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Celebrities on the war: who do you trust?

 
  

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Bear
11:04 / 05.03.03
On the flip side has anyone heard anything about Bruce Willis phoning the White House to try and get shipped out to fight, not sure how much truth there is in that. I'll try and find an article if there is one.

On a lighter note the Onion has created a nice chart for us all to see what celebs have been doing relating to the war -

Onion
 
 
Baz Auckland
04:07 / 08.03.03
Okay, so maybe he wants Rushdie dead, but I love his music...

Cat Stevens just joined the 'celebrities on the war', releasing two anti-war songs. One is a re-recording of Peace Train, Download off his website here the other is Angel of War which according to Yahoo is based on his old Lady D'Arbanville.

Story Here
 
 
Turk
05:11 / 08.03.03
Oh be nice, call him Yusuf Islam, that's his name.
 
 
Brigade du jour
22:02 / 10.03.03
I know I've missed the boat, but I'm slinging a high-school-patented web towards its stern with this echo -

Yay Angel! Not just the particularly relevant thread stuff either, I really liked the personal stuff as well. Empathy, empathy, they've all got it, empathy!
 
 
Ganesh
22:06 / 10.03.03
Bear: yeah, I read that in the Metro. Apparently Willis was gutted to discover he's too old to sign up. The twart.
 
 
Loomis
11:59 / 11.03.03
I'm sure his vest would meet the age requirement though, and let's face it, it's the vest that does the fighting.
 
 
Slim
12:23 / 11.03.03
I'm of the opinion that artists/celebrities should speak their opinions through their medium. I have a great respect for Springsteen because he's never been preachy. When he criticized the Reagan administration policies in the 80's, he did it through his Born In the USA album. His song "41 shots" is far more powerful than anything he could say in a speech.
I can't blame a celebrity for speaking their opinion whenver they get the chance because I would probably do the same. However, I think they need to realize that they are not masters of rhetoric and being popular does not make one an excellent public speaker. They should voice their opinions through their respective mediums because after all, that's what they're good at.
 
 
Brigade du jour
20:59 / 11.03.03
Excellent point Slim, in fact I suspect you've hit the proverbial nail right on its proverbial head. I'd say that's pretty much a perfect balance between getting your message across because you simply can't keep it to yourself and ending up looking like a twat.

Btw Bruce Willis, I can't believe that when he was in Moonlighting he was the coolest dude on TV, and now he's such a fucking miserable bastard. Mind you, I was twelve back then. Mind you further, I watched the show for the first time in years recently and he still is fucking cool. Just don't understand that one.
 
 
Baz Auckland
03:55 / 17.03.03
Oh for pete's sake: Dixie Chicks Boycott over Bush Remarks

The lead singer said that she was embarrassed that Bush was from Texas, and now there are radio stations refusing to play them. Jesus Frickin...

"Radio stations nationwide are boycotting the Dixie Chicks, even though Maines publicly apologized for telling a London audience last Monday: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas"
 
 
Baz Auckland
01:52 / 24.03.03
I have to say that Michael Moore at the Oscars rocked. Especially the "booo"s from the audience during his speech. The best thing I've ever seen on that show. It was something along the lines of "a fictitious president elected in a fictitious election has started a war for fictitious reasons."
 
 
Cherry Bomb
09:17 / 24.03.03
Baz, maybe you could throw in a link to what he said?
 
 
The Return Of Rothkoid
10:16 / 24.03.03
E!Online's on-the-hoof coverage. I think they missed his last sentence which was something like "...and when the Pope and The Dixie Chicks are against you, your time is up..."

I thought the booing was weird. It's not like he said anything people were surprised he'd say; but I thought the bringing other nominees up onstage seemed a little "hey, see, I've got all there people here and they're right, too!", y'know? It seemed like perhaps he wouldn't've said it if he didn't have the cadre of documentary makers there? Not sure.
 
 
gridley
14:15 / 24.03.03
Michael Moore is an embarassment. Listening to him prattle out his nonsense, actually moved me toward pro-war rather than anti-war. I think he's like a liberal version of Rush Limbaugh, in that he doesn't really have any beliefs, he just just likes to shout opinions that he thinks will make the other side mad. He's like a caricature of someone who actually cares.

