Frank Zappa on Crossfire (1986)

[Fe 26]

I don't really care what people do with their own stuff. If a person or company feels the need to label their stuff, great.

I just don't agree with the idea of forcing a rating system. I personally do not feel that sort of thing is the responsability of the government.

But you know, I don't agree with people that children are fragile little eggs either. Kids are tuffer than people give them credit for. Horrible things used to happen to people all the time (I wonder what sort of mental affects living through the Black Death causes a child) and we as a species got through it all. Hell think of all the filth that is on a typical bus ride to school, and yet we are all ok. A few words and some imagery only hurt those that are already desturbed imo. It takes something like war, constant abuse, and rape to break a normal human being.

[gamevet]

I don't really care what people do with their own stuff. If a person or company feels the need to label their stuff, great.

I just don't agree with the idea of forcing a rating system. I personally do not feel that sort of thing is the responsability of the government.

Since when was a rating system something the government came up with?

The movie rating system is a voluntary system sponsored by the Motion Picture Association of America and the National Association of Theatre Owners to provide parents with advance information on films, enabling the parent to make judgments on movies they want or don't want their children to see.

You may not agree with a rating system, but it does help to keep government officials from doing what John (?) is doing in this video. At least the MPA can say that they warned of the content of a film and the only person to blaim is the parent/theater, for not taking the time to read the warnings.

The same can be applied to music, that now has warnings of explicit material. During the time this debate was filmed, no such warnings were in existance.

[Fe 26]

Since when was a rating system something the government came up with?



You may not agree with a rating system, but it does help to keep government officials from doing what John (?) is doing in this video. At least the MPA can say that they warned of the content of a film and the only person to blaim is the parent/theater, for not taking the time to read the warnings.

The same can be applied to music, that now has warnings of explicit material. During the time this debate was filmed, no such warnings were in existance.

i was talking about the ideas in the video. I realize that it isn't currently law.

As for back then and not having a rating system. Anyone that was worried about twisted sister causing an increase in incest or breaking America is an idiot.

[gamevet]

As for back then and not having a rating system. Anyone that was worried about twisted sister causing an increase in incest or breaking America is an idiot.

They were talking about Zappa's song, not Twisted Sister.

You're probably too young to remember that era of music, but Metal was receiving a huge backlash because of it's content back in the day. Metal was percieved as nothing more than Satanic music, with bands like Motley Crue (Shout at the Devil album) and Iron Maiden being percieved as bands that were influencing teens to join the occult. Then you had Judas Priest in court over a song that supposedly influenced teens to commit suicide.

Another angle was against musicians expressing sexual content in their music, with the likes of George Michael (I want your sex) and Madonna (wearing evening wear as an outfit). Zappa's song apparently fit into this category.

It wasn't until Gangsta Rap hit the scene, that the record industry decided a rating system was needed to get the politicians off of their backs.

[YellerDog]

They never did quite get the "ratings system" for music in the end. We got "Parental Warning Explicit Lyrics", but it's hardly the same as an incrimental system.

Here's a long read, but it's rather awesome. http://downlode.org/Etext/zappa.html

Zappa's statement to Congress, 9/19/85

[Fe 26]

They were talking about Zappa's song, not Twisted Sister.

actually no, I'm pretty sure they were talking about a Prince song in the video. And twisted sister was attacked back then for "destroying american values" for the violance in their videos.

Apparently parents worried that kids would get the wild idea to blow up their teachers like in "we're not going to take it."

[Calliander]

Iron Maiden being percieved as bands that were influencing teens to join the occult.

I'm not sure about Motley Crue, but Iron Maiden's lyrics tend to border on highly religious in most of their songs. That's why it was funny when parents attacked them, especially. It's like, you don't want us hearing lyrics like, "There's got to be just more to it than this or tell me why do we exist?" No athiest rebel in his right mind agrees with that line.

EDIT: And yeah, in the first video they were talking solely about that one Prince song where he's singing about incest.