure's "Killing an Arab"

The Cure's debut single, "Killing an Arab," based on Albert Camus' novel "The Stranger," faced bans in various jurisdictions due to its provocative title, leading to public riots in some areas. Cross points out that the song actually carries an anti-racist message, highlighting how lack of context can fuel unnecessary censorship.

Notable Quote:
“If these folks had taken the time to ask or read the novel, they'd see that 'Killing an Arab' actually contains an anti-racist message.” (05:29)

This case exemplifies how artistic expressions can be misconstrued without thorough understanding, resulting in unwarranted censorship.

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Censorship in Educational Institutions

The episode shifts focus to how schools in the United States navigate music censorship, often leading to significant controversies.

Zeeland High School's Strict Dress Code

In Michigan, Zeeland High School enforces a stringent dress code prohibiting clothing that references banned artists or suggests obscenity, violence, drugs, alcohol, or sexual innuendo. In 1998, the school suspended three students for wearing T-shirts from Korn and Marilyn Manson, sparking international debate.

Notable Quote:
“Wearing the name Korn is no different than a person wearing a middle finger on their shirt.” (10:12)

Interestingly, the school's policy inconsistently exempts certain bands like Limp Bizkit, raising questions about the criteria used for censorship.

Ohio's Satanic Imagery Ban

Another incident involved a school in Ohio banning T-shirts with satanic symbols, which led fans of goth and industrial bands like Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson to protest the decision. The ban extended to Christian band apparel, demonstrating the often arbitrary nature of such policies.

Westerly High School's 666 Controversy

At Westerly High School in Rhode Island, a student was suspended for wearing a White Zombie T-shirt featuring the number 666, deemed offensive due to its biblical connotations.

Notable Quote:
"The assistant principal based his decision on the fact that this was a biblical reference and therefore disruptive to other students." (10:12)

These cases reveal how schools balance maintaining decorum with respecting students' artistic and personal expressions, often navigating a fine line that can lead to censorship.

Crime Prevention Resource Center's Campaign

The Fort Worth-based Crime Prevention Resource Center conducts seminars equating goth rock fans with gang members, advocating for stringent monitoring and control of these students. Their rhetoric includes unfounded claims about substance abuse and ritualistic activities among goth fans.

Notable Quote:
“He honestly believes that the majority of goth rock fans engage in regular ritual sacrifices.” (10:12)

Such initiatives underscore the societal fears and misunderstandings that can drive educational institutions to censor music and suppress certain subcultures.

XTC's "Dear God" Backlash

In 1987, XTC's song "Dear God" faced severe backlash for its perceived blasphemy, leading to radio stations dropping the track after bomb threats and a high school hostage situation demanding its play. This incident significantly hindered the song's commercial success.

Notable Quote:
"Dear God, sorry to disturb you, but I feel that I should be loud and clear." (15:12)

The extreme reactions to this song highlight the volatile intersection of religion, free speech, and music censorship.

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Governmental Actions and Legislative Censorship

Alan Cross expands the discussion to governmental efforts to regulate music, both historically and in contemporary settings.

Early 20th Century Radio Censorship

Cross traces the roots of music censorship back to the 1920s when radio emerged as a new medium. Campaigns aimed to ban jazz on Sundays and restrict rhythm and blues music by black artists, reflecting entrenched racial and cultural biases.

Modern Legislative Efforts

Contrasting past and present, Cross explains how contemporary conservative groups, especially in the Southern United States, continue to pressure lawmakers to control music content through legislation rather than overt protest actions.

Louisiana's Lyrics Regulation Bill

Louisiana proposed a bill prohibiting the sale and distribution of music deemed "harmful to minors," imposing hefty fines on retailers for non-compliance.

Notable Quote:
"Selling a Marilyn Manson CD to an unmarried 17-year-old could cost the store $2,000." (15:17)

Divestiture Laws

Cross describes "divestiture laws" as a sophisticated method of censorship, where state funds are prohibited from investing in companies owning or distributing objectionable music. For instance, a teacher's pension fund might be forced to sell Seagram stock, indirectly pressuring major labels like Universal Music affiliated with controversial artists.

