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Radio host Lisa Kennedy, former MTV News Anchor Kurt Loder and Author Matt Welch on the importance of pop culture.
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People are rocking in the free world really young wrote that song actually as a criticism of President Reagan and George Bush senior.
But people in the Soviet Union played the song at rallies against the Communist dictatorship.
Music pop culture is a -- -- dictators everywhere and if we keep rocking we'll have a free world says Matt Welch co author of the new book federation of independents.
And he's right say former and TV personalities Kurt loader and Kennedy.
Really means right what does music have to do without -- All -- I think it's people -- must undertake this is sort of thing really ironically cycle freedom -- -- mean do you overseas.
I think that word really has -- -- -- a song that states like that.
It's a different context that really has do you mean.
My understanding.
Absolutely I mean I think our greatest export in this country.
It's it's not steal its popular culture and I didn't realize until I went to Japan with my husband here with my both friend.
For the forgotten when we -- Tony Taylor he with a professional snowboarder.
And I went overnight it's all the crowds of kids who heard dress like snowboarders and it really that skateboarding and snowboarding.
-- as universal as music because it made them feel something.
And I I realize how international that really wasn't and I was proud to be tongue kissing.
Could cut that.
What because of statements like that a large part of the world hates us because of our lose.
Sexual culture I had -- -- -- in Fannie and Bolivia.
But that's not actually true I mean the world loves us they don't necessarily love our government.
They love our culture -- eight bit in the Arab spring which were.
Enjoying and watching with some nervousness right now.
There's a whole subculture of Egyptian metal heads called battalions and they've been fighting for free speech.
To -- their heads and that is all hip hop culture in Morocco in these places.
They love that culture they don't necessarily love the government just as many people who love that there have to be as many seriously religious people who think it's evil and -- becoming evident -- screw them.
I mean a.
It's like American popular culture are not fun people there are tyrants and dictators and you know what should we care.
It would be North Korea.
Culturally if we allow those people to be in charge and we really never because it's about cutting yourself off from emotion and feeling.
And you know that's what music and popular culture allows you to do and it's not the people you know.
We've then I think.
Really self -- thinking it's about American culture.
But it's really the feeling you get from participating in these things work around the world they are squat stemming women can't even -- -- yeah.
-- can't drive -- and am I right.
-- -- -- -- Car and I'm not -- and I was told by the media for years that communism fell partly because of our military build.
And the Soviets tried to spend a very economy with a strong enough.
They collapse that you say it's a big part of it was our culture part of the reason -- communism fell was because of the junkie rock -- the New York City.
Who wrote songs about heroin.
And and idealism fell because in part because of this there's a reason why the velvet revolution is called velvet revolution Czechoslovakia.
It's because there is a band in 1968.
Smuggled in a copy of the Velvet Underground and -- great.
Record that no one here at the time bought or light.
And a band sort of keeping them playing cover songs of this the plastic people of the universe they were called they were arrested by the authorities for disturbing the peace in 1976.
Because they didn't get an official a license to play.
Their music but -- hobble reacted recoiled in horror -- president of technical thirteen years later after long jail stint he.
-- -- open defiance of -- governments and a government that shuts down rock music like this is a government that does not deserve to be in power signed in created this whole new movement of the charter 77 movement.
Which has since been replicated in.
Tons of different countries including the Arab world right now.
That was based on reacting to government -- censorship of a rock band that was -- Velvet Underground covers in in the Soviet Union it was the single biggest.
Factor of -- civil society that ended up undermining communism the in the form -- -- Let's bring it back to American traditional -- Which apparently threatened some people.
You say it means that -- my colleague Glenn Beck who I like a lot says it's a nightmare all about self gratification.
He's gotten flapping pumpkin head -- that would be talking about it.
Wonderful piece of artistry and -- marvel at what -- are able to do week after week.
And by the way for anyone who was in mid and high school it doesn't matter if you were abandoned narrative -- at best in.
Or and in the closet -- you can look at the characters on the show and feel something for them and -- limit.
And away I think the self gratification is what everything is about.
Whether we do good are we too bad there were there were we give to charity or somehow trying to -- ourselves in a way.
So what's wrong with self gratification -- -- And other time.
I I think I think it's okay do you stand.
-- -- -- -- -- The American Family Association says -- glamorizes homosexual behavior.
It's not so earnings and a pick up the kids will go to hell.
We're hearing about this in the -- the mid 1980s from my Tipper Gore in the Parents Music Resource Center a lot of us grew up around that time thank doctor Frank Zappa.
Franks thanks John Denver.
In the trenches still the insider rocky mountain -- they Tipper Gore thought this -- was satanic.
That we're teaching you know -- -- was teaching people how to master bait and looked at the the culture.
As as not as a necessarily -- culture.
But just in terms of crime in and -- general decency -- so much better if all those people don't know that crime is down.
-- unwed pregnancies are down York's nicer -- -- kind of bent out of shape up those tables on Broadway but.
It's it's different than it is than it was before and for the better if all this -- coarsening.
An awful -- corrupting culture -- why is the world a much much infinitely much more.
Free prosperous and interest in place and -- -- when he goes back.
Even further in 1954 there -- senate hearings.
On comic books because comic books were thought to be destroying the use of this great nation as they were so gruesome her horror comics and now.
The country was gonna collapse that hasn't happened for summary.
-- -- -- A certain administration couldn't you see the same thing happening with video games now and -- -- congressional hearings on video although they had.
Ultimately -- our radio.
Banning some of them and I I was relieved I didn't realize this but -- it used to be against the rules to show a couple even.
Sitting on the bed sharing a bed on television and that the TV show but -- -- with the person not show that did that and we -- Amazing we always survive is the point I mean all -- pop culture popular culture especially music.
Speaks to the desires of young people and young people want to be exploring their freedoms -- you know running against the leash of their parents of their communities.
And they wanna they're confused about love and these things it is a yes it is a self centered type of -- -- that is the point.
People need to find their self expression it is by definition anti authoritarian has raised my authoritarian take this stuff because they know that it works.
And finally there's some really great and that now who follow in the same name which is.
Do it yourself.
Because you know the music industry really collapsed and allowed people who would like we're gonna make any money did write and produce their -- records from their backgrounds.
And now people are able to do that with garage band on a Mac.
More of declaration of independents.
