Tuesday, August 7, 2007
America, the beautiful?
So, I've been living in Berlin now for about six months and you really get a good (well, unsettling) perspective on America from this great a distance. You start to see how identical the Bushies are running things to the Stasi of Cold War East Berlin. Warrentless wiretapping, building walls along the borders, ...
What struck me today is there is this song, that was #1 on several European music charts, peaked at #3 on the German Singles Chart and was released more than a year and a half ago. And no, it's not some crazy house music by an obscure European band. Its the song "Dear Mr. President" by American artist, Pink.
Here's a link to a video and lyrics: http://becauseimaddicted.blogspot.com/2007/07/pink-dear-mr-president.html
What struck me most about this song is that it is almost ever-present on the radio here. I could turn on the radio right now and bet I could find it, but to my disbelief, no one I talked to in the States had ever heard of it.
So, it's pretty obvious to me that the Republican-backed Clear Channel Communications, which owns almost all the big media outlets in America has had it blacklisted. I can't help imagining what would happen to someone like Vietnam War era Bob Dylan or John Lennon in a political landscape like we have today.
So, lets use our last front of freedom, the internet, and at least give it a listen and pass it to a couple friends. And while you're at it, see Das Leben der Anderen The Lives of Others.
What struck me today is there is this song, that was #1 on several European music charts, peaked at #3 on the German Singles Chart and was released more than a year and a half ago. And no, it's not some crazy house music by an obscure European band. Its the song "Dear Mr. President" by American artist, Pink.
Here's a link to a video and lyrics: http://becauseimaddicted.blogspot.com/2007/07/pink-dear-mr-president.html
What struck me most about this song is that it is almost ever-present on the radio here. I could turn on the radio right now and bet I could find it, but to my disbelief, no one I talked to in the States had ever heard of it.
So, it's pretty obvious to me that the Republican-backed Clear Channel Communications, which owns almost all the big media outlets in America has had it blacklisted. I can't help imagining what would happen to someone like Vietnam War era Bob Dylan or John Lennon in a political landscape like we have today.
So, lets use our last front of freedom, the internet, and at least give it a listen and pass it to a couple friends. And while you're at it, see Das Leben der Anderen The Lives of Others.
Labels: America, Berlin, Bush, Pink, Stasi, travel
