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The Parents’ Music Resource Center: from informationto censorshipClaude Chastagner

To cite this version:Claude Chastagner. The Parents’ Music Resource Center: from information to censorship. PopularMusic, Cambridge University Press (CUP), 1999, pp.193-209. �halshs-00176147�

Cl aude Chast agner

1 r ue Ranchi n

34000 Mont pel l i er F.

( 0) 4. 67. 60. 38. 60

E- mai l : chast a@br ed. uni v- mont p3. f r

Uni ver si t é Paul Val ér y, Mont pel l i er I I I

Fr ance

2

The Par ent s ' Musi c Resour ce Cent er :

f r om i nf or mat i on t o censor shi p

" I knew a gi r l named Ni kki [ . . . ] I met her i n a hot el l obby

she was mast ur bat i ng wi t h a magazi ne"

( Pr i nce, ' Dar l i ng Ni kki ' , Pur pl e Rai n, War ner Br os. , 1985)

I nt r oduct i on

My pur pose i n t hi s ar t i c l e i s t o r ecount t he hi st or y of t he

Par ent s ' Musi c Resour ce Cent er , an Amer i can or gani sat i on f ounded

i n 1985 whose mai n concer n has been t o denounce t he obsceni t y and

vi ol ence of r ock musi c on t he gr ounds t hat i t i s par t l y

r esponsi bl e f or t he numer ous i l l s t hat pl ague t he Uni t ed St at es.

The PMRC cl ai med t hat i t onl y wi shed t o i nf or m t he publ i c but I

i nt end t o pr ove her e t hat t he act i ons of t he or gani sat i on r esul t ed

i n a de f act o censor shi p of popul ar musi c. I shal l accor di ngl y

descr i be t he var i ous st eps of t he pr ocess t hat l ed f r om

i nf or mat i on t o censor shi p as wel l as pr obe t he deeper r easons t hat

may have mot i vat ed t he act i on of t he Cent er .

Ther e i s a t endency i n Eur ope t o consi der wi t h condescensi on t he

numer ous and r ecur r ent assaul t s on f r eedom of expr essi on i n t he

Uni t ed St at es ( even t hough, wr i t es Donna Demac, most Amer i cans

' bel i eve t hat t he Uni t ed St at es i s v i r t ual l y f r ee of [ censor shi p] '

or t hat i t i s ' l ess sever e t han . . . el sewher e i n t he wor l d'

[ p. 3] ) . Unt i l r ecent l y, many Eur opeans ( and I f or one) f el t

conf i dent t hat such a s i t uat i on coul d not devel op t o t he same

ext ent i n t hei r count r i es. Admi t t edl y, sever al f act or s ar e

speci f i c t o t he Uni t ed St at es: t he pur i t an or i gi n of t he Amer i can

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set t l ement , and what t r aces r emai n, t he adopt i on of t he Fi r st

Amendment i nscr i bi ng f r eedom of speech wi t hi n t he f r ame of t he

Const i t ut i on, t he except i ons t o t hi s Amendment and t he conf l i c t s

t hat ensued, t he of t en ext r emel y r adi cal char act er t aken by

ar t i st i c expr essi on i n Amer i ca, t he ext ent of di scr i mi nat or y

pr act i ses agai nst mi nor i t i es, et c. Eur opeans wer e consequent l y

t empt ed t o di smi ss t he st eady er osi on of i ndi v i dual l i ber t i es i n

t he Uni t ed St at es as a uni que case. Ther e ar e however di squi et i ng

s i mi l ar i t i es t hat j ust i f y a car ef ul assessment of t he Amer i can

cont ext .

At f i r st s i ght , t he Eur opean si t uat i on may i ndeed seem qui t e

di f f er ent . I n Fr ance, f or i nst ance, despi t e t he t r adi t i onal heavy

hand of t he St at e, censor shi p onl y r emai ns i n t he mot i on pi ct ur e

i ndust r y ( t he r evi sed 1990 Act ) and f or chi l dr en' s books and

magazi nes ( t he 1949 Act ) . Undoubt edl y t he t hr eat exi st s of

encr oachment upon ot her cat egor i es of speech. Such has been t he

case wi t h c l ause 14 of t he 1949 Act whi ch st i pul at es t hat any book

or magazi ne of sexual or v i ol ent char act er must be r emoved f r om

di spl ay. Though i t was or i gi nal l y meant t o pr ot ect t he chi l dr en,

c l ause 14 has been used 4716 t i mes agai nst adul t s ' publ i cat i ons

s i nce 1949. Typi cal l y, i n 1994, a schol ar l y book by ar t cr i t i c

Jacques Henr i c was i n some ci t i es sei zed on t he gr ounds t hat i t s

cover showed ' L' or i gi ne du monde' , a f amous, once secr et pai nt i ng

by Cour bet t hat r epr esent s t he naked vul va of a r ecl i ni ng woman.

So f ar , however , t he musi c scene has been vi r t ual l y f r ee f r om any

ki nd of censor shi p, f or mal or not , despi t e t he occasi onal upr oar

caused by Fr ench ar t i st Ser ge Gai nsbour g ( ' Je t ' ai me. . . moi non

pl us' i n 1969, ' La décadanse' i n 1971 or ' Love on t he beat ' i n

1984) or cont empor ar y Fr ench r apper s ( Doc Gyneco f or i nst ance, who

was al l t he same awar ded a ' Vi ct oi r e de l a Musi que' , t he Fr ench

equi val ent t o a Gr ammy or Br i t Awar d) . The onl y r ecent i nst ance of

of f i c i al i nt er f er ence was t he ban on r ap gr oup NTM f or abuse t o

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pol i ce f or ces dur i ng a 1996 concer t .

But however unobt r usi ve censor shi p may appear , one has t o pay

at t ent i on t o i t s i deol ogi cal basi s, s i nce a par al l el can be dr awn

wi t h t he much mor e di squi et i ng Amer i can si t uat i on. Censor i ng

i mpl i es t he exi st ence of a ' publ i c spi r i t ' . Ther e seems t o be a

t hr eshol d beyond whi ch l i ber t y must gi ve way t o cont r ol i n or der

t o pr ot ect t he f oundat i ons of a count r y ' s col l ect i ve i dent i t y. A

f i c t i t i ous, homogeneous communi t y made up of ' aver age peopl e' i s

t he necessar y pr e- r equi s i t e f or t he est abl i shment of any

r est r i ct i on on i ndi v i dual f r eedom. I n most count r i es, such a

spi r i t devel oped ar ound t he not i ons of f ami l y and r ace. The

pr ot ect i on of yout h r equi r es a uni on of hear t s and mi nds. The

whol e count r y must be uni t ed i n t he def ence of i t s chi l dr en. Many

Fr ench l aws ar e dr awn up wi t h t hese not i ons i n mi nd: t he 1881 Act

on sl ander and l i bel whi ch al l udes t o t he ' f eel i ng of f r at er ni t y

t hat uni t es t he member s of t he Fr ench f ami l y ' , t he 1939 Act cal l ed

' Code de l a Fami l l e' whi ch i nst i t ut ed numer ous t ax deduct i ons,

gr ant s and al l owances f or f ami l i es wi t h chi l dr en i n or der t o

pr ot ect ' t he f ami l y and t he r ace' , et c. Ul t i mat el y, t hi s i s what

i s at st ake wi t h censor shi p, bot h i n Eur ope and t he Uni t ed St at es:

a col l ect i ve i ndi gnat i on, a publ i c r epr obat i on t hat t r i es t o

i mpose f ami l y val ues and t he spi r i t of t he r ace. Fami l y and r ace

may i n t hemsel ves be r espect abl e, even desi r abl e val ues. What i s

mor e di st ur bi ng i s t hei r use as an i deol ogi cal j ust i f i cat i on f or

censor shi p.

I n t hi s r espect , t he exampl e of t he Fr ont Nat i onal i s par t i cul ar l y

t el l i ng. I n Mar ch 1988, t he Fr ont Nat i onal , t he f ar - r i ght Fr ench

par t y of Jean- Mar i e Le Pen, cont r i but ed di r ect l y t o t he el ect i on

of t hr ee candi dat es f r om t he moder at e Ri ght as Chai r men of

Regi onal Assembl i es. I mmedi at el y af t er t he el ect i on, t he Nat i onal

Fr ont demanded t hat t he condi t i ons of t he deal be met , i . e. , t he

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set t i ng up of a ' nat i onal cul t ur al pol i cy ' based on f ami l y

pr i nci pl es and Fr ench val ues and t hr eat ened wi t h dr ast i c cut s i n

t he budget s of di ssent i ng cul t ur al i nst i t ut i ons. The f ol l owi ng

st udy of t he PMRC anal yses i n what manner t hi s spi r i t can be

i mpl ement ed, under t he gui se of i nf or mat i on, and how any t ype of

censor shi p i s i n f act a f or m of excl usi on, t he sacr i f i c i al

expul s i on of ever yt hi ng t hat i nt er f er es wi t h t he smoot h wor ki ng of

t he gr eat nat i onal f ami l y.

