10/13/2006

protest and pop music

I caught Get Up! Stand Up! The Story of Pop and Protest on PBS last night. Really fascinating stuff. It was a history of protest and music in American history. I only wish the exploration in more recent years had been more indepth. It weighed heavy on the 60's but then by the '90s the protest side of the music seemed far less effectual. The point was made that the larger issues came out as the money rolled in (for LiveAid and We Are the World) but only served to raise simple awareness. It ends with Bono and the One project and the question "What can rock stars really accomplish?" That is perhaps this generations' question as it concerns music and political awareness. The show could have ventured another half hour into that topic.

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