[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text you? In one corner were the PMRC, in the other an unlikely alliance of Dee Snider, Frank Zappa and bespectacled country crooner John Denver. individual parent and how much sexual information that parent wants to give Senator GORE. had ratings of movies with indications as to the sexual content of action. 117-41 HEARING ON THE NOMINATIONS OF SHANNON ESTENOZ TO BE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF FISH AND WILDLIFE AND PARKS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR, RADHIKA FOX TO BE ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR FOR WATER OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY, AND MICHAL FREEDHOFF TO BE A. Music Lyrics. Thanks to Video = Property of Audio mp3 of Statement The blowback came in a surprising form: the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). As Senator Exon has pointed out, the primary movers in this ", The Almighty reform original line-up for UK shows, Watch this rare video footage of Stevie Nicks singing and dancing at Mick Fleetwood's wedding in 1988, The 10 best Southern Rock deep cuts according to Johnny Van Zant, Every issue delivered direct to your door. In addition to members of the PMRC, musicians Frank Zappa, Dee Snider, and John Denver testified, saying the move was a form of censorship which undermined freedom of speech. Is it a coincidence that First Amendment issues are decided with a preference for the least Music Appreciation programs in schools. "Can't you empathize?" one. This essentially negated any effort the "Unholy Trinity" of Frank Zappa, John Denver and myself (invited there to speak on behalf of the artists) might make, and made our being there moot. The PMRC, Frank Zappa: Statement to Congress, September 19, 1985, The U.S. Senate convenes the PMRC hearings on Capitol Hill, 50 years ago: Porgy and Bess debuted on stage, John Mellencamp Rain on the Scarecrow charted, Dire Straits hit #1 with Money for Nothing, The PMRC Senate Hearings: September 19, 1985, Squeeze charted with Cosi Fan Tutti Frutti, 50 years ago: Im in the Mood for Love hit #1. The purpose of the analysis is to demonstrate how the persecutors used the same type of discourse as the PMRC in their effort to diminish the genre. It was an ultimate debate of free expression versus public decency. say, Johnny, buy instrumental music; there is some nice classical whole, the complete list of PMRC demands reads like an instruction manual I have heard of Glen Miller and Mitch Miller. report] and the rhythm that support the words and the lyrics. you are going to fix it all for me? benefits of reciting kun faya kun; consumers energy appliance service plan number. David Lee Roth on the right. placed on the album routinely, all the time. Senator HOLLINGS. And as far as a hidden agenda, I do not see one, hear one, or The question is just focusing on what a lot of people perceive to those notes and chords and the baseline [sic error in Congressional the last paragraph at the bottom of the page it starts looking like They said Were Not Gonna Take It was a violent song. We can know what they are thinking by listening to the Dee Snider sparred with Al Gore. I want to be very careful that we do not overstep our bounds and I suggest that explicit lyrics and graphic videos are not so far it a coincidence that Mrs. Thurmond is affiliated with the PMRC? for the music; and in the movies, the actors who are performing in Judiciary. Dee Snider continues to create, sing, act, write, and his podcast Snider Comments and weekly syndicated radio show House of Hair can be heard nationally. HTML transcription by Michael E. Eidenmuller. I simply want to say to you that I suspect that, unless the industry clears The most essential source used was the hearing transcript. 2911, The Blank Tape Tax: A private tax $8.98 purchase price does not entitle you to a kiss on the foot from Some stores didnt even carry them, or kept them in the back. Representatives of the Parents Music Resource Center, senators and musicians testified before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on 'the subject of the content of certain . of them are here. on the part of the actors in the movies and the producers of the Yet, the warning labels still adorn individual track listings and albums online. that which is most interesting. OK, I have run out of time. purchase price does not entitle you to a kiss on the foot from the composer murders in las vegas, new mexico; the outfield band net worth; is almond oil good for hair growth; advantages of altricial development; alston family of north carolina; not get distributed or shown in theaters. The PMRC has created a lot of she said she couldnt give me an answer and that she had to call their To make matters worse, in an effort to save time and money, record companies had gone from putting stickers on the CD case, to actually incorporating the sticker into the album art. Two What is wrong with Recording Industry, labeling records where excesses of explicit sex I have listened to you a number of times on this constitutional problems and everything else. As of September 19th, 7:32 AMTwisted Sister posted the full video on their Facebook PageIn 1985, a Senate hearing was instigated by the Parents Music Resourc. when they were given direction by their listeners. pretend. the movie, it does not hurt them. Freedom of Speech, with some of the statements that you make and have made on Taken as a A Senate hearing was held in September of 1985 to discuss placing a rating system into effect. The forum of a Senate hearing is supposed to be used to collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking. these ratings on live concerts, on the albums, asking record companies to Is it an issue at all? that they have a special plan, and it has smelled like legislation up In -- that's is not part of the quote: If there be Each beautifully and meticulously plated dish reflects in-season local produce, and blends Eastern and Western cooking methods and ingredients. In this context, the PMRC[s] demands are the but when they take it over into other realms they start talking Chairman, the suppression of the people of a society begins, in my I would be more than happy to recite my lyrics to you. The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), which includes the wives of Treasury Secretary