Bi r t h of t he PMRC

I n t he ear l y 1980s, t he Nat i onal Par ent / Teacher Associ at i on, a 5. 4

mi l l i on member s Amer i can or gani sat i on, i ncensed by t he l yr i cs of

some r ock songs, par t i cul ar l y t he l i ne ' I s i ncer el y want t o f uck

t he t ast e out of your mout h' i n ' Let ' s Pr et end We' r e Mar r i ed' by

Pr i nce, ( 1999, War ner Br os. , 1982) , suggest ed t o use a symbol on

some r ecor ds t o war n pr ospect i ve buyer s of t hei r cont ent s. I t

publ i c i zed i t s pr oposal by a ser i es of l et t er s sent t o i nf l uent i al

per sonal i t i es. A cer t ai n Susan Baker was among t he addr essees; she

l i s t ened car ef ul l y t o ot her songs, not abl y Pr i nce' s ' Dar l i ng

Ni kki ' , ' Sugar Wal l s ' by Sheena East on and ' Eat Me Al i ve' by Judas

Pr i est , and what f ol l owed was t he set t i ng up of t he most

f or mi dabl e censor shi p machi ne i n Amer i can popul ar musi c. For Susan

Baker was t he wi f e of Secr et ar y of t he Tr easur y James A. Baker

I I I . Wi t h a f ew f r i ends, al l mar r i ed t o heavy wei ght pol i t i c i ans

( Peat sy Hol l i ngs, wi f e of Sen. Er nest Hol l i ngs, Et hel ann St uckey,

mar r i ed t o Wi l l i am St uckey, a f or mer Geor gi a congr essman, Sal l y

Nevi us, whose husband, John Nevi us was a member of t he Washi ngt on

Ci t y Counci l , Ti pper Gor e, wi f e of Al Gor e Jr . , at t he t i me

senat or of Tennessee, now vi ce- pr esi dent and Pam Howar , spouse of

t he CEO of a maj or Washi ngt on const r uct i on f i r m) she deci ded t o

cr eat e an or gani sat i on i n or der t o i nf or m par ent s about t he

por nogr aphi c cont ent s of some r ock r ecor ds.

6

I n May 1985, t he Par ent s ' Musi c Resour ce Cent er was bor n. I t s

boar d of di r ect or s was const i t ut ed of anot her 17 " Washi ngt on

Wi ves" , mar r i ed t o senat or s, congr essmen and Cabi net of f i c i al s

al ong wi t h a coupl e of busi nessmen' s spouses and an advi sor y boar d

wher e one coul d f i nd Joseph St uessy, a Pr of essor of Musi c at t he

Uni ver si t y of Texas, t he Honor abl e Andr ew Young, t he Mayor of

At l ant a, or TV host Shei l a Wal sh. The PMRC was f ounded wi t h t he

f i nanci al hel p of Mi ke Love, f r om t he Beach Boys, and of Joseph

Coor s, t he owner of Coor s beer s. Bot h had act i vel y suppor t ed

Reagan' s candi dacy, and Coor s of f er ed of f i ces t o t he PMRC. A

mi ni st er f r om Vi r gi ni a, Rev. Jef f Li ng, f amous f or hi s ' s l i de-

shows' denounci ng sex and vi ol ence i n r ock musi c, was enr ol l ed t o

wr i t e t he abundant l i t er at ur e t he PMRC i nt ended t o publ i sh.

Sever al r el i gi ous or gani sat i ons of f er ed t hei r l ogi st i cal suppor t :

Teen Vi s i on, f r om Pi t t sbur gh, Pat Rober t son' s 700 Cl ub, and t he

Rel i gi ous Booksel l er s Convent i on ( whi ch di st r i but ed Ti pper Gor e' s

book, Rai si ng PG Ki ds i n an X- r at ed Soci et y ) , t hough t he PMRC

deni ed any i deol ogi cal connect i on wi t h t hese gr oups.

The PMRC' s goal s wer e c l ear l y def i ned: ' t o educat e and i nf or m

par ent s of t hi s al ar mi ng new t r end. . . t owar ds l yr i cs t hat ar e

sexual l y expl i c i t ' ( PMRC, 1985, p. 1) . Such i nf or mat i on and

educat i on r el i ed on a st r i ct er enf or cement of obsceni t y l aws ( see

i nf r a) and on a l ess per mi ssi ve at t i t ude ( Susan Baker cal l ed i t

' sel f - r est r ai nt ' ) f r om r ecor d compani es. The PMRC t hus r ej ect ed

t he accusat i on of censor shi p: ' Por nogr aphy sol d t o chi l dr en i s

i l l egal , enf or ci ng t hat i s not censor shi p. I t i s s i mpl y t he act of

a r esponsi bl e soci et y t hat r ecogni zes t hat some mat er i al made

avai l abl e t o adul t s i s not appr opr i at e f or chi l dr en' ( Baker , 1987,

p. 1) . I t s pur pose was t o show t he causal l i nk bet ween r ock musi c

and soci al pr obl ems such as t he i ncr ease i n r ape, t een- age sui c i de

or t een pr egnanci es: ' I t i s our cont ent i on t hat per vasi ve messages

ai med at chi l dr en whi ch pr omot e and gl or i f y sui c i de, r ape and

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sadomasochi sm have t o be number ed among t he cont r i but i ng f act or s '

( Baker , 1985, p. 20) . As Lawr ence Gr ossber g put i t , t he PMRC ai med

at r e- asser t i ng cont r ol over t he cul t ur al envi r onment of chi l dr en;

t he mor al f abr i c of t he Uni t ed St at es, i t s per sonal and f ami l y

val ues had t o be r escued t hr ough t he r egul at i on of yout h' s

cul t ur al consumpt i on ( p. 193) . Gr ossber g det ai l ed t he successi ve

st eps used by t he PMRC i n i t s st r at egy: f i r st , adol escent s wer e

assi mi l at ed t o chi l dr en; t hi s i mpl i es t hey needed t he secur i t y of

def i nabl e boundar i es, whi ch event ual l y shi f t ed t he wei ght of

soci al i ssues f r om adul t soci et y t o yout h cul t ur e. Typi cal l y, i n

her 1987 book, Ti pper Gor e' s met hod was t o descr i be soci al

pr obl ems i n ext r emel y br oad t er ms, e. g. , on page 75: ' whi t e mal es

ar e most at r i sk f or sui c i de' , bef or e maki ng an ( of t en er r oneous)

asser t i on about yout h cul t ur e such as ' young whi t e mal es ar e al so

t he pr i mar y audi ence f or heavy met al ' , and l eavi ng t he r eader t o

dr aw hi s own concl usi on: ' what happens when a conf used, depr essed

adol escent pi cks up t he al bum. . . ?'

I t f ol l owed t hat many soci al evi l s shoul d have been avoi ded by a

st r i ct er cont r ol of t hei r causes, i . e. , i n t he PMRC' s mi nd, t he

l yr i cs of cer t ai n songs. Not because of t hei r cont ent s per se

( Ti pper Gor e her sel f admi t t ed t hat many TV shows wer e mor e

l i cent i ous) but because t hey subver t ed t he i deol ogi cal val ues of

Amer i can soci et y ( somet hi ng t he ' hot t est ' TV pr ogr amme wi l l i ndeed

never do) . The PMRC st udi ed sever al sol ut i ons f or t he i nf or mat i on

of par ent s and t he pr ot ect i on of chi l dr en: pr i nt i ng l yr i cs on

r ecor d s l eeves, r emovi ng f r om di spl ay r ecor ds wi t h ' l ewd' s l eeves,

syst emat i cal l y moni t or i ng r adi o and TV shows and above al l ,

secur i ng t he spont aneous agr eement of r ecor d compani es t o i ndi cat e

by means of a code t he gener al t enor of some r ecor ds: V f or

v i ol ence, X f or sexual l y expl i c i t l yr i cs, O f or occul t , D/ A f or

dr ug and al cohol , et c. Accor di ng t o t he PMRC, i t was t i me t o put

an end t o t he dr i f t t owar d por nogr aphy i n r ock musi c.

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Censor shi p and obsceni t y

Bef or e goi ng any f ur t her , t he not i ons of por nogr aphy and obsceni t y

need t o be def i ned i n t he Amer i can cont ext . The wor d por nogr aphy

onl y has a common meani ng, but obsceni t y al so has a l egal one. I t

descr i bes a cat egor y of speech not pr ot ect ed by t he Fi r st

Amendment , namel y speech about sex. However , as M. Hei ns not ed,

' many l egal schol ar s f i nd no basi s i n hi st or y or l ogi c f or t he

" obsceni t y except i on" t o t he Fi r st Amendment ' ( Hei nz, p. 17) .

