Where’s the Music Ripped from the Headlines?

By ROB PATTERSON

Not that this publication’s readers need to be reminded: We are already in the midst of the most consequential American election in not just my lifetime but the history of our democracy. So where’s the left-leaning popular music brigade when we need them now more than ever?

All I seem to hear is crickets. Which evokes from me the observation (with obvious curse word softened): What in the effity eff is the deal?

There is one musical artist, arguably the industry’s biggest, who I fully expect will go public with support for the Biden/Harris ticket: Taylor Swift. And she does have considerable influence with a good swath of young adults old enough to vote. Many of those fans came of age alongside her.

But where’s the blue-collar champion Bruce Springsteen? I’m also surprised that Neil Young hasn’t weighed in. And I could keep going on down the list of absentees.

Country music isn’t totally locked down by Donald Trump, but the genre does largely lean MAGA. All the more reason for rockers, rappers, the R&B brigade, the punk rock rebel and others to come out strong and loud for the only sane and morally correct choice to decisively define America as a humanist, pluralist and decent bulwark against the rancid racism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, xenophobia and surrounding intolerance as well as the dangers of autocracy and false-religionist dreams of dominion emanating from the GOP and right wing.

There’s still time, if barely. A couple of multi-artist tours based on genre commonality could still be mounted to barnstorm venues across the nation. The music would be the focus and draw. But the shows could include brief appearances by national candidates and those running in the locales where the concerts are held as well as celebrities and activists. Alongside the merchandise sales booths there should be voter registration stations and booths for get out the vote and fundraising efforts, etc. The tour profits could be directed towards political contributions.

Such efforts could be duplicated by tours and shows in smaller venues by acts at all levels, all the way down to the grassroots. The Democrats need to take the White House again and score majorities in both houses of Congress. (And then Biden needs to do what my favorite Dem, FDR, considered, and pack the Supreme Court.) The Dems and leftists also need to make strides at state and local levels. The popular music community can help make this happen.

It’s sadly ironic in a time when the presence of female artists is blossoming in music that abortion, contraception and other women’s rights are under severe attack. But a wise response by female musicians would be a political version of the Lilith Fair in the late 1990s. A similar LGBTQ+ tour is another option.

Political, topical and activist music proverbially marched alongside the movements of the 1960s. It was not just a soundtrack; it inspired, informed, open eyes, minds and hearts. Music can and at this juncture should if not must be an essential part of saving our democracy.

Now is the time for a good men and women and all those in between on the gender continuum who both make music and love music as fans to come to the aid of our country. A good, fair, just future depends on us all.

Plus there’s the added bonus of how it will all get under the skin of the MAGA maggots, forces of repression and intolerance as well as the faux-Christians who ignore the obvious teachings of Jesus. As well as the joyful sound, I hope and, yes, also pray, when victory comes in November.

Populist Picks

Music Album (Classic Category): Infidels by Bob Dylan – The lingering question when political music comes up is: Where’s Bob Dylan? To which I say, he’s done more than his bit already. And many of his songs continue to ring with relevance. And to wit, I find it quite interesting that much of this excellent yet somewhat overlooked 1983 disc touches on and applies to our big issues some four decades later. Who’s the “Jokerman?” (one of my many favorite Dylan songs). Could be tRump. “Neighborhood Bully” was reportedly written about Israel, and the notion sure fits the horrors of today’s Gaza war. While I may not totally align with all Dylan says in “Union Sundown,” it still hits the nail on offshoring manufacturing and the current labor/management struggles. “Man of Peace” is an eternal warning about false prophets. All that, plus three superb songs about love, make this a record well worth hearing.

Rob Patterson is a music and entertainment writer in Austin, Texas. Email orca@prismnet.com.

From The Progressive Populist, May 15, 2024

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