The Parent Music Resource Center ( PMRC ) is an American committee established in 1985 with the goal set to improve parental control over children's access to music that is considered to have violence, drug related or sexual themes via album labels with Parent Advisor sticker. The committee was founded by four women: Tipper Gore, Senator's wife and then Vice President Al Gore; Susan Baker, wife of Treasury Secretary James Baker; Pam Howar, wife of the heir of Washington, Raymond Howar; and Sally Nevius, wife of former Washington City Council Chairman John Nevius. They are known as "Washington Wives" - a reference to their husband's connections with governments in the Washington, D.C. The PMRC eventually expanded to include 22 participants before closing in the mid to late 1990s.
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As a method to combat this alleged problem, the PMRC recommends voluntary steps by the RIAA and the music industry to develop "guidelines and/or rating systems" similar to the MPAA film rating system. Additional suggestions from PMRC that appear in articles in the Washington Post include: printing warnings and lyrics on the album cover, forcing record stores to put albums with an explicit cover under the counter, pressing television stations to not broadcast a song or an explicit video, "reevaluate [ing]" a roughly or sexually concerted musician contract in concert, and create panels to set industry standards. This article leads to the removal of rock music and magazines from American stores including Wal-Mart, J. C. Penney, Sears and Fred Meyer.
Maps Parents Music Resource Center
The Filthy Fifteen
In 1985, PMRC also released what they call "Filthy Fifteen", a list of 15 songs that they consider most inappropriate.
Senate trial
- Transcript
In August 1985, 19 record companies agreed to put the label "Parental Guidance: Explicit Lyrics" on the album to warn consumers about explicit lyrical content. Before the label could be installed, the Senate agreed to hold a hearing on what was called "porn rock". It started on September 19, 1985, when representatives of the PMRC, three musicians - Dee Snider, Frank Zappa, John Denver - and Senators Paula Hawkins and Al Gore testified before the Senate Commissions on Commerce, Science and Transport on "the subject matter of certain sound recordings and suggestions that record packets are labeled to warn potential buyers of sexually explicit or other potentially offensive content. "
Supporting witness
Paula Hawkins presented the three WORPARD record ( Pyromania by Def Leppard, WOW by Wendy O. Williams and WASP by WASP) and the music video for "Hot for Master â € Å"by Van Halen, and â € Å"We Will not Take Itâ € by Twisted Sister, commented: â € Å"Much has changed since the time of innocent Elvis.â € The subtleties, suggestions, and satire have given way to express expressions and descriptions of often cruel sexual acts, drug taking, and flirtations with occults.The record cover album for me is pretty obvious. "
Susan Baker testified that "There are of course many causes for these diseases in our society, but it is our contention that pervasive messages addressed to children who promote and glorify suicide, rape, sadomasochism, etc., should numbered among factor contributions. "Tipper Gore asked the record company to voluntarily" put [e] warning labels on inappropriate musical products for younger children because of explicit sexual or explicit lyrics. "
Vice President of the National PTA for Legislative Activities Millie Waterman relates to the role of PTA in the debate, and proposes to print the symbol "R" on the cover of a recording containing "explicit sexual language, violence, indecent, occult and breeding of drugs and alcohol" , and give the lyrics to the album labeled "R".
In addition, Dr. Joe Stuessy, a professor of music at the University of Texas at San Antonio, talks about the power of music to influence behavior. He argues that heavy metal differs from early forms of music such as jazz and rock and roll because it is "church music" and "has one of its central elements as an element of hatred." Dr. Paul King, a child and teenage psychiatrist, testified about the worship of heavy metal musicians, and the presentation of heavy metal as a religion. He also stated that "many" teens read the lyrics in depth.