Al t hough ot her cat egor i es of speech i ni t i al l y l ef t out s i de Fi r st

Amendment pr ot ect i on wer e pr ogr essi vel y i ncl uded ( l i bel i n 1964,

pr of ani t y i n 1971) , on t he cont r ar y, t he st and agai nst obsceni t y

st eadi l y har dened. Though t he f i r st l aws agai nst obsceni t y wer e

passed onl y at t he end of t he 19t h cent ur y under t he i mpul se of

Ant hony Comst ock, f ounder of t he Soci et y f or t he Suppr essi on of

Vi ce, i n t he 20t h cent ur y, t he pace qui ckened and sever al Supr eme

Cour t r ul i ngs shaped t he cur r ent def i ni t i on of obsceni t y. I n 1957,

i n Rot h v. Uni t ed St at es, obsceni t y was def i ned as ' a speech about

sex t hat i s ut t er l y wi t hout r edeemi ng soci al i mpor t ance' . 1 Two mor e

cr i t er i a wer e added i n t he s i xt i es, ' pat ent l y of f ensi ve' and

' appeal t o pr ur i ent i nt er est i n sex' ( whi ch set s ' good'

por nogr aphy apar t as i t may have ar t i st i c val ue or ar ouse non

pr ur i ent desi r es) . But as t he Supr eme Cour t poi nt ed out , t he l i ne

separ at i ng what i s obscene ( t hus i l l egal ) f r om what i s

por nogr aphi c ( and as such under Fi r st Amendment pr ot ect i on) i s

of t en di m and uncer t ai n.

I n 1973, Mi l l er v. Cal i f or ni a modi f i ed one mor e t i me t he

def i ni t i on of obsceni t y. I nst ead of ' ut t er l y wi t hout r edeemi ng

soci al i mpor t ance' , t he new cr i t er i on became ' l acked ser i ousl y

l i t er ar y, ar t i s t i c, pol i t i cal or sci ent i f i c val ue' , wi t h al l t he

ambi gui t i es r egar di ng t he appr eci at i on of ' val ue' i n ar t i st i c

wor ks. Anot her maj or change was t hat f r om t hen on, ' cont empor ar y

9

communi t y st andar ds' wer e used t o deci de whet her a gi ven mat er i al

was ' pat ent l y of f ensi ve' or appeal ed t o ' pr ur i ent i nt er est i n

sex' . Thi s i mpl i ed t hat dependi ng on t he St at e or t he c i t y, t he

same mat er i al coul d be j udged i l l egal or not . Thi s l egal f r ame was

st r engt hened by t he est abl i shment of anot her cat egor y of speech,

i ndecency, whi ch, t hough not obscene, can al l t he same be

r est r i ct ed by l aw. I t appl i es t o ' pat ent l y of f ensi ve depi ct i ons or

descr i pt i ons of sexual or excr et or y act i v i t i es or or gans' . These

var i ous def i ni t i ons, because of t hei r l ooseness, l eave r oom f or

subj ect i v i t y and l ed t o numer ous convi ct i ons f or obsceni t y and

i ndecency by l ocal cour t s. Such was t he l egal appar at us on whi ch

t he PMRC r el i ed i n i t s ef f or t s agai nst r ock musi c.

Censor i ng sexual i t y i n popul ar musi c

I t was not t he f i r st t i me popul ar musi c was bei ng at t acked. Unt i l

t he l at e ei ght i es, obsceni t y pr osecut i ons agai nst musi c had been

vi r t ual l y i nexi st ant but i t does not mean t hat musi c had not been

t he t ar get of censor shi p. The i ssue i s obvi ousl y t oo l ar ge t o be

deal t wi t h her e sat i sf act or i l y , but a f ew f act s may pr ove usef ul

t o del i neat e t he cont ext i n whi ch t he PMRC devel oped. Fr om t hei r

ear l y days, j azz and bl ues had of t en been l abel l ed ' t he devi l ' s

musi c ' or ' j ungl e musi c ' and as Count Basi e r ecal l s, t hey wer e

of t en descr i bed i n t er ms of ' or gi es ' ( Hei ns, p. 80) . Af r i can-

Amer i can genr es f r i ght ened because t hey expr essed ever y aspect of

human nat ur e, i ncl udi ng sexual i t y; t he r ampant di scr i mi nat i on

agai nst Af r i can- Amer i can cul t ur e was t hus made l egi t i mat e and

r espect abl e s i nce censor i ng t hese musi cs was pr esent ed as a

cr usade f or decency. Whi l e bl ack musi c had been di r ect ed at t he

bl ack mar ket , no one had r eal l y obj ect ed; i t i s onl y when t he

whi t e yout h began t o be at t r act ed t hat t he at t acks r eal l y began.

I n t he ear l y f i f t i es, t he t r ade magazi nes Bi l l boar d and Var i et y

l aunched a cr usade agai nst ' l eer i cs ' i n Rhyt hm and Bl ues songs,

10

whi ch l ed t o t he banni ng of many R&B r ecor ds by j ukeboxes

oper at or s and r adi o st at i ons di sk j ockeys. They wer e suppor t ed i n

t hei r ef f or t s by var i ous r el i gi ous or gani sat i ons, i ncl udi ng bl ack

ones. Wi t h t he advent of r ock & r ol l , t he s i t uat i on wor sened. 2

St at e aut hor i t i es ( such as t he Texas Juveni l e Del i nquency and

Cr i me Commi si on) began suggest i ng t o r adi o st at i ons whi ch r ecor ds

shoul d be banned ( al most al l by bl ack ar t i st s) . Many st at i ons wer e

but t oo happy t o cooper at e. I n 1956, t he Nor t h Al abama Whi t e

Ci t i zens Counci l decl ar ed t hat r ock & r ol l appeal ed t o ' t he base

i n man, br [ ought ] out ani mal i sm and vul gar i t y, ' and was par t of a

' pl ot by t he NAACP t o mongr el i ze Amer i ca. ' I n t he same year , Gene

Vi ncent was f ound gui l t y of obsceni t y and publ i c l ewdness by a

Vi r gi ni a St at e cour t ( Mar t i n, p. 73) whi l e Chuck Ber r y and Jer r y

Lee Lewi s wer e ost r aci sed f or t hei r pr i vat e sexual l i ves. Rock &

r ol l was al so associ at ed wi t h j uveni l e v i ol ence and descr i bed as

an i ncent i ve f or r i ot i ng. The Ed Sul l i van Show i s a t el l i ng

i ndi cat or of t he f l uct uat i ng t hr eshol d separ at i ng what was deemed

accept abl e f r om what was not . Sul l i van had f or i nst ance i ni t i al l y

r ef used t o host El v i s Pr esl ey as ' unf i t f or a f ami l y audi ence'

unt i l hi s nat i onal appeal cal l ed f or a r ever sal of opi ni on. He

subsequent l y descr i bed Pr esl ey as t he epi t ome of Amer i canness

( al t hough shoot i ng hi m onl y f r om t he wai st up) . Dur i ng t he

si xt i es, ot her ar t i st s wer e banned f r om t he pr ogr amme unt i l t hei r

commer ci al c l out pr oved i r r esi st i bl e, but t hey al so had t o compl y

wi t h some r est r i ct i ons: i n 1965, t he Rol l i ng St ones had wor ds f r om

' Sat i sf act i on' del et ed and had l at er t o al t er t hei r hi t ' Let ' s

Spend t he Ni ght Toget her ' i nt o ' Let ' s Spend Some Ti me Toget her '

( however , The Door s ' J i m Mor r i son sang ' Li ght My Fi r e' wi t h i t s

or i gi nal l yr i cs despi t e hi s pr omi se t o sani t i ze t hem, t o t he i r e

of Ed Sul l i van) .

I n t he mi d- sevent i es, af t er a f ew r at her unevent f ul year s, bl ue

songs came under at t ack agai n. Thi s t i me, even i ndust r y of f i c i al s

11

j oi ned t he f r ay. Vi ce- pr esi dent s at Casabl anca, ABC or War ner

Br ot her s Recor ds, pr ogr amme di r ect or s at maj or r adi o st at i ons and

even t he Nat i onal Associ at i on of Br oadcast er s expr essed t hei r

concer n over sexual l yr i cs. The st r ongest at t ack came f r om

Rever end Jesse Jackson who, t hr ough hi s PUSH or gani sat i on,

l aunched a campai gn agai nst of f - whi t e songs, most by bl ack

ar t i st s. As t he PMRC l adi es woul d do a f ew year s l at er , he pl aced

t he bl ame f or t he i ncr ease i n i l l egi t i mat e bi r t hs and abor t i ons on

songs advocat i ng sex ( Mar t i n, p. 251) . On t he whol e, t hough, hi s

campai gn f ai l ed and was bl amed f or conf usi ng et hi c wi t h et hni c

i ssues, despi t e an at t empt at f endi ng of f t he cr i t i c i sm by

f ocusi ng, wi t h t he hel p of f emi ni st or gani sat i ons, on t he Rol l i ng

St ones' Some Gi r l s al bum. By t he ear l y ei ght i es, t he i ssue of

sexual l yr i cs had l ost moment um, t hough occasi onal cases of

censor shi p st i l l occur ed si nce, as Mar t i n and Segr ave wr i t e,

' r at her t han l y i ng dor mant , sex r ock became t he f ocus of a sor t of

sni per war f ar e as opposed t o an al l - out assaul t by ant i - r ock

f or ces' ( p. 256) . I t woul d r emai n i n t hat s i t uat i on unt i l t he

campai gn l aunched by t he PMRC i n 1985.

