As a young teen in the ‘70’s, I became enchanted with the voice of Frank Zappa. Quickly realizing the social commentary he was making, my affinity for his style coalesced. Zappa challenged the norms of society in an often comedic fashion in his music. In 1985, our government was ‘feeling it’s oats’ and toyed with censorship of music content, you know, to protect the children. Zappa testified before The U.S. Senate on the issue in September of that year along with others such as John Denver, who had been criticised for his song, “Rocky Mountain High”. Consider the song, ‘I Am the Slime’:
“I am gross and perverted I'm obsessed 'n deranged I have existed for years But very little has changed
I am the tool of the Government And industry too For I am destined to rule And regulate you
I may be vile and pernicious But you can't look away I make you think I'm delicious With the stuff that I say
I am the best you can get Have you guessed me yet? I am the slime oozin' out From your TV set
You will obey me while I lead you And eat the garbage that I feed you Until the day that we don't need you Don't go for help...no one will heed you
Your mind is totally controlled It has been stuffed into my mold And you will do as you are told Until the rights to you are sold
That's right, folks.. Don't touch that dial
Well, I am the slime from your video Oozin' along on your livin'room floor
I am the slime from your video Can't stop the slime, people, look at me go”
It’s easy to see the insight Zappa had into our media driven society. This song was written in 1973 yet many artists and social critics, before it’s release and after, have warned us of the power controlled media can wield on an unsuspecting population. “These companies aren’t your mother, they could care less about you — all they want to do is sell you their product. If they could kill you and take your money they would do that (Healthcare anyone?). Regarding international relations: are we going to let a guy in a box tell us what to think about other countries; who to hate, who to fear? They never mention who to love because goodwill can never be used to fuel war; and war, as we all know, is the answer to every social ill imaginable, even global warming.
I am the Slime