wnyc.org / 93.9fm / am 820

I'd like to post a correction to my July 13th blog entry. Jason Sagebiel is not currently a student at CUNY but a faculty member. He took doctoral level programs at the Graduate Center as electives while completing his masters degree. Thanks, in advance, for updating my post so as to preserve its factual integrity. Also, despite the disappointments expressed in the post, I am, have been and shall, of course, remain a loyal, long-time listener.

Best,
Susanna Speier

susanna@susannaspeier.
www.susannaspeier.com

Seemed that John Schaefer had little to no interest in the fact that "The Soldier," Jason Sagebiel, is currently a full-time university instructor and Ph. D. candidate at C.U.N.Y. Perhaps if Mr. Schaefer had eased up a bit during the interview, rather than micromanaging the dialog, constricting conversation flow, and parsing the sound bytes we'd have actually had an opportunity to hear Martin Daughtry and Jason Sagebiel (who isn't even credited in the blurb) have an actual conversation about this vital, relevant and deeply under publicized topic.

Susanna Speier
susanna@susannaspeier.com
www.susannaspeier.com

Much more on the topic:

www.americansoldiersonmusic.com

Also see Jonathan Pieslak's "Sound Targets" article in The Journal of Musicological Research:

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a779479729~db=all~jumptype=rss

Re: bodies

Bodies came out pre 9/11 - it is about mosh pits.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodies_%28Drowning_Pool_song%29

That device is called LRAD.

Now where are those essays on MUSIC IN THE POST 9/11 WORLD.

SEB: Maybe I wasn't clear, but I fully realize that Vietnam and all conflicts afterwards have been marked by songs that pump people up, but my question is specifically about pre-Vietnam era conflicts. Which is why I mentioned World War II and the Korean War; can anyone point out any songs from that era that were about death and brutality in that way? Or even hints at death?

FWIW, I like Metallica, The Ramones, AC/DC and tons of other bands that produce songs that "pump" people up, and I'm not passing judgement on the music on its own in any way.

For the record, I believe "Bodies" is a song celebrating slam dancing, not warfare.

Re: Bloodthirsty war songs

The Maori greeted Capt. Cook with shouts of "Hey, come on ashore, so we can beat your brains out."

(New Zealand, c. 1775)

I can't imagine such sentiments have not been put to music or chants since time immemorial.

Live music has been part of the battlefield experiences for hundreds of years. War drums, bagpipes, etc...

what was that long distance "sound shooting" device called???

missed the name and not getting any results froma quick google search.... anybody??

Tool and Saul Williams were both popular with battalions from Fort Polk (Louisiana).

Jack: Vietnam, the first Gulf War are all perfect examples. I also know a lot of ex football players who jam to these types of songs to "pump" themselves up before games.

Okay, here's a question I have:
I fully understand that music has been a part of war/battles throughout history.

But in the example of even this segment, and even beyond iPods, has there ever been another era where bloodthirsty/death-obsessed songs existed to "pump" people up?

I'm sure nobody in World War II—or even the Korean War—ever listened to anything close to the brutality of "Bodies" (Drowning Pool) or any other modern songs that explicity describe and encourage death?

How about the scene from apocalypse now where they are flying in blasting Wagner from the helicopters