The 1985 Senat e hear i ngs

On Sept ember 19, 1985, af t er sever al weeks of i nt ense medi a

pr essur e exer t ed by t he PMRC, t he Senat e Commer ce Technol ogy and

Tr anspor t at i on Commi t t ee or gani sed a ser i es of hear i ngs t o

i nvest i gat e t he por nogr aphi c cont ent of r ock musi c. Thi s was t he

f i r st of f i c i al event di r ect l y i mput abl e t o t he PMRC. Sever al r ock

per sonal i t i es wer e cal l ed upon t o gi ve evi dence: Fr ank Zappa, Dee

Sni der , f r om t he gr oup Twi st ed Si st er and John Denver . The RI AA,

t he Recor di ng I ndust r y Associ at i on of Amer i ca, al so at t ended t he

hear i ngs. They wer e pr i mar i l y meant as a symbol i c show of f or ce

s i nce no l egi s l at i on had been cont empl at ed at t he out come, t he

Commi t t ee bei ng awar e of t he compl ex const i t ut i onal i ssues

i nvol ved. Never t hel ess t he PMRC bel i eved t he mer e t hr eat shoul d

12

pr ove suf f i c i ent t o ur ge t he r ecor d i ndust r y t o mor e caut i on. And

i ndeed, on November 1, 1985, bef or e t he hear i ng wer e even over ,

t he RI AA subst ant i al l y acqui esed i n t he PMRC' s demands, save a f ew

al t er at i ons t o t he i ni t al pr oj ect . Consequent l y, t he RI AA asked

i t s member s ( 85% of al l Amer i can r ecor d compani es, i ncl udi ng al l

t he maj or s) t o choose bet ween t wo sol ut i ons: ei t her t o af f i x a

war ni ng l abel or t o pr i nt t he l yr i cs on t he sl eeve. I n most cases,

r ecor d compani es chose t he war ni ng l abel . Thus, f r om Januar y 1986

t o August 1989, out of 7500 al bums r el eased, 49 di spl ayed some

ki nd of war ni ng message ( i n t he same per i od, t he PMRC had

consi der ed 121 r ecor ds of f ensi ve) , i ncl udi ng r e- r el eased al bum by

bl ues ar t i st Sonny Boy Wi l l i amson. Among t he f i r st was Fr ench

ar t i st Ser ge Gai nsbour g' s Love on t he Beat f or whom t he l abel was

al t er ed i nt o ' expl i c i t Fr ench l yr i cs ' !

Ther e i s anot her account of t he st or y. Si nce 1982, t he RI AA had

been t r y i ng unsuccessf ul l y t o have a bi l l passed i n Congr ess ( HR

2911 and S 1711, t he Home Audi o Recor di ng Tax) a bi l l whi ch woul d

have est abl i shed a t ax on bl ank audi o t apes, at t he r at e of 1c.

per mi nut e, y i el di ng appr oxi mat el y $250. 000. 000 a year , an

enor mous st ake f r om whi ch onl y t he r ecor d compani es and a f ew

st ar s woul d have benef i t ed, due t o t he appr opr i at i on syst em

consi der ed ( Kennedy, 1985, p. 135) . As ear l y as May 1985, t he RI AA

had accept ed t o meet t he l eader s of t he PMRC t o di scuss t hei r

demands. Thi s was f ol l owed by t he hear i ngs we have ment i oned. As

i t happened, f our of t he senat or s who sat at t he hear i ngs of t he

Commer ce Commi t t ee ( Sen. Packwood, Sen. Gor e, Sen. Thur mond and

t he chai r man, John C. Danf or t h, Republ i can Senat or of Mi ssour i )

not onl y al so sat at t he ad- hoc commi t t ee whi ch wor ked on t he HR

2911 bi l l , but wer e besi des mar r i ed t o PMRC' s of f i c i al s. On

November 1, 1985, t he RI AA si gned t he agr eement wi t h t he PMRC; a

f ew mont hs l at er , t he t ax was vot ed. Whi ch consi der at i on over r ode

t he ot her ? The f ear of an hypot het i cal l egi s l at i on on sex i n r ock

13

musi c or t he pr ospect of a subst ant i al bount y? Quest i oned on t he

subj ect , Paul Russi nof f , an RI AA of f i c i al , st uck t o t he of f i c i al

posi t i on t hat t he l abel i ng compr omi se was t he l esser of t wo evi l s,

t he onl y way t o avoi d coer ci t i ve l egi s l at i on. 3 Thi s i s what t he

RI AA annual r epor t conf i r ms: ' t he Par ent al Advi sor y Pr ogr am

cont i nues t o of f er a sound, sensi bl e and const i t ut i onal l y l egal

al t er nat i ve t o censor shi p l egi s l at i on. ' ( RI AA, 1994, p. 18) To be

f ai r , t he RI AA yi el ded on t he mai n poi nt s onl y and f i r ml y r ej ect ed

t he PMRC' s ot her demands ( a r at i ng syst em and a ban on expl i c i t

cover s) .

For ot her s, however , accept i ng what t he PMRC want ed was a ser i ous

mi st ake. Dur i ng t he hear i ngs, Fr ank Zappa st at ed hi s posi t i on i n

no equi vocal t er ms:

The PMRC pr oposal i s an i l l - concei ved pi ece of nonsense

whi ch f ai l s t o del i ver any r eal benef i t s t o chi l dr en,

i nf r i nges t he ci v i l l i ber t i es of peopl e who ar e not

chi l dr en, and pr omi ses t o keep t he cour t s busy f or year s

deal i ng wi t h t he i nt er pr et at i onal and enf or cement al

pr obl ems i nher ent i n t he pr oposal ' s desi gn.

He di d not hesi t at e t o al l ude t o t he l ess r espect abl e r easons t hat

may have l ed t he RI AA t o s i gn t he deal :

The l adi es' shame must be shar ed by t he bosses at t he

maj or l abel s who, t hr ough t he RI AA, chose t o bar gai n away

t he r i ght s of composer s, per f or mer s and r et ai l er s i n

or der t o pass H. R. 2911; t he Bl ank Tape Tax, a pr i vat e

t ax l evi ed by an i ndust r y on consumer s f or t he benef i t of

a sel ect gr oup wi t hi n t hat i ndut r y . . . I s i t pr oper t hat

t he husband of a PMRC f ounder s i t s on any commi t t ee

consi der i ng busi ness per t ai ni ng t o t he bl ank t ape t ax or

hi s wi f e' s l obbyi ng or gani sat i on? Can any commi t t ee t hus

const i t ut ed f i nd f act s i n a f ai r and unbi ased manner ?

Above al l , he set t he i ssue i n a br oader cont ext :

14

The est abl i shment of a r at i ng syst em . . . opens t he door

t o an endl ess par ade of mor al qual i t y cont r ol pr ogr ams. . .

What i f t he next bunch of Washi ngt on wi ves demands a

l ar ge yel l ow ' J ' on al l mat er i al wr i t t en or per f or med by

Jews, i n or der t o save hel pl ess chi l dr en f r om exposur e t o

conceal ed Zi oni st doct r i ne?

The way t he si t uat i on evol ved coul d onl y st r engt hen hi s

convi ct i on. I n 1990, he decl ar ed:

They shoul d have f ought t oot h and nai l f r om t he day t hey

f i r st got t he PMRC l et t er , t hey shoul d have t ol d t hose

peopl e ' Go st uf f i t , you got no busi ness meddl i ng i n my

af f ai r s, you' r e not a gover nment agency. . . i t ' s j ust

anot her pi ece of f undament al i st f r ogwash, get out a my

f ace! ' ( i nt er vi ew wi t h J. B. Pet er son, Paci f i ca Radi o, June

21, 1990)

Fr om i nf or mat i on t o censor shi p: t he pr ocess

The most di sast r ous consequence of t he Senat e hear i ngs and t he

r esul t i ng l abel i ng agr eement was t hat what may have or i gi nal l y

been a genui ne desi r e t o i nf or m gave way t o downr i ght censor shi p.