Notable Quote:
"A divestiture law might force that teacher's pension fund to dump all its Seagram stock in retaliation for Universal's continued support of Marilyn Manson." (17:00)

These legislative strategies demonstrate the multifaceted approaches governments use to influence and censor music without direct bans.

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Conclusion and Reflection

Alan Cross concludes the episode by reflecting on the persistent challenges to free speech in the music industry. Despite advancements since the early 20th century, modern censorship efforts continue to evolve, employing both overt and covert methods to suppress content deemed offensive or harmful.

Final Notable Quote:
"A reminder that there are hundreds of ongoing history shows available on demand as podcasts. They're all free. Download them wherever you get your podcasts." (17:00)

Cross invites listeners to explore more episodes, emphasizing the ongoing nature of these censorship battles and encouraging deeper engagement with the topic.

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Key Takeaways

• Misinterpretation and Context: Many censorship cases stem from misunderstandings of a song's intent or context, leading to undue suppression of artistic expression.

• Inconsistent Policies: Schools and institutions often apply censorship inconsistently, reflecting underlying biases rather than objective standards.

• Legislative Censorship: Governments employ complex laws and financial pressures to regulate music, showcasing the interplay between politics and culture.

• Historical Continuity: Censorship in music is not a new phenomenon; historical patterns reveal persistent societal efforts to control artistic content.

• Impact on Artists and Fans: Censorship affects not only the creators but also fans, stifling cultural movements and diverse expressions within the music scene.

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Further Listening

Listeners interested in exploring more about music censorship can tune into Alan Cross's related podcast, "Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry," which delves deeper into true crime aspects within the music world.

For more updates, news, and discussions on music history, visit ajournalofmusicalthings.com and subscribe to the free newsletter.

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This summary captures the essence of "Censorship and Music: Part 2," highlighting key discussions and providing a comprehensive overview for those who haven't listened to the episode.

Transcript

[Alan Cross]

Hey, it's Alan and I just wanted to let you know that you can now listen to the ongoing history of new music. Early and ad free on Amazon Music included with prime.

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[Alan Cross]

Here is another trip into the ongoing history of New Music vault. With over 1000 original radio episodes and several hundred of them being repurposed as podcasts, there are still some episodes that haven't seen the light of day. For this one, it's the second of a two part look at censorship in music. Why do certain songs or bands or styles of music get censored? Who makes these decisions? Why? And what can musicians and music fans do about it? Even though this show is from the earlier part of the ongoing history library, I think this is from 1999. It's still very relevant. We thought you'd like to have a listen. This is Censorship in Music Part two.

[Narrator]

Good evening. The following is a continuation of our documentary on the subject of censorship in music. Sorry we didn't get all this in last time. It's just that this is such a big topic, we just plumb ran out of time. This portion of the program will feature controversies surrounding T shirts, public musical performances, and schools, and you will hear how various levels of government have actively pursued the censorship of music. Some of what you're about to hear will shock and frighten you and may increase your sense of paranoia. Alternatively, others may find the following information oddly comforting. And here's the disclaimer. Sensitive people should get the out of the room just in case. Are they gone? Okay, let a rip.

[Alan Cross]

This is the ongoing history of New Music podcast with Alan Cross. Hello again, I'm Alan Cross, and this is part two of A Look at the Issue of Censorship in Music. This is a pretty touchy subject and it's getting touchier and weirder all the time. We actually have it pretty good in Canada. Most levels of government don't meddle with our music most times. And when they do, chances are that they start from a misinformed position. One of the dumbest examples happened here in Toronto on New Year's Eve 1992. The Barenaked Ladies had been booked to play a big party at Nathan Phillips Square in front of City Hall. However, Mayor June Rowlands had had other ideas. Her politically correct advisors brought this concert to her attention, and just to be safe, she ordered the city to ban the ladies from the square. Why? Well, because the name Barenaked Ladies was bad and evil because it objectified women and therefore was extremely offensive. You can probably imagine the howls of outrage and laughter. If I had a million dollars, I'd. For the record. The name Barenaked Ladies is not supposed to be interpreted as sexist. Ed Robertson explains. The name is just sort of naivete. It's supposed to be kids language. It's supposed to imply children's excitement. Okay, so there. Let's go through a few more cases of misinterpreted intentions. The Cure ran into trouble with their very first single. It was a short song called Killing an Arab. Robert Smith based the song on a novel called the Stranger by Albert Camus. He had run across the novel while in school, and he was really impressed by the novel's existentialist philosophies. The problem started because of the title. The Cure were young and naive and didn't think of the dangers of releasing a song with such a provocative title. Now, at first glance, it's easy to assume that there might be some racist overtones to the song, and a lot of people who had never read the Camus novel jump to conclusions. As a result, Killing an Arab has been occasionally banned in certain jurisdictions and subject to intense official scrutiny in others. People actually started a riot over the song at a KIR show in February 1979. But if these folks had taken the time to ask or read the novel, they'd see that Killing an Arab actually contains an anti racist message. Now, here's the kicker. Accure originally recorded that single for a label they absolutely hated. In order to get out of that contract, they had to sign away most of the future royalties from that song. So in other words, they had to endure all this controversy and hassle generated by this song while making almost zero money from it.

