AT&T Censors Anti-Bush Pearl Jam Lyrics During Lollapalooza

Posted by Howie Klein at 6:23 AM on August 9, 2007.

Howie Klein: Maybe they figured no one would notice. I guess this has to be expected when one gets in bed with freedom's mortal enemy.

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This post, written by Howie Klein, originally appeared on Down With Tyranny!

CMJ is reporting that AT&T censored Pearl Jam's Lollapalooza set on Sunday. Maybe they figured no one would notice. I guess this has to be expected when one gets in bed with freedom's mortal enemy: corporations, which will always pimp for the status quo. The was an AT&T Blue Room live broadcast set up and an AT&T "content monitor" found "Daughter" too risque for Lollapalooza fans.

Here's a live version of the song:

Maybe they objected to Eddie quoting that subversive Neil Young! No, it wasn't that. According to the Pearl Jam website it was lines sung by Eddie: "George Bush, leave this world alone" and "George Bush find yourself another home" that offended them so. Pearl Jam doesn't seem too happy:

Most telecommunications companies oppose "net neutrality" and argue that the public can trust them not to censor..

Even the ex-head of AT&T, CEO Edward Whitacre, whose company sponsored our troubled webcast, stated just last March that fears his company and other big network providers would block traffic on their networks are overblown..

"Any provider that blocks access to content is inviting customers to find another provider." (Marguerite Reardon, Staff Writer, CNET News.com Published: March 21, 2006, 2:23 PM PST).

But what if there is only one provider from which to choose?

If a company that is controlling a webcast is cutting out bits of our performance -not based on laws, but on their own preferences and interpretations - fans have little choice but to watch the censored version.

What happened to us this weekend was a wake up call, and it's about something much bigger than the censorship of a rock band.

Too bad 2 decades of reactionary government have destroyed all the countervailing forces that could protect us against unbridled corporate power. Anyone think Hillary will change that? A little?

Tagged as: anti-war, music, censorship, at&t, pearl jam, lollapalooza

Howie Klein is the blog master for Down With Tyranny!

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Disgusting [Report this comment] Posted by: JoshuaLudd on Aug 9, 2007 7:04 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Yep, Trust us, they say... We'll never censor you. And if we do, you can always go to another provider. Except that we design the whole market in such a way that you actually can't go to another provider. Don't worry, AT&T... you won't have to worry about censoring me. I'll never use a single one of your services again. There is NEVER justification for corporate entities to censor political speach. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Dump AT&T if You're Still Using Them [Report this comment] Posted by: channing on Aug 9, 2007 7:54 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] I've been warning everyone I know to dump any AT&T services since the wire-tapping story came out... same goes for Murdoch (myspace) and Walmart. These corporations are against everything people stand for and they only survive with public patronage. Remember that where you spend your $$'s, all of them, is a far more important VOTE in these days of corporate-sponsored fascism than election-day votes; When these corporations stop "succeeding" they won't be in a position to sponsor their favorite fascists in congress. When there are no alternatives, do without, but there are alternatives if you take some extra time to find them. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] » RE: Dump AT&T if You're Still Using Them Posted by: clvngodess pearl jam [Report this comment] Posted by: cwilsondrum on Aug 9, 2007 11:34 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] money talks, bullshit walks. dump at&t [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] Seniorsmarts [Report this comment] Posted by: celeborn on Aug 10, 2007 4:15 AM Current rating: 5 [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] Yeah! Good common sense straight talk here! Not spending your money on corporate crooks like AT&T, Walmart and the like, is the best preservation of free speech and Democracy! [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5] So what's PJ going to do about it? [Report this comment] Posted by: DaBear on Aug 11, 2007 4:01 PM Current rating: Not yet rated [1 = poor; 5 = excellent] If they don't take action against AT&T (can we say breach of contract?) this is all frufru moot. The only people with power are those with means. PJ has means. They should do more than talk about it. Talk is too cheap. From a rich white boy, talk is meaningless. [« Reply to this comment] [Post a new comment »] [Rate this comment: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5]

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