Even Ti pper Gor e r ecogni zed t hat t he hear i ngs wer e a mi st ake i n

t he sense t hat ' t hey gave t he mi sper cept i on t hat t her e was

censor shi p i nvol ved' ( Gor e, 1988, p. C18) . For t he PMRC hel d f ast

t o t he f i c t i on t hat l abel i ng was i n no way a f or m of censor shi p

and st eadi l y r ef used t o endor se any l egi s l at i on ai mi ng at

censor i ng speci f i c r ecor ds. Gr ossber g suggest s t hat t he

r egul at i ons i mpl i ed by enf or ci ng censor shi p i ncar nat e ' syst ems of

bur eaucr at i c wi t hi n t he space of dai l y l i f e' ( p. 167) , a s i t uat i on

t he member s of t he PMRC, al l st aunch advocat es of l i ber al

pr i nci pl es, coul d not accept . Thi s di d not pr event t he PMRC, adds

Gr ossber g, f r om sacr i f i c i ng t he space of i ndi v i dual r i ght s i n t he

name of t he f ami l y ' t hough i t appar ent l y v i ol at es Amer i ca' s

15

supposed i deol ogi cal commi t ment t o i ndi v i dual i sm' ( p. 287) . The

f ami l y t hus becomes a t ool f or soci al di sci pl i ne, cont r ol l i ng t he

possi bi l i t i es of chi l dhood. But what ever ambi gui t i es may exi st

bet ween publ i c and pr i vat e cont r ol , t he PMRC never admi t t ed t hat

i t s act i on coul d amount t o censor shi p.

I now i nt end t o out l i ne t he pr ocess t hr ough whi ch a concer n wi t h

i nf or mat i on coul d l ead t o censor shi p. Four mai n phases can be

obser ved. The f i r st st ep was a ser i es of at t acks agai nst

i ndi v i dual ar t i s t s, t aki ng advant age of what exi st i ng l egi s l at i on

t her e was. The second i nvol ved i ni t i at i ves by l ocal aut hor i t i es

r el y i ng on t he war ni ng l abel as an i ndi cat or of what shoul d be

censor ed. Thi s was f ol l owed by ef f or t s at St at es l evel t o pass

l egi s l at i on def i ni ng what coul d be sol d and t o whom, st i l l on t he

basi s of t he war ni ng l abel . The whol e br ouhaha event ual l y i nspi r ed

r ecor d compani es t o exer t mor e t han caut i on r egar di ng t he nat ur e

of t hei r pr oduct i on.

The most spect acul ar at t ack on an i ndi v i dual ar t i s t came i n 1986.

I t was di r ect ed at Jel l o Bi af r a, l eader of t he Dead Kennedys, who

was i ndi ct ed f or havi ng i ncl uded i n one of hi s r ecor ds

( Fr ankenchr i st ) a post er by Swi ss ar t i st Gi ger depi ct i ng sexual

or gans. The gr ounds upon whi ch t he char ge was br ought wer e

' i nf r i gement of sect i on 313. 3 of t he Cal i f or ni an Penal Code'

( di st r i but i on of har mf ul mat er i al t o mi nor s) . Though Jel l o Bi af r a

was event ual l y di schar ged, t he t r i al l ef t hi m head over ear s i n

debt , wi t hout a gr oup and unabl e t o r ecor d f or year s. The PMRC

cannot deny havi ng been di r ect l y i nvol ved i n t he case; dur i ng t he

t r i al , i t r el eased t he f ol l owi ng st at ement :

The PMRC f eel s t hat t he post er and t he Dead Kennedys'

al bum Fr ankenchr i st i s a bl at ant exampl e of por nogr aphy

and f ai l ur e t o pr ovi de t r ut h i n packagi ng. The war ni ng

st i cker whi ch was pl aced on t he shr i nk wr ap, not on t he

al bum i t sel f , c l ai ms t hat t he post er i s a wor k of ar t

16

whi ch some may f i nd r epul s i ve and of f ensi ve. Thi s does

not r el ay t he expl i c i t nat ur e of t he post er and does not

adequat el y war n par ent s t o t he cont ent s of t he al bum. The

r i ght t o consumer i nf or mat i on pr i or t o pur chasi ng a

pr oduct i s t he t i me honour ed pr i nci pl e i n t hi s count r y.

Thi s i s c l ear l y a v i ol at i on of t hat pr i nci pl e. ( PMRC,

1986, p. 28)

Admi t t edl y, t he PMRC di d not cal l f or t he suppr essi on of t he

al bum, mer el y f or bet t er ' t r ut h i n packagi ng' , but i t s i nvol vement

i n t he t r i al weakens i t s c l ai m of st andi ng agai nst any k i nd of

censor shi p.

I n t he wake of t hi s ear l y t r i al , l ocal aut hor i t i es t r i ed t o make

t he most of exi st i ng l egi s l at i on t o i ncr ease t hei r cont r ol over

what was sol d i n t hei r di st r i ct , par t i cul ar l y t o mi nor s. Bi l l s ,

' i nf or mal ' l et t er s by l ocal pol i ce of f i cer s, counci l or di nances, a

dazzl i ng ar r ay of ( somet i mes bar el y) l egal weaponr y was used t o

cr i mi nal i ze t he sal e of cer t ai n r ecor ds. Thi s t i me, t he at t acks no

l onger bor e on speci f i c i ndi v i dual s but on a whol e r ange of musi c.

Most of t he t i me, t he t ar get s wer e sel ect ed on t he basi s of t he

war ni ng l abel , t hough t he l abel s had no l egal st andi ng r egar di ng

what coul d or coul d not be sol d t o mi nor s. The most dr amat i c case

concer ned t he r ap gr oup 2 Li ve Cr ew. On Febr uar y 6, 1990,

f ol l owi ng a pr osecut i on on obsceni t y gr ounds by Br owar d Count y

Sher i f f Ni ck Navar r o, Judge Gr ossman of t he Bowar d Count y Ci r cui t

Cour t i ssued a ' pr obabl e case' r ul i ng, st at i ng t hat he had good

r easons t o t hi nk t he al bum As Nast y As They Wanna Be was obscene

and t her ef or e i l l egal under Fl or i da l aw. The or der was si mpl y

phot ocopi ed and di st r i but ed t o l ocal r ecor d shop owner s who wer e

t hr eat ened wi t h ar r est i f t hey f ai l ed t o compl y. Most r et ai l er s

subsequent l y st opped sel l i ng t he r ecor d, except 3 who wer e

accor di ngl y ar r est ed. On Mar ch 16, 1990, t he gr oup deci ded t o

pr ot ect t hei r r i ght s by f i l i ng sui t i n a f eder al cour t . Two year s

17

l at er , t he Feder al Cour t of Fl or i da r ever sed Judge Gr ossman' s

i ni t i al r ul i ng; a deci s i on whi ch was conf i r med by t he Supr eme

Cour t ' s 1992 deni al of cer t i or ar i . I t consi der ed t hat no obsceni t y

j udgement had been passed at t he t i me t he or der had been i ssued,

so t hat t he whol e pr ocedur e amount ed t o a pr i or r est r ai nt of f r ee

speech.

The concept of pr i or r est r ai nt descr i bes t he f act t hat pol i ce or

l ocal aut hor i t i es decl ar e or suggest t hat a gi ven speech mi ght be

i l l egal bef or e any j udgment has been passed, i . e. , pr ohi bi t i ng

expr essi on i n advance. The pr act i se came under l i ght i n 1927 when

aut hor i t i es used t he l aw t o s i l ence t he- by al l account s- obnoxi ous

and r aci st paper Sat ur day Pr ess owned by Jay Near and Howar d

Gui l f or d. Despi t e t he nat ur e of t he publ i cat i on, some ( such as

publ i sher Rober t McCor mi ck and t he f l edgel i ng Amer i can Ci vi l

Li ber t i es Uni on) obj ect ed t o i t s censor i ng pr i or t o t he

condemnat i on of any speci f i c ar t i c l e, on t he sol e basi s of i t s

gener al t enor . I n 1931, accor di ngl y, t he Supr eme Cour t r ul ed out

t he Mi nnesot a l aw, st at i ng t hat pr i or r est r ai nt was di sal l owed

under t he U. S. Const i t ut i on. Thi s was expanded i n 1961 i n Bant am

Books, I nc. v. Rhode I s l and Censor shi p Boar d, Boar d whi ch had

' t hanked' publ i sher s i n advance f or t hei r cooper at i on i n not

di st r i but i ng i ncr i mi nat ed books i n Rhode I s l and. I n 1978 t he

Supr eme Cour t added t hat ' by i nduci ng excessi ve caut i on, pr i or

r est r ai nt s al so i ndi r ect l y and uni nt ent i onal l y suppr ess speech' . 4

I t was pr eci sel y t o avoi d such abuses t hat t he Fi r st Amendment had

been i nt r oduced. Accor di ng t o Jef f r ey B. Kahan, ' t he use of pr i or

r est r ai nt s t o censor concer t s and al bums suggest s dar k mot i ves i n

and of i t sel f . Thi s t echni que l ends i t sel f t o i ndi r ect and

uni nt ended censor shi p. Per f or mer s l ose t he r i ght t o make any

st at ement . Wi t hout t he oppor t uni t y t o answer t hei r cr i t i cs i n an

adver sar i al hear i ng, [ t hey] l ose t he r i ght t o def end t hei r v i ews,

much l ess ai r t hem' ( p. 2610) .

