You’re reading a story from Sidelines 100, a project showcasing a century of student storytelling at Middle Tennessee State University. Sidelines 100 plans to highlight 100 stories from the newspaper archives this fall and spring.
This story originally ran in the April. 30, 2001, edition of Sidelines. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of all things Sidelines 100.
The story has been updated for current basic AP style, but the wording in the story has not changed. Any ideas, perspectives or opinions do not necessarily reflect those of Sidelines.
Music censorship is nothing new to American culture. In fact, government officials and special interest groups have been trying to censor music since before the 1950s. From Elvis’s appearances on the “Ed Sullivan Show” to Marilyn Manson concerts, popular music always seems to make someone mad.
With “Parental Advisory: Music Censorship in America,” author Eric Nuzum, a pop-culture critic and program director at WKSU FM at Kent State University, details and follows the evolution of musical censorship in America.
The book is divided into two sections: themes and dates. With the first section, Nuzum confronts with controversial topics such as sex, religion and drugs. With the second, Nuzum gives a year-by-year rundown of big events in the realm of music censorship.
Easily the most powerful and compelling argument Nuzum makes is the relationship he finds between race and music censorship. Nuzum finds that far more Black artists are stuck with the Recording Industry Association of America’s “Parental Advisory” sticker than white artists. He also brings up many cases involving discrimination in music censorship and labeling. One example Nuzum brings up is that when Eric Clapton released his cover of “I Shot the Sheriff,” few even raised an eyebrow, but 18 years later, Ice-T’s “Cop Killer,” which featured an almost identical theme (combating police brutality), raised cries from as high up as then-President George Bush for censorship of the song.
In “Parental Advisory,” Nuzum manages to expose several conspiracies and shed light on murky topics related to music censorship. Nuzum explains the history behind the Parents Music Resource Center, founded in part by Tipper Gore. He points out that her husband, Al Gore, took part in the Senate hearings or PMRC. The group is partially responsible for pressuring the RIAA’s “Parental Advisory” sticker.
Nuzum knows how to make his argument. “Parental Advisory” is a detailed and well-researched book that is a must-read for music censorship fighters and advocates alike.
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