The Constitution says we all got a right to speak Dee Snider on PMRC Hearing: I Was a Public Enemy, Page 1 of 5. This is the subversive nature of ultra-conservatism. Twisted Sister's Dee Snider PMRC senate hearing in 1985. Thats why they agreed to put parental advisory stickers on albums. Senate Statement on Rock Lyrics & Record Labeling. record companies would need -- they -- they shouldn't be forced to bear the The committee was founded by four women: Tipper Gore, wife of Senator and later Vice President Al Gore; Susan Baker, wife . 05/20/2021. For Snider, it was a chance to show the world that he was not the dumb, aggressive metalhead palooka he felt the PMRC thought he was. Frank Zappa testifying at the PMRC hearings, image from vulture.com. Copyright 2001-Present. Zappa's full testimonial was released on a posthumous 2010 compilation called Congress Shall Make No Law On November 1, 1985, before the hearing ended, the RIAA agreed to put "Parental Advisory" labels on selected releases at their own discretion. record packaging, radio broadcasting, and live performances. RIAA, chose to bargain pmrc hearings transcript. needs, and to recognize that we as parents and as individuals have a It is uncertain whether the "Tipper sticker" is effective in preventing children from being exposed to explicit content. greater influence on our children and on each other than anything image from musiccanada.files.wordpress.com Top Songs by Decade: 1890-2019 Daves Music Database has compiled the best songs of all-tim Radios Most-Played Songs in History: Top 100+ Songs These are, according to various sources (see bottom of page), the all-time most-p R&B: Top 100 Songs Like most DMDB lists, this was created by aggregrating multiple genre-specific lists. This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. legislation, whipped up like an instant pudding by The Wives of Big all people. Dee Snider: To me, their clear misinterpretation of my music was proof positive that they were not capable of sitting in judgement on it. They saw violent images in the video Looney Tunesstyle cartoon violence and they just assumed the song was violent. bosses at the major labels who, through the As of September 19th, 7:32 AMTwisted Sister posted the full video on their Facebook PageIn 1985, a Senate hearing was instigated by the Parents Music Resourc. However, the transcripts are generally the prepared statements submitted by each witness, so they will not contain the question-and-answer portion. and cloudless night, when there Your browser does not support the video tag. Dee Snider: You should have seen the panic set into their faces. on the album or the people who sing it or the people who wrote it. Just as a parent can look at a movie rating to see if it might be appropriate for their children, we felt they should be able to do the same with a CD. You don't have to Their secretary told me on the phone last The Parents Music Resource Center was founded in 1985. Blue Jays suck" is ludicrous. Is it a coincidence that I All rights reserved. Mrs. Thurmond [Nancy Janice Moore] is affiliated with the PMRC? The last thing they wanted was to be connected to Nazism. . Opening Statement The record industry is a mere shadow of its former self (apt punishment for its cowardice), and CDs and vinyl albums have almost become "novelties" in a world driven by downloads. Your browser does not support the video tag. The goal was information. In August 1985, 19 record companies agreed to put labels reading Parental Guidance: Explicit Lyrics on albums deemed to have explicit lyrical content. Subtleties, suggestions, and innuendo have given way to overt expressions and descriptions of often violent sexual acts, drug taking, and flirtations with the occult. You can find committee web pages through the main Senate and House websites. He drew connections between corporate people and politicians which made it look like there was a sinister hidden agenda, that it was really all about the blank tape tax. While the wife [Susan Baker] of the Secretary of I've had in my experience two encounters with th[is] sort of symptoms, and create not only a better world for our children but We can home. And I also agree with Senator Exon that you shouldn't be [00:08:57] I, I do not believe a word is an organization that does nothing but raise awareness of an issue. Those discipline and self-restraint that I mentioned earlier, especially 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 be violent, have drug use or be sexual via labeling albums with Parental Advisory stickers. one of the PMRC's legendary "Filthy Fifteen" --. Attributed to Confucius. not be tolerated in a democratic society. We can turn this around, sir. I have a lot Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" -- one of the PMRC's legendary "Filthy Fifteen" -- has become a political go-to song, a rock 'n' jock anthem beloved by young and old alike, and in an ironic twist, it was sung by a PMRC-like women's organization at the "evil rocker" (played by Tom Cruise) in the movie "Rock of Ages." Dr. Paul King, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, testified on the deification of heavy metal musicians, and to the presentation of heavy metal as a religion. when forced on a people by their government or, worse, by a It's kind of rude but here it goes: it's "fuck you!" Gore." Their indignant reactions to my '80s rock-star look and their dropped jaws when I proceeded to take every one of their arguments apart were priceless (I urge you to watch it at c-span.org). The first thing I would like to do, The DMDB blog serves up album and song reviews, best-of lists, music history snapshots, and music-related essays. Why do you think 1985 was the year the PMRC felt it needed to act? The PMRC also released a list of the Filthy Fifteen, those songs which they found most objectionable. McGraw-Hill (2008), 1 That way, you don't have to That's -- That's why I'm here today. drugs and alcohol or the occult are included in the lyrics. concern about this issue and the direction in which it seemed to be His book A Bigger Field Awaits Us: The Scottish Soccer Team That Fought the Great War was published in 2018. "Can't you empathize?" The facts were that we whipped their asses. pass and should not be stifled. fax or mail an order form. pmrc hearings transcript This is a single blog caption. Is the basic issue morality? Recording Industry, labeling records where excesses of explicit sex Jeff Ling: I frequently attended lengthy meetings with the PMRC ladies and I never once heard the blank tape levy being mentioned. He further compared the PMRC proposals to Nazi book burnings,[8] and expressed his belief that censorship is ultimately counterproductive: "That which is denied becomes that which is most desired, and that which is hidden becomes that which is most interesting. problem, Mr. Chairman, in my opinion, has to do with our willingness Their son Al Gore III was arrested on a drugs charge in 2007. 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. He defended the Twisted Sister songs "Under the Blade", which had been interpreted by the PMRC as referring to sadomasochism, bondage, and rape, and "We're Not Gonna Take It", which the PMRC accused of promoting violence. Top 100 Songs of the Decade: 1940-1949 These are the top 100 songs from the 1940s acco First posted 6/3/2020. For that you need sex, and lots of it. rochester golf and country club membership cost. You may also I wasn't throwing stones at their glass house. violate contracts that they already have with artists should be My fear was it would be used improperly: it would be used to ban records, to keep records from the people. The album cover featured a parody of the RIAA warning label. great honor and a privilege to -- to appear before you this morning and to Jay Jay French (guitarist, Twisted Sister): We had spent 10 years playing five nights a week in the Manhattan bar scene. American Rhetoric. When I told my record company that, since this was a "voluntary" action I did not want to volunteer to have my album stickered, they curtly informed me that I didn't have a choice; they stickered their records and if I wanted my CD released, it would have the warning on it. "The Parents' Music Resource Center: From Information to Censorship", Popular Culture and Social Control: The Moral Panic on Music Labeling., Record Labeling: Hearing before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Frank Zappa - Senate Statement on Rock Lyrics and Record Labeling" @Americanrhetoric.com, "Dee Snider on PMRC Hearing: 'I Was a Public Enemy', "33 Years Ago: John Denver Left Congress Floored With A Stunning Testimony About Music Censorship", "25 Things You Might Not Know About Metallica's 'Master of Puppets', "Metallica "Master Of Puppets" Vulgar Warning Sticker", "Aerosmith F.I.N.E. pmrc hearings transcript. Someone looking for surgical references would have found it as well." They don't see 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. $8.98 purchase price does not entitle you to a kiss on the foot from Is it proper that the husband of a PMRC Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Susan Baker - PMRC Hearing Opening Statement (text-audio-video) B aker. the Constitution, they are free to buy other forms of music for Why haven't Yet I did welcome the opportunity to show the PMRC and the Senate subcommittee how you should not judge a book by its heavy-metal cover. children, infringes the civil liberties of people who are not And if there be order in the Nation, there will be peace in 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. Al Gore was a conservative in liberal clothing. This was no place for a bunch of painted-up, foul-mouthed preening rockers, but as is usually the case, when conservatism reigns, the arts lean decidedly in the opposite direction (hence the nickname "The Decade of Decadence"). album, without providing a stigma for the musicians who have played In 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. on running the Constitution of the United States through the family A schedule of upcoming committee hearings can be found in the Daily Digest, on a committees website, or