Always thought it sarcastically sung in character as a small minded white male American. "One in a million" being what the character wants to be perceived as. But he's just another racist, small minded piece of shit from some small town. Axl being on the opposite side of that.
But seems from comments that it's sung from Axl's own perspective.... yikes...
Having grown up in the neighboring town of Axl’s back in Indiana, it was pretty common for whites to feel comfortable around other whites to spout off racist jokes, tropes, putdowns, and bigoted crap. I would say this is more a sign of his comfort level with the usage at the time combined with maybe feeling tension or anxiety with being around a lot more black people than he was in Indiana. Thankfully they matured beyond that.
Not to slag off a Seattle person - but Duff saying that "nobody got it" sounds like history revisionism if you read Axls 1989 and 1992 comment about the song.
Also, was it right to remove it or should it have been included on the Appetite deluxe box re-release?
I would chalk it up to "different perceptions/perspectives that have been clouded with time and much intoxicants".
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
People clearly spoke and acted very differently then. Thankfully now people don't and whats more call it out. Old days were bad. New days better. Future i know my adult kids would not only not use these words they would and do call it out when an elder person still uses words that no longer are wanted or acceptable.
brixton 93
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
Always thought it sarcastically sung in character as a small minded white male American. "One in a million" being what the character wants to be perceived as. But he's just another racist, small minded piece of shit from some small town. Axl being on the opposite side of that.
But seems from comments that it's sung from Axl's own perspective.... yikes...
Having grown up in the neighboring town of Axl’s back in Indiana, it was pretty common for whites to feel comfortable around other whites to spout off racist jokes, tropes, putdowns, and bigoted crap. I would say this is more a sign of his comfort level with the usage at the time combined with maybe feeling tension or anxiety with being around a lot more black people than he was in Indiana. Thankfully they matured beyond that.
Always thought it sarcastically sung in character as a small minded white male American. "One in a million" being what the character wants to be perceived as. But he's just another racist, small minded piece of shit from some small town. Axl being on the opposite side of that.
But seems from comments that it's sung from Axl's own perspective.... yikes...
Having grown up in the neighboring town of Axl’s back in Indiana, it was pretty common for whites to feel comfortable around other whites to spout off racist jokes, tropes, putdowns, and bigoted crap. I would say this is more a sign of his comfort level with the usage at the time combined with maybe feeling tension or anxiety with being around a lot more black people than he was in Indiana. Thankfully they matured beyond that.
I believe that was everywhere back in the day.
Was this everywhere?
"Immigrants and faggots They make no sense to me They come to our country And think they'll do as they please Like start a weird cult Or spread some fucking disease And they talk so many goddamn ways It's all Greek to me"
No way that is Axls persepctive at the end of the 80s? Or is it?
I can't wrap my head around the song.
Is it some kind of "burning the world down" type of song, trying to portray being angry at everything - prejudice against everything (police, black people, immigrants, gays) means the prejudice in itself is nullified?
or is it a story about the Axl who arrived in LA, with everything from his upbringing in his backpack? As in, its a page from a diary from a young Axls perspective and he is the one in a million that "made it" and been enlightened and removed from that backwards Indiana-view?
"Mostly I think that people react sensitively because they know you’ve got a point"
Always thought it sarcastically sung in character as a small minded white male American. "One in a million" being what the character wants to be perceived as. But he's just another racist, small minded piece of shit from some small town. Axl being on the opposite side of that.
But seems from comments that it's sung from Axl's own perspective.... yikes...
Having grown up in the neighboring town of Axl’s back in Indiana, it was pretty common for whites to feel comfortable around other whites to spout off racist jokes, tropes, putdowns, and bigoted crap. I would say this is more a sign of his comfort level with the usage at the time combined with maybe feeling tension or anxiety with being around a lot more black people than he was in Indiana. Thankfully they matured beyond that.
I believe that was everywhere back in the day.
Was this everywhere?
"Immigrants and faggots They make no sense to me They come to our country And think they'll do as they please Like start a weird cult Or spread some fucking disease And they talk so many goddamn ways It's all Greek to me"
No way that is Axls persepctive at the end of the 80s? Or is it?
I can't wrap my head around the song.
Is it some kind of "burning the world down" type of song, trying to portray being angry at everything - prejudice against everything (police, black people, immigrants, gays) means the prejudice in itself is nullified?
or is it a story about the Axl who arrived in LA, with everything from his upbringing in his backpack? As in, its a page from a diary from a young Axls perspective and he is the one in a million that "made it" and been enlightened and removed from that backwards Indiana-view?
