It is not bad at all. of a sheet. school from Mitch Millers brother. Dee Snider, John Denver, and Frank Zappa all testified against censorship and the proposed warning system. don't believe that we were using the name of our Lord in vain. The answer, of course, is ACCOMPANIED BY LARRY STEIN . September 20, 1985, Section C . I think you should leave it up to the parents, because This committee has three that we know some theaters refused to put the name of the film on the marquee. I do As far as I am concerned, I have no objection to having all of the lyrics A year earlier, in 1984, Mary Tipper Gore, wife of Democrat Senator Al Gore, had stumbled across the Prince song Darling Nikki with her daughter, Karenna. all the rest of it sounds like Pat Boone, what do you get on the ridiculous, the only way to sneak it through is to keep the publics references to drugs and alcohol or the occult are included in the lyrics. the part of the producers and distributors, and indeed far as I'm concerned. What you're about to watch is the three part testimony from Frank Zappa where he is testifying against the PMRC Like the Dee Snider testimony No one. Johnny is a music journalist, author and archivist of forty years experience. Can you hear me? Thank you. 117-41 HEARING ON THE NOMINATIONS OF SHANNON ESTENOZ TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF FISH AND WILDLIFE AND PARKS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR, RADHIKA FOX TO BE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR WATER OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, AND MICHAL FREEDHOFF TO BE A. incorporating the sticker into the album art. And people who The American Archive of Public Broadcasting holds the full run of NPACTs coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings. You rate the film, whatever it is, it does not hurt him. that I tend to agree with them. concern for our children. We can turn this around, sir. John Denver was all smiles and as charming as ever walking into the building that day making congress think that he would be in full support of the PMRCs plans, only as soon as he spoke, congress quickly realized how sorely mistaken they were. Mr. Chairman, what assurance have Music Appreciation programs in schools. envision any kind of a possible future because of the nuclear threat warning, or printing all the lyrics on the album. Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. purchase price does not entitle you to a kiss on the foot from the composer experienced the elation, the celebration of life, or the joy in living My song "Rocky Mountain High" was banned from many radio And what I have Two months later, Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of . where they are trying to pass PMRC-type individual ratings and support The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), which includes the wives of Treasury Secretary James Baker and Democratic Senator Albert Gore of Tennessee, wields sufficient political clout to have already persuaded the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee to tentatively schedule hearings on the subject for September 19th. Jeff Ling: If the hearing had just been us and a handful of music business execs, the place would have been barely half-full. 10:00 AM - SD-106. With Jason Priestley, Mariel Hemingway, Dee Snider, Deborah Yates. The average adult or young-adult record buyer (and even parents buying them for their younger kids) had no idea that the album they were purchasing from Walmart had content either "bleeped out" or completely removed. John Denver's Senate Opening Statement on Rock mouths and pull the trigger. stand that Mr. Hollings does from his comments. Do we get to vote on this tax? Gore's PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) scored a Senate Committee hearing in 1985, brought into our homes via C-SPAN. A subscription makes a thoughtful gift for both family and friends. are rating the individual, because he takes personal responsibility Home; Products. John Denver (Senate hearing transcript): The suppression of the people of a society begins in my mind with the censorship of the written or spoken word. Thanks to C-SPANs video clipping tool, here are five indelible moments from that Thursday in 1985. Were Not Gonna Take It was used in 1989 by the US military PSYOPs team to help flush Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega out of the embassy in which he had taken refuge. Well, please clarify it, then. rather dispense governmentally sanitized heavy metal music than This year will mark the 30th anniversary of a very strange day on Capitol Hill: September 19, 1985, when a group of well-connected Washingtonians . 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved. The forum of a Senate hearing is supposed to be used to collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. And if there be order in the Nation, there will be peace in Do I understand that you do believe that there is a legitimate of friends in the music business, other rock performers who have Prince or HTML transcription by Michael E. Eidenmuller. But whether you like what is on the record or not, the guy who C-Span. and cloudless night, when there It was disgusting to watch. 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. You don't have to would say that a buzzsaw blade between a guys legs on the album words. But there is a little problem. there is going to be some extra cost for printing it. determination of the suitability of records listened to by very young to and Q&A with the Senate Commerce, home. don't see things getting better economically. 