Now Adrian Brody, on the other hand, made a magnificent statement about the war. It was compassionate, lovely, and heartfelt. I'll see if I can find a link to it...
 
 
grant
14:43 / 24.03.03
Yeah, he really *is* getting shrill, isn't he.
 
 
Jack Fear
14:53 / 24.03.03
Warren Ellis said it better than I ever could, over on Fraction's forum on Delphi:
"I've always kind of felt like I should like Michael Moore. But, when it counts, he's always a bit of a dickhead."

(Wow--one celebrity's opinion on another celebrity's opinion on the war. How meta is that?)
 
 
gridley
19:12 / 24.03.03
Here's the relevant portion of Brody's speech:

"This is, you know, it fills me with great joy, but I am also filled with a lot of sadness tonight because I am accepting an award at such a strange time. And you know my experiences of making this film made me very aware of the sadness and the dehumanization of people at times of war. And the repercussions of war. And whatever you believe in, if it's God or Allah, may he watch over you and let's pray for a peaceful and swift resolution. Thank you. And I have a friend from Queens who's a soldier in Kuwait right now, Tommy Zarabinski, and I hope you and your boys make it back real soon. God bless you guys. I love you. Thank you very much."

classy, I think...
 
 
D'Israeli
15:11 / 25.03.03
Warren Ellis said it better than I ever could, over on Fraction's forum on Delphi:
"I've always kind of felt like I should like Michael Moore. But, when it counts, he's always a bit of a dickhead."

(Wow--one celebrity's opinion on another celebrity's opinion on the war. How meta is that?)


Not particularly, unfortunately. It's his opinion of Michael Moore, not his opinion of Michael Moore's politics. The only thing it mentions about Moore's politics is by implication, in that Ellis says he feels he should like him.

Now, totally unselfconsciously quoting a celebrity by saying "X says it better than I ever could", in a thread about such, may well be an excellent working definition of irony...
 
 
Brigade du jour
21:15 / 25.03.03
I don't know man, when Michael Moore got on that stage and said what I probably completely expected him to say, I couldn't help getting all excited like the big kid I am.

But it might be because I met him once and he seemed like a nice guy, and because he's fat and not physically attractive and yet still wins Oscars, far more than because I happen to agree with him about GWB. Hmm. I guess it's a big ol' chunk of both in the end.
 
 
fluid_state
23:14 / 25.03.03
Well, of course he's getting shrill. He's a fatass hacker, and he's been crying, whining, and talking as loud as he can for years. My gf just mentioned that his Oscar speech was "sad". Damn right it looks that way. He's not an actor. He's certainly not pretty. He's a big geek. It's really easy to dismiss what he says partially because of the presentation. Like jon Stewart said today, though, he's got "big sack".

Stewart then went on to point out those celebrities that have none, and damn if the rest of Hollywood wasn't disgusting and hollow at the Oscars (okay, witha few exceptions). This strata of society that heaps affection upon themselves for being topical, opinionated, and, uh, "liberal" and not one of them could use the gifts they were given at exactly the right moment. Moore was a little sad; he doesn't have half of the talents or gifts present in 80% of that room. But he certainly has sack, such as it is. More after dinner, perhaps.

(I meant, after I eat dinner, just to clear confusion)
 
 
The Return Of Rothkoid
21:34 / 26.03.03
Celebs and opinion: remember that Reagan was an actor...
 
 
D'Israeli
09:32 / 27.03.03
...but not a very good one.

Now Clinton - there was an actor...
 
 
STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK
10:09 / 27.03.03
Moore's geekiness aside, isn't it good that someone's actually using that platform to say stuff?
And, though I personally believe that he has the best motives, even if he doesn't, and inspires someone to actually pay attention to what the fuck is going on, then surely that's a good thing?
I mean, I often take inspiration from Snufkin (out of the Moomins- a classic anarchist children's TV character- and btw, I'm not joking here, I actually do believe that pretty much everything that little... whatever he is... says in those books is a pearl of wisdom) and he doesn't even exist!

My only problem with Moore, really, is his self-importance. Which isn't as bad as it could be, but still grates a little. But only a little. I have activist friends who are far more egotistical than him, and I've never doubted their sincerity for a second.

