Celebrities As Political Coordinators
George McGovern, Façade Of 'Tax The Rich', Rock And Grunge Celebrity Endorsement
The synergy between celebrities and politicians has only increased over the years. West and Orman conclude that actor Warren Beatty`s efforts to organise celebrities to support George McGovern for his 1972 presidential election campaign ‘’helped to institutionalise the formal role of celebrity coordinator in election campaigns’’ (West and Orman, 2003, p. 61). McGovern became the first to tie the notions of a rock concert to a presidential campaign parade. In such tactics, the rock collective and community are targeted in order for McGovern to gain support. From a sociomusicological perspective, if the social fabric is reflected in music, then this change is bound to be reflected in the music.
From April to October of 1972, in Madison Square Garden, Cleveland Arena and Los Angeles Forum Venues artists such as Barbra Streisand, Carole King, Quincy Jones, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon and Tina Turner performed in support of McGovern. These events were organised by Warren Beatty with the event at Madison Square Garden in October of 27, 1972, organised and supported by actress and activist Shirley MacLaine and former President John F. Kennedy’s daughter Rose Kennedy (Gorzelany-Mostak, 2012, p.57). Shawn Parry Giles and Trevor Parry-Giles conclude that candidates:
“still must strive for a presidential image, and they must utilise and associate the myths and images of the presidency with their candidacy. Because of the presence of television and the intimate gazing that this medium invites, candidates must also exhibit their private and intimate selves to voters in order to appear credible and forthcoming” (Parry-Giles and Parry-Giles, 2002, p.28).
Presidential candidates use promotional tactics which resemble the ones used in the creation of a celebrity. McGovern`s strategic use of rock celebrities aimed to attract more voters from middle and lower households and rock music is representative of these voters. This signifies that celebrities hold a greater power proportion to politicians and that they are more attractive, trustworthy and significant for American voters. These strategies were adopted by Democrats and by Republicans especially, through the Reagan presidency.
‘‘Event celebrities, legacies, and famed neo politicos are among the most trusted public figures in the country. They are not seen in the mistrusting way that most politicians are viewed by the public. Rather than having spent a lifetime cutting deals with other politicians, they have leapfrogged the political crowd and in the process carved out considerable flexibility for themselves in terms of their personal images…..Prominent individuals have the ability to rise above factors that constrain typical politicians and generate new energy for the system as a whole….What we have done is develop a system where star power is weighted more heavily than traditional political skills such as bargaining, compromise, and experience ‘’ (West and Orman, 2003, p. 112)
These celebrity and politician relationships benefit the minority at the top of the economic and class system. This political strategy provides a façade of sincerity and awareness. In 1984 Ronald Reagan, in a campaign speech, concluded that ‘’America's future…rests in a message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire, New Jersey's own Bruce Springsteen’’(Goldberg, 2003,p.86). Inspired by the success of Reagan, ‘’many other conservatives, like young Georgia congressman Newt Gingrich, became highly attuned to popular culture and posed as rebels and outsiders’’ (Goldberg, 2003, p.86). Such outsidership has not only been used strategically by figures such as the Newt Gingrich, but by Democrats such as Bill Clinton or the contemporary example of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who wore a dress with the political statement 'Tax the Rich' at the MET gala in 2021. Such statements aim to bring the characterisation of outsidership and rebellion to the political figure.
The celebrity environment places the political figure in a more trustworthy light as they display activism against economic inequality in the American social system. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined the American band The Strokes on stage on the 12th of June 2021 fundraiser for mayoral democratic candidate Maya Wiley at the Irving Plaza. Furthermore, Maya Wiley's TV advert for her mayoral candidacy featured The Strokes song ‘’Starting Again’’ (2021) whilst the band members showed support for her on their social media platforms.
Music is important for politics as it’s a consumer product which speaks in plural for individuals who are not generally interested in politics. From the sociomusicological perspective of Emery Schubert, music can regulate and evoke emotions. This means that for the political advertisement, use of music that has a patriotic or even melancholic sound influences the spectator's emotional state. The music instantly and directly influences the spectator without the need for them to focus on the political campaign. Through Paul Hindemith's perspective, if the audience has positive emotions and connotations of the music or singer's voice, those emotions are evoked and attached to the new information. In this case, the new political advertisement video for audiences that know The Strokes are presented with a sense of familiarity, making the political figure more trustworthy.
But such activism is a contradiction. The 'Tax the Rich' dress was a custom Brother Vellies creation and not attainable for most Americans. Democrats over the years have used this strategy to play as outsiders yet such contradictions only promote distrust. The same issue can be seen through Bill Clinton in the 1990s. Kurt Cobain had become an idolised and God-like figure to a majority of Generation X and beyond. Even more sensationalised has been his death, which public figures such as CBS News presenter Andy Rooney derided. He criticised the youth by reading a fan’s confession regarding Cobain's death and remarking:
‘’what’s all this nonsense about how terrible life is…it's hard to be a young person nowadays, he helped open people's eyes to our struggles, please wipe the tears from your eyes dear, your breaking my heart, I'd love to relieve the pain you’re going through by switching my age for yours’’ (Pearl Jam Twenty, 2011).
