The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?

Subject: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: topical tom
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 04:15 PM

In the present day when there is so much to protest where are these songs and singers? Is there a reason for their seeming demise? I recently listened to a good example by Robin and Linda Williams entitled "We don't Want Your Pipeline". Do you have other examples or a reason for the disappearance of this genre or am I just imagining the scarcity of these songs?

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: Mark Ross
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 04:19 PM

Check out David Rovics and Roy Zimmerman.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: topical tom
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 04:47 PM

This is the song I mentioned:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77V_X00XwVU

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: topical tom
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 05:54 PM

I was aware of Roy Zimmerman but not David Rovics. Thanks for turning me on to him. He is a great singer. In some quarters protest still survives!

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 08:18 PM

here in Australia we have songwriters like Paul Spencer, the team of Peter Hicks & Geoff Francis, The Lurkers, John Warner,
Jenny Fitzgibbon and these are just among my friends

there are many more ...

sandra

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,#
Date: 19 Dec 14 - 08:18 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul3prFteA68

There's a new one, Tom.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: Jason Xion Wang
Date: 20 Dec 14 - 01:49 AM

I believe I've heard a rap singer singing "Fuck Bush".

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 20 Dec 14 - 02:01 AM

A Rap singer? An oxymoron, surely?

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,Jim Knowledge
Date: 20 Dec 14 - 06:56 AM

I `ad that Dylan Robertsman in my cab the other day. `e was looking quite exhausted, as if `ed just spent a day round the shops.
I said, "Morning Dude. What`s up then? You just done your Christmas shopping and discovered you`ve forgot Aunt Maud?"
`e said, "Nah Jim. I just spent a long time with one of them protest singers. Fair worn me out, `e `as."
I said, "Go on then. What was `e protesting about?"
`e said, "Well, `e`s going to write songs about the evils of "fracking and drilling for oil, diesel air pollution and airport expansion for starters."
I said, " Blimey. All this in some folk club, was it?"
`e said, "Nah, we shared a taxi after we`d sat together on a long `aul flight from `ong Kong to `eathrow!!"


Whaddam I Like??

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: Jason Xion Wang
Date: 20 Dec 14 - 11:13 AM

Ahh yeah... A rapper.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,Ed
Date: 20 Dec 14 - 11:37 AM

"A Rap singer? An oxymoron, surely?"

Backwoodsman,

You don't really know what oxymoron means do you? It is NOT synonymous with contradiction, which is what I assume you meant.

I'm guessing that you were trying to be amusing? You weren't.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,#
Date: 20 Dec 14 - 01:31 PM

No Fracking Way - Leo Sayer's CSG protest song

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1990309/no-fracking-way-leo-sayers-csg-protest-song/

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Dec 14 - 06:23 PM

"Trayvon Martin" by Lil' Scrappy:
"I feel like they keep beating me...
I feel this all so vividly
I'm losing my identity...
I'm Trayvon Martin"

"Dollar Day" by Mos Def is about Katrina:
"Mr. President is a natural ass
He out treating niggas like they treat the trash"

"Tell The Children" by Tink is about Michael Brown:
"King died for us niggas living in poverty
Fifty years later we still don't have equality, it bothers me"

Etc.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,Rahere
Date: 20 Dec 14 - 07:07 PM

There are two reasons there's less protest:
1. The Old School who were such a pain in the butt in the 50s and tried to carry it on into the 60s had to be told where they got off - and that was two stops back.
2. Some of them carried on and became Thatcherites. They have about 4 months before the last of them retires, but in the mean time they put a generation into a position where nobody could afford to protest and NuLab locked them into that position.
But first there has to be a head of steam built up. It's happening, Dolphin Square and the failure to pass economic recovery down, this Spring could get heated.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,Jerome Clark
Date: 20 Dec 14 - 08:45 PM

The finest folk-protest song I've heard this year is Richard Thompson's "That's Enough" on the new Thompson Family album on Fantasy.

Not only morally powerful in its excoriation of accelerating income equality, but a damn fine song, period.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 21 Dec 14 - 04:52 AM

It's a very interesting question. certainly in tims of recession protest songs flourished particularly in democratic countries like Britain and the U.S.A. I think because in those days there were still enough politicians of principle that they could be influenced to produce social change. I'm not Knowledgeable enough to comment on U.S politics, but certainly here in the UK, most politicians are so utterly right wing and corrupt, and anti poor while being incredibly pro rich, that people simply don't feel those in power are capable of listening or caring any more. We are simply in the grip of dictatorship just like many third world countries. So what's the point of protest when you know it's falling on deaf ears!

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,John from Kemsing
Date: 21 Dec 14 - 05:47 AM

It`s all very well protesting about "income equality" but, in many cases, we are our own creators of such situations. I, as many others do, like the game of football but I certainly do not consciously contribute to the fortunes of those playing on the world field, sponsored by commercial television, sales and the like. Remember, if people weren`t willing to pay for it we would not see income offers of £70,000 PER WEEK being considered in-sufficient. Come on. It`s time to wake up and smell the coffee.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,Jerome Clark
Date: 21 Dec 14 - 12:13 PM

... er, I meant "accelerating income _in_equality," not its opposite.
If only, alas, that opposite were true.

