C&L Welcomes Harry Shearer To Discuss "Songs of the Bushmen"
By Nicole Belle Thursday Aug 07, 2008 12:00pm
(click image to go to Amazon to purchase)
Harry Shearer is a renaissance kind of guy. Actor, writer, radio host, satirist and recent awardee of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, you've seen his work in everything from Saturday Night Live to This is Spinal Tap (one of my all time favorite movies) to The Simpsons to the political novel Not Enough Indians.
And now, he's come out with the satirical album, Songs of the Bushmen, which lampoons the you-couldn't-make-this-stuff-up headlines that is the Bush Administration. He offers songs like 935 Lies, which we've featured here at C&L before. And the album has been the cause of its own controversy as well, when Clear Channel banned Harry's songs and any ads for the album because they objected to the cover you see above:
Comedian and actor Harry Shearer's new album, Songs of the Bushmen, pays comedic "homage" to current and former Bush administration officials like Condoleezza Rice, Donald Rumsfeld and Karl Rove. But media giant Clear Channel doesn't want people to buy it. The New York Post reports today that the "notoriously conservative" company's outdoor advertising arm has banned signs for the album "because the cover depicts the president with a bone through his nose."
You gotta be kidding me. Rendition, torture, millions of Iraqi and Afghani civilian deaths, more than 4,000 troop fatalities for a war of choice and they're offended by a Photoshopped bone. I don't know about you, but I find their sensibilities offensive.
To show that we're not going to let Clear Channel determine what's appropriate, we've asked Harry to join us to discuss Songs of the Bushmen and I'm so happy that he's agreed to.
So, please, join me in welcoming Harry Shearer to C&L. As with all chats, we ask that you keep your comments respectful to our guest and limit your questions to the topic.
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Welcome, Harry!
Thanks, pleasure to be here. Of course, it's a virtual here, but that's better than a virtual nowhere.
Harry!
Good job on the album. I'd like to ask, though:
1. How hard was it to winnow the album down to 11 cuts?
2. Have you ever experienced an environment that was as oppressively censuring of artists as the current one?
Thanks for all you do.
Harry Shearer @ 2:
We get along very well in our virtual world. I live in a strangely conservative enclave in the Bay Area and this group of progressives truly helps me keep what little sanity I have left. While we are waiting for commenters to catch up with the new thread, allow me to get this conversation started.
I’ve been a big fan of your work and have linked to a few of the songs from Songs of the Bushmen before. I know that your previous work, for example with Christopher Guest and Michael McKean in Spinal Tap and A Mighty Wind, involved writing satirical music, but I guess my first question to you is what inspired you to satirize these fairly serious subjects like the 935 lies told by the Bush administration in the run up to war?
Frankly, since I had four songs featuring GWB on my last record ("Songs Pointed & Pointless"), 11 was all I had left in my quiver. As to the second, I haven't found this period to be any more oppressive to me personally, aside from my inability to buy ads, both from the colossus Clear Channel and from the little SF-based digital sign company Da Noo. But certainly the Constitution can't be feelling too chipper tese days.
How ya doin Harry! Welcome to the not so dark side.
Firstly...Clear Channel is the worst thing to happen to (commercial) radio since payola.
Secondly...you're an effin funny dude.
And thirdly...no I don't have a question right now...I'm sure I'll come up with somethin relevant later.
Harry:
Is this part of a great leftie conspiracy: you AND Randy Newman releasing sarcastic spoofs of the Busheviks within the same week?
OK I got one....will there be a tour promoting this album?
I'd pay cash moneys to see ya play live...
Hello, Mr. Shearer.
Why is it that the political observations of comedians these days are the most salient?
Do you research information for "Le Show" solo or do you have a staff of people helping you slog through all the stuff that's out there?
I just thought that the serious treatment of these issues had reached that toxic point in our culture where people start saying, "That's in the past, let's move on", and I thought, if real impeachment is off the table, maybe musical impeacment isn't. So I guess I thought I"d just expand the table. ANd I'm inspired most by that which angers me most.
