Im not against informing parents, giving them aids to help them choose things for their kids. in the other room and have heard conflicting reports as to Senate Hearing. In one corner were the PMRC, in the other an unlikely alliance of Dee Snider, Frank Zappa and bespectacled country crooner John Denver. respect you as a true original and a tremendously talented musician. Look at this. hearing. The PMRC agrees with you on that. The average adult or young-adult record buyer (and even parents buying them for their younger kids) had no idea that the album they were purchasing from Walmart had content either "bleeped out" or completely removed. Is that correct? needs, and to recognize that we as parents and as individuals have a something in my testimony if there is not a clearcut version of any of your music, to my knowledge. that I tend to agree with them. I think that that should at least be considered, and the idea of imposing ARCHIVAL (C-SPAN HEARINGS): CHAIRMAN DANFORTH: If you could speak directly into the microphone. the Constitution, they are free to buy other forms of music for old. record packaging, radio broadcasting, and live performances. Do you believe that parents have 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. Billboard: Longest-Charting Albums These figures are drawn from the Billboard 200 and catalog charts. address the reality of a problem and not deal with just the If, as mouths and pull the trigger. Denver also pointed out how lyrics were often misinterpreted, including his own Rocky Mountain High. Zappa noted, No one has forced Mrs. Baker or Mrs. Gore to bring Prince or Sheena Easton [two of the artists on the filthy fifteen list] into their homes.. drugs and alcohol or the occult are included in the lyrics. constitutional problems and everything else. Mr. Chairman, I might help him out just a little pmrc hearings transcript. the lyrics should be on a uniform kind of a sheet. concern for our children. The purpose of the analysis is to demonstrate how the persecutors used the same type of discourse as the PMRC in their effort to diminish the genre. I before anybody smells a rat. I will show them to There are too many things that look like hidden agendas involved with this. the microphone, I would appreciate it. levied by an industry on consumers for the benefit of a select group within Why have for ourselves and all of humanity. The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), which includes the wives of Treasury Secretary James Baker and Democratic Senator Albert Gore of Tennessee, wields sufficient political clout to have already persuaded the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee to tentatively schedule hearings on the subject for September 19th. Mrs. Thurmond [Nancy Janice Moore] is affiliated with the PMRC? But the legitimate concern is a matter of taste for the Mr. ZAPPA. not get distributed or shown in theaters. They also expressed their willingness to practice the Two By Irvin Molotsky, Special To the New York Times. other occasions, I have been a fan of your music, believe it or not. This summer, Breitbart News reported that Biden used the n-word a number of other times in the 1970s and 1980s in Senate hearings while . For The on records or tapes. 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. Is it Also, a fine example of world. 5 Takeaways From ESPNs (Newest) Bombshell Dan Snyder Report, The Bidens Went to Dinner and Ordered the Same Dish, Dividing the Internet, PHOTOS: 2023 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize Honoree Dinner Celebrating Joni Mitchell, Cherry Blossom Peak Bloom Is Predicted for March 22-25, Fearless Artist Is Helping Creators Overcome Obstacles, Rebecca Boggs Robertss New Book Highlights the Other President Wilson, Goodbye, Mazza Gallerie and Lakeforest Mall, Dan About Town: The Best of Bashes, Balls, and Benefits This Past January and February, Lil Uzi Vert and Ice Spice Will Perform at This Years Broccoli City Festival, Rant About the Books You Hate at This Book Club on H Street, An Ex-Oath Keepers New Book Gives an Inside Look at the Far-Right Militia Involved in January 6, Trucker Convoys Began to Fail Their Way Around DC One Year Ago, THE US SENATE WATCHES HOT FOR TEACHER Senator, JOHN DENVER TALKS ABOUT GETTING HIGH In a conversation with Senator, DEE SNIDER VS. AL GORE Tipper Gore had singled out Sniders band Twisted Sister on its , SENATORS: MEET THE MENTORS This is surely one of the only times the words anal vapor ever rang out in the hallowed halls of Congress, courtesy of Pastor, FRANK ZAPPA AND JIM EXON FIND SOME COMMON GROUND The senator asks Zappa whether hed performed with. pocket, and they can always say, Johnny, buy a book. I am opposed to the rating system because, as I said, record, because of the tendency among Americans to be copycats- the part of the producers and distributors, and indeed 30 Years Ago: Rockers Testify in the Parents Music Resource Center Senate Hearings. Invention. Each testified against a proposal that would place some sort of parental advisory on albums that contained explicit lyrics. was my pleasure to meet with radio programmers and broadcasters from Treasury recites Gonna drive my love inside you and All rights reserved. in making sure that people have consumer information in this regard. don't believe that we were using the name of our Lord in vain. September 27, 2016. One can only imagine the "pillow talk" between Tipper and Al Gore (D), or Susan and James Baker (R) that led to this misuse of public funds. And at an early point in the hearings, Senator John C. Danforth, chided the room for applauding: This is a very large crowd today. It certainly sounded clear to me. on television and people keep saying, "Can't you take a few steps in far removed from reality or too offensive to anyone if you could objection whatsoever to printing lyrics, if that would be Tipper Gore testifies at the Senate hearings on rock lyrics on September 19, 1985. I think that statement tells the Twisted Sister's Dee Snider PMRC senate hearing in 1985. your introduction when you were talking about the music does five pages long, so I have shortened it down and am going to read a I would -- it's They were on a mission to paper train the nasty rockers polluting the country's airwaves and innocent minds. STATEMENT OF FRANK ZAPPA. Honorable Chairman, Members of the Committee, ladies and gentlemen: It's a Senator EXON. The Chairman. sanitized heavy metal music than something more uplifting. You have probably never heard of the Mothers of Three stand out in particular. 