Sunday, April 09, 2006
Stones in China
In a sign that the Rolling Stones' songs are either still dangerously provocative (or that China's censors are totally out of touch with reality), Mick Jagger was forbidden from singing five songs (including "Honky Tonk Women") at his Shanghai gig last night. Most of the 8,000 people in the audience were expatriates or visiting foreigners--the tickets cost about 1-3 months' wages for the average PRC worker.
Mick's retort to the censorhip:
"I'm pleased that the Ministry of Culture is protecting the morals of the expat bankers and their girlfriends that are going to be coming."
http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/04/08/ap2657334.html
The Party's hand-wringing reminds me of having to submit the lyrics to "Porgy and Bess" and other early 20th century classics to censors in HCMC in January 2002. I realized that "Old Man River" actually has a seditious strain to it...take a look at the words sometime.
Mick's retort to the censorhip:
"I'm pleased that the Ministry of Culture is protecting the morals of the expat bankers and their girlfriends that are going to be coming."
http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/04/08/ap2657334.html
The Party's hand-wringing reminds me of having to submit the lyrics to "Porgy and Bess" and other early 20th century classics to censors in HCMC in January 2002. I realized that "Old Man River" actually has a seditious strain to it...take a look at the words sometime.