Harry,
Some of these songs bring back fond memories of Zappa. Can you tell us a few of your musical/comdedic influences?
Absolutely. Randy and I burned candles and ate young babies as we planned this event.
Just kidding. (YOu have to say that on the internet)
Harry Shearer @ 10:
I like the phrase "Musical impeachment".
And as Cantor points out, it appears that it's the comedians now that are able to get to the most pointed truths by disarming us with humor.
Has there ever been a figure who, when you look back on it, you were too tough on, or any who you went too easy on?
liberalMcTireGaugeO'JusticeNmoderation @ 8:
Come to Seattle's Jazz Alley, August 19 and 20. That's the tour so far.
Cantor de Mambo @ 9:
I don't know the answer to the first, unless it has something to do with the spinelessness and memory loss of the "serious" journalists. I do my own research.
Welcome to C&L Harry! Big fan here...
Certainly Zappa, in fact Terry Gilliam and I were part of the background crowd on "America Drinks and Goes Home". Stan Freberg, Bob & Ray (non-musical), Mr. Newman, Tom Lehrer...
Harry Shearer @ 2:
Thank you for being here, and for attempting to bring a little justice to the Warcriminals in office. The depths to which they have sunk has formed a gaping sinkhole to which the entirety of the country is falling into. The fascists (and I mean that in the truest sense of the word, as defined by Mousillini) control the media, the government and most of the states. They are controlling our overall direction and circumventing the natural progress of mankind for temporal power and profit.
We need to make certain that this never ever ever happens again and that all those complicit in these crimes be made to pay for their crimes. Every newspaper Exec, every reported who knowingly passed on propaganda, every politician who lied, every cop who ignored the constitution, every agent provocateur in our midst who pretends to be our friend but who attacks us in cold blood.
I question the veracity of everything this government has said and especially those things which they explicitly tell me I should not investigate.
Thank you again. Sincerely.
I probably went too easy on Bill Clinton. I felt a counter-pull to all the right wing attacks on him, and didn't, when the Monica thing first broke, follow my usual rule of "assume the worst".
Clear Channel clearly didn’t appreciate the humor of “Songs of the Bushmen” and went so far as to ban ads (not to mention the songs themselves). Were you surprised by that reaction? Huffington Post (as well as many of rest of us in the liberal blogosphere) got your back and featured your ad, but have you received any other reactions that surprised you?
Clear Channel???? Was there nobody else that would put out the album for you?
Is Clear Channel so big that they were the only option for you to put this album out?
Other than that love your work and when you go on the talk show circut you are one of the few that I will make a point of staying to watch.
Clear Channel, really, nobody else, or is this some sort of backhanded satire that I am missing.
You know, as a New Orleanian, our city's experience seems a microcosm of what the country's gone through: straight from "it's too early for finger-pointing" to "are you still playing the blame game?" without ever having true accountability.
Harry Shearer @ 15:
Well, creative people like you put me to shame. I can barely find enough hours in the day to be mediocre. Thanks for doing what you do!
Hello Harry,
Positive thoughts.
I often think about Helen Thomas' statement "Where is everybody?" Well Harry, thank goodness you are not on that list.
We need to make as much music and art as possible in order to document, soften and confront what is going on.
We are waist deep in 1938 Germany right here in America.
Thank you 1000x!
respect and kindness to you.
Harry, with all that's going on today, is censorship of the artistic classes worse or better than it has been? By worse, I mean Tsarist-type censorship, by better I simply mean RRers squealing about it.
I was more surprised by the little SF-based company Da Noo, which similarly pulled the ad from its network of digital signs in retail establishments.
Dr. Shearer (it is doctor, right?),
big fan here, thanks for stopping by and chatting. i look forward to pirating your disc (i am, obviously only kidding. i am going to file share it).
question: why does clear channel suck so much?
Harry Shearer @ 22:
Wow...another Louisianan. I'm from Lake Charles. It's nice to have a good voice from our state for a change. Thanks for the satire, man, we in this nation usually don't recognize it when we see it.