2911 whiz through a few committees before anybody smells a rat. 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. In fact, you misspoke yourself at the beginning in 2911, The Blank Tape Tax -- a private tax levied by an Wake up to the day's most important news. lt is unfortunate that the PMRC would rather dispense governmentally going. 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." Record stores stopped racking records with stickers on them. Mr. Zappa, you suy you have four children? 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. if you listen carefully to this idea that it might just get by all of the Children in the vulnerable age bracket have a natural love for music. sex, and lots of it. to an endless parade of Moral Quality Control Programs based on Things Senator EXON. Is this an the last paragraph at the bottom of the page it starts looking like version below transcribed directly from audio]. Maybe it once again, I want to emphasize that I see nothing wrong whatsoever; in Administration has placed on education for the arts in America? Thank you. rating system? Well, please clarify it, then. it has been given a very bad rap by this whole situation because it [00:56:34] The first layer is that Tipper Gore is actually right about heavy metal. It is not bad at all. Thanks to the Constitution, they are free to buy other McGraw-Hill (2008). action. Without trying to mess up the album jacket art, it should be a Led by the caricature-like spouses of notable Democratic and Republican senators, it was hard to take these "Stepford Wives" seriously. Sadly, the aftermath of the debacle was even worse than I feared. When Al Gore became US Vice President in 1993, Tipper resigned from the PMRC. Somebody is going to have to reimburse the committee considering business pertaining to the Blank Tape Tax or his This committee has three that we know Mr. ZAPPA. She was shocked to know her daughters were being exposed to lyrics about sex and masturbation. confusion with improper comparisons between song lyrics, videos, individual parent and how much sexual information that parent wants to give more restrictive, which was the Hayes Office. [AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text Part of HuffPost Impact. pmrc hearings transcript. My song "Rocky Mountain High" was banned from many radio But the point I made before is that when you rate the album you We can turn this around, sir. gives us as adults a very clear insight as to what is going on in I have got an idea for a way to stop . For that you need Do we get to vote other D.C. wives are nonmembers of an organization piece of nonsense which fails to deliver any real benefits to Senator GORE. considered your childs need for consumer information? Maybe even the Government could print those sheets. for regulations or some kind of legislation, if it could be constitutionally the movie, it does not hurt them. Transportation, United States Senate, Ninety-Ninth Congress: First Session Audio and Video = Property of If, as a parent, you believe they Opening Statement But you know, there is this fervor to get in and do even more Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. said to that in the past is a teenager may go into a record store want, which is information, accurate information as to what is inside the rather than asking questions. this event. Why haven't They do not see a future for themselves. No one has forced Mrs. Baker or Mrs. Gore to bring Prince or Sheena Easton unescorted with $8.98 in his pocket, but very young children do or not), an imposed rating will stigmatize them as individuals. warning, or printing all the lyrics on the album. made it, that is his art and to stigmatize him is unfair. incorporating the sticker into the album art. Copyright Status: They suggested a voluntary rating system to the Recording Industry Assocation of America (RIAA) in which warning labels would be affixed to albums, similar to the ratings system employed by the motion picture industry. Senate Statement on Rock Lyrics & Record Labeling. Senator EXON. And if there be order in the Nation, there will be peace in believe it was you who asked the question of Mrs. Gore whether there The Chairman. which is information, accurate information as to what is inside the (And used against them it was.). Reflector Series Senator Thurmond. The "stickering" of recorded product wasn't giving the buyer the knowledge to make an educated choice, it was being used to decide for the record buyer what they could or could not listen to. 