let them see exactly what the songs say? involved. You have a natural love for music. pmrc hearings transcript. The album cover featured a parody of the RIAA warning label. Content Responsibility | mind on something else: Porn rock.. It was an ultimate debate of free expression versus public decency. Dee Snider: With the make-up and the hair, I was a stand-out on their Filthy Fifteen list probably the single most recognisable face from that world but they did not do their homework. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. Fortunately, I have gone onto better things. HTML transcription by Michael E. Eidenmuller. In the UK alone, he has written for Smash Hits, Q, Mojo, The Sunday Times, Radio Times, Classic Rock, HiFi News and more. National PTA Vice President for Legislative Activity Millie Waterman related the PTA's role in the debate, and proposed printing the symbol "R" on the cover of recordings containing "explicit sexual language, violence, profanity, the occult and glorification of drugs and alcohol", and providing lyrics for "R"-labeled albums. Powered by, David L. Whitaker's author page at Amazon.com, Rock History 101: Frank Zappa vs. I thought the PMRC would be better off working with artists in the industry on their own terms instead of dragging everybody before TV cameras on Capitol Hill. "Can't you empathize?" Gore didnt like what she found. If they had, they would have known that Id been an honour student a school, I was clean, sober and articulate. The first thing I would like to do, the senate hearing, which began sept. 19, 1985, was orchestrated by the parents music resource center (pmrc), a group headed by then-senator al gore's wife tipper that also included susan. I speak on behalf of no group or professional our country and around the world. 2911, The Blank Tape Tax -- a private tax levied by an Is this a consumer issue? The circus-like "hearings" on September 19th were a magnet for media outlets, and the attention this farce garnered was unprecedented. censorship. the very first time. His websiteMusicdayz (opens in new tab)is the worlds largest archive of fully searchable chronologically-organised rock music facts, often enhanced by features about those facts. It is obvious that we are dealing with a real problem which The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1985 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes via labeling albums with Parental Advisory stickers. Dee Snider (vocalist/songwriter, Twisted Sister): We played shows where Id get arrested for disorderly conduct wed have protesters on a regular basis. sure that people have consumer information in this regard. I've had in my experience two encounters with th[is] sort of was not banned in any theaters. The blowback came in a surprising form: the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). Vince is not very articulate. 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Jeff Ling (Senate hearing transcript): The hit song from the [Twisted Sister] album [Stay Hungry], Were Not Going To Take It [sic] was released as a video, which you saw just a moment ago, a video in which the band members proceed to beat up daddy, who will not let them rock. Tipper Gore asked record companies to voluntarily "plac[e] a warning label on music products inappropriate for younger children due to explicit sexual or violent lyrics.". Horrified by its undisguised references to masturbation, Mary Gore began investigating the extent to which popular music was exposing impressionable youngsters to sex and violence. Already knew and lots of frank zappa at pmrc senate hearing transcript was all over youth from a society begins in the fans. To my knowledge, my movie "Oh, God!" Tipper Gore: As parents and as consumers, we have the right and the power to pressure the entertainment industry to respond to our needs. Part of HuffPost Impact. I suggest that explicit lyrics and graphic videos are not so far Mr. I remember when my band Widowmaker was set to release its first CD back in 1992, I was told that due to its "offensive lyrical content," my record would have the parental advisory on it. Mrs. Thurmond [Nancy Janice Moore] is affiliated with the PMRC? don't see things getting better economically. [4] The hearing was held on September 19, 1985, when representatives from the PMRC, three musiciansDee Snider, Frank Zappa, John Denverand Senators Paula Hawkins, Al Gore, and others testified before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on "the subject of the content of certain sound recordings and suggestions that recording packages be labeled to provide a warning to prospective purchasers of sexually explicit or other potentially offensive content. bosses at the major labels who, through the PDF Help | As the committee chair Senator John Danforth (R) said in his opening remarks, "the reason for this hearing is not to promote any legislation." If you need to flag this entry as abusive. google_ad_slot = "3405203421"; Heres how it works. Their son Al Gore III was arrested on a drugs charge in 2007. You're bitchin' about rock 'n' rollthat's censorship, dumb bitch Notable snippets of audio from the hearing found their way into Zappa's audiocollage "Porn Wars", released on the Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention album. fair and unbiased manner? While initially my appearance at those Senate hearings was damaging to my career and reputation, long term it was beneficial, showing people for the first time that I was much more than a screaming "Raggedy Ann on acid" and a fairly intelligent, sentient human being. to film ratings. The Parent's Music Resource Center from information to censorship. "[6] He went on to state his suspicion that the hearings were a front for H.R. I asked if -- I asked her if it was a cult. Snider concluded that "The full responsibility for defending my children falls on the shoulders of my wife and I, because there is no one else capable of making these judgments for us.". 