One of my favourite pranks of all time was slapping a couple of Bartcop sticker onto a Clear channel semi. I have often wondered how long they stayed there. I was just surprised to see them in Montreal because we don't get that kind of fascist media attention too often in our fair city. Harry, do you have Bush with bone in his nose stickers so I can deface more clear channel semis (not that I think you would endorse that sort of thing).
No, no, my own company put out the record. Clear Channel is the only company that has digital billboards in Chicago, and we wanted to advertise on them. They took our money, then refused to run the ad when they saw the cover. (They did refund the money)
jeff @ 21:
Clear Channel is not the ONLY game in town, but they are definitely one of the largest. That's a HUGE percentage of the marketplace you're not reaching.
For those unfamiliar with Da Noo's pulling of Harry's ad, here is Harry's blog from HuffPo that describes that even Paid Speech Isn't Free. It's amazing to me that a president with as low an approval rating (and record disapproval rating) could still have so many media outlets protecting him, including from my "liberal oasis" hometown.
General_Rennenkampf @ 25:
I think we're pretty free to make our stuff. Judging by what happened to my indie film comedy about Bohemian Grove, the nuts start getting squeezed when you need to get your work out to the public...
How did you come up with the 'Bushmen' theme and that bone-through-the-nose album cover and do you think the pushback because of it, like from Clear Channel, hurt or actually might have helped get it more attention?
Looking forward to hearing the album Harry. Just had to be the one to point out, how f;ing typical of the NY Post to give you the scary, blotchy-pale face effect (they do that a lot with people they don't like).
Thanks for doing something to hold the Bush Mens' feet to the fire!
Is anyone else experienceing a high level of glitch on c&l at the moment? Having a lot of problems with loading this site and this article.
Also more Positive thoughts going towards Harry.
Nicole: Our apologies (and to Harry too). One of our servers needs to be re-synced. We've disabled it until we can get it fixed.
Samson- @ 27:
Well, one reason is the Telecommunications Act of 1996, signed into law by Bill Clinton, which swept away limits on how many radio or TV stations one commpany could own.
Harry Shearer @ 32:
Ah, I see. Yeah, that could pose a problem. Corporations by their nature (unless it's something like WALL-E) seldom tend to allow criticism.
hug the moon @ 35:
Me, too.
Nicole Belle @ 33:
Since the record is comprised of songs about the people who have been workiing for Bush, the "Bushmen" play on words came quickly. That led quickly to an art concept parodying the Hope/Crosby-era visuals of Bushmen and cannibals, substituting (largely) white leaders for the stereotyped Africans...
Harry Shearer @ 14:
Oi vey...that's a bit of a drive from South Florida...guess I'll just have to buy the cd.
General_Rennenkampf @ 38:
I'm having trouble myself. And I'm me!
Harry, I love "le Show" (insert shameless sucking-up plug here). Even though it's just an hour a week, how in the hell do you find time to put it all together and manage to do everything else you do? It's essentially a one-man operation, isn't it? Or is there a huge staff we never hear about?
Hi, Harry.
Love your work, including this Bush "tribute".
I gotta say, though, I don't laugh nearly as hard as I used to at humorous commentary on the current administration. They got away with their crimes and now they're playing out the clock. Somehow satire, no matter how witty and apt, just doesn't satisfy. It only underlines sad truths: that high crimes can go unpunished, lies rule, too many of the people can be fooled for far too long a time, nothing changes, and the Democratic majority of 2006 blew their chance to nail the bastards.
How do you feel about this as a citizen and as a comedian?
Hi, Harry,
Two quick questions:
1) What's the origin of the line you often use on your show, Nice people doing nice things?
2) "Absolutely Free" is an all-time favorite album, and I'm surprised and delighted to hear that you're on it. Is there a story there?
Harry Shearer @ 41:
I do apologize. Apparently those Clear Channel/Da Noo gremlins sought this particular morning to attack one of our servers. We've disabled it for the time being so that hopefully we won't keep having problems.