[Narrator]

I can turn and walk away or I can fire the gun Staring at the sky, staring at the sun Whichever I choose, it amounts to the same. Absolutely nothing I'm alive.

[Alan Cross]

In North America, we sometimes hear about stores like Walmart refusing to stock certain records because they object to the content of the artwork. We talked about some of those controversies in the last program. Well, the same kind of thing has happened in Britain. Here's an example. In 1984, the Smiths released a single entitled Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now. Okay, that's fine, but the B side. Well, there's your problem. It was a song called Suffer Little Children. It was based on a series of gruesome child murders that took place in the UK back in the 1960s. Morrissey was fascinated by the case and he wrote the song to mourn the victims. But one evening, a relative of one of the murdered children was in the pub having a few pints and someone went over to the jukebox and punched up a song. Which just happened to be Suffer Little Children. Well, the relative was outraged by what he heard, and he took his outrage to a local Manchester newspaper, which in turn turned everything into a front page story. And the fallout from this was incredible. Large chain stores immediately banned the single and the Smith's debut album to boot. Parents of the murdered children were in the paper and on TV and on the radio accusing the Smiths of sensationalism and profiting from their pain and tragedy. The Smiths were rather shocked at being so misinterpreted. Morrissey wrote letters to the parents and called them on the phone, apologizing for the misunderstanding. And eventually, though, things worked out. Even the relative who had heard the song in the pub had to admit that Suffer Little Children wasn't offensive at all. Anyway, this story has a happy ending. The Smiths even went so far as to donate some of the royalties from this song to charity. When we return, our Censorship and Music program will move to the United States to see what happens when music clashes with the First Amendment and schools. This gets pretty weird. This program is sponsored by BetterHelp. When it comes to offering advice, everyone seems to have an opinion on everything. Need a better start to the day? Dunk your face in a bowl of ice cubes at 4am Eat this, don't eat that, walk more. Start a journal. Digital detoxes. Everyone seems to have the answer to better mental health and wellness. Okay, fine. But what will really work for you? Where can you turn to get personalized information and assistance? When it comes to you, this can be confusing. Unless you turn to BetterHelp. There is nothing like being able to talk to a real person about your challenges. Someone who can help you organize your thoughts so you can start making positive changes in your life. Therapy still carries a stigma with some people, but it shouldn't. Look, you take care of your physical health, right? Your mental health requires the same attention when it comes to things like learning positive coping skills, how to set boundaries, and how to be a better you for you. With over 30,000 therapists worldwide, BetterHelp is the planet's largest online therapy platform. 5 million people have signed on. There are 1.7 million online reviews with an average rating of 4.9 out of 5. It's super convenient too. Start a session with a click anytime, anywhere and you can switch therapists anytime. BetterHelp can provide access to mental health professionals with a wide and diverse range of expertise. Talk it out with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com ongoing today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelphelp.com ongoing right now. @ the Home Depot, you'll find storage solutions made to fit your needs. Grab an HDX Tuff tote to protect your tools, or keep your sports equipment contained with reinforced snap fit lids. Or stack up and make better use of your space with bins and totes. Built to last. Whatever your story, we've got the gear to keep it organized and protected at the Home Depot. How doers get more done. Your burger is served and this is our finest Pepsi Zero Sugar. Its sweet profile perfectly balances the savory notes of your burger.