Oh, and let's face it, Warren Ellis may write some damn good comics, but he's hardly a celebrity, is he?
 
 
Jack Fear
12:27 / 27.03.03
Especially given the context of how he made his comment—in a real-time, rolling news thread on a message board, and not from any position of authority.

It may as well have been "Flux said it better than I could," or "The Haus said it so well..."

The only reason I mentioned his name is because I believe in giving credit where it's due.
 
 
gridley
13:36 / 27.03.03
"And, though I personally believe that he has the best motives, even if he doesn't, and inspires someone to actually pay attention to what the fuck is going on, then surely that's a good thing?"

But that's just it. I don't think Michael Moore convinces anybody who isn't already convinced. If anything, the opposite. I think his whiney, plastic opinions just convince the pro-war people how right they are, and makes the people who are on the fence think "Jesus, those anti-war people are annoying. I don't want to be associated with him."
 
 
Kit-Cat Club
18:35 / 16.04.03
I think I trust Tim Robbins... (his speech to the National Press Club and worth a squiz)
 
 
Baz Auckland
21:37 / 24.04.03


Interview

Maguire told the magazine Maines also said in introducing the song "Travelin' Soldier" in London that it was neither a pro-war nor a peace song. She said Maines' bandmate Robison took the microphone immediately after the comment about Bush and said, "But you know we support the troops 100 percent."

Maines said in a separate ABC TV "Primetime" interview to air on Thursday night that the band members feared for their lives amid criticism they say was "out of control."

She told ABC's Diane Sawyer she criticized Bush out of frustration and remained "passionate" in her anti-war views, even if she now regretted the remark. ABC released a transcript of the interview on Wednesday.
 
 
Baz Auckland
15:41 / 02.12.03
*bump*

Rolling Stone this week has an article about a big movement by rockstars against Bush...

Thirty major artists interviewed for this story cited many concerns: U.S. policy on Iraq, the Patriot Act, the Bush administration's assault on the environment, the economy and the media. But they all agreed that as the 2004 presidential election gets closer, it is time to mobilize. "The America we believe in can't survive another four years of George Bush," says Moby. Adds Lou Reed, "We must all unite and work for whomever opposes Bush, regardless of whatever differences we may have. Our motto: Anything but Bush."

Many artists aren't afraid to get their hands dirty in the democratic process, either: At Punkvoter.com, more than 100 bands, including NOFX, Green Day and Offspring, are creating voter-registration drives, a political action committee and a Rock Against Bush Tour...and dozens of other artists are contributing money to campaigns and performing in swing states and in televised public-service announcements.

"Musicians have an obligation to get involved," says Henley, "not necessarily because they have a forum but because they are citizens."


...and in a odd note:

Recently, New Jersey radio station WCHR banned Jethro Tull after the band's lead singer, Ian Anderson, was quoted in a local paper saying, "I hate to see the American flag hanging out of every bloody station wagon. It's easy to confuse patriotism with nationalism. Flag-waving ain't gonna do it."
 
 
Jack The Bodiless
11:24 / 03.12.03
Stoatie - "Oh, and let's face it, Warren Ellis... is hardly a celebrity, is he?"

Jack Fear - "Especially given the context of how he made his comment—in a real-time, rolling news thread on a message board, and not from any position of authority. It may as well have been "Flux said it better than I could," or "The Haus said it so well..." The only reason I mentioned his name is because I believe in giving credit where it's due."


Possibly. You also called Ellis a celebrity in your post. And I think we can define Ellis as such, anyway, and for the sake of argument. There are different levels of this kind of thing...
 
 
Not Here Still
11:58 / 03.12.03
Hmm, missed this one before, so I claim the latest ever "yay!" wit a "yay Angel" months after the initial post.

My only other point - personally, speaking as a Brit, I really don't think it ultimately makes a blind bit of difference if the public are exposed to the decontextualised sound bitten opinions of 'the politicians' or not.

I mean, they can voice their opinion on the war and everything, but did them voicing their concerns change anything?

At least some of the celebrity comments were funny. Tam Dayell might be father of the house and a long-time thorn in the side of the establishment, but the dude needs to get some better lines...
 
  

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