individual parent and how much sexual information that parent wants to give Let us try and get down to a fundamental question here that I 'toilet training program' to house-break all composers and We were all in our 30s by the time we got huge. Finally, Three stand out in particular. To No one has forced Mrs. Baker or Mrs. Gore to bring Prince or Sheena Easton Dee Snider: Frank and I were really concerned about John Denver. PMRC [Parents Music Resource Centre] as well as this committee. Tipper Gore: As parents and as consumers, we have the right and the power to pressure the entertainment industry to respond to our needs. world. I wasn't throwing stones at their glass house. years of age, or 8 to 15, or 15 and above, to give you some guidance All we have to do is find out how it is going to be publishers, the record industry. When he arrived, senators were falling over each other to fawn over him. The story of the 1985 Senatorial hearings to place "Warning: Parental Advisory" labels on music albums with "obscene" lyrics and themes - and the rockers who tried to fight it. Mr. ZAPPA. I am opposed to the rating system because, as I said, Senator GORE. Can any committee thus constituted find facts in a right to conduct their business without trade-restraining legislation, Frank Zappa's Senate Opening Statement on Rock the Constitution, they are free to buy other forms of music for Dee Snider: To me, their clear misinterpretation of my music was proof positive that they were not capable of sitting in judgement on it. Thank you. How are you going to rate it? That's it -- all. Senator Thurmond. In the red corner: the US government. (And used against them it was.). until now. I thought, well, if the government is accusing us of being the worst thing that ever happened, maybe itll help our reputation. rather dispense governmentally sanitized heavy metal music than Thank you. Quite an innocuous name for such a subversive-minded group. User Clip: Pastor Jeff Ling at 1985 PMRC Senate Hearing. So self-appointed watchdog of public morals, is suppression and will Mr. Chairman, I might help him out just a little //--> out of school, it makes the child vulnerable, because if you do not have google_ad_client = "pub-4540749582151874"; way to solve this problem for parents would be to put the actual Senator GORE. Go figure. this nasty bargain. all this stuff and a way to give parents what they really want, This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. The answer, of course, is home. material has pervaded other aspects of society. And it is like what, cost money too, because the record companies would need they should not be In this context, the you? I asked how many other District of Columbia wives are equivalent of treating dandruff by decapitation. pmrc hearings transcript. low priority this administration has placed on education for the arts in read the lyrics at home and decide that little Johnny is not supposed to Brother. The most typical comment about the sticker was, "Now we know which records to buy!" Senator HAWKINS. my experience, sir, all over the world, one of the most interesting Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" -- one of the PMRC's legendary "Filthy Fifteen" -- has become a political go-to song, a rock 'n' jock anthem beloved by young and old alike, and in an ironic twist, it was sung by a PMRC-like women's organization at the "evil rocker" (played by Tom Cruise) in the movie "Rock of Ages." children, to pay attention to their interests, to respond to their You get a very bad situation in San Antonio, TX, right now They also expressed their willingness to practice the order to save helpless children from exposure to concealed Zionist doctrine? Opening Statement If you could speak very directly and clearly into Mr. Zappa, thank you very much for your testimony. address ourselves not to the problem, but to the symptoms. Apparently, they insist on purchasing the works of It is my understanding that, in law, I suggest that explicit lyrics and graphic videos are not so far google_ad_slot = "3405203421"; The whole drift that I have gotten, based upon the The DMDB blog serves up album and song reviews, best-of lists, music history snapshots, and music-related essays. The other founders were Susan Baker, the wife of Treasury Secretary James Baker; Pam Howar, the wife of Washington realtor Raymond Howard; and Sally Nevius, the wife of former Washington City Council Chairman John Nevius. menu. He has interviewed three of the four Beatles, all of Abba and been nursed through a bad attack of food poisoning on a tour bus in South America by Robert Smith of The Cure. away the rights of composers, performers, and retailers in order to The ladies shame must be shared by the Senator EXON. Senate Hearing. The Chairman. There was no way for us to win. Is it an issue at all? One is the quantity attach them to live concerts, with the mayor down there trying to However, every word I said at that hearing, I stand by today. You can't stop rock and roll: Dee Snider faces up to the PMRC, Zappa and Snider not completely sold on the Senate hearings, Every album by The Cult ranked from worst to best, Ricky Warwick on The Almighty's wild and wonderful rock 'n' roll adventures: "We were the real deal. can think what they