This week Springsteen was criticized for his cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's “Fortunate Son” with Dave Grohl and Zac Brown at the Concert for Valor, held on the Mall in Washington, D.C.
Fox News and conservative media condemned Springsteen's song choice as unpatriotic, anti-military, and inappropriate for Veterans Day. Suggestions by blog trolls stating “Four Other Songs Springsteen Could've Played at 'Concert for Valor” quickly infiltrated social media.
According The Daily Express, John Fogerty originally wrote the song in 1969 to protest the Vietnam War draft.
We could just imagine the Blog Troll Overlord salivating while reading this line from Breitbart.com: “Left-wing millionaire and rock-n-roll welfare queen Bruce Springsteen was unable to keep his ego in check.”
What needs to be “in check” are expectations. What did everyone really expect from an outspoken political anti-war activist like Springsteen? Should Springsteen really be condemned for using his “celebrity” to express his views? The media doesn't have a problem using a musician's celebrity to gain viewership, as long as his voice doesn't ignite something beyond mindless entertainment.
Springsteen “politicized” a veteran's concert, everyone whined. Politics are what creates war. What's so inappropriate with forcing Americans to acknowledge that?
Quotation above via rollingstone.com.
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–via theguardian.com
–via rollingstone.com
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–via rollingstone.com
–via telegraph.co.uk
See also
10 Punk Albums to Listen to Before You Die
10 Goriest Album Covers
10 Most Satanic Metal Bands
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