One in a million as he made it, yes.
His description of LA is what anyone would see coming into the bus depot. If you were used to living in a white suburban/farmland then it would be quite a culture shock. The way he talks was pretty common for the most part. N word was used but not as much and gays and minorities were easy targets back then with words. It was a free for all. Just watch the late 80's comedians that were big.
0
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,288
edited November 2022
Patti Smith... would you call this "cancelled"? Where does it end? Does anyone really thing Patti is a racist. Fucks sake...
Patti Smith’s Song “Rock N Roll N****r” Removed from Streaming Platforms
Patti Smith’s song “Rock N Roll N****r” has been removed from
streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music, as
reported by Rolling Stone.
The song, which appears on the 1978 album from Smith, Easter,
was co-written by Smith and guitarist Lenny Kaye. In the track, Smith
uses the racial slur to talk about white artists, like herself, who are
“outside of society.”
She sings: Outside of society, they’re waitin’ for me / Outside of society, that’s where I want to be.
Now, though, the song is no longer on prominent streaming platforms because, well, of its tone-deaf delivery.
In the song, Smith uses the slur to describe musical heroes of
different races, from Jimi Hendrix to Jackson Pollack to Jesus Christ.
In the song’s liner notes, she wrote, “N****r no invented for color it
was MADE FOR THE PLAGUE. The word (art) must be redefined—all mutants
and the new babies born sans eyebrow and tonsil…any man who extends
beyond the classic form is a n****r.”
The song was controversial the moment it was released. And in 1978,
the year it came into the world, Smith tried to justify her use of the
word in an interview with Rolling Stone, saying, “Suffering
don’t make you a n****r. I mean, I grew up poor, too. … Ya think Black
people are better than white people or sumpthin’? I was raised with
black people. It’s like, I can walk down the street and say to a kid,
‘Hey n****r.’ I don’t have any kind of super-respect or fear of that
kind of stuff.”
She’s seemingly been defending the song since its release.
It was a regular on her live show song lists for years, though she
hasn’t performed it since 2019. Other artists like Marilyn Manson and
Courtney Love have covered it. In 1994, Trent Reznor remixed the song
and included it on the soundtrack for Natural Born Killers.
According toRolling Stone, “The reason for the song’s disappearance is unclear.”
Though, not really.
And who gets axed next. Sly Stone?
"Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!" -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
white people just can't use it. no matter the context. that's the line. period. (not necessarily my opinion, I'm saying what society has seemingly decided)
"Oh Canada...you're beautiful when you're drunk" -EV 8/14/93
Patti Smith’s Song “Rock N Roll N****r” Removed from Streaming Platforms
Patti Smith’s song “Rock N Roll N****r” has been removed from
streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music, as
reported by Rolling Stone.
The song, which appears on the 1978 album from Smith, Easter,
was co-written by Smith and guitarist Lenny Kaye. In the track, Smith
uses the racial slur to talk about white artists, like herself, who are
“outside of society.”
She sings: Outside of society, they’re waitin’ for me / Outside of society, that’s where I want to be.
Now, though, the song is no longer on prominent streaming platforms because, well, of its tone-deaf delivery.
In the song, Smith uses the slur to describe musical heroes of
different races, from Jimi Hendrix to Jackson Pollack to Jesus Christ.
In the song’s liner notes, she wrote, “N****r no invented for color it
was MADE FOR THE PLAGUE. The word (art) must be redefined—all mutants
and the new babies born sans eyebrow and tonsil…any man who extends
beyond the classic form is a n****r.”
The song was controversial the moment it was released. And in 1978,
the year it came into the world, Smith tried to justify her use of the
word in an interview with Rolling Stone, saying, “Suffering
don’t make you a n****r. I mean, I grew up poor, too. … Ya think Black
people are better than white people or sumpthin’? I was raised with
black people. It’s like, I can walk down the street and say to a kid,
‘Hey n****r.’ I don’t have any kind of super-respect or fear of that
kind of stuff.”
She’s seemingly been defending the song since its release.
It was a regular on her live show song lists for years, though she
hasn’t performed it since 2019. Other artists like Marilyn Manson and
Courtney Love have covered it. In 1994, Trent Reznor remixed the song
and included it on the soundtrack for Natural Born Killers.
According toRolling Stone, “The reason for the song’s disappearance is unclear.”