Meantime, if you're so inclined and it's any comfort to you, look up Richard Thompson's song.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 21 Dec 14 - 06:40 PM

In answer to Topical Tom, I think there ARE still plenty of people writing protest songs: I base this view on what I hear from various songwriters I know. OK they may not be megastar world-famous singers, but subjects from bankers to food banks, military conflicts, fracking, profiteering, independence (or not!), Facebook - you name it, anything you can protest about, they do it!
Oh, and I wrote one about getting an erroneous parking ticket. (They eventually admitted it had been issued incorrectly!)
Protest songs are definitely not dead.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: topical tom
Date: 21 Dec 14 - 07:22 PM

Thanks, Tattie Bogle. You and the other posters have convinced me that the genre survives. I just have to look further abroad for the songs.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: Northerner
Date: 22 Dec 14 - 06:34 AM

There is definitely material out there. I wrote a poem about the litter problem recently - a rhyming poem and it has a chorus too. Simply haven't put a tune to it. It's called "My Middlesbrough Town" and has gone down well at local folk clubs.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 22 Dec 14 - 02:39 PM

m: GUEST,John from Kemsing
What has sport got to do with the Mistreatment of the sick & jpoor by Tory & Lib Dem politicians!?

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,Anne Neilson
Date: 22 Dec 14 - 03:30 PM

I wonder if anyone else thinks that a protest song should first of all be specific, located to a particular event or occasion, in order to make an impact.

And then, when there are enough different arguments being heard in the public domain, would come the time for the over-arching summations which become the anthems for a future, better world.

Seems to me that songs like 'Patience Kershaw', 'The Moving-on Song', 'The Blue Tar Road' etc. have to be the starting point, giving the reality of people's lives with a combination of real detail and emotion. And -- eventually -- from those will come a song which calls for a proper and humane approach to forward planning.
SO, I would say that we need umpteen songs about food banks, work suitability assessments and their effects, fracking, the Bedroom Tax, bankers' bonuses etc. etc. -- in the hope that we will also inspire one song like 'The Freedom Come-All-Ye'.

Having said all that, I have to confess that I have no talent of my own for exposing all the many inequalities of our society, so would like to encourage those creatives to keep forging on -- with a focus on detail and singability.
To me, a fine example would be 'Which Side Are You On?'

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: topical tom
Date: 22 Dec 14 - 04:49 PM

you make a fine argument, Anne. Your stand on specific targets and the method of carrying on the struggle are well thought out indeed. "Which side are You On" is a stirring anthem for the protest movement.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,Rahere
Date: 22 Dec 14 - 05:38 PM

I think the starting point is to dispose of the old affiliations. It'll hurt, but can you really believe that Miliband's Labour has anything in common with the common man when they still dance to a Tory fiddler? That you can was implicit in Desi C's reply, but you must always count your fingers after dealing with politicians of any shape or form and I'm pretty sure he's short a few. Can Labour be recovered to do the job it should be doing, speaking for the common man in a dialogue with business? Not until they clear out the current wave of Blair's children.

No, I have no answer on who to deal with in their stead, either. The answer has to be to recognise we're back in the situation the Labour Party was in in 1900, and start over. Not nice, but when you're dealing with turncoats you have to sweep clean, and only a new brush does that.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Dec 14 - 07:55 PM

Robb Johnson has been writing ALL sorts of protest songs for at least three decades and doesn't look like stopping in the near future . Following on from his slagging off of Thatcherism , with the New Labour landslide in 1997 someone asked him what he he would write now - His reply was " I'll just change the names!"

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 22 Dec 14 - 07:59 PM

That was me - This silly thing logs me out too damn quickly !!

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Dec 14 - 10:01 PM

I sing more protest songs now than I ever did and more to come.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,Desi C
Date: 23 Dec 14 - 07:05 AM

Re GUEST,Rahere
I have no idea what Labour or milliband has to do with my post. Except like a typical Tory you seem to be suggesting I was somehow campaigning for the Labour party. I am certainly not and I'm not a member of any political ilk. As you obviously are, it's clear anything else I could say would fall on very deaf ears, nuff said!

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Dec 14 - 10:19 AM

Robb Johnson was a fine protest singer.

Subject: RE: The Protest Song-A Vanishing Breed?
From: GUEST,Rahere
Date: 23 Dec 14 - 12:35 PM

Desi, I'm against ALL forms of the current political system - none represents our democratic values properly. I'd like to see a balanced solution capable of looking after the interests of the Nation as a whole, not one sector alone - banking, say, or Capital, or workers - but one which gets the lot working together to ensure a rising tide lifts all boats. What we should not be seeing is holes being deliberately knocked in the hulls of some, so they will only float on lead, nor others being pumped full of gas - and both parties have done both.
The impoverished will not improve unless employed, and that needs signifcant capital. The flows of a business need buffering to smooth out the ebbs and flows of normal trading, and that is what banking should do. But bankers are not banking, and employers are not employing, and it is the fault of the governors and governments over a good few years that that is not happening. If it does not happen, then we will drop into a Japanese-style circular recession, through lack of inspiration and alternatives. Business cannot act withjut markets, and if you starve the people, then you starve the market.
The problem lies in not encouraging parasitism. Anyone would love to get by without doing anything - indeed, it's a reproach I half make to myself about retiring early, were it not for the huge and ongoing contributions I can point to having made to the economy during my career, and were it not for what I have done in retirement, which has been described as a trillion-pound idea. In this, I follow in the steps of my father, who got medical implant technology working - have enough to live on, don't take from others who have less and need to come up.
Another angle on parasitism is greed - such as overpricing in the pharmaceutical industry on the supposed ground of reinvesting in research, which somehow never happened. That is a very capitalist failing. We're starting to seriously shame individuals, so perhaps it's time to recover the Stool of Repentance, maybe not in Church, but in public, in railway mainline stations, places where the population goes to. You've heard me talk about treating abuse of office as an aggravated offence, too, escalating the punishment. Yet at the same time we see subtle moves being taken to suppress the Child Abuse enquiry, as revenge for not allowing the setups that were tried. Nobody's yet naming names, but we should start looking at who tried to twist the system, nominating the people who've had to go.