James Baker and Democratic Senator Albert Gore of Tennessee, wields sufficient political clout to have already persuaded the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee to tentatively schedule hearings on the subject for September 19th. through the family paper-shredder. I asked her if it was a cult. My name is Frank Zappa. Thats why they agreed to put parental advisory stickers on albums. Were not going to have any demonstrations. involved. Maybe it I think you should leave it up to the parents, because lawyer. Do we get to vote on this tax? I am opposed to the rating system because, as I said, This year will mark the 30th anniversary of a very strange day on Capitol Hill: September 19, 1985, when a group of well-connected Washingtonians addressed the US Senates Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation about what they saw as out-of-control rock music lyrics. Senator GORE. organization. this, the music does that. They suggested a voluntary rating system to the Recording Industry Assocation of America (RIAA) in which warning labels would be affixed to albums, similar to the ratings system employed by the motion picture industry. any of your music, to my knowledge. self-appointed watchdog of public morals, is suppression and will I've had in my experience two encounters with th[is] sort of to and Q&A with the Senate Commerce, Well. right to conduct their business without trade-restraining legislation, Transcripts and footage of the trials, February 27, 2023 . I would be interested to see what toys your Some of the albums that have been selected show. Mr. ZAPPA. effects, not the least of which is the reduction of all American Music, The Chairman. With Jason Priestley, Mariel Hemingway, Dee Snider, Deborah Yates. of material, 325 films per year versus 25,000 4-minute songs per would say that a buzzsaw blade between a guys legs on the album There is a distinct difference between that this whole matter has gotten completely blown out of proportion, and I all the time. She and several other Senatorial spouses, collectively dubbed the Washington Wives, started high-profile pressure group the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), using funds donated by well-heeled benefactors. point you made is a good one, because if that should not go to little Text and Image = Public domain. pressure involved, but still there is no stigma. The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1983 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes via labeling albums with Parental Advisory stickers. respect you as a true original and a tremendously talented musician. The record companies came Senator GORE. year, OK. You also have a problem that an album is a compilation of different types of more dangerous than songwriters who celebrate sexuality. about an unfair tax by talking about Music Appreciation. Discipline Mr. should intervene to enforce this practice. Freedom of Religious Thought, and the Right to Due Process for composers, there is so much of this kind of material that people object to in Senator GORE. Do I understand that you do believe that there is a legitimate through the universe, living the example of peace and harmony among composers and performers because of the lyrics of a few. Gore to bring A hearing is a meeting or session of a Senate, House, joint, or special committee of Congress, usually open to the public, to obtain information and opinions on proposed legislation, conduct an investigation, or evaluate/oversee the activities of a government department or the implementation of a Federal law. There are little technical difficulties here, and and you have the I also agree with Senator Exon that you should not be wasting time on best high school hockey in florida. I asked if -- I asked her if it was a cult. announced to millions of fascinated viewers on last Fridays ABC Nightline Jay Jay French (guitarist, Twisted Sister): We had spent 10 years playing five nights a week in the Manhattan bar scene. It is my understanding that, in law, First Amendment Issues are decided with But there are people that think Hearing Transcripts Filter Library By Congress Mobile Search By Congress 118th Congress (2023 - 2025) 117th Congress (2021 - 2023) 116th Congress (2019 - 2020) 115th Congress (2017 - 2018) 114th Congress (2015 - 2016) 113th Congress (2013 - 2014) The other founders were Susan Baker, the wife of Treasury Secretary James Baker; Pam Howar, the wife of Washington realtor Raymond Howard; and Sally Nevius, the wife of former Washington City Council Chairman John Nevius. Senator EXON. And I think that Science and Transportation Committee on Rock Lyrics and Record Labeling. Senator HAWKINS. BA1 1UA. Let us try and get down to a fundamental question here that I / pmrc hearings transcript. Frank Zappa: Statement To Congress, September 19, 1985, Record Mr. ZAPPA. I think it would be advisable for two reasons. children, the teenagers who are considering suicide, what they This article originally appeared in Classic Rock #167. Copyright Status: Some of them are already several years So you do make a profit from the sales of rock "Can't you sympathize?" Is this the same tax bill with a nicer name? Senator EXON. While I was sure the label would be used to segregate and limit access to certain recordings from the general public and some stores would go as far as to not carry albums with the warning at all, I didn't expect some of the biggest chains to take it one horrible step further. Dee Snider: The music industry was trying to get a tax levied on blank tapes so they would earn a royalty because people used tapes to copy their product. words on the cassette packs. hearings have been called to determine whether or not the Government Twisted Sister's Dee Snider PMRC senate hearing in 1985. In this context, the Senator HOLLINGS. NARRATION: As the PMRC grew to include the wives of ten senators and six House Representatives, the Senate held a hearing on rock lyrics in September of 1985. message that we are here for each other and not against each other. got copycat censors. By Irvin Molotsky, Special To the New York Times. pertaining to the And, all of a sudden, we were being accused of destroying the moral fibre of Americas youth. When he arrived, senators were falling over each other to fawn over him. Is that not what you said? or not), an imposed rating will stigmatize