“The Devil You Say” 4/26/2005 By Arlene R. Weiss
This is from the source: NEW YORK DAILY NEWS in an article by Sheryl Connelly and Paul D. Colford called “Bet you didn't know”,
“The New York Daily News reports that Joseph Ratzinger of Bavaria, now the new Pope, Benedict XVI, has made this statement.” quote:
“He has called rock 'n' roll evil, saying it is full of "diabolical and satanic messages." He singled out the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and the Eagles as especially evil.” End quote and source.
That’s interesting, given that rock & roller Bruce Springsteen’s New album, ironically titled “Devils & Dust” a work of hope and elegiac light is being released this very day, in the wake of the election and appointment of the new Pope, Benedict XVI, and that Springsteen…one of the auteurs and most provocative of rock’s thinkers and social activists…has used rock & roll as a voice in his often selfless and bravura, physical call, to create a better world, to right wrongs, to fight social injustices, to fight evil...through…ACTION. Something that The Pope, (both Pope John Paul, and his successor, Pope Benedict XVI, has already proved with this, and several other controversial statements upon his election) have more often that not, spent time “safely” ducking their heads in the sand to avoid…pretending that while the world is rife with evil, taking the stance of “hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil”, that is, if The Pope doesn’t address it’s existence with ACTION and with words that actually serve to solve, instead of merely admonishing its existence or turning a blind eye as “evil” festers and grows, evil will just go away by itself. Right.
Like AIDS has continued to rage out of control, killing millions worldwide because the Pope condemned the use of condoms. Like the world’s ever spiraling out of control famine, starvation, poverty, and war, wages on as each Pope pays their little international celebrity visits, patting the heads of his minions living in third world and war torn nations, witnessing first hand the scourges upon people worldwide…then returning to the Vatican after their good will ambassador trips…with no follow up, no work to even so much as find help, assistance, some method of resolution or solution. Oh sure, it makes for great PR/publicity for the church though. Like condemning same sex marriages which offer medical, and parental rights to Gays, yet The Pope harbors and pardons known pedophile Priests and evil within his own house (so to speak). I could go on and on. But let me address the Pope’s statement about rock & roll, which is what this is obviously….related to.
I agree that there is a lot of shock value music out there, filled with violence, hatred, intolerance, sex, drugs and a “Hell” of a lot more (no pun intended).
But, more often than not, rock & roll from it’s first awakenings of its social conscience in the 1960’s, to the present, has served as a positive force. Not only of words….but of ACTION, and has tried to solve and uniquely often has solved at least some of the world’s injustices. From Bob Dylan’s first observations that “The answer is blowing in the wind”, to Springsteen’s “Streets Of Philadelphia” and yes Mr. Pope..to the Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love”…rock & roll has been the voice of reason for some 50 years now…but more…and this is where it gets hairy for your illuminating statement, Mr. Pope. Rock & Roll has often been a courageous, stalwart call to arms and action for the betterment of the world. For, not evil as you say, but for GOOD.
Perhaps rock & roll’s finest hour was some 20 years ago, on a hot summer’s day, July 13, 1985, when of all things, punk rocker (what would the Pope say!), Bob Geldof, charmed, hounded, and corralled several dozen of the world’s biggest rock stars to participate in a little known charity event…you may remember it…the now historic, Live Aid. Nearly 8 months before, approaching Christmas 1984, Geldof and his wife were at home with their children, watching BBC Newsreel footage on television, of the millions of starving, dying masses (many of them children), in Africa, plagued by a famine of monumentally gross proportions.. Appalled and saddened by this, Geldof organized, recorded, and released an all star charity benefit record with some of the biggest stars in rock & pop music, called Band Aid, whose record, “Do They Know It’s Christmas”, released Christmas 1984, became the biggest selling song single to date, ever, and raised millions of dollars, all for charity, that was directly forwarded to and utilized for food to feed and curb those suffering the African famine.
Then, in July 1985, with Live Aid, Geldof pulled off the single most massive charity event (and music event) undertaking again to date, staging 2 simultaneous mammoth concerts, one in London, England, one in Philadelphia, USA, televised, radiocast, and broadcast via satellite to over a billion people globally, all to raise the world’s social awareness…and much needed funds to stem the African famine. Live Aid, as everyone knows, was a watershed, the biggest, most successful benefit concert…ever.
And guess who just a sampling were that day of some of the many music artists who selflessly donated their time and of course music performances..to the day to raise millions of funds for famine relief in Africa?
Gee Mr. Pope…Paul McCartney of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger, Keith Richards & Ron Wood, Led Zeppelin (the very artists you singled out in your statement quoted above).
Because of Band Aid, Live Aid, the purposeful actions of the many rock & pop music artists who stepped up to the plate in support of a good cause and the hour at hand, and the ongoing relief organizations that resulted from both events,....many a man, woman, and child, in Africa, is....alive today....because of the food provided to them from those rock & roll charity events.
Live Aid and subsequent rock benefits…Amnesty International, Artists Against Apartheid, Farm Aid, even 2004’s Vote For Change concert tour in hopes of defeating George Bush’s incumbent run for U.S. President while promoting the importance of U.S. citizens’ right to vote and promoting Senator John Kerry on his campaign running for U.S. President, (led by Bruce Springsteen)…all of these events involved rock artists who not only talked the talk…they walked the walk and continue to do so.
Whether it’s U2’s Bono and Bob Geldof meeting with The Pope and world leaders to discuss and try to work on active solutions to put an end to poverty, third world debt, hunger, whether it’s Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Pearl Jam, Bright Eyes, REM, John Fogerty touring across the USA to encourage our own USA to rally, to vote, to change the powers that be in the Oval Office, whether it’s literally hundreds of rock artists worldwide who in recent months have staged numerous benefit concerts, events, and recordings to raise funds for the victims of the devastating tsunami, Rock & Roll…is the one conscience we can all count on. It never ceases to be the mind, body, spirit, soul, and most of all..heart, that cries out in defiance and anger at injustice…and does not idly sit by. It fights and acts with the most powerful voice of all, music. If the Pope can’t see that, he misses one of God’s greatest gifts to man, the gift of song, of music…that can, has, and will continue to inspire, to make a difference, walking, even running, with outrage, with anger, with tears, with joy, with hope, with faith…because “rock & roll never forgets” (to quote rocker Bob Seger) and rock & roll never stops sharing, caring, giving, and continues to challenge and battle "evil" so that....Good...as one rock song says… “A Change Is Gonna Come.” Rock On!
By Arlene R. Weiss Copyright 4/26/2005
