Band Banned From Performing 'Louie Louie'

[-Jar-]

This could never happen in Ohio.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,155628,00.html

BENTON HARBOR, Mich — A pop culture controversy that has simmered for decades came to a head when a middle school marching band was told not to perform "Louie Louie (search)."

Benton Harbor Superintendent Paula Dawning cited the song's allegedly raunchy lyrics in ordering the McCord Middle School band not to perform it in Saturday's Grand Floral Parade, held as part of the Blossomtime Festival.

In a letter sent home with McCord students, Dawning said "Louie Louie" was not appropriate for Benton Harbor students to play while representing the district — even though the marching band wasn't going to sing it.



Though I do remember in High School we played an arrangement of "Shortnin' Bread" and there were complaints and letters to the editor. They thought it was in poor taste racially. Amazing what people get worked up about.

-jar

[Finch Platte]

I think they should ban (pun intended) marching bands, period.

fp

[Dusty Chalk]

What's more amazing is that someone knows the words to Louie Louie well enough to get worked up about them.

(Was that a syntactically correct sentence? Any sentence with "...up about..." can't possibly be...)

[Mr MidFi]

Not only are there no lyrics whatsoever in the arrangement the band was planning to play, but the actual lyrics of the actual hit song that are not being played have been thoroughly investigated by the FBI in the Sixties, and cleared. The official investigation report noted that the Kingsmen's words were virtually "unintelligible".

There is a very well organized network of affiliated groups of bat-shiat crazy people who are trying very, very hard to take over the country. They are dictating the way cheerleaders can perform in Texas. They are eliminating the teaching of modern biological science in Kansas. They are pressuring the FCC to stultify our airwaves with "wholesome" dreck. And they are working very hard right now to change the Constitution to better serve their immediate goals.

This story is the semi-comedic tip of a nationwide iceberg that I'm not liking one little bit.

[Stone]

I heard this morning on the local news (Benton Harbor is about an hour from me) that the superintendent reversed the decision and the band can now play "Louie Louie." Apparently, someone talked some sense into her.

[jdeare]

The marching band at my high school did some kind of "performance art" thing during a pep rally that included choregoraphy to Meatloaf's song "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights". It was the stupidest thing I ever saw. Some parents got all up in arms over the lyric "We were barely 17 and we were barely dressed." Even thought there was no singing...

[ForeverAutumn]

There is a very well organized network of affiliated groups of bat-shiat crazy people who are trying very, very hard to take over the country. They are dictating the way cheerleaders can perform in Texas. They are eliminating the teaching of modern biological science in Kansas. They are pressuring the FCC to stultify our airwaves with "wholesome" dreck. And they are working very hard right now to change the Constitution to better serve their immediate goals.

This story is the semi-comedic tip of a nationwide iceberg that I'm not liking one little bit.

If you like to read, pick up The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. Although it's a work of fiction, it's a very scary portrayal of what life could be like if conservative christian fundamentalists ever did really take over. The book mostly portrays life from a woman's perspective, but one can imagine what the loss of freedoms and liberties would feel like from a human perspective. It's a very interesting read.

[BarryL]

There is a very well organized network of affiliated groups of bat-shiat crazy people who are trying very, very hard to take over the country. They are dictating the way cheerleaders can perform in Texas. They are eliminating the teaching of modern biological science in Kansas. They are pressuring the FCC to stultify our airwaves with "wholesome" dreck. And they are working very hard right now to change the Constitution to better serve their immediate goals.

This story is the semi-comedic tip of a nationwide iceberg that I'm not liking one little bit.

You mean that there's something to Troy's paranoia afterall? More power to heavy metal then! Let's fight for our right to party and believe in evolution and agree with Neil Peart. If the popular press starts turning on wholesome prog music, then we're all ****ed!

But that'll never happen.

[jack70]

There's never been a lack of stupidity in our culture.

The true story to Louie Louie

I remember hearing this from my older cousins Kathy & Sandy a little before I started buying 45's for myself. They were young teens (13-14?) and were much hipper to such things than myself. They told me the same thing... the huge rumor on "how dirty" it was. Of course, we couldn't decipher it anymore than anyone else could.... LOL. Great publicity method though... LOL. This way to the egress.

Mr MidFi said:
There is a very well organized network of affiliated groups of bat-shiat crazy people who are trying very, very hard to take over the country. They are dictating the way cheerleaders can perform in Texas. They are eliminating the teaching of modern biological science in Kansas. They are pressuring the FCC to stultify our airwaves with "wholesome" dreck. And they are working very hard right now to change the Constitution to better serve their immediate goals.

Well, a lot of such stupid stuff comes as a direct reaction to the other (equally) idiotic junk the school systems (government) has already been doing for decades (in many schools). I'll eschew a left-right argument, cause that won't get us anywhere. But I wonder why that's so outrageous, and a whole slew of ideological brainwashing that's been status quo for the last 20 years ain't?

I think BOTH L/R ideologies are equally whacked. But some of the nonsense that school ciriculums now teach is just as outrageous & dangerous as anything you listed above. (maybe even more so). I'm talking of assinine politically correct textbooks... the de-nutting of of history... the sissifying of boys and kids in general... the elimination of keeping score in youth athletics... the elimination of validictorians less anyone's "feelings be hurt"... the incredible grade inflation (that hurts our best & brightest students the most).. the valuation of "esteem" over results.... and the overall lack of standards & discipline in many school systems that's led to a generation of moronic kids who can't read or make change (but know how to put on a condom). The religious nut jobs are really... the LEAST of our educational problems.

[ForeverAutumn]

I'm talking of assinine politically correct textbooks...

The best one of these politically correct changes that I've seen recently...

Last year I took a course on the Canadian Income Tax Act. The text was referring to a change in the act where anyone involved in a certain strategy prior to the change was grandfathered. Only instead of grandfathered, the text used the phrase "grandparented".

Now that's just downright silly!