Defy witness
During his remarks, musician and producer Frank Zappa asserted that "the PMRC proposal is an absurd nonsense that fails to provide tangible benefits to children, violates the civil liberties of non-children, and promises to keep the court busy for so many years "He went on to state his suspicion that the trial was a front for HR 2911, the proposed blank tax:" Big label labels should have HR 2911 whizs through several committees before someone kisses a mouse One of them is chaired by Senator Thurmond.Is it a coincidence that Mrs. Thurmond is affiliated with the PMRC? "Zappa had previously stated about the Senate's approval to hold a hearing on the matter," A couple of prostitutes here and there and Bingo! - you get the trial. "
The traditional rock musician John Denver stated he was "strongly opposed to any censorship in our society or anywhere else in the world," and that in his experience, sensors often misinterpret music, as is the case with the song "Rocky Mountain High". In addition, Denver expressed his belief that censorship was counterproductive: "What is rejected becomes what is most desirable, and what is hidden becomes the most attractive, resulting in much time and energy being spent on what is being stored from you." When Denver came to giving his speech, many people on the board of the PMRC hope he's on their side, thinking he would be offended by the lyrics as well.
Dee Snider, vocalist and vocalist of heavy metal band Twisted Sister, testified that he "does not support [...] [RIAA president] Gortikov's unnecessary and unfavorable decision to approve generic labels on multiple recording options". Like John Denver, Snider feels that his music has been misinterpreted. He defended the Twisted Sister songs "Under the Blade", which has been interpreted as referring to sadomasochism, slavery, and rape, and "We Will not Take It", which has been accused of promoting violence. Snider said of "Under the Blade", a song Snider claimed was written about the upcoming operation, that "the only sadomasochism, slavery, and rape in this song is in Miss Gore's mind." He states, "Mrs. Gore sadomasochism and slavery, and she found it.Someone who searched for a surgical reference would find it, too." Snider concludes that "The full responsibility for defending my children falls on the shoulders of my wife and me, because no one else is able to make this judgment for us."
Important audio footage from the trials found their way into the Zappa audio recording "Porn Wars", released on Frank Zappa's album Meets Mothers of Prevention. Senator Gore, Hollings, Gorton, Hawkins, and others showed up. Album artwork displays a parody of the RIAA warning label. The LP put a note to the listener to be sent to Zappa's Barking Pumpkin Records for a free Z-PAC , a printed information package that includes a transcript of the committee hearing, and a letter from Zappa that encourages young people to register to vote. The full testimony of Zappa was released in the posthumous 2010 compilation called The Congress Will Make No Law...
Parental Advisory Stickers
On November 1, 1985, before the trial ends, the RIAA agrees to include the label "Parent Counsel" on certain releases based on their own discretion. The label is generic, unlike the original idea of ​​a descriptive label that categorizes explicit lyrics.
Many record stores refuse to sell albums that contain labels (especially Wal-Mart), and others limit the sale of those albums to adults. One of the albums to receive the "Parental Advisory" sticker is the Grammy-winning album Frank Zappa Jazz from Hell , probably for the use of the word "Hell" in the title but also for the song "G" -Spot Tornado " is a collection of instrumental pieces and contains no lyrics at all.
It is uncertain whether "Tipper stickers" are effective in preventing children from being exposed to explicit content. Some people, citing "forbidden fruit effect", suggest that the actual sticker increases the sale of the recording. Examples of these claims include:
- Philip Bailey, about Earth, Wind & amp; Fire, states: "For the most part [stickers] might even sell more recordings in some areas - all you have to do is tell someone that this is a no-no and that's what they want to see."/li>
- The Ice-T "Freedom of Speech" states: "Hey, PMRC, you fucking fucking bastards/Stickers on record is what makes them sell gold./You can not see, you idiot alcohol/The more you try to push us , the bigger we get. "
- The Furnaceface song "We Love You, Tipper Gore", from their 1991 album Just Buy It, shows that the label "only evokes my appetite... just makes us want to hear it that much more. "
Musician reactions
Many musicians criticize or parody PMRC and Tipper Gore: "In a world of great pollution and firearms," ​​John Lydon was amazed, "they have to pick someone who uses dirty language."
