I have to say that I am grateful for the enlightened thought that has gone on in this thread. Rarely get to participate on this level except at home with my wife. I know there's a lot to be discouraged about, but I guess there really are some things we can't do much about. But please let's don't take the political content out of music. When you play at a bar, and certainly at parties, nobody listens to you anyway. Only once did a woman get really angry at me, and that was when I sang a song called "Free Nelson Mandela" at a boutique opening. This was before he was freed and she lectured me and my mates severely saying we just didn't know what it was like over there. Didn't let it bother me. Other places people loved the song. What I was saying earlier about gangsta rap, however, I stand by. What has happened is that a whole lot of nutcases with no politics other than their pocketbooks have created a transparent "cause" out of thin air and attracted an awful lot of that block of people who don't vote. My students (in juvenile prison) seem to think it's a cause, but it's just not (much discussion of the primal nature of politics, crime, and causes might now ensue), and many of my students have and will continue to pay the ultimate price for the greed of these corporate pigs. My professional and much-considered advice: Keep it out of the hands and ears of YOUR children. The destructive force of this created culture is easy to underestimate. Which side am I on? Before I'll be a media slave I'll be buried in my grave. And be free.

Chet W.