18

Fol l owi ng t he 2 Li ve Cr ew epi sode, t he at t acks on r ock musi c t ook

a shar per di mensi on as sever al st at es consi der ed passi ng l aws

whi ch woul d have cr i mi nal i sed t he sal e of speci f i c r ecor ds t o

mi nor s, banned t hem f r om di spl ay or f or bi dden t hei r di st r i but i on

al t oget her . The pr ocess had begun i n 1986 when Rep. Judi t h Tot h

f r om Mar yl and, al er t ed by t he PMRC, had i nt r oduced a bi l l ( whi ch

was event ual l y def eat ed) i nt endi ng t o cr i mi nal i se t he sal e of

obscene r ecor ds t o mi nor s. I t st ar t ed anew i n 1990 when Rep.

Joseph Ar nel l , af t er havi ng at t ended a Ti pper Gor e l ect ur e t oo,

sponsor ed anot her bi l l i n Fl or i da. The pur pose of hi s bi l l was t o

t ur n what was i ni t i al l y a vol unt ar y agr eement ( af f i x i ng a war ni ng

l abel ) i nt o a l aw. Not onl y t he l abel woul d have become mandat or y

on t he sel ect ed r ecor ds but sel l i ng t hem t o mi nor s woul d have

become a cr i me. Ei ght een ot her st at es, suppor t ed by a publ i c

opi ni on ar oused by t he PMRC, soon f ol l owed sui t e and cont empl at ed

si mi l ar l egi s l at i on. The most ser i ous t hr eat came f r om Loui s i ana,

wher e Gover nor Buddy Roemer had t o exer t hi s r i ght of vet o t o

bl ock t he bi l l , act i ng on t he advi ce of t he PMRC' s l eader s who

f el t somewhat al ar med by what t hey had t r i gger ed and want ed t o

st r ess t he vol unt ar y basi s of t he deal . At t hi s poi nt , however ,

t hei r act i on can no l onger be equat ed t o mer el y i nf or mi ng t he

publ i c. The sponsor s of t hese bi l l s , who acknowl edged t hei r debt

t o t he PMRC, wer e expl i c i t el y bent on censor shi p; f or

Pennsyl vani a' s Rep. Ronal d Gambl e, ' t he i nt ent i s not so much t he

war ni ng l abel s, but t o make sur e t he r ecor ds ar e not sol d' , whi l e

t he husband of one of t he PMRC' s member s, Sen. Er nest Hol l i ngs,

decl ar ed ' i f I coul d f i nd some way const i t ut i onal l y t o do away

wi t h [ expl i c i t l yr i cs] , I woul d. [ I ' ve asked] t he best

const i t ut i onal mi nds ar ound t o see i f t he st uf f coul d be l egal l y

out l awed' . 5

The RI AA act i vel y opposed t hese bi l l s , of t en by advi s i ng st at e

19

gover nor s. Thus, i t was t hanks t o RI AA pr essur e t hat t he Gover nor

of Sout h Car ol i na vet oed a bi l l t hat woul d have est abl i shed a $1

t ax on any r ecor d cont ai ni ng sexual l y expl i c i t l yr i cs. Faced wi t h

t he t hr eat of l egal r equi r ement s and censor shi p bi l l s , t he RI AA

count er - at t acked i n 1990 by desi gni ng a new, st andar d war ni ng

l abel ( t he one st i l l used t oday: Par ent al Advi sor y/ Expl i c i t

Lyr i cs) , and st r ongl y advi s i ng i t s member s t o af f i x i t on r ecor ds

t hat coul d be deemed cont r over si al . However , t he det er mi nat i on of

t he censor s di d not r el ent . I n 1993, Sout h Car ol i na, New Jer sey,

Ar i zona, Fl or i da, Or egon and New Yor k St at e, and i n 1994 Mi ssour i

and Al aska wer e st i l l consi der i ng l egi s l at i on r el y i ng on t he RI AA

l abel as a means t o det er mi ne whi ch r ecor ds had t o be censor ed,

whi ch woul d have saved t hem t he t r oubl e of act ual l y l i s t eni ng t o

ever y s i ngl e al bum r el eased. Thus, a devi ce i ni t i al l y i nt ended t o

war n par ent s was bei ng used as an i ndi cat or f or censor shi p. As

Hei ns put s i t , ' al t hough t he RI AA i nsi st ed t hat i t s l abel di d not

mean musi c st or es shoul d r ef use t o sel l cer t ai n r ecor di ngs t o

mi nor s, t he war ni ng was si mpl y t oo t empt i ng and conveni ent a

shor t cut f or censor s ' ( p. 90) . She quot es an RI AA of f i c i al

di sagr eei ng wi t h t he use of t he l abel as a met hod f or l aw

enf or cement of f i c i al s t o pr ohi bi t t he sal e of mat er i al t o mi nor s

who had bi t t er l y comment ed: ' For now, t hat has been t he ef f ect '

( p. 91) .

The i mmedi at e f al l out of r esor t i ng t o l abel i ng was what i s cal l ed

t he ' chi l l f act or ' . The l abel ' Expl i c i t Lyr i cs ' becomi ng

synonymous wi t h obsceni t y, sever al maj or r et ai l chai ns ( Camel ot

Musi c & Vi deo, Sear s, J. C. Penney, Di sc Jockey, et c. ) deci ded t hey

woul d no l onger car r y l abel ed r ecor ds. Ot her s such as Tr ans Wor l d,

Tower , Musi c l and, Wat er l oo, Recor d Bar or Sound Exchange decl ar ed

t hat despi t e t he absence of l egi s l at i on t hey woul d not sel l t hese

r ecor ds t o mi nor s, r equi r i ng pr oof of age f r om t hei r cust omer s and

maki ng t hei r empl oyees r esponsi bl e i f r ecor ds wer e f ound t o have

20

been sol d t o mi nor s. For exampl e, i n a memo sent f r om t he

headquar t er s on Apr i l 20, 1992, Super Cl ub r equi r ed i t s l ocal

manager s t o check pr onouncement s f r om l ocal j udges and di st r i ct

at t or neys and r emove f r om di spl ay al bums i nt ended t o be pr osecut ed

as wel l as r est r i ct t hei r sal e t o mi nor s. To make sur e t he

deci s i on woul d be enf or ced, cashi er s wer e compel l ed t o ent er t he

cust omer ' s I D and t hei r own i nt o a comput er syst em f or each

pur chase. Those pol i c i es wer e ver y of t en adopt ed under di r ect

pr essur e f r om mal l devel oper s whose l eases f r equent l y st i pul at e

t hat no obscene mat er i al can be sol d wi t hi n t he mal l s. The need t o

mai nt ai n good r el at i ons wi t h l ocal aut hor i t i es has al so t o be

t aken i nt o consi der at i on. Thus t he owner and oper at or of t wo

Hogui l d Recor ds st or es i n San Ant oni o decl ar ed t hat hi s of f i c i al

l i ne, when i nt er vi ewed by l ocal paper s, was t o say he di d not

car r y any of t he l abel ed al bums as he expect ed pol i ce f or ces t o

keep on hel pi ng hi m i n case of a bur gl ar y. Though admi t t edl y t he

PMRC di d not of f i c i al l y endor se t hese pr act i ses, i t never t hel ess

st at ed i n i t s Spr i ng/ Summer 1991 Newsl et t er t hat i t suppor t ed ' t he

i ndi v i dual pol i c i es of r et ai l er s r el at i ng t o " 18- t o- pur chase" '

( p. 2) .

As a consequence, an i ncr easi ng number of r ecor d compani es became

ext r emel y war y i n t hei r ar t i s t i c choi ces and t r i ed t o r educe t o a

mi ni mum t he pr oduct i on of r ecor ds whi ch woul d l ogi cal l y have had

t o car r y t he advi sor y t ag. Al t er nat i vel y, t hey t r i ed t o per suade

ar t i st s on t hei r r ost er t o sani t i ze t hei r l yr i cs and r ender t hem

mor e accept abl e commer ci al l y, usi ng as st andar ds r ecor ds t hat had

al r eady passed t he t est of t he censor s. The onl y except i ons wer e

f or char t - t opper s l i ke Pr i nce or i ndependent r ecor d compani es, i n

r ap most l y, f or whom t he advi sor y l abel may have ser ved as a k i nd

of adver t i sement , most l y i n an i r oni c or sar cast i c t one. But t hi s

r emai ned except i onal ( f or i nst ance ' Par ent al Advi sor y: Expl i c i t

Lyr i cs ' by Geor ge Car l i n, on Ear dr um / At l ant i c or " Par ent al

21

Advi sor y: Expl i c i t Rap" , on Pr i or i t y Recor ds) . Al l t hi ngs

consi der ed, t hen, l abel i ng can har dl y be consi der ed as anyt hi ng

but censor shi p, al t hough an el egant one, di sgui sed as consumer

i nf or mat i on. And as Char l es Kr aut hammer wr ot e, ' Who' s agai nst

consumer i nf or mat i on?' ( 1985, p. A27) The PMRC' s i nsi st ance on

l abel i ng t r i gger ed unof f i c i al t hough ef f ect i ve f or ms of

censor shi p, f r om r ef usi ng t o sel l t o r ef usi ng t o r ecor d or pr oduce

ar t i st s whose l yr i cs wer e consi der ed scandal ous or l i cent i ous,

what ever t hei r ar t i s t i c or soci al val ue.