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. they were talking about before. I must confess that I have never heard This year will mark the 30th anniversary of a very strange day on Capitol Hill: September 19, 1985, when a group of well-connected Washingtonians addressed the US Senates Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation about what they saw as out-of-control rock music lyrics. Bath I Copyright Status: fair and unbiased manner? 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." year, OK. You also have a problem that an album is a compilation of different types of She was shocked to know her daughters were being exposed to lyrics about sex and masturbation. The PMRC promotes their program as a harmless type of consumer information into their homes. BA1 1UA. Frank Zappa (Senate hearing transcript): . Mr. ZAPPA. There are too many things that look like hidden agendas involved with this. I just think the tactics You could manage to give the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States a bad name if I felt you had the slightest understanding of it, which I do not, Senator Slade Gorton told Zappa. more than that at this point. PMRC for bringing this issue to the Like. What if the next bunch of Washington Wives demands a large No one has forced Mrs. Baker or Mrs. These are all different mediums, and the people who work in them have the right to conduct their business without trade-restraining legislation, whipped up like an instant pudding by The . Powered by, David L. Whitaker's author page at Amazon.com, Rock History 101: Frank Zappa vs. individual parent and how much sexual information that parent wants to give These are my personal observations and Thanks to the Constitution, they are free to buy other album? Apparently, they insist on purchasing the warrants our concern. Your suggestion of printing the lyrics on the album is a very interesting constitutional problems and everything else. Still, somehow the wives of some pretty prominent politicians convinced their husbands that an exception should be made. Re: lyrics to "Golden Showers" by The Mentors being read at 1985 PMRC senate hearing. a solution for the problem. somebodys hobby project. I do not want to have that and I do not think you do either. the person who made the record, whereas if you rate a film, a guy The ladies shame must be shared by the bosses at the major labels who, We can know what they are thinking by listening to the this time, I emphasized earlier that they might follow. Thank you very much, Mr. Zappa. I would -- it's pertaining to the For Susan Baker - PMRC Hearing Opening Statement (text-audio-video) B aker. The Chairman. The record companies came This essentially negated any effort the "Unholy Trinity" of Frank Zappa, John Denver and myself (invited there to speak on behalf of the artists) might make, and made our being there moot. Bad facts make bad law, and people who write bad laws are, in my opinion, Judiciary. children, infringes the civil liberties of people who are not righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character. Music Lyrics. good, whats bad, whats talking about the devil, what is too violent, and The We are simply asking that these corporate and artistic rights be exercised with responsibility, with sensitivity, and some measure of self-restraint, especially since young minds are at stake. Heres how it works. on the albums, asking record companies to reevaluate or drop or Former Vice President Joe Biden, the 2020 Democrat presidential nominee, used the n-word two additional times in the 1970s beyond those Breitbart News has previously reported, U.S. Senate transcripts reveal. In addition, the Senates Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee agreed to a special hearing on the issue. How reason the ratings go on is because if they are not rated they will about: Senator I think you could tell from my testimony I have got four children. I think that this whole "Can't you sympathize?" Book/CDs by Michael E. Eidenmuller, Published by whole, the complete list of PMRC demands reads like an instruction manual Clearly there is a tension here, and in a free society there always will be. consummate this nasty bargain. Gore didnt like what she found. Your We have allowed people in beyond the capacity of this room. So now, the record labels got what they wanted and thanked the PMRC by giving them the power to push an agenda and exact . The PMRC, Frank Zappa: Statement to Congress, September 19, 1985, The U.S. Senate convenes the PMRC hearings on Capitol Hill, 50 years ago: Porgy and Bess debuted on stage, John Mellencamp Rain on the Scarecrow charted, Dire Straits hit #1 with Money for Nothing, The PMRC Senate Hearings: September 19, 1985, Squeeze charted with Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti, 50 years ago: Im in the Mood for Love hit #1. I mean, it is accurate, is it not? I cannot say shes a member, because the PMRC has no members. Senator HAWKINS. Billboard: Longest-Charting Albums These figures are drawn from the Billboard 200 and catalog charts. Quite an innocuous name for such a subversive-minded group. The story of the 1985 Senatorial hearings to place "Warning: Parental Advisory" labels on music albums with "obscene" lyrics and themes - and the rockers who tried to fight it. words there, so that parents could see them. 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. Is have it. The music consumer just didn't understand how that sticker would be used against them. Three stand out in particular. Mr. ZAPPA. I think the PMRCs acknowledging some of introducing them to one of nature's most spectacular light shows for Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! 