I have to make a correction.
Q101 is actually owned by Emmis Communications, not Clear Channel so I was wrong about this. In addition, I’m having difficulty finding political ties. However, what troubles me is that every outdoor street festival I have gone to in the last couple of years that has been sponsored by Clear Channel has had army recruitment tents up. I’ve gone to many street festivals in these past few years and the army tents are not up at street festivals in which other mainstream radio stations or when no radio stations are sponsoring the event. So something therefore does not make sense to me…something does not sit well. I mean, literally, every time I hear a street festival is sponsored by Q101 I just cringe for this reason. Really, no I think I’ll pass on the sign up for a chance to win a free ipod and a trip to Iraq contest. I’ll just feel free to avoid the actual tent where guys are trying to impress their girlfriends by doing chinups as well. Something feels very very wrong about bands like Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie and Olivia Tremor Control playing their music while kids sign up for war.
I have to say though, the guy from Schubas has been really great and responsive and I am feeling better about that whole thing now. Good for them. I like Schubas. I feel a great deal better knowing that they are being aware and aren’t willing to start setting up army booths and whatnot-aren’t willing to compromise any political or musical integrity. In addition. they have great sound there and a very nice intimate setting to see some of the best bands around. Throughout my four years in the city, I’ve seen some of my very favorite bands there including the Shins, Kings of Convenience, Robyn Hitchcock, Papas Fritas, Dressy Bessy, Tenki. Edith Frost, Central Falls, The Walkmen, the French Kicks, Andrew Bird, The Vandermark 5, the Wrens, the Innocence Mission, the Stars, Andrew Morgan, Keren Ann, Feist and Nouvelle Vague
October 14th, 2005 at 12:50 am
Its not as if as if the bands are playing to enhance the process of signing up to join the military. What’s wrong with having a tent at the street fair for the voluntary army?
It is probably useful to have an army. They probably also have types of food there and other stuff at these events that could be against some peoples personal taste or beliefs. But it seems pretty straight forward. The army is not the same thing as bush or the Iraq war even though they are somewhat entwined at this particular moment in history. I guess I don’t quite see what you are objecting too, it doesn’t sound like a devious or propagandist trick.
I don’t see the problem. Now, if you ant to talk about the last speech by bush, I’m all ears, because yes I do have problems with that, because yes I am against propaganda. how come i have to leave my email ? are you going to give it to the army!
October 14th, 2005 at 7:04 am
You raise a good point but I guess the perspective of where I am coming from is that given our current political situation in Iraq and the viewpoints of many of the musicians playing in bands I have gone to see, it is in direct contrast. They are against this war and so because of that it’s almost an insult to their political beliefs-it devalues their message.
Generally, I’m a pacifist myself and I do realize that the army does have to recruit somewhere. The problem is that while I think that in our nation’s history, an army has been useful (obviously during WWII although we should have acted way sooner than we did imo), at this point in time I do not agree with either our reasons (or faulty reasoning) for this war or how it has been handled (or mishandled). Further that with the fact that I don’t think our soldiers are really being taken care of and that there is a backdoor draft in effect. These are all pretty commonly held philosophies right now but I was against this war from day one. I never thought Iraq had any WMD or were connected to the 911 incident (certainly not any more so than other countries like Saudi Arabia who the US would never dare engage in warfare with). Furthermore, I feel it does leave us way more vulnerable at home. Just look at the tragedy in NoLa-that wasn’t even terrorism. We even had a warning-a huge one from experts in advance-more so than we may get from terrorists. And what happened? Well the levees hadn’t been funded because that money had gone to fund the war and our national guard was not stationed where it could be helpful to US citizens.
Ultimately, what you have to look at is the profit game behind the scenes of this whole thing. Halliburton, Unocal, the Carlyle Group, Lockheed Martin. We aren’t in this war to prevent human suffering at the hands of Saddam. We are in this war to help the elite profit.
Maybe you agree or don’t. I feel like this is a super long soapbox but I did want to explain where I was coming from. I have a love/hate relationship with politics. Anyhow, again thanks for your comments and for reading.
October 14th, 2005 at 5:21 pm
I hear you. I mostly agree. have a good weekend