Behi nd t he mask

What wer e t he r eal goal s of t he PMRC' s f ounder s? Shoul d we

quest i on t hei r s i ncer i t y? Ar e t hey s i mpl y hypocr i t es? Can we

bel i eve t hei r al i bi ? Wer e t hey r eal l y onl y t r y i ng t o pr ot ect and

i nf or m? Who wer e t hei r r eal t ar get s? For one t hi ng, one has t o

st r ess t hei r l i nks wi t h r el i gi ous or gani sat i ons, t hough t hey

r epeat edl y deni ed t hem. I have al r eady ment i oned t he suppor t t he

PMRC r ecei ved at t he out set f r om var i ous chur ches. Some went

f ur t her ; Par ent al Gui dance or Chr i st Di sci pl es, among ot her s,

r egul ar l y car r i ed i nf or mat i on r el at ed t o t he PMRC i n t hei r

br ochur es, and encour aged t hei r member s t o suppor t i t f i nanci al l y.

The PMRC even asked Bob DeMoss, f r om f undament al i st or gani sat i on

Focus on t he Fami l y, t o pr oduce t hei r pr omot i onal v i deo Ri si ng t o

t he Chal l enge. I t i s al so st r i k i ng t hat among t he l egi s l at or s who

pr omot ed t he censor shi p bi l l s , sever al ( Rep. Jean Di xon f r om

Mi ssour i f or i nst ance) had l ong been suppor t i ng causes ( t he ant i -

abor t i on movement or t he r i ght t o t each Cr eat i on Sci ence) t hat

wer e on t he agenda of t he Rel i gi ous Ri ght . For r el i gi ous mot i ves

ar e di f f i cul t t o di sent angl e f r om pol i t i cal i nt ent i ons. Thi s

appear ed ext r emel y c l ear l y i n Jer r y Fal wel l ' s book Li st en,

Amer i ca! . One can f i nd i n i t t he t hesi s, t aken up by t he l eader s

of t he PMRC, t hat t he l i ber al s ar e r esponsi bl e f or t he l ooseni ng

of mor al st andar ds and t hat t hey ar e on t he same f oot i ng as

22

por nogr apher s ' [ The l i ber al s] ar e not goi ng t o cal l our nat i on

back t o r i ght eousness and nei t her ar e t he por nogr apher s and smut

peddl er s and t hose who ar e cor r upt i ng our yout h' ( 1980, p. 21) . For

Fal wel l , t he det er i or at i on of t he count r y ' s mor al i t y was a

del i ber at e act i on by t he l i ber al s and par t of t he communi st pl ot

ai mi ng at unset t l i ng Amer i ca. As a r esul t , wr i t es Yves Lemeuni er ,

' mor al i t y has become t he i nst r ument of a k i nd of pol i t i cal r aci sm

i n whose name par t of t he popul at i on i s i r r et r i evabl y condemned'

( 1988, p. 115) . Cer t ai nl y, t he PMRC di d not go so f ar but i t s l i nks

wi t h f undament al i st gr oups cast suspi c i on on i t s pr of essed

pol i t i cal neut r al i t y. Al l t he mor e so as Jer r y Fal wel l and

Pr esi dent Reagan of f i c i al l y endor sed i t s act i on.

Deeper mot i ves f or t he PMRC' s act i on ar e suggest ed by t he f act

t hat i t s most f r equent t ar get s wer e heavy- met al and r ap musi c, t wo

genr es t r adi t i onal l y ( t hough er r oneousl y) associ at ed t o mi nor i t y

gr oups, wor ki ng cl ass yout h and t he bl ack communi t y. I n t he heyday

of t he PMRC, r ap' s success had dr amat i cal l y i ncr eased. An RI AA CEO

quot ed i n t he L. A. Ti mes of Jul y 19, 1992 cl ai med t hat ' r ap has

empower ed an ent i r e new gener at i on of successf ul young bl ack

ent r epr eneur s ' , t oo di squi et i ng a f act f or some, per haps. Besi des,

a Sound Dat a sur vey publ i shed i n t he same i ssue r eveal ed t hat 74%

of al l r ap al bums wher e sol d t o whi t es, whi ch made i t al l t he mor e

t hr eat eni ng. Ver y r eveal i ng i n t hat r espect i s t he war agai nst r ap

musi c waged i n t he ear l y 1990s by t wo l eadi ng f i gur es of t he bl ack

bour geoi s i e, I l l i noi s Senat or Car ol Mosel ey- Br aun and Dr . C.

Dol or es Tucker , chai r of t he Nat i onal Pol i t i cal Congr ess of Bl ack

Women. The Senat e Juveni l e Just i ce Subcommi t t ee hear i ngs t hey

i nst i gat ed wer e i nt ended t o cr ush t he most pr omi nent st y l e of r ap

at t he t i me, gangst a r ap. A si ngl e f i gur e of t he bl ack communi t y

opposed t hem, Rep. Maxi ne Wat er s whose di st r i ct i ncl uded par t of

Sout h Cent r al L. A. . For t he l eader s of t he conser vat i ve f r act i on

of t he bl ack communi t y, r ap musi c and i t s success among whi t e

23

yout hs cont r i but ed t o t he sexual , v i ol ent i mage cast on Af r i can-

Amer i can cul t ur e.

Hence my convi ct i on t hat t he pr i mar y mot i ve behi nd t he act i on of

t he Washi ngt on Wi ves was t o di ver t t he peopl e' s at t ent i on f r om

maj or i ssues by f ocusi ng i t on t r i v i al ones and speci f i c gr oups.

I t i s a wel l - known t r i ck, par t i cul ar l y ef f ect i ve when, as was t he

case wi t h t he PMRC, i t i s based on genui ne t hough i l l - f ounded

mor al convi ct i ons. Ar t i st s and audi ence al i ke r epr esent easy

t ar get s, obvi ous scapegoat s. René Gi r ar d' s semi nal wor k on t he

scapegoat pr ocess def i nes t he cr i t er i a r equi r ed f or t he

t r ansf or mat i on of an i nnocent i nt o a scape- goat . The most

i mpor t ant i s t he subt l e st at us of t he v i ct i m who must at t he same

t i me bel ong t o t he communi t y so t hat hi s sacr i f i ce wi l l be

ef f ect i ve, and st and somewhat apar t f r om i t , i n or der t o pr event a

cycl e of r et al i at or y act i ons. Anot her cr i t er i on i s t hat t he

i magi nar y t r ansgr essi on at t r i but ed t o t he sel ect ed i ndi v i dual t o

j ust i f y hi s sacr i f i ce i s ver y of t en of a sexual nat ur e. Gi r ar d

al so out l i nes t he f unct i on of t he scapegoat pr ocess, i . e. ,

br i ngi ng t oget her t he var i ous member s of a communi t y i n t i mes of

di sor der , doubt and f ear t hr ough a cat har t i c pr ocess. The act i ons

of t he PMRC agai nst r ap and heavy- met al f ans and ar t i st s per f ect l y

f i t t hese cr i t er i a. As Rober t Wal ser wr ot e, ' heavy met al ( al ong

wi t h r ap) r emai ns t he dar k " Ot her " ' ( p. 103) .

As a mat t er of f act , one can r ead on PMRC l eaf l et s t hat ' s t udi es

have concl uded t hat over t he past decade t he r at e of ar r est s f or

homi ci des commi t t ed by 14- 17 year ol ds has t r i pl ed' and t hat

' accor di ng t o t he At t or ney Gener al Janet Reno as c i t ed i n t he

Amer i can Medi cal Associ at i on 1996 r epor t on v i ol ence i n Amer i ca,

t her e ar e mor e t han 16, 000 st r eet gangs wi t h mor e t han 500, 000

member s nat i onwi de' . I n per f ect PMRC st r at egy, no concl usi on i s

gi ven, t he r eader i s l ef t t o ponder on t he causal l i nk t hat may

24

exi st bet ween vi ol ence and t he musi c cr i t i c i zed el sewher e by t he

Cent er . Scapegoat i ng i s a conveni ent means not t o deal wi t h r eal -

wor l d pr obl ems. El i mi nat i ng cul t ur al di f f er ences of f er s a s i mpl e

sol ut i on t o t he compl ex soci al i l l s t ar get ed by t he PMRC.

