| What is wrong with the state of art and public opinion today? Just tonight I witnessed a horrible transgression and agression take place. That's right, I'm talking about Eminem's loss at the Grammys. This hits quite close to home for me as an artist. This is a direct infringement on what I can see is my place in the First Amendment spectrum. I sat for three hours watching a program in which every joke and speech was centrally geared to the promotion of Eminem as an artist, playing with the unfortunate consequence that his given personality- given by GLAAD and ignorants everywhere- has overshadowed his artistry, which is, in my estimation, nothing short of genius. Eminem offends you? Who cares? Are you offended by Guernica? Are you offended by films like Pulp Fiction? Or maybe Saving Private Ryan is a better example. Those are all publicly accepted works of extreme violence. Oh, Private Ryan's not violent, it's patriotic, right? Or how about Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, or the Beatles, all of which the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences president cited tonight as previous artists who people had mistakenly rallied against to ban from airplay. How incendiary does your LP of Love Me Do sound today? Yet, that same Academy president, who rallied for First Amendment freedoms and the respect of musicians for their gifts, who let us know that progress is the way of the future and that we have to allow for that change, that change may be even good for us; he watched with us as Steely Dan- not Eminem-was presented with the Grammy for Album of the Year. Now, granted, Steely Dan is certainly a smaller scale version of Santana, who swept the Grammys last year- 1970's throwback experiencing renewed successes with a newer, more contemporary album. But, in this particular year was there anything to rival- anything that should have rivaled- the forward thinking of Eminem? Last year, under the radar, Eminem did win a Grammy- two, in fact, including Rap Album of the Year- but nobody seems to remember that. He was a recognized artist; now he is too, but for his music? Apparently not. Elton John decided, in a bold move, to perform a duet with Eminem on the Grammy broadcast program. Elton John, an outspoken homosexual of the gay community. Playing with Eminem, supposed homophobe? Maybe we all need to think a little more like Elton and a little less like Reagan. Elton John has heard The Slim Shady LP, start to finish- willingly- a feat not accomplished by so many hypocrites on the picket lines provoking violence through no peaceable assembly. He understands that Eminem is putting out a product worth paying attention to. He is pushing not just rap, but music itself, to new places it hasn't yet dared to go before. Clearly, as with all change, it must be obvious that there would be an affront to progression, but in this case, the motives are misplaced. These protesters are not arguing as cultural denizens, they are fighting choice lyrics from choice songs that, in their own entire right, many times negate exactly the unkind points that the protesters are trying to put into Eminem's mouth. Much is made about lyrics that, if placed in the context of the record from which they come, one could see he is using not to provoke, but to hold a mirror to those very real social stereotypes and constructions. He says that "I am whatever you say I am" and he is absolutely right. Eminem and Slim Shady, the alteregos of Marshall Mathers, are no longer his design, but that of his critics. For those who argue that he is not actively responding to actions and statements made against him, I argue that he isn't given the chance or proper credence. People have him labeled before he gets to open his mouth. Why should he argue when you already have him pegged as something he may very well not be? And still, what does the matter of the person have to do with the matter of the product? You don't read Walt Whitman and get scared by his homosexuality or even his homosexual subtext. It is classic American poetry. Bob Dylan was born out of Guthrie, born out of Whitman. I dare propose that Eminem has been born out of Bob Dylan. He is the modern urban poet and you are burning his books. Do you support the torching of Huck Finn? If you are on the antiEminem bandwagon, then I think you are that very person in sheep's clothing. Don't kid yourself- IT'S THE SAME THING. I, therefore, boldly state that GLAAD merely purports to hate Eminem so as to draw exposure to their organization, to give credence to their credentials in the Age of the Hate Crime. Eminem is popular and a hotbutton issue right now. By volunteering to lead the charge, they become the public rightwing darlings. Think of the free publicity. Tonight, the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences had a major choice to make. A chance to set precedent and make a statement. Against the unfounded protests raging outside and around the country, they could have stepped up to the plate and taken one for the team. (Note: This is nothing against Steely Dan, it is the