Musicians react to Texas school shooting
The devastating, yet all too common, school shooting that left 19 elementary school students and two teachers dead in Uvalde, Tex. earlier this week sent shockwaves across the country and around the world. Calls were once again made for stricter gun control laws while others bemoaned the use of a national tragedy to push what they see as a political agenda. Many musicians voiced their own horror and outrage across social media at the situation as it unfolded.
“I cannot imagine the heartache and heartbreak the parents of these 19 Children must feel,” Madonna wrote in a lengthy Instagram post where she called out the National Rifle Association (NRA) and lawmakers to pass “tougher firearm safety laws.”
“I have children in elementary school and if they did not come home from school one day I don’t think I could survive,” she added. “How is this possible that an 18-year-old boy (referring to the lone gunman who carried out the shooting), who is a child himself, can purchase 2 automatic rifles on his birthday with no background check, no safety training, no questions
asked ????? ”
“My heart is shattered,” echoed Britney Spears on Instagram “I’m lost for words. My prayers are with the victims of Robb Elementary and their families. Our sympathies and condolences are just not enough. We have to take action. We need change. Enough is enough. We will keep our prayers coming even if it’s not enough to heal the loss.”
“you @NRA,” seethed singer/ songwriter Richard Marx on Twitter. “you, every elected official who’s voted against gun reform. you @ GregAbbott_TX and you, every Republican voter who claims to be “pro-life” but don’t actually give the slightest about humans once their born. You are ignorant and complicit.”
“Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde. By Buffalo, Laguna Woods and so many others,” Taylor Swift wrote in her first tweet since the beginning of the year. “By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak.”
“American Pie” singer Don McClean announced in the wake of the shooting that he would be pulling out of a scheduled appearance at this weekend’s annual meeting by the NRA, set to take place Saturday in Houston.
“In light of the recent events in Texas, I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA at their convention in Houston this week,” he said in a statement. “I’m sure all the folks planning to attend this event are shocked and sickened by these events as well. After all, we are all Americans. I share the sorrow for this terrible, cruel loss with the rest of the nation.”
“Enough of this ,” tweeted singer Sebastian Bach. “please help for Gods Sakes & the safety of our children anyone who thinks this is normal is quite obviously sick in the head #GunControlNow. Imagine if it were illegal to possess a machine gun in this country like it’s illegal in every other country on the planet Earth.”
“Here we go again — another
U.S. president giving his useless ‘thoughts & prayers’ to the victims while doing nothing to stop 18-yearold kids from legally buying ASSAULT RIFLES, for the purpose of killing,” tweeted Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler. “God forbid they buy alcohol at that age.”
Guitarist Alex Skolnick of the metal band Testament drew an interesting yet not far off base parallel, tweeting that when he was in school, a bipartisan “Congress made an effort to ‘protect’ kids from, yes, song lyrics,” and hypothesized if only “the same concern” today was applied to protecting kids from assault weapons.
“years ago, a gunman entered Dunblane Primary School in Scotland, killing 16 kids and a teacher,” tweeted Peter Frampton. “The UK govt responded by enacting tight gun control legislation. In the 9400+ days since, there have been a total of school shootings in the UK.”
Ted Nugent, who has been an outspoken conservative mouthpiece for many years now, took to a YouTube livestream to say in part, “To those who think that we need more gun control, who could possibly be so heartless and stupid to think that someone committed to murdering innocent lives would give a rat’s ass about another gun restriction, President Biden? How heartless. How soulless. How cruel. How dishonest.”
He then cited the strict gun laws in Mexico as a reason why citizens there are defenseless against violent criminals, punctuating it with, “Gun-free zones are the dream of evil people.”
VINYL OF THE WEEK
Keep an eye on this spot as each week we’ll be looking at new or soon-to-be-released vinyl from a variety of artists. It might be a repressing of a landmark recording, special edition or new collection from a legendary act. This week, it’s a special edition of a legendary punk outfit’s best-selling and highest charting LP.
THE CLASH: ‘COMBAT ROCK: THE PEOPLE’S HALL SPECIAL EDITION’
Originally released in May 1982, ‘Combat Rock’ was the final album from the Clash with the classic lineup of Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon. It featured two of the band’s most well-known songs, “Should I Stay or Should I Go” and “Rock the Casbah,” along with fav favorites plus favorites “Straight to Hell” and “Know Your Rights.”
‘Combat Rock: The People’s Hall’ is a 3LP special edition of the album coupled with an additional 12 tracks compiled by the Clash. The compositions on ‘The People’s Hall’ chart the period from what was their last single, “Radio Clash,” right up to the release of ‘Combat Rock,’ including unheard, rare and early versions of the songs.
Having returned to London following their pivotal 17-show residency at the New York City venue Bond’s Casino in 1981, the band rehearsed and recorded at The People’s Hall in the squatted Republic of Frestonia near Latimer Road in London. Following those sessions, they embarked on a tour of the East and Southeast Asia, during which the iconic album sleeve image was captured by Pennie Smith in Thailand.
One of the highlights of this edition of ‘Combat Rock’ is a new version of “Know Your Rights” which was recorded at The People’s Hall on the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, and the previously unreleased instrumental “He Who Dares or Is Tired.” Other notable tracks include “Futura 2000,” an unreleased original mix of “The Escapades of Futura 2000,” Mikey Dread’s “Radio One” and the outtakes “The Fulham Connection,” previously known as “The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too,” as well as “Idle in Kangaroo Court.”
Overall, ‘Combat Rock’ is indicative of the Clash’s constant evolution and was influenced in part by the relatively recent end of the Vietnam War, particularly on “Sean Flynn,” inspired by the disappearance of the photojournalist and film star’s son. The band’s curiosity and range are illustrated by the many styles and voices here, notably poet Allen Ginsberg’s apocalyptic spoken word on “Ghetto Defendant” and graffiti artist Futura’s rap on “Overpowered by Funk.”
Issued on l80gram black vinyl, ‘Combat Rock: The People’s Hall’ can be found online and in stores from all respectable retailers who carry vinyl.