The Bush administration offers a “target-rich” environment for satire. I’ve often blogged that you couldn’t write a script with some of the news we cover, because no one would believe it. Is there any subject that you feel is too serious for satirization? Was there any particular event that just jumped out at you demanding a song?
darrelplant @ 42:
No, it's a one-man operation, except for some emailers (the "desks" I thank each week) who prowl for some apologies and news of the warm and outside the bubble items. I keep (internally) threatening to stop doing the show, but since I don't do standup, it's my way of staying fresh and current and keeping my writing muscle exercised. And radio is so efficient--in terms of energy put in relative to the effect on the audience....
Welcome Harry! I've been listening to Le Show for years, and a few years ago you were kind enough to do a Q&A for me to publish on my blog (thanks again). Good to have you here!
Harry Shearer @ 36:
not to mention the (approx) $40 Billion gift it was to give away the public airwaves to the cable companies, for free....
thanks bill!
When will Woodschtick be released on CD?
Annoyed Canuck @ 43:
Well, as a citizen, I can only say that we, as a nation, have been down this road before. The period after World War One, when suspected "anarcists" were snatched from their homes in warrantless sweeps (the "Palmer raids", named for the then-AG) stands out. So, the good news is, we kind of recovered from that. We go through these cycles, and a better grasp of history generally would help us understand that. As a comedian, I just use what makes me mad to make other people laugh.
LancePeeples @ 49:
I think just after the CD format becomes totally obsolete.
first of all, thank you for your incredible contributions across so many creative fronts. inspiring to say the least.
i'm curious, though, how you feel about what role comedy and satire may be playing these days in 'lessening the impact' of the egregious wrongs being perpetrated by our government. it's really a devil's advocate question, because personally i think that 'the daily show' and 'the colbert report' and your work, among others, are absolutely necessary to point out the tragic absurdity of where we've arrived as a nation. and again, speaking for myself, i find that satire inspires me to do even more in the way of activism.
at the same time, part of me fears that if the comedic filter is the only lens through which large numbers of people see and 'digest' issues like torture and executive privilege and this imperial presidency, then the whole discussion takes on an element of "wow, we really do live in a (very dark) carnival funhouse! guess there's nothing to do but laugh about it!"
thoughts?
i'll take my answer off the air...
Nicole Belle @ 45:
Well, I don't think murder, mass or individual, is itself a proper subject for satire, but certainly the politics and media circuses that surround such atrocities are more than ripe.
Harry Shearer @ 50:
Palmer? Isn't he the same guy that started the whole war on the reefers?
litmus @ 52:
Well, I find that, whether it's on this level or on the more prosaic corporate level of "what's your target demographic?", I find questions about what the audience likes or will like or will do call for a degree of mass mind-reading that I just have not yet been able to attain. You do your work, and you hope for the best...
Are the rumors about you and Katie Couric true?
"As a comedian, I just use what makes me mad to make other people laugh."
I think Tom Lehrer who said he had to stop writing satirical songs becuase he was just too mad to continue to be funny. Do you think you have a limit? Would it be reached with a McCain administration? Let's hope not!
As a comic would you rather see in the white house?
Do McCains age or Obama race make it harder to do comedy for you at a political level?
Could you compare this white house to others for comic material; was it easier to do Clinton, Regan, or Papa Doc Bush?
PS Thanks for the clear up on clear channel and the ads in Chicago.
liberalMcTireGaugeO'JusticeNmoderation @ 54:
I thinnk that was Harry Anslinger.
LancePeeples @ 56:
Sure. I started them myself.
Cantor de Mambo @ 57:
Hey, Nixon was good for me....
Yeah, but Katie said the same thing. Who can I believe?
jeff @ 58:
Clinton was a great character, but it was harder to do him for a while, becdause I had to get past his obvious intelligence. I don't think either McCain's age or Obama's race(s) are particular impediments to me, because I wouldn't be choosing either of those factors as the focus of my comedy.
We only have about 10 more minutes of Harry's time, so I'd like to give him a chance to wrap up.
What’s next for you? Do you foresee a Songs of the Bushmen II? Or perhaps something about New Orleans and Katrina, since you're a New Orleanian and have been so vocal about the Fed's failures there?
LancePeeples @ 62:
Believe the last person you hear from.
