from the gross misinterpretations of others? Tis is why Dee Snider, as mentioned above, was chosen to represent the Rock and Roll, Heavy Metal, and Gangster Rap artists whose work was under heavy scrutiny by the PMRC. Snider addressed the PMRC in the presence of the U.S. Senate on September 19, 1985. Many were surprised by his rhetorical prowess and by the intelligence that was used to communicate stance in his argument. Te following are 2 excerpts from Dee Snider’s address to PMRC before the Senate. In them he points out that his lyrics were blatantly misinterpreted by Ms. Gore and that the responsibility belongs to the parents of these teenagers to monitor what their kids listen to and certainly not a committee and certainly not Ms. Gore and her friends:
In this article Ms. Gore claimed that one of my songs, “Under the Blade,” had lyrics encouraging sadomasochism, bondage, and rape. Te lyrics she quoted have absolutely nothing to do with these topics. On the contrary, the words in question are about surgery and the fear that it instills in people. Furthermore, the reader of this article is led to believe that the three lines she quotes go together in the song when, as you can see, from reading the lyrics, the first two lines she cites are an edited phrase from the second verse and the third line is a misquote of a line from the chorus. Tat the writer could misquote me is curious, since we make it a point to print all our lyrics on the inner sleeve of every album. As the creator of “Under the Blade,” I can say categorically that the only sadomasochism, bondage, and rape in this song is in the mind of Ms. Gore. Tere happens to be one area where I am in complete agreement with the PMRC, as well as the National PTA and probably most of the parents on this committee. Tat
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is, it is my job as a parent to monitor what my children see, hear, and read during their preteen years. Te full responsibility for this falls on the shoulders of my wife and I, because there is no one else capable of making these judgments for us.
Parents can thank the PMRC for reminding them that there is no substitute for parental guidance. But that is where the PMRC’s job ends. (Snider)
As a result of these hearings no censorship was permitted, but the “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content” label was created which inherently did exactly what Dee Snider pointed out which was to place the responsibility of policing what teenagers listen to into the hands of the parents of America. So, when the question is asked, “Are famous Rock and Roll musicians responsible for the murders and suicides carried out by their fans?”, the answer is no because the freedom of artistic expression was preserved on September 19, 1985, and the responsibility lies in the hands of the individual to control himself.
Now, to address the second point of consideration, I would like to turn our attention to the popular media for making blatant fallacies and society at large for making gross misconceptions about Rock and Roll artists. On April 20, 1999, two students from Columbine High School in Littleton Colorado went to school and launched an assault on their fellow classmates and teachers. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold killed 15 of their peers and injured 24 others. Immediately, the media, needing something or someone to blame for this horrifying day turned their attention to the Goth-Metal/Industrial performing artist Marilyn Manson. Harris and Klebold were described as
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