Book and Author

S inger-songwriter Tom Robinson has

said that combining music and politics
is a double-edged sword: “If you mix poli-
sues in entertainment?

From Holiday to Green Day

tics and pop, one lot of criticism says you’re “Strange Fruit”, written by Jewish Com-
exploiting people’s political needs and ide- munist Abel Meeropol and made famous
as and sympathies in order to peddle your by Billie Holiday, was arguably the irst
second-rate pop music, and another says protest song that didn’t function as propa-
you’re peddling second-rate political ide- ganda and could be considered as art. For
als on the back of your pop career. Either this reason, it is an appropriate launch
way they’ve got you.” Lynskey’s book 33 point for Lynskey’s musical light. Lyns-
Revolutions Per Minute explores this key dedicates 33 chapters to 33 songs, cov-
struggle and shows that even the careers ering 1939-2008, and ending with Green
of those artists nowadays recognized as Day’s “American Idiot”. Altogether well
musical representatives of the civil rights over a 1000 songs pass review, making this
movement were often coloured by disap- a standard work for anyone interested in
pointment, doubt, discouragement and music, protest songs, politics and history.
misunderstanding. Taking his readers on In an informative, witty and at times cyn-
a journey through seventy years of protest ical style, Lynskey tells us of these songs’
music and shows, Lynskey suggests that, conception and furnishes the reader with
besides the thrills and life-changing mo- relevant but never prurient insights into
ments, it was and still is dificult to be a the artists who wrote them. Lynskey makes
musician with strong political convictions. his readers aware of the less glamorous
33 Revolutions Per Minute poses two per- side of writing/performing protest songs.
tinent and pressing questions: what right “Strange Fruit”, described by people in
does a musician have to discuss politics? the audience at the time as akin to expe-
And is there a place for serious political is- riencing a physical assault, was banned or
104 33 Revolutions per minute - Dorian Lynskey Book and Author

called his sentiments facile. Some artists ernment continued to monitor black art- We can see a similar situation in hip-hop
were discouraged from writing political- ists in other guises throughout the decade. - if it wasn’t for Public Enemy one can
ly charged songs by their managers – an only speculate about how political hip-hop
exemplary case being the initial rejection Role models would have been. Furthermore, Lynskey
by Tamla Motown’s Berry Gordy of Mar- Contrary to other authors who have fo- notes that perfection does not create a big
vin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” Gordy told cused solely on American protest songs, following. The Clash grew up in public,
Marvin Gaye that he was “ridiculous” when Lynskey explores developments in both they made mistakes and it was their imper-
Gaye proposed a protest record, whilst the States and Britain. In parts IV and V in fections that inspired so many people to be
musical director Maurice King gave The particular, the author’s comparative analy- like them. Different people read different
Temptations a lesson in Hitsville’s politics sis of punk and hip-hop in both countries messages in Clash songs; that’s why artists
of caution; “Do not get caught up in tell- is refreshing and illuminating. Joe Strum- who are so dissimilar - like Bono and Billy
ing people about politics, religion, how to mer is a key igure in these two parts. Peo- Bragg - both say Joe Strummer is their role
spend money or who to make love to, be- ple in the music industry either love the model.
cause you’ll lose your fanbase”. Clash and Strummer (fans include Public
Other artists also struggled with their Enemy’s Chuck D. U2’s Bono, Crass’ Ste-
“To create a
political identities. The FBI held extended ve Ignorant, Billy Bragg and Green Day’s
successful protest
iles on many famous musicians, with artists Billie Joe Armstrong) or hate him (detrac- song in the twenty-
such as John Lennon, Pete Seeger and Phil tors such as NME journalist Paul Morley irst century is a
Ochs viewed as threats to national security or REM’s Peter Buck). Lynskey puts the daunting challenge,
throughout the 1960s and 70s. COINTEL- Clash alongside early Bob Dylan and Pub- but the alternative,
ignored by many radio stations and not PRO (the covert branch of the FBI) which, lic Enemy in terms of their respective po- for any musician
heard by most American citizens. Bob Dy- since 1956, had been surveilling, iniltrat- litical clout. Whilst there are ways to read
lan distanced himself from his early protest
with strong
ing, harassing, and sabotaging “subver- Punk as non-political, the Clash did not al-
songs because he didn’t want to be a post- political conviction,
sive” groups, with special attention paid low for such a reading – a misunderstand-
er-child for the counterculture movement, to the civil rights and antiwar movements, ing of the genre which Lynskey argues has
is paralysis and
whilst the more stern political musicians was disbanded in April 1971, but the gov- been productive.
gloom.”
 106 33 Revolutions per minute - Dorian Lynskey Book and Author