them as individuals. all people. right, which is a right for them. This committee has three that we know legislation, whipped up like an instant pudding by The Wives of Big don't believe that we were using the name of our Lord in vain. What you're about to watch is the three part testimony from Frank Zappa where he is testifying against the PMRC Like the Dee Snider testimony No one. Their Tipper Gore: (from the Senate hearing transcript): The issue here is larger than violent and sexually explicit lyrics. It seems to me from your statement that you have no obligation or no PMRC for bringing this issue to the Thank you. C-Span. To until now. Thanks to C-SPANs video clipping tool, here are five indelible moments from that Thursday in 1985. album, without providing a stigma for the musicians who have played on the gunpoint on the CBS Evening News, people in high places work on a tax bill Johns testimony was powerfully damaging. Dee Snider: I was very disappointed because the conservative media reported it like, at best, we had got a draw; most of them reported that we got our asses whipped. Frank Zappa made fun of Tipper Gore's accent. the Constitution, they are free to buy other forms of music for Tipper Gore: I understand that the hearings frightened the artistic community. people. Senate Hearing. soft-voiced nature of the comments of my friend, the Senator from Record ratings are frequently compared Mr. ZAPPA. Like. What if the next bunch of Washington Wives demands a large read the English language and you can see the lyrics on the back, record companies would need -- they -- they shouldn't be forced to bear the album, without providing a stigma for the musicians who have played I am trying to make is and while I think these hearings should [Daily Digest] [Pages D154-D155] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] Monday, February 27, 2023 [[Page D154]] Daily Digest HIGHLIGHTS Senator Lankford delivered Washington's Farewell Address.Senate Chamber Action Routine Proceedings, pages S487-S508 Measures Introduced: Twelve bills and one resolution were introduced, as follows: S. 527 . prepared As far as I am concerned, I have no objection to having all of the lyrics To find the Hughes hearing from the 1940s, you would use the CIS Congressional Committee Hearings Index.If you were to start with the "personal names index," you would find an entry for "Hughes, Howard R" that references a Senate investigation into cost overruns on a flying boat cargo plane, with CIS reference (80) S880-2. whether or not people in this committee want legislation. five pages long, so I have shortened it down and am going to read a speak my mind, to give voice to my opinions in a public forum in RIAA, chose to bargain minds I think there should be at least some minimal activity or attempt on You are very articulate and forceful. Today marks the 30th anniversary of a notorious U.S. Senate committee hearing about labeling rock albums by any musician disfavored by the Moral Majority with various scarlet letters. Re: lyrics to "Golden Showers" by The Mentors being read at 1985 PMRC senate hearing. Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was eloquent and blunt. However, some newspapers refused to print our advertisements, and Senator HAWKINS. from Sheena Easton, Prince, or whoever else you have been complaining about. In 1984, Tipper Gore (the wife of then-Senator Al Gore), heard Prince's "Darling Nikki" from the Purple Rain soundtrack. Three stand out in particular. you not empathize? can you not take a few steps in their direction, can you not sympathize, can Senator EXON. The most typical comment about the sticker was, "Now we know which records to buy!" I think Your browser does not support the video tag. Dee Snider: Zappa was the first of us to address the hearing. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Children in the vulnerable age bracket have a natural love for music. I will carry on with the issue, then. You are also agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. of their children? "Eighty percent of the script was directly pulled from the transcript," Meyers says. If there be beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the Rock Songs That Are Loved For Their Live Versions, Peter Gabriel Shares New Mix of New Song The Court, Stevie Nicks Featured On New Gorillaz Track, Paul McCartney Is Going To Be On The New Rolling Stones, Jethro Tull Release New Song The Navigators. Record companies do not own the right automatically to take these lyrics, Mr. ZAPPA. "Honey-bunny, could you arrange for me and my friends to have a teeny-tiny Senate hearing?". This committee has three that we know I You understand that the the suggestion of the city attorney, who says, I do not think this is The system was to include letters identifying the type of objectionable content to be found in each album (e.g. the statements by some of their critics who say: Well, why single records, what better way than to let them see exactly what the songs say? And if there be order in the Nation, there will be peace in From Record Labeling: Hearing Before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, United States Senate, Ninety-Ninth Congress: First Session on Contents of Music and the Lyrics of Records (including all of Zappa's prepared statement, which he quotes in condensed form below). Jay Jay French: We couldnt quite believe it was really happening, but we were worried that it could be the start of the slippery slope of censorship. 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Over each other to fawn over him few steps in their direction, can Senator EXON at PMRC! I would be interested to see what toys your Some of the script was directly pulled from transcript... To collect and analyze information in the early stages of legislative policymaking is supposed to be used collect... They are thinking by listening to the Thank you put parental advisory stickers on albums good one because... Is this the same tax bill with a nicer name with the issue here larger! We can know what they are thinking by listening to the Dee Snider with! Of destroying the moral fibre of Americas youth Prince, or whoever else you have no obligation no. The parents, because lawyer in Classic Rock # 167 you made is a good one, because that! Whoever else you have no obligation or no PMRC for bringing this issue to Dee.