recognition that this album won't happen again. This particular opportunity has been sorely lost.) After an entire night geared to the support of brave artists, martyrs for their creative causes, they backed down and succombed to the real hate, protest and opposition of the First Amendment. Dr. Dre was named triumphantly Producer of the Year. Certainly it is a prestigious reflection on his work and I refuse to believe that this was supposed to be Eminem's indirect consolation prize. A tip of the hat. This is the time. This the "new century". That doesn't seem to mean two bits anymore. Republican president and republican morals, this is not the formula for progress, especially creatively in a today's world. Eminem is the beacon for a new wave of progress, a new direction. His work is in the field of music, but his purpose and his struggle reflect the troubles of all modern media. His lyrics, while some argue that they are antieverything, are truly amazing poems that reflect great literary skill and proficiency. Like Dylan, again, who is widely considered a lyricist first and a guitarist second, Eminem is first associated with rap, which focuses on the spoken word. This is where his artistry flourishes. Every neighbor you've ever had has had opinions that may have differed from your own, however, their perspective on life is also different from yours. Would you deny that person his opinion? Are you going to tell that person that the view from his perspective is a wrong one? Eminem is every film that a studio is afraid to greenlight. Eminem is every book that is burned. Eminem is every modern art exhibit that people won't* handle because they can't put a label on its content. They can't assign it a name. They can't control the ideas. Why now do we consider so many historically forward-thinking movements in all popular media as groundbreaking and critically acclaimed in retrospect? Hindsight must be 20/20 then, right? Hindsight is, unfortunately, not good enough. If these ideas are not fostered at their inception, they will cease to exist. Think of a world without rock and roll or punk music or Picasso or modern art or American film without the influence of French New Wave. The future is now. Stand up for your First Amendment rights and those of others to express what they know and feel is truth. Eminem doesn't write or record for his own good. He is a popular artist, whether you like him or not, and when he raps you should listen because it's his truth and world view that he is trying to help you understand. You, with your closeminded world view that won't allow him to even exist as an artist free from persecution, don't want to open yourself to new ideas, ideas that may be contrary to your own, but just as legitimate in their own right. I dare all of you naysayers to listen to either of Eminem's albums all the way through- every track- and tell me then that it's not brilliant. Don't like rap? Not your cup of tea? That's hardly the issue here. That's genre, not artistry, not substance. We haven't come far enough, I suppose. I thought this was finally the age of tolerance, of forward thinking. The twenty-first century(!) Eminem is a musician, not a scapegoat for your causes. Don't stop him from greatness now to promote your agenda. How do you purport to fight "hate" with Hate? Explain that. As an artist, I support artists. I intentionally watch movies, listen to music, and read things in contrast to my general tastes and liking that may very well provoke me, that disagree with me. I do this because I want to understand. I want to look at the world through your eyes. I want a well-rounded education in the study of our world. And I should hope you would want the same. "Ignorant" doesn't sound too positive, does it? You can't understand or evaluate something you've never been exposed to. Certainly you can't with something that you arbitrarily won't try out. Challenge yourself. Don't be a book burner. Don't claim hatred against somebody else's idea of hate. Progress is the way of the future. Think of your children. You won't listen to Eminem, but you're the first at the picket lines. You won't endorse radical ideas, creative propositions that challenge the form and regularity of that to which we've become accustomed and which you hide behind and you want your children to eat their green vegetables? Very different ideas, but very much the same principles. And I wouldn't blame them for not trying. You are the example they follow. Hate is learned. Shame on you and shame on our society, for today, we have taken a backward step against the ideals of our Founding Fathers. Today, we have written yet another chapter of intolerance in our Great American Odyssey. "Every time I write a rhyme these people think it's a crime to tell them what's on my mind." -Eminem Support forward thinking. Support change. Support tolerance for artists. Support the First Amendment. We, as a people, cannot afford any more missed opportunities to acknowledge and foster the presence of radical greatness. |
| Eminem and the First Amendment By Dan |
| Other essays by Dan |