People people pleeeease! Let's stick to IMPORTANT issues....such as...the possibility of Spinal Tap 2....and whilst I'm at it...since you do almost every voice for the Simpsons....any chance of convincing Matt Groening (sp?) to start churnin out more episodes of Futurama?
No, it was kind of relaxing, in a zen sort of way. Especially after we got rid of the plexi-glass albumen....
Harry Shearer @ 59:
Yup, I think you're right....both total schmucks though.
Harry Shearer @ 50:
As a history major, I agree with you. It isn't just the post-WWI period that bears reminding of here, there was the period of the Alien and Sedition acts as well. American history is endless repetition of cycles. This RR resurgence, for instance, is probably going to be labeled 150 years into the future as the "Third Great Awakening."
Hi Harry!
Love all your work, especially with Tap.
Q: Please tell us more about your indie film comedy about Bohemian Grove.
JUST DOWNLOADED.... very great..... keep up the good work..... HOW ABOUT SOMETHING for John THE BUSH REPUBLICAN McCain
The media does a good job of going after Bill anyway Harry.
Thanks so much for coming on C&L... You da man! Our readers love what you do...
Nicole Belle @ 64:
I don't do anything wit a "II" in the title. I did one song on the last CD ("Make New Orleans Whole") about that city's experience, but it's been hard to be funny about it, with so much of the country so uninformed about what really happened there. Satire does require a certain consensus reality sense between the performer and audience....But I do have a musical comedy about the life of J. Edgar Hoover ("J. Edgar!") which is verrrry slowly lurching its way toward the stage or screen...
66 liberalMcTireGaugeO’JusticeNmoderation Says: People people pleeeease! Let’s stick to IMPORTANT issues….such as…the possibility of Spinal Tap 2….and whilst I’m at it…since you do almost every voice for the Simpsons….any chance of convincing Matt Groening (sp?) to start churnin out more episodes of Futurama?
Actually there was a Spinal Tap II and III. In II, Nigel Tufnel was polishing soundboards for a living, like Homer did later in one Simpsons goof on tell-all tv celebrity bios, and a Spinal Tap III when you count their "appearance" on the Simpsons, but it be hard to have a comeback after driving your tour bus off a cliff.
Am I the only one that thinks Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon looks like Ned Flanders? And everybody hates Ned Flanders. I kept expecting him to say, "Okily-dokily Batmanareno."
To paraphrase Spinal Tap..."you should have seen the cover they WANTED...it wasn't a bone...I can assure you of that".
Harry, it looks like we just survived another attack on the servers.
I do apologize for the technical difficulties and thank you so much for your time.
Harry Shearer @ 67:
It did look rather zen-like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPzgjTEvVm4
Harry Shearer @ 50:
Yeah, you're right. From a historical perspective, Bushism (or should it be Cheneyism?) is nothing new. The deviousness and skill with which they covered up their crimes and controlled their message is, though.
Thanks for your perspective and all that you do.
Aw, I was too late to the party. Story of my life.
Thanks for all the fun and thoughts, (in everything) Harry.
Consider me a loyal fan.
All the best to you.
Ah, the site's finally back up for me...
Harry, as a long-time fan, I hope Clear Channel's ridiculous move backfires on them and gives you more publicity. The Bush adminstration really needs to issue some "apologies of the decade," but since that's not likely to happen - nor impeachment - I think musical impeachment may be just the thing (especially for morale).
You mentioned being inspired the most by what angers you the most. The Bush administration has certainly provided plenty of material, but I was wondering if the magnitude of their outrages (Katrina, torture, Iraq, warrantless spying) initially make it harder to move to a satirical state of mind.
Also, when's the next movie?
Keep up the great work! I'm looking forward to hearing the album.
Alright, I hope this doesn't offend, but I'm curious as to why you haven't been in any of the wonderful Christopher Guest films, Senor Shearer?
Thanks Harry!
ysbaddaden @ 74:
No WAY! I had no idear the made sequels! Why didn't I get a memo for chrissakes?!
Ah well...
Yeah Oldman as Gordon does look a bit like Flanders, lol!