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Crash into me, baby: America’s implicit music censorship since 11 September
by Eric Nuzum |
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“Freedom has been attacked, but freedom will be defended.”
These were the words of President George Bush shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States. Bush went on to say that the terrorists “cannot touch the foundation of America” and “we go forward to defend freedom.” Despite Bush’s rhetoric, the actions of the U.S. government demonstrated a slightly different tact for protecting the American way of life.
Read about 9/11 and music censorship in "Crash into me, baby: America’s implicit music censorship since 11 September" - a chapter from ‘Shoot the Singer! Music Censorship Today’ (Freemuse/Zed Books, May 2004), written by Eric Nuzum.
Reproduced with kind permission from the author and Zed Books. 
Read chapter (PDF) |
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See also our 9/11 section
Eric Nuzum / Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America |
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| Read more: |
| Post September 11- Freemuse conference |
| Listen to the Freemuse organized panel discussion from WOMEX 2003 on how September 11 has affected freedom of musical expression. Visa problems, threats, disrupted tours, changed play-lists, nationalistic concerts and withdrawal of covers are just a few results |
| 30 November 2003 |
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| Post September 11- Freemuse conference |
| Listen to the Freemuse organized panel discussion from WOMEX 2003 on how September 11 has affected freedom of musical expression. Visa problems, threats, disrupted tours, changed play-lists, nationalistic concerts and withdrawal of covers are just a few results |
| 30 November 2003 |
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| Clear Channel: September 11 & Corporate Censorship |
| Corporate censor no. 1, or just the market leader? A collection of articles on Clear Channel - including the debate on the infamous list of 'potentially offensive songs', which Clear Channel suggested its 1.300 radio stations not to play following the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US |
| 01 December 2002 |
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| The culture of conflict: September 11 effects |
| The attacks in America may cause a change of heart in Hollywood, but what of the other arts? And what will be the effect on the creative scene in Britain? From dance to pop, Guardian critics assess the likely impact |
| 29 September 2001 |
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| USA: 'Crash into me, baby!' |
| America’s implicit music censorship since September 11. Read the chapter from 'Shoot the Singer!', by Eric Nuzum on how the September 11 terror attacks have affected freedom of musical expression |
| 03 June 2004 |
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| New US study on cultural exchanges since September 11 |
| U.S Homeland Security and State departments are encouraged to "work together to improve the current visa situation…so it is less of a barrier for foreign visitors, artists, and scholars, and for the presenters who invite them" |
| 10 September 2004 |
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| Ban the bomb |
| Primal Scream’s new album looks set to be banned in the U.S. - for featuring their controversial song ‘Bomb the Pentagon’. The song, a bitter attack on US foreign policy, was premiered live just before the September 11 terror attacks |
| 10 April 2002 |
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| John Adams banned in Boston |
| Because of the September 11th terror attacks, the Boston Symphony Orchestra has decided to cancel "The Death of Klinghoffer", the both emotionally and politically sadly relevant John Adams opera |
| 25 November 2001 |
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| Pakistan: Music video about 9/11 censored |
| The Pakistani-Canadian rock group Falak has been blacklisted on MTV Pakistan. Their song 'Yadein II' is deemed too controversial because of its 9/11 images |
| 21 February 2007 |
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| 9/11: Is protest music dead? |
| Music used to be the dominant voice against war. Now it's easier to shut up and get paid. What's really going on? Extensive article on 9/11 effects and media concentration, by Jeff Chang |
| 16 April 2002 |
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| WOMEX 2004 |
| This year Freemuse presented two conference sessions: "Meet the banned! Music censorship in Turkey" featured Turkish musician Ferhat Tunç, while "9/11 – The world's all out of tune" presented a new book on freedom of musical expression after 9/11 |
| 19 October 2004 |
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| Rapper Jadakiss Blames Bush for Sept. 11 |
| "Why" - the new single by US rapper Jadakiss, with the words "why did Bush knock down the towers?" - has gotten him the most mainstream attention, and criticism, of his career. MTV and several radio stations are playing the edited version |
| 16 July 2004 |
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| France: Musician attacked by airport police |
| On 9 September 2006 four police officers threw Russian-American trumpet player Valery Ponomarev to the floor, kicking and punching him, twisted his arm back and broke it |
| 23 October 2006 |
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| Venue expels Linda Ronstadt after political remarks |
| The singer was booed and removed from a Las Vegas casino for praising film-maker Michael Moore and his film Fahrenheit 9/11 during a show. Ronstadt called Moore a "great American patriot" and "someone who is spreading the truth" |
| 20 July 2004 |
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| Dennis Lyxzen / TINC |
| Video interview with Dennis Lyxzen from The (international) Noise Conspiracy. An outsider’s view on music and censorship in the USA after 9/11 |
| 11 July 2002 |
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| Russia: Radical Christians want pop concert banned |
| Controversy and outrage follows American pop singer Madonna to her world-wide ‘Confessions Tour’ where she is “crucified” on a cross on stage. The act has sparked anger from various religious groups. |
| 12 September 2006 |
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| Musicians hit by the “9/11-effect” |
| Tighter restrictions on air travel means that musical instruments are no longer allowed on the plane as carry-on baggage. This has lead to cancellations of concerts and tours |
| 11 September 2006 |
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| Bob Titley: Artists afraid to speak out |
| Video interview with one of the founding members of Music Row Democrats, which was born in December 2003 out of frustration and concern about the changing music climate |
| 02 March 2006 |
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| Adults only! New book on censored album covers |
| With focus on original LP- and CD covers of the past 50 years, a German book and exhibition documents the history of rock- and pop music that has evoked public discussions or even been censored |
| 25 October 2004 |
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| CRAG Report: The Missing Cuban Musicians |
| No Cuban bands have been admitted entry into the U.S. since November 2003. New report on the situation for cultural exchange between Cuba and the U.S. |
| 05 October 2004 |
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| Protest singer Earle blasts US war |
| The US singer - whose song about so-called American Taliban John Walker Lindh provoked major controversy in the US and resulted in US media calling him "unpatriotic" and even "a traitor" - is set to release an album which criticises the Iraq war |
| 17 August 2004 |
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| Shoot the Singer! Book |
| "Shoot the Singer! Music Censorship Today". The first worldwide presentation of contemporary cases of music censorship, with cases from i.a. Burma, Mexico, Middle East, France, Algeria, Zimbabwe, USA, South Africa, Turkey. Edited by Freemuse director Marie Korpe, published by Zed Books, May 2004. |
| 25 May 2004 |
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| Singer Lee Jones attacks Bush |
| American singer Rickie Lee Jones has attacked the policies of the Bush administration on her latest record - despite the potential risk to her career. “I usually reflect things totally internally. But I think what is happening in America is so disturbing to me, it becomes internal” |
| 07 January 2004 |
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| Cuba - US row over Grammy visas |
| The Cuban government has accused the United States of deliberately delaying visas to stop Cuban nominees attending the Latin Grammy Awards in Miami |
| 09 September 2003 |
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| Sepultura |
| Video interview with Paulo Jr. from Sepultura |
| 11 July 2003 |
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| Music during wartime |
| An extensive collection of links to articles related to how the war on Iraq affected freedom of musical expression - from American country albums being burned to the rise in protest music |
| 10 June 2003 |
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