gerardsangel4977 Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I agree wholeheartedly with the FCC regulations. It's so stupid. They haven't figured out yet that making an issue of profanity, sex, drugs, etc... only makes it more appealing to kids. And it really bothers me with radio and TV editing, especially if editing the song to comply mangles the song's meaning and impact. Welcome to puritan America, where they think kids are helpless little babies who need to be protected and coddled, who's poor little ears can't handle explicit content that actually makes them think. It's like that with movies too, in that, as a screenwriter, I have to take all those things into consideration when I write. I swear, once I had a dream Tom Hanks told me to "Clean up the language" in my script. It was only a dream, but the reality is I really do have to concentration on how many "fucks" I can write in the dialogue if I actually want to sell a script because of FCC rules and the rating system. So far I've ignored it and written whatever works organically with each character, but that's probably why I haven't sold a script yet. And what's worse, is I can put as much explicit violence in the script as I want, as long as the characters don't use too many swear words while they're hacking people up. It's ridiculous. Okay, so maybe I am a bit of a cynic. But the hypocrisy of Walmart bothers me the most. WhiteTim's right. They'll sell much worse in the form of movies, but God forbid there's a CD with "Fuck" in the title. That one has to be bleeped out. This reminds me of another episode of South Park, where every other word the characters spoke was "shit" until the word was so common and annoying, it lost it's value as a swear word, proving censorship is pointless because profanity used excessively loses its impact anyway. People will instinctively censor themselves. In my city, there's one independent radio station that plays mainstream music. It's the most popular station in town, which is surprising because it isn't part of Clear Channel or Cumulus (I think). Years ago, the afternoon DJs (the most popular time slot at the time) played a song as a joke because they thought it was funny, that had the lyrics "Whip me/Beat me/Call me Edna" in it and got chastised on the air by the manager, who not only yelled at them while the song was playing, but demanded they apologize to the listeners. The DJs were so pissed they were reprimanded so publicly because of the FCC rules and their manager's own "morality," they locked themselves in the booth and played the song nonstop. For hours. They became local heroes. That was in the eighties, but it impressed me so much, I still remember it and, more importantly, I remember the song. The tune still sticks in my head from time to time. Now THAT's a prime example of how pointless FCC rules are, and how they end up having the exact opposite effect. Ahhh yes. Well, Walmart's inconsistent, bullshit policies are another matter entirely Even the fact that they use PALs as their primary way of determining which albums to sell and not sell--despite how inaccurate of a measurement that is--shows what crap policies they are. Because Walmart doesn't really care about family values; they just want to *seem* like they do. LOL Tom Hanks, eh? That's a pretty high-profile dream you've got The FCC, for all it's ridiculousness, only governs radio and television broadcasting. They were created by the government in order to regulate the airwaves because there were only a limited number of frequencies that could be owned and used (which is also why many of their regulations don't apply to cable television either). So they were in charge of determining who got to have licenses and permits and all that sort of stuff--Like the DMV of the broadcasting industry--the intent being that only worthwhile pursuits would be given airtime and that no singular entity would be able to monopolize the airwaves. But their "responsibilities" have become more comprehensive since then, while their initial intended function has since become obsolete. But I digress... My point is that, as disagreeable as their policies are, the FCC has no real jurisdiction over the other forms of media. One could make an argument for secondary impact, given that popular films are eventually going to be shown on television, and music, of course, still needs the radio for exposure purposes. But for the most part, the systems that regulate those industries are put forth by those industries: The PAL program was instituted by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America); The movie ratings system was created by the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and so forth. By putting forth these self-regulation initiatives, the industry, at large, gets to look responsible, thus quelling the fears of most parents. And, yes, in a lot of cases, people will actually choose to monitor what they say (or likewise be asked to by an editor or producer or what have you) in order to tailor it to their intended audience for marketing and sales reasons. Do not think for one second, though, that any of those people do not realize how much kids are tempted by forbidden fruit. They're not stupid. They are fully aware of this and, they will often use it to their advantage. In fact, R-rated movies and M-rated video games have been screened by and, later, intentionally marketed to children and teenagers. They don't actually care about "corrupting youth" or whatever; they just want your money. And your kids' money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerardsangel4977 Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 "Someone kiss the DJ/Slick that sucker down" Okay, maybe it's just my perverted mind, but that sounded really dirty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyeyes Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Say it ain't so! The fucking with my head part of Let Yourself Go is my favorite part of the song. Hahaha to each his own then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Femme Gauche Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Okay, maybe it's just my perverted mind, but that sounded really dirty Same o_o. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Yes, but that's exactly my point. The earlier albums weren't censored or given a PAL warning because it wasn't as big a deal as it is now and was usually left up to the artists and labels to choose it. So isn't it reasonable to assume, especially since they've recently released a "clean" version of American Idiot, that they will go back into the catalogue and offer clean versions of the other albums as well while they're capitalizing on the current spotlight from the album trilogy? At least with Nimrod and Insomniac? I know that you hate the label argument that I've been using...but it's true. You are saying that Green Day doesn't have to agree to go into the studio and record clean vocals for AI and 21st CB...however, Warner can still release clean version and edit out the profanity. Warner owns those albums, so it they want to try to gain additional profit from them by releasing clean versions, then they have the right to do so...even without Green Day's permission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteTim Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I know that you hate the label argument that I've been using...but it's true. You are saying that Green Day doesn't have to agree to go into the studio and record clean vocals for AI and 21st CB...however, Warner can still release clean version and edit out the profanity. Warner owns those albums, so it they want to try to gain additional profit from them by releasing clean versions, then they have the right to do so...even without Green Day's permission. I believe Melissa knows that but she is against the idea and she has every right to not like it this is kinda of beating of a dead horse debate now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 I believe Melissa knows that but she is against the idea and she has every right to not like it this is kinda of beating of a dead horse debate now Yeah...I know. I just don't like when it keeps getting said like it's Green Day's choice to do it...when it's not Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iRun Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Don't