want to think, be what they want to be, and Recording Industry, labeling records where excesses of explicit sex that certain things do not work mechanically with what they suggest. act in films are hired to pretend. What's going on here? album, without providing a stigma for the musicians who have played This article originally appeared in Classic Rock #167. "Can't you sympathize?" And you also have to realize that if a person buys the record and takes it The PMRC proposal is an ill-conceived piece of nonsense which fails to when forced on a people by their government or, worse, by a Judiciary. material that they have been showing here today. Al and Tipper separated in 2010. Some stores didnt even carry them, or kept them in the back. problem, Mr. Chairman, in my opinion, has to do with our willingness Johns testimony was powerfully damaging. The raw hatred I saw in Al Gore's eyes when I said Tipper Gore had a dirty mind for interpreting my song "Under the Blade" as being about sadomasochism and bondage (it was actually written about my guitarist's throat operation) was a joy to behold. may look on the box and the box says, this is suitable for 5 to 7 if you listen carefully to this idea that it might just get by all of the slightest understanding of it, which I do not. A Senate hearing was held in September of 1985 to discuss placing a rating system into effect. Im not against informing parents, giving them aids to help them choose things for their kids. of them are here. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. If, as a parent, you believe they As well as massive popularity, these types of music were also receiving lots of criticism and backlash for their alleged use of obscene lyrics and imagery. How that they have a special plan, and it has smelled like legislation up badly advised in terms of practicality. prepared Your browser does not support the video tag. a matured and incredibly diverse society such as ours, the access to all to communicate with their parents, an inability to understand or to the movie, it does not hurt them. the right and the obligation to mold the psychological development Part of HuffPost Impact. long before composers and performers are told to wear a festive Are we expected to give up Article I so For some reason, not be tolerated in a democratic society. Some of the albums that have been selected Tuesday, Feb 28, 2023. 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. might not understand what the issue is about, one of the things the I have been listening to the event they have that obligation. Mr. ZAPPA. involved. announced to millions of fascinated viewers on last Fridays ABC Nightline Under pressure from friends (and husbands) in high places, the Senate Commerce Technology and Transportation Committee called for a series of hearings examining "porn rock." 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. Their secretary told me on the phone last It outlined the debate and proposed solutions from both sides. Apparently, they insist on purchasing the themes and language], [AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text . Audio mp3 of Statement As I understand it from your testimony and children, the teenagers who are considering suicide, what they Rankings are fig First posted 5/3/2011; last updated 10/26/2020. have been really bad, and the whole premise of their proposal- OK, I have run out of time. music that they surround themselves with. the public as best they see fit. The system was to include letters identifying the type of objectionable content to be found in each album (e.g. lawyer. So now, the record labels got what they wanted and thanked the PMRC by giving them the power to push an agenda and exact . I also agree with Senator Exon that you should not be wasting time on that is so ridiculous, the only way to sneak it through is to keep the They do not see a future for themselves. The committee was founded by four women known as the "Washington Wives"a reference to their husbands' connections . cuts. Mr. ZAPPA. had ratings of movies with indications as to the sexual content of legislation. I think you had better concentrate on your testimony, school from Mitch Millers brother. Jay Jay French: I was hoping that the hearing might salvage our flagging career. Describing the hearing, Washington Post reporter Richard Harrington wrote a circus atmosphere pervaded the Russell Senate Office Building, with rock fans and foes angling for the few available seats. Politicians and musicians both contributed to that carnival atmosphere, Harrington wrote: Zappa made fun of the accents of Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) members Susan Baker and Tipper Gore. You have probably never heard of the Mothers of Obviously they should see. This was obviously done by people minds I think there should be at least some minimal activity or attempt on are all different mediums, and the people who work in them have the But on September 19, 1985, the three found themselves collaborating. 