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In the April issue of the Wire John Tilbury was profiled, and stated that due to the US's predatory and imperialist policy regarding the world he would no longer play there. The following is a more concise letter he sent into the May issue of the Wire:
Some of you who have seen the current issue of The Wire magazine may have noticed a short profile of myself. The
original purpose of the piece was to explain my stance vis-à-vis the US and its agenda, specifically my decision not to go the US in the foreseeable future. Instead, two thirds of it consists of a list of my recent musical ‘achievements’ and paeans to my pianism. What follows is extracted from conversations and correspondences I have had with friends and colleagues over the last 9 months or so.
Yes, I am talking about a predatory, aggressive, individualistic, dominant culture whose avowed aim is to impose itself, through threat of annihilation, on the rest of the world. It is a culture I have experienced, or perhaps more precisely, endured on every visit to the US. I often feel ill at ease there and (like Sam Beckett!) am relieved to leave.
Now, as for the suggestion by some of my friends that 'the greater totality of peoples and culture within its (the US)
borders might be of other (and more important?) dimensions (than the US administration)' – the fact is, as we have experienced ourselves many times, people in the US are kept in abject ignorance in relation to the world at large.(Witness, in stark contrast to the rest of the world, the fact that a clear majority in the U.S. support the current
slaughter) Even those that have/had ‘reservations’ have been hoodwinked by the propaganda that the US has striven to
cooperate with world governments through the UN (which we know they control through all manner of skulduggery,
bribery and corruption, threats – which all boils down to the simple watchword: be bought or be slaughtered), whilst
those who claim to oppose it have sunk into a shoulder-shrugging quietism. And I say this in full knowledge of, and
respect for, those activists in the US who are struggling to stem, if not reverse, the tide of permanent war which is at the core of the US Imperialists’ (yes, let us choose our words carefully and accurately) agenda. But what the
shoulder-shruggers can do is to organise paid seminars, workshops and festivals for the likes of us in the noble pursuit
of sharpening sensibilities and deepening emotional responses of a relatively privileged audience. While in our name, in relation to the current crisis, possibly or probably, at that very moment, with our money and through our labour, the most appalling atrocities are being planned and perpetrated. Because this cannot be war. War is a misnomer. It is mass slaughter. By submitting oneself to the formal procedure of entering the US, by presenting oneself and one’s passport to American custom officials for acceptance and approval one is conferring a status of legitimacy, of normality, on a situation which is abnormal. Furthermore, in making music there we are not ‘informing and enlightening the peoples of the USA’; we are in fact providing them with an alibi, a temporary escape, a haven, from the harsh realities of the consequences of the ideology in which they are subsumed. Just as the Orchestras who played Beethoven in the Third Reich did.
By going to the US at this point in time, by contributing to cultural life, it does send out a message, it seems to me,
however the musician may rationalise his/her act and its consequences, that in the US, when it comes down to it,
‘everything is alright’, i.e. culturally, pluralism and normality reign. More contentiously, going to the US might even be construed as an act of indifference to US crimes against humanity (‘Oh yes’, they will say to us, ‘of course there is no denying, innocent people will be killed’ and they, and we, quickly change the subject) – at worst, perhaps, complicity (there’s only the thinnest line between indifference and complicity). For the unspeakable Blair the appearance of normality, of ‘business as usual’, is certainly important. Let there be concerts, of anything, especially in London, at the
Warehouse and the Conway, as well as Opera and Orchestral concerts.
Furthermore, I can imagine that during the (on-going) elimination of ‘rogue states’ Republic (and Democrat)
intellectuals may well enjoy a quiet evening with the music of Morton Feldman. We know how deeply involved the CIA was
in the promotion of American Modern Art during the Cold War. (Some of the more enlightened current operatives
might even have an AMM CD in their collection!) We may recall that the Nazis, too, found solace and inspiration in Beethoven’s Ninth, that paean to universal brotherhood. Some members of the SS showed great tenderness and
solicitude for their foreign (sometimes Jewish) mistresses. The love was mutual. Their taste in Art, Literature and
Music was sophisticated. They were men of culture. Curiously, for them there was no contradiction between their
appreciation of Art and their duties towards the Third Reich. I’m afraid Art cannot be trusted, can all too easily fall into the wrong hands. I agree with W.G. Sebald: “Art is a way of laundering money.” Yes, I am equating the aims of US
Imperialism with the aims of the Nazis: the imposition by terror of an alien and, to some, repugnant ideology on the
rest of the world. And in the Thirties talented violinists put aside their violins, pianists closed their piano lids and drummers put away their sticks in a brave attempt to prevent this from happening. Many of them lost their lives in appalling circumstances.
It is not the case that I would feel ‘uncomfortable having to work within such an overall political environment’ (the U.S.), as has been suggested. This would not be an issue. On the contrary, this can be challenging and exhilarating; but I would feel frustration and despair at the counter-productive nature and consequences of our (musical) actions – as I have outlined above. Regarding my ‘stand’ the crux is simply: how effective, or ineffective, will it turn out to be. Of course I may be wrong and I have read that there are some who claim to be quite underwhelmed by my action. Yet I am encouraged by the early signs, including the fact that the U.K., too, will be a target for boycott. And in the aftermath of this slaughter? What then? The media will lose interest; refer in passing to yet another ‘success’. Meanwhile, during the preparation for the next series of war-games will the level of intensity of opposition be maintained? Or will the ‘lull’ be used to revert to ‘normality’ and, for us artists, to frequent visits to the laundry?
John Tilbury, 2003
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Now then, while I certainly do admire the sentiments of Tilbury (despite some ridiculous comments about American culture) is it wrongheaded for Tilbury to assume that not playing in the US will mean any thing at all? For certainly, not playing in the US, and still playing in the UK, and other countries that are less outwardly oppressive than the US but still fascistic and brutal is little less than hypocritical. Furthermore, Tilbury, while far from popular in the US, still profits from recording sales originating there and other "imperialist" countries.
However, where does the role of the musician like Tilbury fall into political activism? Should all musicians against US policy and "slaughter" hang up their instruments and not play at all in protest because to do so would be to directly or indirectly support fascist regimes? That seems very unrealistic and naive, so is this stance little more than wishful thinking? Or it could it be a bold new step in the right direction? Amittedly, I do admire his "walking the walk," and taking up such and idealistic position while others in the avant garde and music in general would not do so at all. In the end, this may be more about ideals than a realistic protest. |
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