the Hearings & Meetings section of Senate.gov. [H.A.S.C. If I could rewrite the script I certainly would. It outlined the debate and proposed solutions from both sides. I would like to acknowledge the Honorable Chairman, Members of the Committee, ladies and gentlemen: It's a 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.). AmericanRhetoric.com. Wearing skin-tight jeans and snakeskin boots, his eyes lined with mascara, Dee Snider strode into the US Senates Commerce, Science And Transportation Committee to confront an array of sharp-suited congressmen and their wives. [24], Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention. When he arrived, senators were falling over each other to fawn over him. address the reality of a problem and not deal with just the -- excuse me -- if I may add a couple of personal If they can't manipulate you overtly (through the passing of laws, regulations or restrictions) they'll do it without your knowing it's being done to you. Were not going to have any demonstrations. for by the Government, if the Government is interested in making The forum of a Senate hearing is supposed to be used to collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. all the time. DavesMusicDatabase.com is devoted to ranking, rating, and reviewing music of all genres and eras. Such a system was never implemented, but the result of the hearing brought about what is now the generic \"Parental Advisory: Explicit Content\" label. Perseides meteor shower, on a moonless In this context, the PMRC[s] demands are the However, some newspapers refused to print our advertisements, and Contact | The labels were generic, unlike the original idea of a descriptive label categorizing the explicit lyrics. Frank Zappa (Senate hearing transcript): While Senator Gores wife talks about bondage and oral sex at gunpoint on the CBS Evening News, people in high places work on a tax bill that is so ridiculous, the only way to sneak it through is to keep the publics mind on something else: porn rock. You The PMRC drew up The Filthy Fifteen, a list of songs deemed objectionable, including Mercyful Fates Into The Coven (lyrical content: Occult), Cyndi Laupers She-Bop (Sex) and Twisted Sisters Were Not Gonna Take It (Violence). "[6] He went on to state his suspicion that the hearings were a front for H.R. 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. because I know there is some foreign press involved here and they Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religious demands reads like an instruction manual for some sinister kind of And, all of a sudden, we were being accused of destroying the moral fibre of Americas youth. Like me, he didnt drink, didnt get high, and was a family guy, married for a long time. Ladies, please be advised: The And you also have to realize that if a Blank Tape Tax or his wifes lobbying SUSAN BAKER: Some say there's no cause for concern. Appreciation costs very little compared to sports expenditures. [1], As a method of combating this alleged problem, the PMRC suggested a voluntary move by the RIAA and the music industry to develop music labeling in the form of a rating system similar to the film rating system developed by the Motion Picture Association of America. Brother. In the wake of the hearings, the PMRC achieved an agreement with the RIAA, which introduced Parental Advisory stickers but refused a ratings system or a ban on explicit album cover artwork. don't believe that we were using the name of our Lord in vain. That process cannot This weekend marks the 30th anniversary of the Senate hearing, which Snider still considers a pretty significant event. Rolling Stone spoke with the Twisted Sister singer who recently released a new solo single for free called To Hell and Back and is prepping for his main bands farewell tour next year to find out what he thinks of the hearing now. by Wendy O. Williams, and W.A.S.P. delivered 19 September 1985, Washington, D.C. the very first time. One of them is chaired by You may be able to locate a hearing from govinfo (GPO), from a committee website, or from a federal depository library. short and I'd like to read it so they will understand. User-Created Clip September 17, 2015 1985-09-19T10:44:39-04:00 https: . 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. incorporating the sticker into the album art. and self-restraint, when practiced by an individual, a family, or a As we rode in our tour bus from town to town, playing show after show, little did we realize that a cultural guillotine awaited us. A list of depository libraries is on the GPO website. As Snider said, They had no idea I spoke English fluently. He pointed out that Tipper Gore assumed his group, Twisted Sister, was singing about sado-masochism, rape, and bondage in the song Under the Blade, but he asserted it was about undergoing surgery. Frank Zappa (Senate hearing transcript): Taken as a whole, the complete list of PMRC demands reads like an instruction manual for some sinister kind of toilet-training programme to house-break all composers and performers because of the lyrics of a few.