Though, not really.
And who gets axed next. Sly Stone?
Am curious how she feels now about the statement shown above to RS.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
white people just can't use it. no matter the context. that's the line. period. (not necessarily my opinion, I'm saying what society has seemingly decided)
Here in Indiana, there's still quite a few white people who think it's okay.
They wear white at the bonfire so I get why they would.
0
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,288
edited November 2022
My pipe dream: Racism and derogatory words become a thing of the past, words are just seen as words, people of all colors laugh about how in the past people were fools enough to judge someone based on the color of their skin and made up stupid verbal insults.
Well, I can at least dream, can't I?
"Pretty cookies, heart squares all around, yeah!" -Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
A white person could never pull this off. It’s not just a word, it’s a verb or term of endearment. It’s part of their culture. People need to get over “why can they say it and I can’t”.
When cops are taking care of business I can understand But the L.A. story's gone way out of hand Their acts of aggression, they say they're justified But it seems an obsession has started from the inside
They're shooting anyone who even tries to run They're shooting little kids with toy guns Take it to a jury but they don't give a damn Because the one who tells the truth is always the policeman
Beat all the niggers Beat whoever you see Don't need a reason (We're) L.A.P.D.
The city of L.A. feels like a prison With helicopters overhead and bullets whizzing by Martial law ain't no solution Police brutality's just social pollution
Beat all the white trash Beat whoever you see Don't need a reason (We're) L.A.P.D.
They say they're keeping the peace But I'm not buying it because a billy club ain't much of a pacifier "Protecting your freedom" Now that's just a lie
It's an excuse for power that's more like an alibi Law and order doesn't really matter When you're the one getting bruised and battered You take it to a jury, they'll throw it in your face Because justice in L.A. comes in a can of mace
The worst of times..they don't phase me, even if I look and act really crazy.
When cops are taking care of business I can understand But the L.A. story's gone way out of hand Their acts of aggression, they say they're justified But it seems an obsession has started from the inside
They're shooting anyone who even tries to run They're shooting little kids with toy guns Take it to a jury but they don't give a damn Because the one who tells the truth is always the policeman
Beat all the niggers Beat whoever you see Don't need a reason (We're) L.A.P.D.
The city of L.A. feels like a prison With helicopters overhead and bullets whizzing by Martial law ain't no solution Police brutality's just social pollution
Beat all the white trash Beat whoever you see Don't need a reason (We're) L.A.P.D.
They say they're keeping the peace But I'm not buying it because a billy club ain't much of a pacifier "Protecting your freedom" Now that's just a lie
It's an excuse for power that's more like an alibi Law and order doesn't really matter When you're the one getting bruised and battered You take it to a jury, they'll throw it in your face Because justice in L.A. comes in a can of mace
I'm surprised a Molecular Biologist would actually use that word. This was early 90's when shit like this would fly. I remember House of Pain saying it, GNR. I'm sure there are others.
When cops are taking care of business I can understand But the L.A. story's gone way out of hand Their acts of aggression, they say they're justified But it seems an obsession has started from the inside
They're shooting anyone who even tries to run They're shooting little kids with toy guns Take it to a jury but they don't give a damn Because the one who tells the truth is always the policeman
Beat all the niggers Beat whoever you see Don't need a reason (We're) L.A.P.D.
The city of L.A. feels like a prison With helicopters overhead and bullets whizzing by Martial law ain't no solution Police brutality's just social pollution
Beat all the white trash Beat whoever you see Don't need a reason (We're) L.A.P.D.
They say they're keeping the peace But I'm not buying it because a billy club ain't much of a pacifier "Protecting your freedom" Now that's just a lie
It's an excuse for power that's more like an alibi Law and order doesn't really matter When you're the one getting bruised and battered You take it to a jury, they'll throw it in your face Because justice in L.A. comes in a can of mace
I'm surprised a Molecular Biologist would actually use that word. This was early 90's when shit like this would fly. I remember House of Pain saying it, GNR. I'm sure there are others.
When cops are taking care of business I can understand But the L.A. story's gone way out of hand Their acts of aggression, they say they're justified But it seems an obsession has started from the inside
They're shooting anyone who even tries to run They're shooting little kids with toy guns Take it to a jury but they don't give a damn Because the one who tells the truth is always the policeman
Beat all the niggers Beat whoever you see Don't need a reason (We're) L.A.P.D.
