Kinda surprising....Linda Ronstadt, not Van Halen, caused near-riot at concert (1 Viewer)

[Dennis Nicholls]

Lee, notice that my eyewitness quote was from the blog of the National Review Online www.nationalreview.com/thecorner/corner.asp , one of the most conservative news blogs. I'm sure the "booed Linda" types that send in material there far outnumber the "non-booed" types. This sounds like it was blown out of proportion.

 

[Grant B]

Rachael try listening here. I have been listening nonstop to this station and it's great....non corporate BS!!

http://indie1031.fm/listenlive.html

 

[Rachael B]

Grant, I get College Radio here in a university town and they have an online station too. Commercial radio is a whore of a different colour though!

 

[DaveDickey]

Attention radio bashers: You can cure all of your anti-radio hangups by listening exclusively to sports talk radio. Thank me later. Dave

 

[Jack Briggs]

My views on the corporate mainstream media are in line with our resident LaserDisc Queen. Corporate radio is unlistenable. When I was coming of age in the 1960s and thrilling to what "progrssive FM radio" was putting out, I thought that it was the future. Well, it didn't take long.

 

[Grant B]

Jack
Have you listened to 103.1? Progressive radio comes back from the dead.
First commerical radio staion I have listened to for music in years.
I even turn it on when I go back to San Francisco.
Grant

 

[Rachael B]

In a bit article in today's USA Today, the new, incoming management of the Alladin has offered Linda Ronstadt "...the use of their theater..." She gets to play there again, I quess. The new management team has said yes to Michael Moore's offer to sing a duet of AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL with Linda R. The new management team is awaiting gaming board approval and if granted will take over 1 september.

Michael better just hum and let Linda do all the singing!

 

[Paul.S]

Anyone have a link to what, from news article excerpts, sounds like a terrifically strong, well-written pro-Ronstadt editorial from the Las Vegas Sun? Couldn't find it after a quick search at their site. For reference, the writer mentions how Ronstadt has been doing the same dedication throughout the late summer but that she had to come to the Capital Of Entertainment to be treated in such an "inappropriate" fashion.

A different short article; for AOLers and AIMers: http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/entertain...22103509990002

Excerpt: "On Tuesday, [Ronstadt] performed at Hollywood's Universal Amphitheater (where some 100 patrons had asked for refunds in the wake of the Aladdin controversy, according to the Associated Press), and her opening remark, according to Variety, was "Seen any good movies lately?" The response was a minute-long ovation.



-p

 

[Jack Briggs]

There's fire in that woman to spare!

 

[ElevSkyMovie]

So everyone here is ok with getting political rhetoric from an artist they've paid to see? When I go to a show, I want to hear music. Save your politics for the campaign trail.

 

[Henry Gale]

Kyle,
Many of the artists I love sing some songs that have a certain political leaning, or content.
Merle Haggard comes to mind right away because he once wrote and recorded a tune called "The Fightin' Side of Me." This was back in the early 70's. Merle's most recent album has 2 anti-war songs.
I collect John Prine, I don't think you'd like him. He recorded, "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore."
Country Joe McDonald, a veteran, like me, gave us, "The Fish Cheer."
I was working at a radio station in New York when the Rusty Calley verdict came in on the My Lai massacre. For an objective opinion I called up Pete Seeger. Pete sang "Last Train to Nuremberg" to me over the phone.
There are countless examples, but this is almost starting to sound political in content, even though I have repeated no lyrics, only titles.

Henri

 

[Gary->dee]

I agree, Kyle. If an artist incorporates their opinions, regardless of subject, into their art, or music in this case, then that's fine to me. It's much more creative. Whether you're Country Joe and the Fish singing about Vietnam or the Beastie Boys rapping about Bush and Iraq. But don't break from the music to give your opinion on current events unless you're at a fundraiser or photo opportunity. In this case I think Linda would have been better off standing alongside Michael Moore giving her opinion at an appropriate event rather than a unrelated musical performance.

 

[Paul.S]

I don't think anyone herein has dared to purportedly speak for "everyone"; opinions are of course diverse on the matter.

It seems to me that it's a stretch to call what by many accounts sounds like a brief encouragement to see a film and the dedication of a song long in her repertoire "political rhetoric" or a "break from the music." She didn't give a tirade or even a speech.

Although I understand in theory where some folks are coming from with their criticism, in praxis I don't think Linda's behavior is a good example of what many of those people with objections have problems with.