know if this has been said or not, but on amazon you can buy the clean CD version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissawebster Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Okay, maybe it's just my perverted mind, but that sounded really dirty It's not your perverted mind. I know that you hate the label argument that I've been using...but it's true. You are saying that Green Day doesn't have to agree to go into the studio and record clean vocals for AI and 21st CB...however, Warner can still release clean version and edit out the profanity. Warner owns those albums, so it they want to try to gain additional profit from them by releasing clean versions, then they have the right to do so...even without Green Day's permission. Yes. I get that as well, but here's the thing. Green Day is the one ultimately held responsible for those decisions. It's Green Day's image, music, and ultimately sales on the line if Warner decides to make a little extra money by going against the band's publicly held image. Warner may own the music, but only a fool would think they don't take the band and its image into consideration and actually work with the band when making those decisions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheJedi Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 am i the only one who wants this thread to be closed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iRun Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 am i the only one who wants this thread to be closed? Not. At. All. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastard of 1967 Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Not. At. All. I'm game. Hey mods, let's check your aim! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hermione Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 If the conversation in a thread has run its course people will stop replying to it and it'll drop down off the page on its own. In the mean time if you don't wanna read it any more don't click on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 KEEP IT OPEN!! Can never have too much discussion. It's all Warner's fault...Green Day rules! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack [DF] Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Cause they felt that album didnt need to be censored they are well within their rights to do so. They said no I dont see much videos or interviews of them bashing wal mart like that. Just because they had a disagreement over one album doesn't always mean they are fuck wal mart forever. And of course it's been 3 years their attitide could have calmed down now. Answer me this have you ever felt strongly about something then months or year or so you felt differently? That's not selling out that's called maturing or growing up nothing is wrong with that. I think you think I'm more worked up than I am; I never said anything was wrong with that. I simply felt that they were saying that they didn't want to censor their music, I could be wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissawebster Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Okay, this topic discussion inspired me, so here's my latest article on Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/melissa-webster/green-day-walmart-censorship_b_1844276.html Matt & Andres, you have my permission to make it this week's WTF?! article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteTim Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Nice article/blog. I'm going to read your other entries tonight when I get home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissawebster Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Aw, thanks! I figured people would be upset. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellista Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I'm late to this discussion, but I think this happened: Green Day didn't plan on censoring 21CB, and after the huge success of AI the record company took a back seat and let them do whatever they pleased. Hoping that 21CB went quadruple platinum too. I still think 21CB is a fantastic album, but it didn't sell quite as well. So this time around the record company probably said "Look guys, We're letting you release three albums. That's a big enough risk for us. So we wanna make censored versions to help boost sales. Kapeesh?" Instead of getting in hot water with their own record company the boys complied. I have absolutely no proof for this. It's just my opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 great article. Saw if on fb and it's actually why I came into this thread. Haven't read anything of the first fifteen pages so probably a lot of echoing. Though I don't really have anything to add to the article. I don't like how they all of a sudden changed their minds and agreed to censor their music. And how the "explicit" version of American Idiot has apparently been removed from youtube. It's bullshit and I'm sad that the band has come to this because of how lowly I think of censorship. I wonder how much of a say they had in it and how much it was pushed by the record company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissawebster Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 great article. Saw if on fb and it's actually why I came into this thread. Haven't read anything of the first fifteen pages so probably a lot of echoing. Though I don't really have anything to add to the article. I don't like how they all of a sudden changed their minds and agreed to censor their music. And how the "explicit" version of American Idiot has apparently been removed from youtube. It's bullshit and I'm sad that the band has come to this because of how lowly I think of censorship. I wonder how much of a say they had in it and how much it was pushed by the record company. Thank you so much! I think the speculation about who is responsible has been the biggest thing debated in this thread. I'm going to try, though I don't know how successful I'll be with it, but I'm going to try to contact them and get their side of it for a follow-up article. I'll let you guys know if I find out anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather. Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I honestly don't think they "all of a sudden" decided to change their mind. It seems pretty likely to me that they never had any diehard convictions about this kind of thing in the broader picture. Yes, they took a hard stance against it for 21CB, but it seems really unlikely to me that they had some kind of huge ideological shift, because think about it... people rarely, if ever, undergo ideological shifts. If they believed something, they probably still believe it. In this case, I don't think they believed much of anything but have on occasion decided to make contradicting decisions. That's about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daughter.of.Rage.and.Love Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 There were even photos with them, or at least Tre, holding a sign saying something along the lines of 'screw Walmart' around the time there was the thing about Walmart not carrying 21stCB. And now they've gone ahead and recorded alternative, censored versions and replaced their videos. In other words, they've taken active action to support censorship. Allowing a version with swears muted is one thing, but re-recording songs and re-releasing censored versions of your old albums is quite another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pedestrian Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I wonder how they’ll manage a clean Dos without beeping? I’m thinking “It’s fun time” may actually happen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoodleBob Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 I sort of understand why they would censor the new albums. Like someone pointed out, maybe since Warner let them put out 3 albums, they would have to comply with having a clean version of them. BUT, I don't understand why they would put up a clean version of American Idiot and delete the old one. Delete is the key word. Why delete? Why not have both? It's confusing me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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