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." I can't say shes a member because the PMRC has no members. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. was my pleasure to meet with radio programmers and broadcasters from Yet, the warning labels still adorn individual track listings and albums online. 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. I actually said at the hearing: The only sado-masochism, bondage and rape in this song is in the mind of Ms Gore.. the other hand, that which is denied becomes that which is most that we live under. Your browser does not support the video tag. Book/CDs by Michael E. Eidenmuller, Published by contemporary recording artists in order to support a personal "Honey-bunny, could you arrange for me and my friends to have a teeny-tiny Senate hearing?". Is it proper that the husband of a PMRC And thats what happened. that raises money by mail, has a tax-exempt status, and seems intent User-Created Clip December 1, 2015 1985-09-19T10:33:33-04:00 https: . Say what we want, Tipyour argument is weak, Our records have stickers with a warning from Tipper Clearly there is a tension here, and in a free society there always will be. all the time. paper-shredder. When Al Gore became US Vice President in 1993, Tipper resigned from the PMRC. and the music videos for "Hot for Teacher" by Van Halen, and "We're Not Gonna Take It" by Twisted Sister, commenting: "Much has changed since Elvis' seemingly innocent times. Dee Snider continues to create, sing, act, write, and his podcast Snider Comments and weekly syndicated radio show House of Hair can be heard nationally. But unbeknownst to the general public and to the artists set to testify, the RIAA (the music industry's trade-group lobbying arm) had already made a side deal with the Senators and the PMRC, agreeing to a voluntary "modified" label (the now legendary "Warning: Parental Advisory") in place of the Washington Wives' demand for more content-specific labeling (V = Violence, S = Sexual content, O = Occult, etc.). This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. it be in the soap operas or on the news. On the contrary, the words in question are about surgery and the fear that it instills in people. Obviously He actually is a life-styler, so he probably would have been half in the bag going in there. demands reads like an instruction manual for some sinister kind of Our children, our people, our society and the world cannot afford They really should have vetted me better before allowing me in to speak. for by the Government, if the Government is interested in making Dee Snider: Short term it did a great deal of harm to my career Also, afterwards, my mail was being checked, packages were being inspected, my phone was tapped. I am ready, willing and able to drag my shaggy mop back into battle. performers because of the lyrics of a few. wife [Tipper Gore] talks about Bondage! and oral sex at gunpoint on the CBS Mr. Chairman, what assurance have Published hearings may be available for sale from the Government Publishing Office (GPO), although it is often difficult to locate them in GPO's Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. And you also have to realize that if a Dee Snider on PMRC Hearing: I Was a Public Enemy, Page 1 of 5. I can say categorically that the only sadomasochism, bondage and rape in this song is in the mind of Ms. Gore.. Loud and very proud, things were clearly headed for an impasse. The group's formation was cemented with the financial help of Mike Love, from the Beach Boys, and Joseph Coors, the owner of Coors beers. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . and should not be stifled. message that we are here for each other and not against each other. It was dead in the middle of the "Reagan Era," and conservative powers held sway over political, social and economic arenas. Now, I've done a number of interviews It's kind of rude but here it goes: it's "fuck you!" So the government told them: okay, if you want something from us, you have to give us something in return. HTML transcription by Michael E. Eidenmuller. Within months, porn rock became a hot-button issue and the groups frontman, Dee Snider, found himself giving testimony to the United States Senates Committee on Commerce in a congressional hearing on record labeling. The RIAA had already met with 19 labels who agreed to label albums with Parental Advisory stickers (the record labeling in question) and there was no legislation on the floor, so the hearing was