Overshadowed by Controversy: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
Line 58:
* [[Sex Pistols|The Sex Pistols]] are mostly known for trying to play "God Save The Queen" from a barge during the Queen's Jubilee after being prohibited from playing the song on land. Much of the [[No Such Thing as Bad Publicity|bad press was intentional.]]
* The 1944 song "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was initially a Christmas staple due to its winter setting, only for some modern audiences to view it as [[Values Dissonance|trivialising date rape]]. Said negative reaction was however criticised as an example of [[Political Correctness Gone Mad]], and public consensus has it that the song shouldn't be banned for its (alleged) content.
* [[Marilyn Manson]] is arguably one of the most controversial artists of all time, largely due to his no-holds-barred, shock rocker stage persona. Manson, born Brian Hugh Warner, gained notoriety for what advocacy groups called as anti-religious, [[Hollywood Satanism|satanic]] and/or sexually explicit music, as well as the Manson band's outlandish behaviour on- and off-stage. These concerns crystallised in the late 90s when Manson and his band was implicated in the [[Columbine]] massacre, where conservatives blamed the band and their music as a corrupting influence on the youth and accused them of inciting youths to hate and discord, and sensationalist news outlets cashed in on the tragedy through headlines such as "Killers Worshipped Rock Freak Manson" and "Devil-Worshipping Maniac Told Kids To Kill"; the Columbine shooters reportedly ''hated'' Manson, however and dismissed them as a sell-out and a poseur, instead preferring [[KMFDM]] and [[Rammstein]] which the killers ''did'' listen to. Mounting pressure from
** [[Eminem]] angrily acknowledged the controversies Manson faced in his song "The Way I Am", rapping "When a dude's gettin bullied and shoots up his school, and they blame it on Marilyn..." referring to either Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold, who was alleged to have been driven by Manson's shock rock despite evidence to the contrary. Manson himself made a cameo appearance in the music video for the song.
** Manson would later be thrust into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons in 2021, however, when actress [[Evan Rachel Wood]] named him as one of those who sexually abused her in the past, among others who filed similar sexual abuse claims against the singer. This led to him being dropped by distributing record label Loma Vista Recordings, his talent agency Creative Artists, and his long-time manager Tony Ciulla. He was also removed from future episodes of TV series ''American Gods'' and ''Creepshow'', in which he was scheduled to appear.
* Speaking of Eminem, his angst-ridden work especially during the early 2000s has made him a controversial figure. Eminem's no-holds-barred lyrics outraged politicians and watchdog groups alike for what they saw as misogynistic, violent and/or homophobic themes in his songs, which Eminem did respond to in kind. Eminem's exploits have also garnered scrutiny from the United States Secret Service twice: once for lyrics directed towards George W. Bush ("Fuck money, I don't rap for dead presidents. I'd rather see the president dead, it's never been said but I set precedents."), and another towards Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka.
* A number of songs gained notoriety for this due to their [[Backmasking|purported backwards messages]]. An often-cited example of this was [[Led Zeppelin]]'s "Stairway to Heaven" and [[The Eagles]]' "Hotel California", alleged by conservative Christian groups to have sinister satanic messages when played backwards. Some artists actually do this deliberately either to satirise the moral panic as in the case of [["Weird Al" Yankovic]], or as an [[Easter Egg]].
Line 78 ⟶ 79:
* Hardcore rapper [[6ix9ine]] (pronounced as "six-nine"), born Daniel Hernandez, gained notoriety for his controversial public persona, characterised by his distinctive rainbow-colored hair, extensive tattoos, legal issues, and public feuds with [[Justin Bieber]] and other celebrities. Not helping matters was his felony charge over the use of a child (a 13-year old girl to be precise) in a sexual performance, which, if not for his plea bargain, would have landed him a three-year prison stretch and be registered as a child sex offender (perhaps disturbingly enough, he has been involved in an number of children's charities and even spent a day with a terminally ill eight-year old girl who wanted to see him). His role as a witness for the prosecution in the Nine Trey Gangsters trial has made him a pariah in the eyes of the hip-hop industry, and to top it all off, he is also effectively [[Persona Non Grata|blacklisted]] from working with most major artists and publications.
* Silentó more or less became the next Soulja Boy with his [[One Hit Wonder]] pop-rap dance craze, "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)", but that later turned to infamy when he was arrested for the murder of his cousin in February 2021.
* [[Frank Sinatra]] became a staple of [[FBI]] investigations due to his ties with [[The Mafia]], something he vehemently denied. He did however state that he would've taken up a criminal career it had not been for his interest in music.
* [[Kanye West]]'s association with [[Donald Trump]] made him a pariah among the African-American community, whose view of Trump is nothing short of disdainful. West did at points backpedal on his pro-Trump sentiments, though his sincerity was also put into question, with some viewing these bombastic and/or eccentric statements as a possible result of a mental illness or as part of an elaborate publicity stunt.
* Another musician associated with Trump and the Republican Party, [[Ted Nugent]] is a psychedelic rock and hard rock musician known less for his music than his controversial views and misogyny; it seems he never met a right-wing controversy he wouldn't promote. Although, this is indeed reflected in his music, including some notorious songs that portray rape and statutory rape in a positive light. He has so many albums with [[Contemptible Cover]]s that [https://www.houstonpress.com/music/ted-nugents-top-10-tasteless-album-covers-6782331 at least one newspaper] was able to compile a top 10 list of them. (Be warned, this link has no illustrations, but looking up the covers may require Brain Bleach.) A gun rights activist, he has spoken out against the survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting who became gun control activists, calling them "mushy brained children" and stating that "the evidence is irrefutable: They have no soul.” He has been in trouble for poaching more than once, is believed to hold [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canned_hunt “canned hunts”] on his own estate, referred to Heidi Prescott of the Fund for Animals as a "worthless whore" and a "shallow slut", asking "who needs to club a seal, when you can club Heidi?" (This resulted in a lawsuit ruled in Prescott’s favor where he was ordered to pay $75K in damages.) A staunch conservative and [[Conspiracy Theorist]], he claimed President [[Barack Obama]] and his Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]], "should be tried for treason & hung”. Among other attacks directed at the, he shared a video of Facebook with depiction of Clinton being shot by her 2016 Democratic presidential primary opponent, Bernie Sanders, commenting "I got your guncontrol [sic] right here bitch.” (At least one of these comments also got him in hot water with the Secret Service, and caused Fort Knox to cancel one of his concerts scheduled to be held there.) Recently (as of 2020) he claimed the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] was a hoax and a lie, recanting this opinion only after ''testing positive for it himself'' in April of 2021.
| |||