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[Alan Cross]

Music and school often doesn't mix all that well and the result is often some kind of censorship. And let's start with a few examples of that. Zeeland High School in Michigan has a very strict dress code. Students are not allowed to wear any clothing that bears the name of artists whose music or reputation may be considered offensive or implies obscenity, violence, drugs, alcohol or sexual innuendo. In the spring of 1998, the principal suspended three students for wearing Korn and Marilyn Manson T shirts. Both bands were on the schools forbidden clothing list. Alright, fine. Schools have rules and have a right to enforce them. However, this T shirt case was turned into an international controversy when the assistant principal was quoted in the local newspaper, korn is indecent, vulgar, obscene and intends to be insulting. Wearing the name Corn is no different than a Person wearing a middle finger on their shirt. When corn heard about this, they threatened the school with a multi million dollar lawsuit. In the end, nothing happened. Korn, Marilyn Manson and Filter T shirts are still not allowed at Zeeland High. But weirdly, the policy doesn't forbid the wearing of Limp Bizkit T shirts. Why? Well, Limp Bizkit isn't on the list. There was another T shirt controversy in a school in Ohio. Will's intermediate middle school banned all T shirts with satanic pictures and messages. Fans of Bauhaus and the Sisters of Mercy and Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson cried foul. They said, hey, what about all those kids wearing those T shirts from Christian bands featuring quotes from the Bible? School officials thought this one over and then banned the Christian T shirts as well. Another fight erupted at Westerly High School in Westerly, Rhode Island. A student was suspended twice for wearing a white zombie T shirt. Why? Because the shirt displayed the number 666, which they considered to be offensive. The assistant principal based his decision on the fact that this was a biblical reference and therefore disruptive to other students. Here's one more story about music and schools. A group from Fort Worth, Texas, called the Crime Prevention Resource center conducts what they call training seminars for teachers and law enforcement officials. These seminars carry titles like Marilyn Manson and other the Impact on Education. This group believes that schools should classify fans of Marilyn Manson and other goth rock bands in the same category as members of street gangs. This is what the director of this program tells teachers. Most of these fans take drugs. A majority of them spread graffiti in the neighborhood, on school premises and through their textbooks. And he believes, he honestly believes that the majority of goth rock fans engage in regular ritual sacrifices. If you allow these kinds of students into your classroom, he says, it's disruptive to the educational process. The Crime Prevention Resource center goes on to say that school officials should be allowed to search the lockers of Marilyn Manson fans. They should monitor what books they read and what websites they visit. They also counsel parents and ask them to consider having their child hospitalized for a psychological evaluation if they think he or she may be a goth rock fan. Then again, one of the pamphlets handed out by this group also cautioned people of the evil occult imagery found in music by the Beatles and Hall and Oates. Yet many people take the message of the Crime Prevention Resource center very seriously. They truly believe that liking a piece of music such as this one by Nine Inch Nails puts you on the same level as a member of a vicious gang like the Crips or the Bloods. Here's one more story About School in 1987, XTC released a song called Dear God. When radio stations started playing it, many people, as you might guess, considered the song to be blasphemous and demanded that it not be played. One Florida radio station received a series of bomb threats, and in Binghamton, New York, a high school student took a secretary hostage in the principal's office and then demanded that Dear God be played over the school's PA system. Heat like this caused some stations to drop the song, killing XTC's chances of scoring a major hit. Dear God, sorry to disturb you, but I feel that I should be loud and clear.

[Narrator]

We all need a big reduction in amount of tears.

[Alan Cross]

We'll pick things up in a moment with some weird stories about music and government meddling. For a country that likes to carry on about their citizens First Amendment rights, this is scary. Hang on.