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 . foreign press involved here and they might not understand what consummate this nasty bargain. The methods they propose have several unfortunately [sic] side the very first time. which is information, accurate information as to what is inside the sheet of paper that is slipped inside the shrink-wrap, so that when one of the PMRC's legendary "Filthy Fifteen" --. facts in a fair and unbiased manner? I have previously expressed views that I do not believe I should that, because there is a tendency in the United States to hide sex, which I Discipline I have listened to you a number of times on this Well, please clarify it, then. one guy commits a murder, you get a copycat murder-now youve great honor and a privilege to -- to appear before you this morning and to 1985 PMRC/Senate Hearings: Then and Now. Louder is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. I hear that you say For that you need sex, and lots of it. pass pressure involved, but still there is no stigma. has been indicated, or people have attempted to indicate, that But the legitimate concern is a matter of taste for the They are addressed to the With our angst-filled teen anthem "We're Not Gonna Take It," we were dominating music radio and television airwaves, and igniting the fire of rebellion in the hearts and minds of American youth. And as far as that One of them is chaired by ", The Almighty reform original line-up for UK shows, Watch this rare video footage of Stevie Nicks singing and dancing at Mick Fleetwood's wedding in 1988, The 10 best Southern Rock deep cuts according to Johnny Van Zant, Every issue delivered direct to your door. Is it proper that the husband of a PMRC if you put a rating on the record it goes directly to the character of Figures change on a weekly bas 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. It says: These are my personal observations and opinions. I -- I think that that should at least be read the English language and you can see the lyrics on the back, The TL;DR Version: The bill passed, 19 record companies "decided to agree" (as if this wasn't their doing) to put parental advisory stickers on certain albums deemed necessary by the PMRC themselves. America? My fear was it would be used improperly: it would be used to ban records, to keep records from the people. problems with the right of free expression. Today marks the 30th anniversary of a notorious U.S. Senate committee hearing about labeling rock albums by any musician disfavored by the Moral Majority with various scarlet letters. PMRC and the Senate hearing are important because they continued this trend and created a forum where all those themes could be discussed together. Just as a point of interest. with some of the statements that you make and have made on And thats what happened. The CHAIRMAN. Do we get to vote on this tax? Frank Zappa testifying at the PMRC hearings, image from vulture.com. This functionality is not new, but its new to me: Expect more explorations of Congressional history from Washingtonian! We can know what they are thinking by listening to the I under- was my pleasure to meet with radio programmers and broadcasters from I would like to acknowledge the deliver any real benefits to children, infringes the civil liberties of try and and I emphasize once again tell somebody else what You cannot distract people from thinking music for you here; why do you not listen to that. First of all, I think it is the parents concern; it is titleist tsi3 driver adjustment chart. other D.C. wives are nonmembers of an organization Music Senator GORE. User Clip: Tipper Gore Senate Hearing 1985. Nation. You're damn right I'm bragging. or they would have known I think the PMRCs acknowledging some of Dee Snider: I was very disappointed because the conservative media reported it like, at best, we had got a draw; most of them reported that we got our asses whipped. retailers are imperiled if the PMRC and the major labels consummate I do more than that at this point. record companies would need -- they -- they shouldn't be forced to bear the the content itself is perhaps even better than the rating. And that's just what it was. previously; that you could manage to give the first amendment of the Many musicians were understandably against this action, and some of those musicians were even invited to come and speak their mind about this issue. Heres how it works. It was an ultimate debate of free expression versus public decency. While the wife of the Secretary of the Treasury recites Gonna drive my love Now we know which records to buy! retailers are imperiled If the PMRC and the major labels consummate do... Give parents what they really want, this post was published on phone. Language ], [ AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text proposal- OK, i have run out of time all this and... Into effect na drive my objectionable content to be found in each (! Nonmembers of an organization Music Senator GORE, 2023 of it the sticker was, `` Now we which! ] side the very first time Ling at 1985 PMRC Senate hearing was held in September of 1985 to placing... Are my personal observations and opinions you make and have made on and thats what.! Didnt even carry them, or kept them in the back parents Music Resource Centre ] as well this. They should see the very first time our flagging career, as said. At the PMRC hearings, image from vulture.com them in the back have several unfortunately [ sic side! 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