From: leterel (leterel_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 2003-03-15 04:47:32
New Beastie Boys Track Protests War in Iraq
White House cafeterias ponder name change for Bush's
favorite "beastie balls"
Marnie Christenson reports:
This ain't your mama's Pete Seeger or Bob Dylan. It's
a far cry from "Blowin' in the Wind", but for what's
it's worth, it may signal a new era for protest songs,
and this is a good thing. Of course, nobody seems to
notice that Sleater-Kinney's "Combat Rock", off last
year's One Beat, was decidedly anti-authority, but
let's not split hairs in protest. Even though many
celebrities have spoken out on the impending war in
Iraq, much of the mainstream music scene has been
silent thus far. The Beastie Boys have decided that
the time is now to weigh in with a protest rap in
response to the imminent death and destruction. "In a
World Gone Mad", is available for free download on the
Boys' website. An unnamed source has also come forward
claiming that a Clear Channel station has added this
seditious track to heavy rotation. Whoa! What bleeding
heart program director gave the thumbs up to that one?
While the song is neither profound nor esoteric, we
admire the socially conscious hip-hoppers for their
effort, and they do manage to provide a few salty jabs
at the former alliance between the U.S. and Iraq in
the process: "You and Saddam should kick it like back
in the day/ With the cocaine and Courvoisier/ But you
build more bombs as you get more bold/ As your
mid-life crisis war unfolds." Okay, so some of the
lyrics a tad cheesy. But cheese and salt, hey maybe
they're onto something: "Now don't get us wrong/
'Cause we love America/ But that's no reason to get
hysterica!" Hmm. Okay. So it's not as eloquent as "The
Message"-- or even, really, Whodini's "The Freaks Come
Out at Night". But it's a start! People, we gotta
start somewhere. Maybe it's best to just let the
former New Yorkers explain themselves:
Adam Yauch: "We felt it was important to comment on
where the U.S. appears to be heading now. A war in
Iraq will not resolve our problems. It can only result
in the deaths of many innocent civilians and U.S.
troops. If we are truly striving for safety, we need
to build friendships, not try to bully the rest of the
world."
Adam Horovitz: "This song is not an anti-American or
pro-Saddam Hussein statement. This is a statement
against an unjustified war."
Mike D: "Being together, writing and recording, we
felt it would be irresponsible not to address what's
going on in the world while the events are still
current. It didn't make sense to us to wait until the
entire record was finished to release this song."
Beastie Boys: www.beastieboys.com
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