When the President Talks to God: a Rhetorical Criticism of Anti-Bush Protest Music
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WHEN THE PRESIDENT TALKS TO GOD: A RHETORICAL CRITICISM OF ANTI-BUSH PROTEST MUSIC Megan O'Byrne A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS December 2008 Committee: Michael L. Butterworth, Advisor Lara Martin Lengel Ellen W. Gorsevski ii ABSTRACT Michael L. Butterworth, Advisor Anti-war protest music has re-emerged onto the American songscape since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the resulting military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. This study works to explicate the ways in which protest music functions in the resultant culture of war. Protest music, as it reflects and creates culture, represents one possible site of productive change. Chapter 1 examines Ani DiFranco’s song “Self Evident” which was written as an immediate reaction to 9/11. Throughout this chapter I argue that protest music has the potential to work as a vehicle for consciousness raising. In Chapter 2 I consider the constitutive elements in the Bright Eyes song “When the President Talks to God.” Performed on The Tonight Show in May 2005, this song represents one of the first performances of dissent on national television after 9/11. This chapter also examines the limitations of Charland’s conception of the constituted public as it pertains to diverse and heterogeneous audiences. Ultimately, I argue that consciousness raising through music has the potential to bring listeners into the constituted subject position of those who dissent against war. iii Dedicated to the memory of Dr. Lewis (Lee) Snyder in whose shadow I will always walk. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A project of this magnitude is never accomplished without the help, guidance, and support of others. Many thanks go to my advisor Dr. Michael L. Butterworth and committee members, Dr. Lara Martin Lengel and Dr. Ellen W. Gorsevski; without their support, this project would have never made it off the ground. Thanks also to Dr. Colleen Coughlin who helped me to understand my feminism and to Dr. Smeeta Mishra who greatly aided my transition into the department. Additional thanks also goes to the School of Communication Studies for their decision to financially support a poor second-year Masters Student. Without the lifelong support of my family, my circumstances would be greatly different today. While they may not understand this little fascination I have with higher education, they are always willing to help out where they can. Thanks to my sisters for alleviating my obligation to provide grandchildren for our parents and to my brother for positioning himself to take over the farm so I don’t have to. I have found fortune in friends who have helped and supported me in various ways throughout this voyage we call life. First, I need to thank Kenny not only for being a constant friend but for opening my musical doors. Additionally, I have found amazing friends in the SCS. Thanks to AMS, NH, and BB for your continued support and friendship. Thanks also for introducing me to JBS and APH both of whom I enjoy greatly. Thanks to my other friends too numerous to mention, as the saying goes, you know who you are. I owe a debt of gratitude to Erika Lundbom, without whose help my comma problem may have proven fatal. I also extend forward appreciation to my new colleagues at the University of Utah into whose hands I place the next phase of my educational journey. My final acknowledgement and greatest debt is to those who sing protest. Your talents and insights continue to inspire me. Someday you will change the world. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 1 Listening to Music with Rhetorical Headphones....................................................... 4 Making the Case for Feminist Rhetorics ................................................................... 14 Feminist Music Explored by, Who Else?...Women................................................... 16 Nonviolence as Feminist Ideology............................................................................. 19 Dissent as Heuristic.................................................................................................... 28 The Future: Protest Music and the Rhetoric of Dissent............................................. 34 CHAPTER I. IT’S ALL “SELF EVIDENT”: THE RHETORIC OF DISSENT AND CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING IN FEMINIST PROTEST MUSIC ..................................... 43 The Evolution of Consciousness Raising .................................................................. 47 The Riot Grrrl Movement .............................................................................. 55 Consciousness Raising Through “Self Evident”........................................................ 58 Honoring the Victims..................................................................................... 59 America is Not a Victim ................................................................................ 60 Social and Feminist Issues............................................................................. 64 The Need for Peace........................................................................................ 66 Call to Action/Activism................................................................................. 68 CHAPTER II. “WHEN THE PRESIDENT TALKS TO GOD”: CONSTITUTIVE RHETORIC AND PROTEST MUSIC....................................................................................................... 72 Getting to Know Bright Eyes..................................................................................... 75 Understanding “When the President Talks to God:................................................... 78 vi Interpellation ............................................................................................................ 83 Narrative Ideological Effects ..................................................................................... 84 Protests’ Constituted Audience.................................................................................. 94 Conclusion….. ........................................................................................................... 96 CONCLUSION…….. ............................................................................................................ 101 DISCOGRAPHY…... ............................................................................................................ 111 BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................................. 113 APPENDIX A. LYRICS: SELF EVIDENT......................................................................... 121 APPENDIX B. LYRICS: WHEN THE PRESIDENT TALKS TO GOD............................ 124 1 “There’s something happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear.” ~ Buffalo Springfield, “For What It’s Worth” Riding in a borrowed minivan winding through the Rockies I struggled to stay awake. It was Labor Day 2004, my best friend and I were driving to Aspen, CO to see Cake live in concert. When Cake took the stage late that afternoon I felt a thrill like never before. Standing directly in front of me, performing songs just for me, was Cake. Cake, the band that streamed constantly from my CD player and trickled out of my computer speakers, was singing right at me! I was mostly familiar with the song lineup for the afternoon and basked in the glory of hearing my favorite songs performed live. When the set ended, hoarse from screaming and euphoric from the performance, I began clapping with the crowd, hoping for an encore. Eventually the band re-emerged and took up their instruments. Lead singer, John McCrea, began a discussion of how displeased he was with political events and how America had entered a dark time, but even in that dark time he believed there was still hope for a brighter future. Then Cake sang a song of hope, their cover of Gloria Gaynor’s, “I Will Survive.” I had hoped to hear “I Will Survive” because I like their cover, but was dually fulfilled as McCrea took the opportunity to use the song for commentary. On the eve of the 2004 presidential elections the war in Iraq had been underway for almost eighteen months and the nation’s prospects had begun to look especially bleak, but McCrea held out hope, hope of a new future with a new president. His message was to vote, vote for anyone but President Bush. Under no traditional pretenses is “I Will Survive” a protest song, but McCrea created a context in which this song could be employed as a rally against the current political atmosphere. At the time, I was struggling with my own political affiliations. I was raised in a Republican household and voted for Bush in the 2000 election. Along with the majority of 2 Americans I fully supported Bush after 9/11, but as time went on and the war efforts shifted into Iraq I found myself increasingly disenchanted. By the time the 2004 elections rolled around I certainly did not support Bush’s actions as president, but I also did not really support John Kerry. While I found myself leaning more toward the Democratic ticket, I chose not to vote in ’04. I chose not to follow McCrea’s advice, my own good judgment, or the rights of American citizenship; it is a decision I will not likely repeat. Along with the struggle to reconcile my political affiliation, I was also beginning to work through my feminist identity at about the same time. Feminism