The city of L.A. feels like a prison With helicopters overhead and bullets whizzing by Martial law ain't no solution Police brutality's just social pollution
Beat all the white trash Beat whoever you see Don't need a reason (We're) L.A.P.D.
They say they're keeping the peace But I'm not buying it because a billy club ain't much of a pacifier "Protecting your freedom" Now that's just a lie
It's an excuse for power that's more like an alibi Law and order doesn't really matter When you're the one getting bruised and battered You take it to a jury, they'll throw it in your face Because justice in L.A. comes in a can of mace
I'm surprised a Molecular Biologist would actually use that word. This was early 90's when shit like this would fly. I remember House of Pain saying it, GNR. I'm sure there are others.
This was a time when Ice-T was the shit. He was owning the word. Hell the song "straight up nigga" was a damn masterpiece. That song holds weight today. The things he said back then still ring today.
I appreciate Ice-T and what he did for music. That guitarist for Ice-T, Ernie Cunningham is a damn monster on the 6 too. Look him up.
When cops are taking care of business I can understand But the L.A. story's gone way out of hand Their acts of aggression, they say they're justified But it seems an obsession has started from the inside
They're shooting anyone who even tries to run They're shooting little kids with toy guns Take it to a jury but they don't give a damn Because the one who tells the truth is always the policeman
Beat all the niggers Beat whoever you see Don't need a reason (We're) L.A.P.D.
The city of L.A. feels like a prison With helicopters overhead and bullets whizzing by Martial law ain't no solution Police brutality's just social pollution
Beat all the white trash Beat whoever you see Don't need a reason (We're) L.A.P.D.
They say they're keeping the peace But I'm not buying it because a billy club ain't much of a pacifier "Protecting your freedom" Now that's just a lie
It's an excuse for power that's more like an alibi Law and order doesn't really matter When you're the one getting bruised and battered You take it to a jury, they'll throw it in your face Because justice in L.A. comes in a can of mace
I'm surprised a Molecular Biologist would actually use that word. This was early 90's when shit like this would fly. I remember House of Pain saying it, GNR. I'm sure there are others.
This was a time when Ice-T was the shit. He was owning the word. Hell the song "straight up nigga" was a damn masterpiece. That song holds weight today. The things he said back then still ring today.
I appreciate Ice-T and what he did for music. That guitarist for Ice-T, Ernie Cunningham is a damn monster on the 6 too. Look him up.
Oh Perry…Hottest man in my Rock N Roll world. Saw this Performance between Perry and Ice T at the first Lolla, Brilliant stuff!! ….so sad nothin as shocking as this could ever be performed live again.
0
curmudgeoness
Brigadoon, foodie capital Posts: 3,990
I don't mind it being used if you are quoting what someone said. you are simply stating what another person said.
in movies and in art, it's fine, as long as it's not gratuitous. it has to have proper context and be telling a story, not just using it to use it.
I homeschooled my kids, and part of our routine until they got to high school age was that I would read to them every day at lunch -- something related to what we were studying, perhaps one of Shakespeare's plays that we were going to see, or a work of literature from a period we were studying.
At one point, I decided to read "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" to them. I, uh, had never read the book, myself. Yikes.
After skimming through it, I decided to read it to them anyway; they were old enough to understand the book, so they were old enough to have a conversation about the language. I prefaced things with a talk about the n-word and how it was *not* okay to use it. And then I read the whole novel aloud, cringing as I went. It's a brilliant book and a key work of American literature. And for what it's worth, the book and its language were controversial upon publication, not just today.
I grew up in an environment where ethnic slurs were tossed about freely (seriously, "n---" jokes were the highlight of family Christmas gatherings, and I can't and won't try to explain or justify that), yet, even though I'm *ahem* not young, I learned from a very early age not to use the n-word, ever. I also don't use the other words that I saw floating around in this thread. (I curse like a sailor, fwiw) The 80s might have been a long time ago, but decent people knew better than to use that language back then, too. And even though my kids tested my patience in countless ways, they never questioned the idea that that language just isn't used.
All those who seek to destroy the liberties of a democratic nation ought to know that war is the surest and shortest means to accomplish it.
Comments
-EV 8/14/93
Old days were bad. New days better. Future i know my adult kids would not only not use these words they would and do call it out when an elder person still uses words that no longer are wanted or acceptable.
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
They make no sense to me
They come to our country
And think they'll do as they please
Like start a weird cult
Or spread some fucking disease
And they talk so many goddamn ways
It's all Greek to me"
No way that is Axls persepctive at the end of the 80s? Or is it?