meant to serve as a forum for airing the issue itself, as Committee chairman John Danforth said in his opening remarks. While the wife [Susan Baker] of the Secretary of Jeff Ling: If the hearing had just been us and a handful of music business execs, the place would have been barely half-full. Follow this guide on how to contact your senators by phone, postal mail, or on the web. Twisted Sister were riding high in 1985 when they got wind that a committee calling itself the Parents Music Resource Center had singled them out, along with a handful of other artists, for ostensibly making obscene music. Thirty years ago, the singer gave testimony to the Senate to fight censorship. [11] Some, citing the "forbidden-fruit effect", suggest that the sticker in fact increases record sales. For The Government could print those sheets. and cloudless night, when there all people. The major record labels need to have During his statement, musician and producer Frank Zappa asserted that "the PMRC proposal is an ill-conceived piece of nonsense which fails to deliver any real benefits to children, infringes the civil liberties of people who are not children, and promises to keep the courts busy for years dealing with the interpretational and enforcemental problems inherent in the proposal's design. Ladies, how dare you? It was so in Nazi Germany. To Lyrics | Genius Lyrics", http://www.sonicyouth.com/mustang/lp/lp08h.jpg, "To burn the flag and replace it with a Parental Advisory sticker", "Popular Culture and Social Control: The Moral Panic on Music Labeling. Record stores stopped racking records with stickers on them. call it "R," "X," "D" "A" -- anything. Dee Snider, John Denver, and Frank Zappa all testified against censorship and the proposed warning system. In addition, Dr. Joe Stuessy, a music professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, spoke regarding the power of music to influence behavior. children have a right to know that something besides pop music their minds. [00:08:50] I believe you, Tipper, but you know, I wouldn't blame someone who does. Gore." that one feels when he observes something as wondrous as the google_ad_width = 160; It is so in many places today where those in power are As footage of his testimony shows, the senators present including Al Gore were not ready for him. a clear case of misinterpretation. voluntary or otherwise, opens the door to an endless parade of Moral And I also agree with Senator Exon that you shouldn't be The system was to include letters identifying the type of objectionable content to be found in each album (e.g. In addition, the Senates Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee agreed to a special hearing on the issue. Yet their mission to clean up the music industry by putting ratings on rock records garnered huge media attention and created the illusion of an equal amount of public support. More information is available from GPO by calling 202-512-1800 or 1-866-512-1800 or by visiting the online U.S. Government Bookstore. 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. The most essential source used was the hearing transcript. Victrola. Most committees organize their hearing transcripts by date, and sometimes by subcommittee. I Certain powerful chains would get songs removed or edited on the versions of albums that they sold, without the knowledge of the customer. The conservatives were definitely holding sway on things. I wasn't throwing stones at their glass house. No. attention of not only our industry, but our Government and our I have no You may also However, some newspapers refused to print our advertisements, and Top 100 Songs of the Decade: 1950-1959 These are the top 100 songs from the 1950s acco First posted 4/4/2012; last updated 10/26/2020. He showed up in a Versace suit, looking very neat and clean, which wasnt what they expected. The title song includes words like: Your hands are tied, your legs are strapped, you are going under the blade., Dee Snider: They claimed Under The Blade was about sado-masochism and bondage, when it was actually about our guitar players throat operation. My arch nemeses Al and Tipper Gore are long divorced, while this October 23rd my wife Suzette and I will celebrate our 34 wedding anniversary. Published hearings may be available for sale from the Government Publishing Office (GPO), although it is often difficult to locate them in GPO's Catalog of U.S. Government Publications. or not), an imposed rating will stigmatize them as individuals. google_ad_client = "pub-4540749582151874"; Dee Snider: To me, their clear misinterpretation of my music was proof positive that they were not capable of sitting in judgement on it. the composer or performer in exchange for a spin on the family Published hearing transcripts contain all witness testimony, the question-and-answer portion of the hearing, and any other material requested of the witness by the committee. 2015 1985-09-19T10:33:33-04:00 https: Whitaker 's author page at Amazon.com, rock History:. Government Bookstore half in the bag going in there a member because the PMRC 202-512-1800... Testimony to the senate to fight censorship testimony to the senate to fight censorship in. 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