A long time ago, a dear friend of mine introduced me to Radiohead and changed my musical taste forever. I think up until that point, I was mostly dabbling in a combination of whatever fantastic trendy music made its way to the radio and the music that my parents favored (think James Taylor and Carly Simon). Well, there was one pointed exception to that rule. When I was in my early teens, I attended a camp where a group of precocious kids got together and made a list of the top music of all time. I quickly became a fan of Bob Marley, Mother Love Bone, Led Zeppelin, and other greats. That said, I didn’t really have my own vibe yet. I wasn’t really discovering music on my own, and I didn’t know enough to describe to anyone what I “liked” when it came to music.
Then, when I was 15 or 16, my friend shared “Creep” with me and that strange, vibey song was really the first time I remember being unconcerned with who else liked it and more conscious of the fact that I really, really dug it.
That one bit of exposure started my very personal journey with music. Have I liked a variety of bands, including mainstream pop, over my nearly forty-five years on this planet? I sure have. But I’ve also discovered some unknown and strange music that I’ve held close to my heart when I needed it the most. I’ve found happy songs and grieving songs, sexy songs and hype songs. And holy shit, they run the gamut in style and popularity. What has remained constant is my loyalty to the band that first ignited this exploration, Radiohead.
When I heard that Radiohead was touring again, I did look to see if it was feasible to attend a show. Unfortunately, the timing didn’t really work for me, and the locations presented logistical issues I couldn’t really sort out. I did, however, immediately think of my friend. Knowing that he resides in Europe, I was not-so-secretly hoping that he would get a chance to see them, after so many years of them NOT touring.
Did I later find out about guitarist Jonny Greenwood’s collaborations with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa? I sure did. Do I know everything there is to know about it? I do not. Do I have my own personal feelings about the conflict? I sure do. Is it complicated for me as a human and non-religious Jewish person? Yes.
What’s not complicated for me is that I don’t condone violence or hatred in any way shape or form- hard stop, and also, that I’m a proud Jewish person. I am not going to support violence propagated by any people or person. That’s my truth. I also know that this whole issue, the conflict, is multi-faceted and sensitive and there are many, many layers. Many. And I always must admit to myself and others that whatever my perspective is, standing at a massive distance, is uniquely tailored to the information I’ve been able to glean and my own biases. It’s important to acknowledge that there is a whole world of information I do not have available to me because I’m a middleclass woman living in the United States of America, in New York of all places.
I do know that Thom Yorke, the frontman for Radiohead, has made a few statements, one of which explains that performing in a country is not an equivalency to supporting the government or views or actions of that country.
If I’m being honest, I don’t know if I would have agreed with this years ago. The opposite view is partially why I’ve never visited certain parts of Eastern Europe- their hatred towards the Jewish people and/or denouncement of the Holocaust.
But then, I found myself living in a country where I do not share the views of certain people in positions of power. If I am going to apply the same standard to my situation, I would argue that artist that showcases their work or performs in the United States, unless they are making a definitive statement to the contrary, is obviously supporting the current administration and all its views and actions.
Well, my loves, that is a pretty big fucking statement to make. There are loads of artists and musicians and others who are not creating art or writing stories or songs that condemn this country, but I would argue do not have the warm and fuzzies with what is going on.
And I think I have issues on two fronts here. One is that it’s possible that we’ve lost sight of what it means to allow free speech, as well as forgetting that perhaps art is not always political, and certainly everything done by an artist is not always a political statement. Are we to make the statement that every person who lives in Israel is in support of what their government is doing and therefore, creating art for the Israeli people to enjoy is tantamount to agreeing with their government? That’s a pretty gross generalization. Further, is it possible that some believe that art (and music) has the power to reach and transform even the most closed mind? What if there is just a thought that fighting and war take an incredible toll on so many and art and music have a healing power that might just be needed to move forward in any way?
I think that some art contains serious political undertones, even when it’s not obvious to those enjoying (or not) that art. I also think that some people are creating with something else in mind, and they work pretty hard to stay outside of those lines. I don’t know what the story is with Radiohead, but I’m willing to consider that there could be neutrality there. I’m willing to think that maybe there’s something that exists outside of ‘my side or yours.’
I haven’t even gotten to the most disturbing part of all of this for me. Ready? Well, I think those who care, so much, are beginning to cannibalize their own. I can only speak to the more liberal side of that equation in a meaningful way (though I’ve certainly seen it on all sides).
There are influencers who have always peddled clothing and make-up and continue to do so in the face of significant upheaval in this country. Does that mean they don’t care about anything other than clothing or make-up? There are those who have dabbled in political or lifestyle material, but have chosen to remain engaged only on certain topics, and not others. Does that mean they are issuing a silent approval for all areas where they’ve chosen to be unspoken? There are those who have been very loud about certain topics that have really impacted them, but days where they choose to take a break, even in the face of more “breaking news.” Does this mean that they woke up today and stopped giving a shit?
It doesn’t. It really, really doesn’t. I don’t think that everyone needs to speak out at all times. I think it behooves us to have opinions and be upstanders, but I also think that everyone needs to find the way to do that where they are best suited. That way may look very quiet and even invisible to the rest of us. As far as I’m concerned, that’s okay. I think when we start to decimate each other for taking a break, or focusing elsewhere, or staying in our lane, or anything along those lines, we’ve lost our way a bit. There is no reason for that. Here’s the thing- if you don’t want to support or align yourself with someone because of the way they choose to react) or not, to a world event, that’s okay.
If we spend all of our time kicking the shit out of each other (especially those who align with us) for the way in which we handle the craziness, where does that really get us?
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