There’s a new interview with Antonino D’Ambrosio, the author of the books Let Fury Have the Hour, about Joe Strummer of The Clash (which I read a few years ago), and A Heartbeat and a Guitar, about Johnny Cash, two artists known for their passionate commitment to political issues in their music.

When asked if there are artists today who are carrying on the tradition of Joe Strummer and Johnny Cash, he says:

“There are scores of artists that say something, but they’re just not at level where they’re affecting the wider culture the way that Johnny Cash or Joe Strummer did. Green Day is at that level, and American Idiot is a powerful statement. I would say certainly Green Day is there, but they’re an exception.”

Wow. Seeing Green Day compared to Strummer and Cash almost gave me goose bumps. And seeing them get credit as being in a class of their own, by someone whose own interests are deeply grounded in the power of art and music to affect social consciousness, is gratifying as well.

D’Ambrosio sees all artistic output as political in some way, because whether an artist directly addresses broader issues or skirts around them, he or she cannot avoid making some kind of statement. Avoiding political issues is not necessarily non-political, in his view, because built into the silence is a tacit acceptance and support of the status quo.

I tend to agree. I think telling the truth is political in itself, because it’s liberating to both artist and audience. Even Green Day’s early songs about girls and loneliness are liberating, because they’re so painfully honest. The way that Green Day has gone about making music has always been very down-to-earth, and the stories they tell are about the things people care about and that affect their lives, whether privately or publicly. (A lot of other music that’s out there, on the other hand, that’s about making money, gaining fame, or looking at women as objects, is political too, but in a negative sense, not because it’s liberating but because it’s oppressive.)

I’m not sure if the public is terribly receptive to the political and liberatory potential of popular music these days, but D’Ambrosio is hopeful, and I want to close with his encouraging words:

I’m always ultimately hopeful and optimistic because there are always going to be artists out there who respond to the moment. They’re going to produce work that becomes the next chapter in the progressive movement of humanity. I think ultimately, in a way, music is that. The very idea of making music is a rebellious act.

Write a comment