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[Alan Cross]

Despite all their bluster about First Amendment rights and free speech, various levels of American government, prompted by special interest groups, are constantly hounded to do something about certain types of music. This is something we touched on with part one of this program when we discussed the PMRC the infamous Parents Music Resource Group. But we can go all the way back to the 1920s if you want. Back then, some people were offended by what they were hearing over this new gadget called a radio. They found the lyrics to some of the songs rather questionable and they wanted the government to do something. Another group of concerned citizens was so outraged by some of what they heard that they launched a campaign to have radio stations banned from playing jazz on Sundays. That was evil. Apparently through the 30s, 40s and 50s, there were campaigns to ban radio stations from playing rhythm and blues music. In other words, music by black people. That was dirty music. They said, now you're probably saying to yourself, wow, you know, that was then. We're much more enlightened now, aren't we? Well, not really. There are many conservative groups, especially in the US south, that exert considerable pressure on lawmakers. And rather than picket Marilyn Manson concerts, these groups petition legislatures to pass laws that put the squeeze on certain types of music. For example, there was a bill in Louisiana that sought to prohibit the sale and distribution of lyrics harmful to minors. Now in Louisiana, a minor is an unmarried person under the age of 17. Now that means of course, that you could be 13 and married and be able to go and buy a Marilyn Manson record. But anyway, this law defined lyrics harmful to minors as any phonographic record album, cassette, compact disc or tape recording which has as its basic theme the advocation or encouragement of rape, incest, bestiality, saddle masochism, prostitution, homicide, unlawful ritualistic acts, suicide, the commission of crimes because of the victim's sex, race, color, religion, natural origin, the use of controlled substances or the unlawful use of alcohol, and which has a label or other indicator that its lyrics may be explicit. Did you get that? In other words, selling a Marilyn Manson CD to an unmarried 17 year old could cost the store $2,000. Georgia is also looking at a similar law in Michigan and New Jersey. The state senates are trying to pass a concert rating system similar to what we have for movies. This would deny anybody under the age of 18 entrance to a Marilyn Manson show if the cops catch anyone under 18 at the gig. Under these proposals, venue owners and promoters would face fines of up to $5,000 and jail time of 90 days. So what are the bands are we talking about? Well, the usual suspects. You got Rob Zombie, you got Marilyn Manson, and you got Corn. Something takes a bit of maze. You and I were meta banks. Here's a really sneaky way of exerting pressure to censor music. You get your local government to pass something called a divestiture law. This is what's happening in places like Texas and Maryland. What it means simply is certain laws are passed that oblige state governments and state agencies from investing in any company that either distributes or owns a controlling interest in any company that is involved in what they consider to be objectionable Music. Retirement and pension funds are a good example. This money is invested in the stock market so that the fund will grow. And in many cases, we're talking about very large sums of money. Let's say a chunk of a teacher's pension fund is invested in Seagram, which owns Universal music, the largest major record label in the world. Universal is the home of bands like Marilyn Manson, who, of course, is one of the prime targets in this battle. A divestiture law might force that teacher's pension fund to dump all its Seagram stock in retaliation for Universal's continued support of Marilyn Manson. And because it wouldn't be unusual for a fund to hold maybe $100 million worth of Seagram stock, Dumping all those shares could have a very negative impact on Seagram's stock, driving it down. Other shareholders might start to complain and exert pressure on the board to do something, even if it means just dumping the offending act. Here's one more example of subtle government censorship. In the spring of 1997, a Florida legislature named John Grant was extremely mad at wmnf, a local public radio station. He felt that for a station that lived on public funds and government grants, some of its programming was inappropriate. He did not want taxpayers money going to support such filth. And he was successful. He pushed through an initiative that withheld more than $100,000 from the radio station as punishment. Now, 100 grand will make a big hole in anyone's budget, especially the budget of a public radio station. So what was one of the station's major crimes? Frequent on air praise for a musician named Kurt Cobain. And there we go with a trip deep into the vault of the ongoing history of new music. A reminder that there are hundreds of ongoing history shows available on demand as podcasts. They're all free. Download them wherever you get your podcasts. And also, don't forget, I have crime and mayhem in the music industry. That's my music meets true crime podcast. And there are a couple of episodes there that deal with music and censorship, Just in case you want to go deeper. We can connect on most of the social media networks. I'm always updating my website with music news and information and recommendations and opinion you'll find [e-mail] comes with a free newsletter that you should get. And you can also email me about anything. I'm available through allencross.ca Tactical Productions by Rob Johnston. Talk to you next time. I'm Alan Cross this Friday, starring Taron Edgerton. Holly. Dangerous men are coming for us. I want you to be brave. Can you do that for me? All a father needs is a fighting chance.

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[Alan Cross]

I'll keep you safe. Promise? She rides shotgun. Rated R under 17. Not admitted without parent. In theaters Friday.