Paralysis and gloom you outline history’s major events a little bit of that in the middle of the book: other public igures crop up throughout
Regardless of these wonderful role mod- and picked songs that dealt with I wanted to include Jamaica and Nigeria. the book and sometimes one song contrib-
els, contemporary musicians have a harder these events before selecting one It seemed a natural step to go from James utes to another song in a different chapter.
time producing protest songs than their that stood out in particular, or did Brown to Fela Kuti.” I wanted a certain cohesion. Otherwise, it
twentieth century predecessors. Lynskey you have a speciic set list in mind? is just a bunch of stuff that happened.”
concludes his book with the rather sober- In other words: what came irst, the So people actually complained about
ing observation that the discourse around songs or the history? your choices regarding what you You are a music journalist; what I
politics and pop has become absurdly un- “The songs came irst, not the history, but included and what not? This must liked about your book is that it has
forgiving. “The age of the heroic activist as I was choosing them I wanted songs that have been frustrating considering an academic approach, yet it is writ-
musician is over and the disincentive to- had a distinct space around them. Some the amount of years, genres and art- ten in a very popular, witty and some-
ward writing protest songs is not COIN- people wonder why, for example, Joan ists you cover in your book - which times raw style, exactly the style you
TELPRO but the audience impatience with Baez wasn’t one of the selected 33 artists. counts a whopping 660 pages. apply when you write for the Guard-
any musician who purports to do more She is part of the book, but since I already “When I read non-iction books I don’t re- ian and other publications. Was this
than entertain”, according to Lynskey. Un- had a Bob Dylan chapter I didn’t want to ally care about what an author left out, un- a conscious decision?
fortunately there isn’t much of an alterna- dedicate a chapter to her, or to Phil Ochs. less stuff wasn’t included out of ignorance. “I deinitely did not approach the project
tive: “To create a successful protest song in If you have got Stevie Wonder it is hard to I was quite surprised that various people in an academic way, because I am not re-
the twenty-irst century is a daunting chal- also do Marvin Gaye. I wanted songs that had issues with what I have put in and left ally an academic. All I have is an under-
lenge, but the alternative, for any musician were quite distinct, yet kind of hung to- out. People come up to me and ask why graduate degree in English Literature.
with strong political conviction, is paraly- gether in a more general narrative - which I didn’t discuss so-and-so song and I say I approached it like a critic. But in some
sis and gloom.” is why there are certain areas/countries “well, probably because I didn’t want the cases I wasn’t as opinionated as I would be
that I could not explore because they are book to be 1500 pages long and unreada- in a newspaper column, because it wasn’t
AUTHOR Q & A so distinct. When you look at Australian ble”. The book is meant to be read as a nar- needed. You don’t need my opinion every
Your book, which combines political protest songs for example, many are about rative, although many people read it out of time I briely discuss a song. I didn’t want
sciences with cultural and social his- the treatment of Aboriginals. Or Irish rebel order because they are interested in a few to be objective, but I tried to give my opin-
tory, covers roughly 70 years of mu- songs. I didn’t want the reader to absorb an particular artists or time periods, which is ions some weight. For example it was im-
sic. What was your approach? Did entirely new country each chapter. There is ine too. Certain politicians, musicians and portant to me, when criticising Thatcher,
 Book and Author Book and Author

songs”. I don’t think there is such thing as aren’t many. By its

“The history” of anything.” nature, when you
write about gender
Scholars widely agree that the Black or sexuality, a lot
Power movement provided the mod- of the songs that
el for the women’s movement, the end up having po-
gay liberation movement and other litical potency are
political and cultural minority em- very personal. That
powerment movements to move for- is quite different
ward and gain some political trac- with Black Power.
to take a few quotes from a biography that tion. Some people say the music that I tried to ind nota-
was broadly sympathetic to her. It was an came out of the Civil Rights and Black ble feminist songs
attempt not to make the whole thing about Power movements was also the mod- prior to Riot Grrrl,
hating Thatcher or hating Nixon. The ac- el for music that came out of the gay because I wanted
ademic bit for me was making sure it was rights and women’s movement. Do more of a female didn’t consider themselves as political in
properly researched and footnoted. I was you agree with this? Or do you think voice in the book, but I couldn’t ind any that way.”
absolutely adamant that readers would this undermines what was happen- explicit protest songs I could use. I needed
know exactly where every quote came from. ing on the other side of the Atlantic? songs that self identiied as protest songs. Whilst reading your book it becomes
In certain cases it took forever to ind the “I think it is true on a political level that [...] People often say that one doesn’t have clear that being a protest singer
conirmation I was looking for. The book is black power inluenced some of the mod- to be a protest singer in order to be po- doesn’t mean a person is overall po-
solid when it comes to its facts, but I want- els of feminism and gay rights. With mu- litical, of course you don’t. You can read litically correct. Misogyny and hom-
ed its style to be argumentative and wit- sic, not so much. When you try to make a politics into all kinds of songs, particular- ophobia are, for example, disturbing
ty. I wanted to present my take on protest list of gay protest songs or feminist protest ly when a songwriter is female or gay. In features of reggae, soul, contempo-
songs and the history behind them. That’s songs which are as directly polemical and certain points of history just writing about rary hip-hop and dancehall. Do you
why I chose the title “A history of protest political as Black Power music you are a relationship was already political. But I think that the fact that many protest
songs” rather than “The history of protest going to be disappointed, because there could not hang a chapter on people that singers can’t even absorb the mes-
 110 33 Revolutions per minute - Dorian Lynskey 111 33 Revolutions per minute - Dorian Lynskey