Yo, Tip, what's up? You are not gettin 'no dick? Site You bitchin 'about rock' n 'roll - it's a stupid, bitch bitch
The Constitution says we all have the right to speak Say what we want, Tip - your arguments are weak
- In his book The Ice Opinion , Ice-T writes "Tipper Gore is the only woman I've ever mentioned a bitch on one of my notes, and I mean it's the most meaning of a word negative. "In" You Shoulda Killed Me Last Year ", her words were spoken to her album OG Original Gangster , he condemns the CIA, LAPD, FBI, George H. W. Bush, and Tipper Gore. One bonus track on the 1990 Warrant Cherry Pie album, titled "Ode to Tipper Gore", is a short audio clip montage of live performances by the band, featuring many use of harsh words and obscene language.
Our records have stickers with warnings from Tipper
Because they are not good for children; if we get it, we will strip it
- New York-based thrash band Anthrax wrote and composed a song called "Startin 'Up A Posse" for their 1991 Attack of the Killer B's release. This song mocks members of the PMRC.
- The seminal punk rock band The Ramones recorded for their 1992 album Mondi Bizarro's song "Censorshit" about how rock and rap albums were censored by the PMRC. It mentions Frank Zappa and Ozzy Osbourne, and is addressed to Tipper Gore.
- The 1997 Canadian punk band Reset the No Worries album features a song titled "Go Away", which is entirely about their disagreement with PMRC and Tipper Gore, with a line that directly names Gore.
On the 2001 Live Dead Kennedys album Mutiny on the Bay (recorded in a 1986 concert), during their song "MTV - Get off the Air", vocalist Jello Biafra told the audience to "buy [note] homemade instead, before the PMRC closes the shops that sell them. " Biafra had previously been brought to trial on charges of "distributing harmful material to minors" in an incident involving the 1985 Dead Kennedys Frankenchrist album, which featured an insert from HR Giger's Penis Landscape > and a parody sticker on the front cover read:"Tipper, do not you understand the message I want to convey
It's a bit rude but here it is: this "fuck you!"
I do not like what you do, and I do not like you. "
"WARNING: The inside of this fold is a work of art by H.R. Giger that some people may be shocked, disgusting or offensive." Life can sometimes be that way. "
- Rapper Eminem directly referred to Tipper Gore and indirectly referred to PMRC in "White America", the election of his 2002 album The Eminem Show
"To burn {flag} and replace it with the Parent/Parent Advisor sticker To vomit liquor in the face of democracy this hypocrisy/
Damn you, Ms. Cheney; Damn you, Tipper Gore. "
- Eminem also includes Lynne Cheney for her activities - similar to Tipper Gore - in the early 2000s. It also needs to point out that Eminem's reference to burning flags is censored on album releases, which adds to the irony of his claims here.
- Suicidal tendency referenced Tipper Gore in their song "Lovely" from album Lamp... Camera... Revolution! : "Tipper, honey, do not you remember me/Now I'm better, softer, and so happy".
- References Harry and Potters, Tipper Gore and PMRC in the title track from their album Voldemort Can not Stop the Rock! with the line "We will not let the Dark Lord spoil our party just as Tipper Gore tried with the PMRC."
- Bad Religion vaguely references the PMRC in the song "I Want to Conquer the World" (from No Control album): "Hey, moral warrior, you got the true statement, and precious thick books to refuel you. "
See also
- Warning: Parent Advisor
- Terry Rakolta
References
Further reading
- Animal Voice: History of Complete Headbanging of Heavy Metal (ISBN 0-380-81127-8), by Ian Christe, especially Chapter 7: "The Antimetal Panic PMRC" (summary)
- Deflem, Mathieu. 1993. "Rap, Rock, and Sensor: Popular Culture and Justice Technology." Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Law and Society Association, Chicago, 27-30 May 1993.
External links
- Sex, Drugs and Got a short documentary by the Retro Report looking back at the PMRC and its effects on today's culture
- The history of PMRC by Claude Chastagner
- Brief history of PMRC by Censor This
- Music music timeline
- Tipper Gore at Porn Rock
- FTC Report: "An Overview of the Entertainment Media Industry and Development of Their Rating and Labeling System"
- Frank Zappa's appearance on "Crossfire" during the PMRC controversy
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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