This is something i’ve been thinking of since I saw ‘Bowling For Columbine’ – does modern aggressive music cause violence?
Personally I dont believe so.
And here’s part of the reason why – Richard Wagner.
This was the guy that composed the Neiblung Cycle of opera music. You all know it,even if you think you dont. Many of you will recognise his most famous piece ‘The Ride of The Valkaries’ as the piece that plays in Apocalypse Now when the helicopters attack the Vietnamese village. Its one of the most recognised pieces of music ever created.
And to the best of my knowledge it was composed by Wagner as part of an ode to war and violence.
And even if i’m wrong – listen to that piece and tell me that it dosent stir your blood.
What set me thinking about this again actually one of the girls at work commenting when the piece was playing in the store that she felt ‘nervous’. Marlin Manson’s music causes the same effect for many and yet why is it that its only ever Manson’s (and other similar people’s) music that is blamed for people being violent? Surely if it was just something in the music it wouldnt matter if it was composed last year or a hundred years ago?
In A Clockwork Orange the main charachter gets ready for ‘ultraviolence’ by listening to Bethoven. The kids that caused Columbine appearently listened to Manson before they set out.
Yet if a person or person’s created another Columbine buit they had been listening to Bethoven or Wagner would there be such a cry to have them banned?
I doubt it.
But what makes the difference?
Cian | 16-Aug-06 at 3:45 pm | Permalink
It’s an interesting question. Speaking from personal experience, I can certainly appreciate the adrenelin rush that songs like ‘The Fight Song’ by Marilyn Manson provoke in people, and I imagine that you’d have difficulty finding anything similarly motivating in genres such as blues or country. A musician I like called Voltaire spoke to Fox News about something connected with this a while ago. You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5psCjK6tzQ .
Btw, the Columbine guys didn’t even like Manson that much, they were KMFDM fans. I think the press just went after Manson because he was already well known and an easy target.
John | 16-Aug-06 at 4:27 pm | Permalink
On that last point fair enough. Wasn’t realy attacking Manson per se hence the ‘(and other similar people’s) music’ tag.
I mean Rammestein have the same effect on me as manson does. I get what your saying about blues and country and obviously not all types of music is designed to make you ‘hyped’ but if there wasnt such an easy target as Manson or other ‘aggressive music’ types available would we ever blame music for such actions?
Eugene | 16-Aug-06 at 9:13 pm | Permalink
Can’t get more aggressive than metallica. and well we’re sort of okay
Cian | 17-Aug-06 at 11:11 pm | Permalink
Perhaps not. I think it’s interesting in the Columbine case that it wasn’t so much the music of Manson that was blamed, but the guy himself and , to a lesser extent, his lyrics. It’s easier to blame bogey-men than things like music.
Eugene | 18-Aug-06 at 7:39 pm | Permalink
Musics influence is extremely overrated. It’s only really effective or a cause when there is 40 or 50 not 2
John | 18-Aug-06 at 7:46 pm | Permalink
well that is true – but I find they attack the ‘lifestyle’ that’s involved in that as much as anything else, and the music is usually the focal point for the ‘lifestyle’
Eugene | 21-Aug-06 at 12:09 am | Permalink
Well John we listen to that kind of music can you honestly say conservative right wing americans would find us “acceptable”? (Remember the girl in Geoffs before you answer)
John Mortell’s blog » Blog Archive » Bully survives - sign of a change in the attitude to videogame violence? | 16-Oct-06 at 11:09 am | Permalink
[...] The case against the game was that it would cause ‘another Columbine’. Now as some of you may be aware i realy don’t believe in this sort of thinking and regard it as a load of bull. The Judge it appears accepted this fact and as such allowed the game to go out to the shelves with no problems. [...]