Sear chi ng f or r eal sol ut i ons i s a chal l enge sel dom t aken up by

pol i t i cal l eader s. The r ol e pl ayed by ' dei ndust r i al i zat i on and

di sast r ous soci al pol i c i es ' or ' pover t y, j obl essness and pol i ce

br ut al i t y ' ( Wal ser , p. 144) and ot her pr obl ems such as

' homel essness, a st agnat i ng economy, a cr ushi ng debt , dest r uct i ve

r aci al di v i s i ons, wi deni ng economi c di spar i t i es ' ( Hei ns, p. 186)

ar e obvi ousl y much mor e vol at i l e i ssues t han t he musi cal pr act i ses

of i l l i t er at e mi nor i t i es. As Mar j or i e Hei ns adds, wi t h t he

communi st menace gone, i t was t empt i ng t o f i nd new demons ' among

any gr oup t hat chal l enges t he i magi ned " t r adi t i onal val ues" ut opi a

of our myt hi cal past : sexual nonconf or mi st s, pr ovocat i ve ar t i st s,

por nogr apher s. . . ' ( p. 188) . I t was t he cour se f ol l owed by t he

Washi ngt on Wi ves who t r i ed t o r al l y a maj or i t y of Amer i cans ar ound

t he def ence of t he f ami l y and t he r ace pr esent ed as t hr eat ened.

Subt l e mi x of mor al concer ns and pol i t i cal i nt er est s on a

f undament al i st backdr op, t he PMRC cr usade was i ndeed a r eact i onar y

f or m of censor shi p.

Af t er mat h

Today, Apr i l 1998, t he pot ency of t he PMRC has dr amat i cal l y

decl i ned. The i mpet us gener at ed by Ronal d Reagan' s mor al st r uggl e

has begun t o r ecede, and r ap and heavy- met al musi c have gr adual l y

ent er ed mai nst r eam Amer i can t ast es, maki ng t hei r r epr essi on

har der . The PMRC i s st i l l k i cki ng but no l onger wi t h t he same

convi ct i on. Despi t e r ecent agr eement s wi t h t he Amer i can Medi cal

Associ at i on, t he Amer i can Academy of Pedi at r i cs, t he Nat i onal

Par ent / Teacher Associ at i on, l aw enf or cement agenci es as wel l as

numer ous chur ches and school s nat i onwi de, and an abor t ed at t empt

i n Januar y 1998 at changi ng i t s name f r om t he Par ent s ' t o t he

25

Par t ner s wi t h t he Musi c Resour ce Cent er ( t o t one down t he emphasi s

on t he f ami l y, I assume) , i t s days ar e gone. As expl ai ned i n a

r ecent per sonal l et t er , ' due t o l i mi t ed f undi ng and st af f ' , i t can

no l onger af f or d t o publ i sh i t s Newsl et t er . I t has accor di ngl y

al t er ed i t s goal s, c l ai mi ng t oday t o ser ve as a r esour ce cent er t o

' educat e and pr omot e publ i c awar eness of t he posi t i ve ( my

emphasi s) l ong t er m ef f ect s of musi c on heal t h, anal yt i cal and

cr eat i ve t hi nki ng and sel f - est eem' .

Never t hel ess, t he t hr eat s of censor shi p ar e f ar f r om bei ng r emoved

as r ecent speeches, not onl y i n Fr ance, seem t o pr ove: i n t he

pr el i mi nar i es of t he 1996 pr esi dent i al campai gn, f or mer Senat e

maj or i t y l eader Bob Dol e decl ar ed ' we must hol d [ . . . ] t he ent i r e

ent er t ai nment i ndust r y r esponsi bl e f or put t i ng pr of i t ahead of

common decency' , whi l e Wi l l i am Bennet addr essed Ti me War ner

of f i c i al s wi t h an ' Ar e you f ol ks mor al l y di sabl ed?' and House

Speaker Newt Gi ngr i ch pr oposed a boycot t of r adi o st at i ons pl ayi ng

obscene musi c.

' . . . i t ' s al l j ust a l i t t l e bi t of hi st or y r epeat i ng'

( Pr opel l er heads) .

Cl aude Chast agner

Uni ver si t é Paul Val ér y- Mont pel l i er I I I

26

Endnot es:

1. Rot h v. Uni t ed St at es , 354 U. S. 476, 484 ( 1957)

2. see, Hi l l , T. 1992: ' The Enemy Wi t hi n : Censor shi p i n Rock

Musi c

i n t he 1950s' i n Pr esent Tense Rock & Rol l and Cul t ur e. ed.

Ant hony DeCur t i s, ( Duke Uni ver si t y Pr ess)

3. per sonal i nt er vi ew, Washi ngt on, June 1994

4. Pi t t sbur gh Pr ess Co. v. Commi ssi on on Human Rel at i ons, 413 U. S.

376, 390, 1972

5. sour ces: 1991 r epor t f r om t he Peopl e f or t he Amer i can Way

Act i on

Fund

27

Ref er ences

Baker S. et al . 1987. " Fi r st Page of Cr usades" , The Al bum Net wor k

- - - . 1985. Washi ngt on Post

Demac, Donna A. 1990. Li ber t y Deni ed: t he Cur r ent Ri se of

Censor shi p i n Amer i ca. ( London)

Fal wel l , J. 1980. Li st en, Amer i ca! ( New Yor k)

Gat es, D. et al . 1990. " Decodi ng Rap Musi c" , Newsweek

Gi r ar d, R. 1972. La vi ol ence et l e sacr é. ( Par i s)

- - - . 1983. Le bouc émi ssai r e. ( Par i s)

Gor r e, T. 1990. " Hat e, Rape and Rap" , Washi ngt on Post

- - - . 1988. " Cur bi ng t he Sexpl oi t at i on I ndust r y" , N. Y. Ti mes

- - - . 1988. " Ti pper Gor e Wi dens War on Rock" , New Yor k Ti mes ,

- - - . 1987. Rai si ng PG ki ds i n a X- Rat ed Soci et y ( Abi ngdon)

Gr aham, R. 1992. " Whi t e Ki ds who Love Rap: Bl ack Ar t i st s ' Musi c,

wi t h i t s Raw Pol i t i cal Messages, i s Reachi ng an Unl i kel y

Audi ence" , Bost on Gl obe

Gr ossber g, L. 1992. We Got t a Get Out of Thi s Pl ace: Popul ar

Conser vat i sm and Post moder n Cul t ur e ( London)

Har r i ngt on, R. 1992. " Ti me f or a Cr ackdown?" , Washi ngt on Post

Hei ns, M. 1993. Sex, Si n, and Bl asphemy , a Gui de t o Amer i ca' s

Censor shi p War s ( New Yor k)

Hi l bur n R. 1990. " Get t i ng a bad r ap: t he Cr eat i ve Ener gy of t he

Bl ack St r eet Musi c shoul n' t be Bur i ed under Raci sm and

Mi si nt er pr et at i on" , L. A. Ti mes

Hol den, D. 1993. " Pop Go t he Censor s" , I ndex on Censor shi p

Kahan, J. 1993. " Bach, Beet hoven and t he ( Home) boys: Censor i ng

v i ol ent Rap Musi c i n Amer i ca" , Sout her n Cal i f or ni a Law Revi ew

Kennedy, D. 1985. " Fr ankenchr i st ver sus t he St at e: t he New Ri ght ,

Rock Musi c and t he Case of Jel l o Bi af r a" , Popul ar Cul t ur e

Kot , G. 1990. " No Sal e Ci t i ng Expl i c i t Lyr i cs, Di st r i but or s Back

Away f r om Get o Boys Al bum" , Chi cago Tr i bune

28

Kr aut hammer , Char l es. 1985. ' X- Rat i ngs f or Rock?' Washi ngt on Post

Lemeuni er , Yves. 1988 " Du bon usage de l a mor al e dans Li st en,

Amer i ca! " , Mor al es et mor al i t és aux Et at s- Uni s ( Ai x en Pr ovence)

Mar t i n, L. and K. Segr ave, 1988. Ant i - Rock: t he opposi t i on ot r ock

& r ol l ( New Yor k)

Mast er s, V. 1992. " War ni ng: Recor d Label i ng St i l l Li ves" , Aust i n

Chr oni c l e

PMRC. 1985. St at ement of Susan Baker and Ti pper Gor e [ of t he] PMRC

bef or e t he Senat e Commer ce Commi t t ee

RI AA. 1994. Annual Repor t of t he Recor di ng I ndust r y Associ at i on of

Amer i ca

Schecht er , S. 1992. " Ext r a- Gover nment al Censor shi p i n t he

Adver t i s i ng Age" , L. A. Ent Law Jour nal

Wal ser , R. 1993. Runni ng wi t h t he Devi l : Power , Gender & Madness

i n Heavy Met al Musi c ( Hanover )

Wi l l i ams, J. 1989. " Essay Fi ght i ng Wor ds; Speaki ng out Agai nst

r aci sm, Sexi sm and Gaybashi ng i n Pop" , Washi ngt on Post