Congressional Hearing
The hearing began with an opening statement from Honorable Chairman Senator John Danforth. He opened by saying he understood the concerns of both sides and wanted to let everyone know that no legislation was being decided. This hearing, according to Danforth, would only let the issue be presented from both sides. He also issued a warning that time limits would be strictly enforced and that some language may be used that may upset some of the listeners. He then called on Senator Ernest Hollings.
Senator Ernest Hollings' opening statement started with an appreciation of the PMRC for bringing this issue to the attention of the nation. Hollings offered two main solutions to the issue: 1. Place a large tax on content rated explicit or 2. Place a label on the cover of content rated explicit. He also suggested that pornography laws could be utilized to restrict the play time of these songs due to the fact that young children could listen to the radio and hear it.
Senator Trible took a more philosophical route in his opening statement by giving several quotes by Plato, all of which centered on how music affects individuals. Trible argues that continued exposure to harsh lyrics could harm sensitive or abused children into mental issues. He believed that a label would be a tremendous benefit to these children because parents would be more aware of the content that their child was listening to.
The last opening statement came from future Vice-President Al Gore. He said that he had heard about these issues through his wife and felt compelled to bring the issue to light. He also stated that this new music contained more problematic lyrics than had really ever been seen before. He then said that several CEOs of recording and radio stations declined the invitation to join this hearing or make a statement. The chairman, however, corrects him by stating Mr. Robert McConnell, vice-president of CBS, had received the invitation too late to prepare his testimony but would appear later if needed.
Senator Hawkins gave the first testimony regarding these explicit songs. As the Chairman of the Children, Family, Drugs, and Alcoholism subcommittee, she stated that she was well informed on how harmful substances can damage children. She then moved onto agreeing with Senator Gore that music had changed significantly since the days of Elvis and proceeded to show several album covers from bands such as Def Leppard and W.A.S.P. to prove this difference. She argued that these album covers put vile ideas into young minds, warping them from childish innocence. She then showed two videos, Hot For Teacher by Van Halen and We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister. The explicit and violent behavior displayed in these videos, she suggested, were exactly what the PMRC was trying to stop.
Next, the four main women of the PMRC, Susan Baker, Tipper Gore, Sally Nevius, and Pam Howar began their testimony alongside Jeff Ling, their consultant. The women argued that the increase in extreme lyrics and music had caused the violence in the real world to rise along with it. They state several statistics on this fact including that the "suicide rate of youths 16-24 had risen 300% in three decades". They moved then to their main purpose, to have recording industries voluntarily label explicit content so that parents are more aware of what their children are listening to. They claimed that the First Amendment is not violated because they only sought "truth in advertising."
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Mr. Ling proceeded to go through several different examples of violence in some of the popular songs of the time while also sharing how several young individuals committed suicide while listening to the music. In the record, several articles and lyrics have been included for reference. A Question and Answer portion ended their testimony, with a focus on the logistics of the labelling. The PMRC answered back that they believe a group within the recording industry could create a rating system, similar to movie ratings, and then label music accordingly.
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Frank Zappa, lead guitarist for Mothers of Invention, began his testimony by reading the First Amendment. He argued that musicians had a right to create the music they wished and the public had the right to not buy the music if they found it offensive. He also brought of the bias of the Senate due to their close ties to the women in charge of the PMRC. He also claimed that a rating system would only give rise to constant arguing over where to draw the line. He also believed that a bad rating could affect the artist and their art by turning it into a negative experience. The only compromise he could agree to was printing the lyrics on the cover of the album. A Question and Answer followed where Senator Gore stated that no legislation was being asked in this hear and Zappa counters again and again that there is legislation occurring on the local level. Several other senators attempted to derail Zappa but he remained steadfast in his belief that the maximum censorship should be the lyrics printed on the cover.
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John Denver, a prominent country singer, agreed with Zappa that rating system would not be efficient in solving the issue. He had issues with the misinterpretation of his lyrics, like his hit song "Rocky Mountain High," that was mistakenly related to drugs. He then insisted that hiding things from people only makes them want it more, therefore negating the the reduction in sales of explicit music that the PMRC would have liked. He believed it was ultimately the parent's responsibility to determine what their children listened to; not the government's or record companies'. His Question and Answer centered around how reasonable adults should notice the album covers and the lyrics and decide that it may not be the best for their children. He also persisted that a rating system would be too flawed to accomplish anything of merit.
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Dee Snider, lead singer of Twisted Sister and writer for the song "We're Not Gonna Take It," was the last to give his testimony. He began by describing who he was and stated that because he was targeted personally, due to "We're Not Gonna Take It" being number seven on the "Filthy Fifteen," he would be addressing the issue from a personal stance. He then argued that Mrs. Gore had made several accusations about his lyrics and what they meant that were completely unfounded. For example, Mrs. Gore said that the song "Under the Blade" was about sadomasochism when in reality, it was about the fears surrounding surgery. For "We're Not Gonna Take It," Mrs. Gore and the PMRC had confused the video for the lyrics. In the video, a teenage boy and the members of Twisted Sister express their feelings in a cartoon-like series of pranks on the father. He also argued that Mrs. Gore accused him of sexism with the merchandising of Twisted Sister, which he claimed was not true. Snider continued by stating that accusations such as these were detrimental not only to musicians but also to the young men and women who were forbidden to listen to certain music based off of the lies of the PMRC. He only agreed with the PMRC and the previous speakers that it was the parents' responsibility to monitor what their children encountered. His Question and Answer session focused mostly on what the committee deemed to be personal attacks on Mrs. Gore and several senators questioned Snider's parental capabilities. Snider responded that he was referring to Mrs. Gore because she had made the accusations herself, not the PMRC and that he was providing a great life for his child despite being away for extended amounts of time.
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The next testimonies go back to the side of the PMRC with several more testimonies. These include Millie Waterman, national PTA vice-president for legislative activity, Dr. Joe Stuessy and Dr. Paul King, music professors, and finally a group of radio and broadcasting executives.
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