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Monday, December 19, 2005

Iranian President Needs Some Good Drugs...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has banned Western and "indecent" music from state-run TV and radio stations. This includes examples such as as Eric Clapton's Rush, George Michael's Careless Whisper and The Eagles' Hotel California. Apparently Kenny G. is out too. (story here)

This man seriously needs a couple of tokes, some cheesies and a pair of headphones - although I'm not opposed to banning George Michael or Kenny G. ... except in principle.

I have read enough to know that Iran is not the caricature that is portrayed in the media and that there is strong dissent and a real struggle between the idealogues and the religious fanatics (in power).

Meanwhile, don't expect to hear any decent tunes on the official stations...

Link
Comments:
oooo, Gary! :D

I'm trying to remember the last time I heard a middle eastern tune on my radio - nope, can't remember, and yes, the BBC does have a committee to sit and decide what its listeners need to hear. ;o)

does Iranian music get the thumbs down? I would like to hear some.

"Supervision of content from films, TV series and their voice-overs is emphasized in order to support spiritual cinema and to eliminate trite and violence,"

yes, ban Tarantino!

[btw, you have some very interesting entries here, Gary. I may not comment but I read them all.]
 
My husband used to work in the petro-chemical industry and spent duty tours in Arab/Muslim countries, some of which paid more lip service than others to the laws of the Koran. He found it amusing that so many native travelers from those countries would immediately doff their head coverings, order alcoholic drinks, and begin un-Muslim like behavior as soon as the plane was out of their nation's airspace. So much for their personal devotion to religious principles. My husband called them "back-slid Baptists".

Re: quotes, my favorite is one by The Honorable Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States and Supreme Commander, Integrated European Defense Forces.

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone.It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children...This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron."

from a speech before the American Society of Newspaper Editors, April 16, 1953.

President Eisenhower had reason to be personally familiar with both sides of the equation, the horrors of war, the suffering of humanity, and the unforgivable waste of resources.
This quote was posted on our blog (now archived) but worthy of repeating. I may re-post it. In over 50 years we have learned no lessons.
 
Thanks Ian and Worried American (and I love the Eisenhower quote).

You're right of course Ian, there is a form of censorship in more places than Iran (think Christian Right and Harry Potter for eg).

Time for some fun... Let's just say we could each censor the music on our public radiowaves - what would you ban and why?

I'll begin: I would ban Celine Dion because when she sings, it hurts my teeth and when she talks, I feel like I'm being drowned in maple syrup.
 
I think he needs a haircut and a total makeover too.

I would ban German Schlagers for sure!
 
Paul McCartney: he's such a smug git yet his songs are so forgettable - and that's the best thing about them, so long as they don't remind you by playing them on the radio...

;o)

He had a record banned by the BBC once - for being 'unpatriotic' (i suppose): Give Ireland Back To The Irish. the BBC also banned The Sex Pistols God Save The Queen for being anti-establishment, and Frankie Goes To Hollywood Relax for promoting homosexuality. Not a good record: the BBC's that is, they're both fine records and both no.1s in the UK chart despite the ban.

throughout the 90s, they also refused to play any Status Quo records because the band were deemed 'too old to appeal to our average listener'

You've got to laugh really... :o)
 
Ian-- if they really banned Status Quo I feel quite pissed now. They were my (14 year old) favourite group then. I still have their records without having a record player and will keep them 'till I die. STOP BASHING STATUS QUO IN THE MIDDLE EAST!!!!
 

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