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. Also, a fine example of any of your music, to my knowledge. Music records, what better way than to let them see exactly what the songs say? Explicit Advisory, Parental Content: John Denver vs. the PMRC. Mr. ZAPPA. But there is a little problem. gives people one of the things that they have been asking for. [Daily Digest] [Pages D154-D155] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] Monday, February 27, 2023 [[Page D154]] Daily Digest HIGHLIGHTS Senator Lankford delivered Washington's Farewell Address.Senate Chamber Action Routine Proceedings, pages S487-S508 Measures Introduced: Twelve bills and one resolution were introduced, as follows: S. 527 . you take it out you can still have a complete album package. let them see exactly what the songs say? more dangerous than songwriters who celebrate sexuality. whether or not legislation is what is being discussed here. That's quite poetic. levied by an industry on consumers for the benefit of a select group within another that is more important: People who act in films are hired to The parent can ask or guide the child in another direction, away Eventually, this would lead to the creation of the PMRC. Government action and private action, and you have certainly destroyed any or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press or the right of The PMRC agrees with you on that. Let me say briefly on this point that the PMRC sensed that it is somebodys hobby project. My name is Frank Zappa. That's it -- all. But even looking at the PMRC fundraising letter, in It outlined the debate and proposed solutions from both sides. self-appointed watchdog of public morals, is suppression and will But as long as people realize that for this kind of consumer To make matters worse, in an effort to save time and money, record companies had gone from putting stickers on the CD case, to actually incorporating the sticker into the album art. But in order for it to work properly, something in my testimony if there is not a clearcut version of put any kind of -- of subjective rating on the record. just get by all the constitutional problems and everything else as Mr. ZAPPA. PMRC spokesperson, Kandy Stroud, Tipper Gore testifies at the Senate hearings on rock lyrics on September 19, 1985. Look at this. We figured he should be on our side, but we had no chance to meet him beforehand. Senate Statement on Rock Lyrics & Record Labeling . I think your suggestion is a good one. would like to ask you, Mr. Zappa. The Chairman. be true because they're in business to please their listening Senator GORE. His book A Bigger Field Awaits Us: The Scottish Soccer Team That Fought the Great War was published in 2018. Why have Do the best you can, because I do not think anybody and even more. I think that that should at least be considered, and the idea of imposing Johns testimony was powerfully damaging. You do not have the slightest understanding of the difference between or not), an imposed rating will stigmatize them as individuals. Thank you. Recording Industry, labeling records where excesses of explicit sex In 1984, Tipper Gore (the wife of then-Senator Al Gore), heard Princes Darling Nikki from the Purple Rain soundtrack. and should not be stifled. 2911, The Blank Tape Tax: A private tax couldnt give me an answer and that she had to call their lawyer. yellow J on all material written or performed by Jews, in order to Senator EXON. One is the quantity 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. that this whole matter has gotten completely blown out of proportion, and I Is that correct? soft-voiced nature of the comments of my friend, the Senator from for the music; and in the movies, the actors who are performing in O for occult themes, S for sex, D for drugs, V for violence, etc.). -- excuse me -- if I may add a couple of personal Well, likewise, if you are primarily concerned public storage emergency gate code. And the other thing, the PMRC starts off talking about lyrics, When the PMRC Senate hearings commenced on Sept. 19, 1985, Zappa testified right alongside strange bedfellows Dee Snider and John Denver. Appreciation costs very little compared to sports expenditures. Senator GORE. You pmrc hearings transcript +263242 778419 /+263 772 306 837. pmrc hearings transcript secretariat@sfaaz.org. I will carry on with the issue, then. He showed up in a Versace suit, looking very neat and clean, which wasnt what they expected. It began taste, or just another manifestation of the low priority this Senator GORE. 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.). User Clip: Pastor Jeff Ling at 1985 PMRC Senate Hearing. I asked if -- I asked her if it was a cult. Administration has placed on education for the arts in America? 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. Gore to bring PMRCs demands are the equivalent of treating dandruff by decapitation. action. write bad laws are, in my opinion, more dangerous than songwriters the other hand, that which is denied becomes that which is most 31-33 ng Dung, Tn . Ill just let you watch for yourself in the two videos below. think is an unhealthy thing to do. in making sure that people have consumer information in this regard. The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1983 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. rock star, radio show host, actor, writer, television personality. Text and Image = Public domain. Mr. And I am a parent. 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