sage of previous singers is an indica- through writing the book, what I found in- general frustration. Songs are more likely cessful? Is there a particular theory
tion that music can’t be seen as a ve- teresting is that these musician’s experi- to respond to a broader sense that there or formula?
hicle for social change? ences are also the experiences that a lot of are things to protest about.” “Generally, I am not very interested in the-
“I don’t know if you can say that people activists or politically concerned citizens ory. I don’t write in theoretical terms. I am
haven’t learned. People have different ex- have; they are all dealing with contradic- So, can you give me one song that interested in people and their responses to
periences. Like Rastafarians aren’t too tions and compromises. Being involved in taps into the current situation? certain events and certain environments.
concerned with gay rights, but that is okay, politics is dificult and frustrating. People “In Britain, there was Plan B with the song What I like about all the individual sto-
because they don’t have to measure up to who you admire on one level let you down ‘Ill Manors’, which is about class politics ries is the ambivalence, the contradictions
some sort of liberal ideal. The history of on a different one. Certain movements just and the riots last summer. That was a very and awkwardness. The regrets some art-
political movements is full of friction be- concentrate on their own areas. And yes, in deinite, unapologetic attempt to write a ists have. The sense that sometimes peo-
tween different groups. There was friction some cases at the expense of others.” political song about Britain as it is right ple didn’t quite know what they were do-
between Black Power and gay rights. There now and it was fairly mainstream. [...] Un- ing. [...] I realised that each story is its own
was misogyny in many left wing move- Speaking of the Occupy movement; like events like Hurricane Katrina that special case, I don’t think there is any the-
ments. A big inluence on hip hop was the do you expect that any decent protest suddenly inspired a lurry of responses, the ory that can explain all the weird constella-
Nation of Islam which looked down on gays songs will come out of it? economic crisis has been slow to inspire tions of factors that make a song a hit - for-
and Jews. I don’t think it is a matter of not “I don’t think so – not directly anyway. The protest songs. Older musicians do discuss get about politics for a moment - just the
learning; they are not obliged to be part of a point is that music rarely comes from the it in their songs, like Bruce Springsteen or factors that make it a hit. They’re so unpre-
liberal dream rainbow coalition. People are heart of these movements. You can see ex- Ry Cooder, but somehow the crisis hasn’t dictable and it really is hit and miss. This
lawed, look at the Occupy movement and amples of movements who did attempt this. inspired many younger bands yet. I’m still is what I ind so exciting and interesting;
the arguments within the movement about For example the Black Panthers formed hopeful though. These things take time.” that you can never predict which things are
whether they are equally representing fe- their own soul band which didn’t go any- going to catch ire. And then there are the
male, black, gay and disabled people. They where. Movements don’t make the music; Writing songs, and in particular questions: “What if ‘Born in the USA ‘had
have had serious rows about it. And this what happens is that artists are inspired by writing political songs, is very difi- sounded different, maybe it wouldn’t have
is a pretty impressive radical movement. these movements or major changes. Like cult. After analyzing all these differ- been misunderstood as much?” “What if
There is always tension between people. Civil Rights, anti-apartheid or the fear of ent songs, do you have a clearer view Bob Marley’s music hadn’t been remixed
And music relects those tensions. Midway a nuclear war; musicians will tap into the on what makes a protest song suc- for a rock audience would he still have been
112 33 Revolutions per minute - Dorian Lynskey

this huge international star? Or would he

only have been big in Jamaica? “

So this history of protest songs isn’t

as coherent as one might think?
“During the interviews [for his book Lyns-
key interviewed over 40 people] [...] I had
to try and hone it to a general argument.
But really the point is that if there was only
one argument the book wouldn’t have been
so long. The point is to show rather than ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
tell. [...]When you read about all these dif- Dorian Lynskey is a music writer
ferent songs and these different situations for the Guardian. He also writes
the message I am trying to put across is for Q, The Word and Spin, among
that there is incredible diversity and com- other publications. 33 Revolutions
plexity. It is not a thesis. It is history and is his irst book.
histories are full of random facts and loose
threads and anomalies.”
33 Revolutions per minute
A history of protest songs, from
Billy Holiday to Green Day
Dorian Lynskey
HarperCollins (2011)
ISBN 978-0-06-167015-2