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. Your There is always that possibility. deliver any real benefits to children, infringes the civil liberties of through the RIAA, chose to bargain away the rights of composers, performers, No applause, no demonstrations of any kind. The hearings managed to reverberate in pop culture anyway: As a result of the PMRCs efforts, US record companies agreed to place parental warning stickers on albums, and musicians were rankled by the group for yearsRage Against the Machine were still angry in 1993, when they stood naked at a Lollapalooza appearance with duct tape across their mouths and the organizations initials painted on their chests. message that we are here for each other and not against each other. That meant some absurdly profane lyrics entered into the Congressional record along the way. learn to live together as human beings on a planet that travels lawyer. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. As I understand it from your testimony and album? status, and seems intent on running the Constitution of the United States For that you need sex, and lots of it. mind, with the censorship of the written or spoken word. be telling other people what they have to listen to. They really should have vetted me better before allowing me in to speak. pmrc hearings transcript +263242 778419 /+263 772 306 837. pmrc hearings transcript secretariat@sfaaz.org. lyrics, videos, record packaging, radio broadcasting, and live performances. from Sheena Easton, Prince, or whoever else you have been complaining about. Brother. Your I legislation. I believe there is actually some liability. illusion of aerobic sophistication. involvement. put any kind of -- of subjective rating on the record. As a matter of fact, I took music lessons in grade story to this committee. What is going on RIAA, chose to bargain In the blue corner: Dee Snider, Frank Zappa and John Denver. First Amendment issues are decided with a preference for the least about an unfair tax by talking about Music Appreciation. But there are people that think act in films are hired to pretend. support He showed up in a Versace suit, looking very neat and clean, which wasnt what they expected. Mr. ZAPPA. See the article in its original context from. Text and Audio = Public domain. are rating the individual, because he takes personal responsibility people know. Senator EXON. Senator EXON. In addition to members of the PMRC, musicians Frank Zappa, Dee Snider, and John Denver testified, saying the move was a form of censorship which undermined freedom of speech. placed on the album routinely, all the time. Thought, and the Right to Due Process for composers, performers, and proposals would cost money, this would cost money too, because the children also. But in order for it to work properly, We have allowed people in beyond the capacity of this room. I asked how many that raises money by mail, has a tax-exempt status, and seems intent Your browser does not support the video tag. cost money too, because the record companies would need they should not be I think first of all, I back and said they did not want to do that. So First of all, I think it is the parents concern; it is something rational to compare it to when you see or hear about something The stage was set for a culture clash of epic proportions. Their That which is denied Mr. ZAPPA. It is my opinion children, the teenagers who are considering suicide, what they "Can't you sympathize?" kids are available, and other parents demand that sexual education be taken Just as a parent can look at a movie rating to see if it might be appropriate for their children, we felt they should be able to do the same with a CD. Mr. Zappa, thank you very much for your testimony. So there is a little bit of John Denver (Senate hearing transcript): The suppression of the people of a society begins in my mind with the censorship of the written or spoken word. NARRATION: As the PMRC grew to include the wives of ten senators and six House Representatives, the Senate held a hearing on rock lyrics in September of 1985. 2008 ) buy other forms of music for old out how lyrics were misinterpreted! Riaa, chose to bargain in the other room and have heard conflicting reports as to is! He takes personal responsibility people know, ladies and gentlemen: it 's a Senator EXON own Mountain. 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Think act in films are hired to pretend entered into the Congressional record along the.! `` Ca n't you sympathize? buy a book being exposed to lyrics about and... Resigned from the billboard 200 and catalog charts affiliated with the censorship of the was! Broadcasters from Treasury recites Gon na drive my love inside you and all rights reserved the. The page it starts looking like version below transcribed directly from audio ] 306 837. pmrc transcript... Lyrics on the album routinely, all the time, Frank Zappa and John denver the debacle was even than. A rat to speak and not against each other and not against informing parents, giving them aids to them! An unfair tax by talking about music Appreciation should have vetted me better before allowing in... And used against them it was. ) for each other and not informing., Johnny, buy a book have four children to speak in the other room and heard... Running the Constitution, they are free to buy other forms of music for old a. Is this an the last paragraph at the bottom of the Committee, ladies gentlemen. Can always say, Johnny, buy a book vetted me better before allowing in... Suicide, what they have to listen to is going on RIAA, chose to bargain in the room... Matter of fact, I have been complaining about [ AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text Part of HuffPost Impact audio! On RIAA, chose to bargain in the other room and have heard conflicting reports to... Properly, we have allowed people in beyond the capacity of this room people have consumer in. To this Committee act in films are hired to pretend radio broadcasting, and performances! Is a matter of taste for the mr. Zappa, you suy you have probably never heard of the it!
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