President Bill Clinton invited Pearl Jam to the White House after Kurt Cobain's death. Eddie Vedder recalls ‘’I was also asked if I felt okay assisting in an official response to Kurt's suicide’’ (Pearl Jam LLC and Monkeywrench INC,2011,p.144). Whilst Kelly Curtis (Pearl Jam`s manager) recalls Eddie Vedder clearly stating: ‘’I don't think you should address the nation’’ (Yarm,2011,p.454), as there was a fear of ‘copycat’ suicides. Research done by D.A. Jobes, A. L. Berman, P. W. O'Carroll, S. Eastgard and S. Knickmeyer in 1996 indicates that the ‘’data obtained from the Seattle King County area suggest that the expected ‘’Werther effect" apparently did not occur, but there was a significant increase in suicide crisis calls following his death’’(Knickmeyer et al., 1996). Public figures such as Eddie Vedder had a significant influence over American society, especially when considering President Clinton's invitation. This also indicates the high status that Cobain held. However, this was only considered for political purposes regarding youth voters and ratings. Clinton used Pearl Jam, at the time popular in the mainstream, in order to promote himself as fashionable for youth audiences and younger voters.
Danny Goldberg notes that prior to the 1994 midterm elections, young people ‘’thought Clinton was one of us and it turns out he was one of them’’ (Goldberg, 2005, p.207). ‘’Democrats have lost the edge they had with younger voters, from a nineteen-point margin in 1992 to zero in 2000’’ (Goldberg, 2005, p.272). However, it doesn’t mean that celebrity endorsement has been minimised. Oprah Winfrey`s endorsement of Obama in 2008, as Lisa Idzikowski notes, led to an ‘’estimated overall 1 million additional votes’’ (Idzikowski, 2020, p.23). This demonstrates how effective celebrity endorsements are for political campaigns and how much celebrity culture is in charge of the US society's political and social preferences.
‘’People look for meaning in their music and politics’’
- Krist Novoselic (Novoselic, 2004, p.24).
In our interview series Close Focus (2021), Pat Blashill, photographer and author of Texas Is the Reason: The Mavericks of Lone Star Punk (2020) –who had captured the 1980s Texas punk scene and the US alternative movement (including grunge), revealed that: ‘’I don't think it's possible for art to be separate from politics’’(Brence and Brence, 2021). He explains that “all of us have a subjective opinion… as a photographer or an artist every choice you make does have some sort of implication. If you chose to photograph white people only-that's political. If you chose to photograph a black person, because you want to show that there’s black people at a punk show-that's political’’ (Brence and Brence, 2021). We would like to consider such an approach when it comes to the Pacific Northwest scene, which has been characterised and overshadowed by negative elements (such as drug use) and negative criticism and portrayal of its artists.
Stone Gossard from Pearl Jam has been sceptical on the significance that the Seattle band Pearl Jam had contributed to, explaining that: ‘’I wouldn't look at it like we've changed the world, I think that we've scratched that itch and we've made some statements that had some weight to them and that caused maybe some changed’’ (Lendt, 2021). Rock music had become even more threatening to the political figures and those in charge of organisations in the 1990s. Pat Blashill explains that: ‘’grunge is definitely relevant. You know because we see so many people that are 12, 14, 15 wearing these shirts. There’s something that they recognize. Especially in Kurt Cobain… People still are excited by those groups, and I think that’s something we should listen to, something we should note‘’ (Brence and Brence, 2021). Grunge is even more significant than other American artistic movements when considering how such issues raised and experienced by the movement are relevant to contemporary generations. Grunge is significant when considering how globalised it became and, from a sociomusicological perspective, it reflects a worldwide community which finds strength in melancholic music.
Before grunge had become appropriated in the mainstream, there was always an idea against it. Nirvana's bassist Krist Novoselic noted that activism was important for grunge. He explains that Kurt Cobain created video montages about popular culture that were 'surreal sociology' (Novoselic, 2004, pp.15-16). Grunge ‘’broke through with sensitive introspection wrapped in aggression and facial hair. The revolution was inclusive, with women musicians a vital component of the scene. Feminist ideals fit naturally with the new sensibility. Political information booths became common at concerts’’ (Novoselic, 2004, p.22). The integration of politics in grunge showcases how such a movement had a goal beyond sales, art, and music. It was a political movement that aimed to spread democratic politics. He mentions that Nirvana was keenly interested in the November 1992 election in the United States. Novoselic recalls Cobain ‘’sending $200 to the Jerry Brown presidential campaign’’ (Novoselic, 2004, p.24). Nirvana also organised a benefit in 1993 to ‘’bring attention to the women in the Balkan conflicts of the time’’ (Novoselic, 2004, p.25). This demonstrates how much musicians from Seattle were interested in global conflicts and in progressing the Democrat party's values. Once again, this reflects the interest of a collective and not just the individuals in grunge.
With the great rock revolution, Novoselic recalls censorship issues in the 1990s, such as the legal case of Soundgarden vs. Eickenberry which will be discussed later. However, such opposition to the music and an increase in censorship demonstrates how conflicting rock music had become for politicians in the 1990s. The example of the Parents Music Resource Centre signifies US politicians' combat against such issues. Lynxwiler and Gay (2000) argue that popular music in the United States is full of censorship, and ‘’censorship issues built up as a result of the racial blending of musical styles and performers, but musical and political developments in the 1960s exacerbated them ‘’ (Van Zoonen, 2005, p.41). However, unlike previously discussed protests from conservative Christians, group practice against rock music was also committed by political groups, specifically The Parents Music Resource Centre (PMRC). This will be discussed in the next post.