I can't wrap my head around the song.
Is it some kind of "burning the world down" type of song, trying to portray being angry at everything - prejudice against everything (police, black people, immigrants, gays) means the prejudice in itself is nullified?
or is it a story about the Axl who arrived in LA, with everything from his upbringing in his backpack? As in, its a page from a diary from a young Axls perspective and he is the one in a million that "made it" and been enlightened and removed from that backwards Indiana-view?
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
His description of LA is what anyone would see coming into the bus depot. If you were used to living in a white suburban/farmland then it would be quite a culture shock. The way he talks was pretty common for the most part. N word was used but not as much and gays and minorities were easy targets back then with words. It was a free for all. Just watch the late 80's comedians that were big.
Patti Smith’s Song “Rock N Roll N****r” Removed from Streaming Platforms
Patti Smith’s song “Rock N Roll N****r” has been removed from streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal and Amazon Music, as reported by Rolling Stone.
The song, which appears on the 1978 album from Smith, Easter, was co-written by Smith and guitarist Lenny Kaye. In the track, Smith uses the racial slur to talk about white artists, like herself, who are “outside of society.”
She sings: Outside of society, they’re waitin’ for me / Outside of society, that’s where I want to be.
Now, though, the song is no longer on prominent streaming platforms because, well, of its tone-deaf delivery.
In the song, Smith uses the slur to describe musical heroes of different races, from Jimi Hendrix to Jackson Pollack to Jesus Christ. In the song’s liner notes, she wrote, “N****r no invented for color it was MADE FOR THE PLAGUE. The word (art) must be redefined—all mutants and the new babies born sans eyebrow and tonsil…any man who extends beyond the classic form is a n****r.”
The song was controversial the moment it was released. And in 1978, the year it came into the world, Smith tried to justify her use of the word in an interview with Rolling Stone, saying, “Suffering don’t make you a n****r. I mean, I grew up poor, too. … Ya think Black people are better than white people or sumpthin’? I was raised with black people. It’s like, I can walk down the street and say to a kid, ‘Hey n****r.’ I don’t have any kind of super-respect or fear of that kind of stuff.”
She’s seemingly been defending the song since its release.
It was a regular on her live show song lists for years, though she hasn’t performed it since 2019. Other artists like Marilyn Manson and Courtney Love have covered it. In 1994, Trent Reznor remixed the song and included it on the soundtrack for Natural Born Killers.
According to Rolling Stone, “The reason for the song’s disappearance is unclear.”
Though, not really.
And who gets axed next. Sly Stone?
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
-EV 8/14/93
Am curious how she feels now about the statement shown above to RS.
Not today Sir, Probably not tomorrow.............................................. bayfront arena st. pete '94
you're finally here and I'm a mess................................................... nationwide arena columbus '10
memories like fingerprints are slowly raising.................................... first niagara center buffalo '13
another man ..... moved by sleight of hand...................................... joe louis arena detroit '14
even if I look and act really crazy.
astoria 06
albany 06
hartford 06
reading 06
barcelona 06
paris 06
wembley 07
dusseldorf 07
nijmegen 07
this song is meant to be called i got shit,itshould be called i got shit tickets-hartford 06 -
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
apologies if video already posted
But the L.A. story's gone way out of hand
Their acts of aggression, they say they're justified
But it seems an obsession has started from the inside
They're shooting little kids with toy guns
Take it to a jury but they don't give a damn
Because the one who tells the truth is always the policeman
Beat whoever you see
Don't need a reason
(We're) L.A.P.D.
With helicopters overhead and bullets whizzing by
Martial law ain't no solution
Police brutality's just social pollution
Beat whoever you see
Don't need a reason
(We're) L.A.P.D.
But I'm not buying it because a billy club ain't much of a pacifier
"Protecting your freedom"
Now that's just a lie
Law and order doesn't really matter
When you're the one getting bruised and battered
You take it to a jury, they'll throw it in your face
Because justice in L.A. comes in a can of mace
even if I look and act really crazy.
Yeah... the late '80s & early '90s were wild.
This was a time when Ice-T was the shit. He was owning the word. Hell the song "straight up nigga" was a damn masterpiece. That song holds weight today. The things he said back then still ring today.
I appreciate Ice-T and what he did for music. That guitarist for Ice-T, Ernie Cunningham is a damn monster on the 6 too. Look him up.