Audience members alleged booing, throwing drinks, and ripping down posters--not to mention Timmins' boorish behavior--is more offensive to me than anything that perhaps happened on stage.

I'm reminded of Alec Baldwin's The Cooler character Shelley when he calls contemporary Vegas "a mookfest."

-p

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Totally fine with it. Just because I pay for a ticket doesn't mean I get to dictate what the artist says/plays. If I don't like it, I can vote with my wallet later...

 

[Rob P S]

Yep, as long as I agree with it.

 

[Rachael B]

Kyle, who would be to political for you? Neil Young? The Beatles? Country Joe & The Fish? Charlie Daniels? The Clash? The Dead Kennedys? Grateful Dead? K.C. & the Sunshine Band? The Archies? Buffalo Springfield? U2? Red Hot Chili Peppers? The Who or who?

It seems to me that alot of popular music was popular because of the popular social or political messages that were incorporated into it.

Me, I've heard enough of silly loves songs, lately. Music's traditional role as a voice of dissent is being crushed by "them". That's making music alot less relevant to alotta' people. Baby, baby, I need ya, want ya, all night long, don't go, do it again, forever, ...well, that only goes so far. It gets sterile, me thinks.

Think about what you're saying.

 

[jeff peterson]

"Won't Get Fooled Again"...a classic rock song by anyone's definition...political...relevant when it was released, relevant today. Hmmm...could that be why classic rock is still played, because it has bite? An edge? It actually says something?

When I was in college in the 70's, part of an English assignment was our interpretations of rock lyrics as poetry. I remember 'While my Guitar Gently Weeps' was one we discussed. I couldn't see a college level course today discussing 'Oops I Did It Again'.

 

[Paul.S]

Amen.

And that strikes to the heart of the matter as I see it.

To play devil's advocate: a couple of recent posts have mentioned acts from Country Joe & the Fish to the Beatles to talk about the political content of the work of popular artists over the years.

Some Ronstadt critics might say that she--despite a wildly varied discography including Southern California pop-rock, Nelson Riddle arrangements and Mexican ranchera pop music--does not have a similar history in terms of being a politically-engaged artist who has been outspoken and written/performed political songs. In other words, some dissenting voices might argue that there is a difference between performing perhaps self-penned politically-engaged music and making ad hoc politically-oriented comments/song dedications between actual performances at a live show. In addition to finding this demonization of 'politics' curious, I find that to be a problematic, dicey, slippery slope dichotomy.

A big part of my issue is how Ronstadt was treated despite being a long-established artist. The metamessage of what Timmins did is that even an established artist is a monkey, an automaton magician who is paid only to pull approved rabbits out of hats. As soon as she did something else, she was marched to her bus as though she was some scofflaw (I'm reminded of Deniro's Ace Rothstein instructing his security guards to "exit" the bootless cowboy who refuses to take his feet off the table in Casino; "I want you to exit this guy and I want you to use his head to open the fuckin' door!").

It seems to me the issue is significantly about people's differing preferences/aesthetics with regards to what they want an artist to do at a live show, not just 'politics' per se. But I have a major problem with those who disagree with what Ronstadt said on stage--in keeping with previous performances on this tour--thinking that the way she was treated was appropriate and using the 'paying audience' issue and false 'music vs. politics' dichotomy as rationales for that unprofessional treatment. Again, "[j]ust because I pay for a ticket doesn't mean I get to dictate what the artist says/plays." Well said, Colin.

Later today at Catwoman, if I find I don't like the performances, I'm gonna boo, throw my soda, walk out, rip down posters and demand a refund from the theater manager.

 

[Glenn Overholt]

The problem is that she hasn't gone around spouting her ideas around before, so they expected ONLY music. I don't think that any of her songs are politically based, either.

This is in contrast to Moore, who if we see on the screen, we immeditely get that "oh no!".

I'm wondering now if future contracts between artists and stages will have a 'no political comments' clause.

It isn't free speech, this is paid speech. They paid to hear her sing, not to express her views, right or wrong.

Glenn

 

[Paul.S]

Oh but it is free speech: If indeed, as you say, people "paid to hear her sing," she had already more than done that. The encore speech you find objectionable was indeed gratis.

And of course it's a broad brush that paints with statements about what "people" paid to hear her do, as though that encompasses everyone. By Linda's account and that of the Las Vegas Sun reviewer, there were many people there who cheered.

-p