| Junior's Academic Essays - The
Music, The Politics, and the Pacification of Shihad
†
29 September 2008
The Music, The Politics, and the Pacification
of Shihad
Deeming the central role music plays in popular
culture, and the impact of politics upon the music industry it is
worthwhile investigating how these two topics converge. To do so
I will focus on the career of New Zealand band Shihad.
Examining the history of Shihad, a broad history
of politics within New Zealand music will be made evident. Presenting
both early influences on the band and wider international artists,
fundamental changes in musicians’ methods of presenting social
conscience will be shown. The band’s temporary name change
due to the events of 9/11 will clarify several levels of political
implication. This will establish a social and historical context
with regards the band, and the wider musical community, as it relates
to the geopolitical climate of the twenty first century.
Previous styles of music form tended to be easier
to define regards genre. With the 90s came more hybrid forms. Shihad
has been no exception, shown by the rock, pop, heavy rock and metal
associated with them.
As such contemporary bands are often more difficult
to define in the messages and motives of their output. This can
easily be suggested as a reflection of the confusing times in which
we now live. This is in contrast, for example, to the 1960s, in
the midst of the Cold War, the war in Vietnam where artists’
were more blatant. Yet there are connections to be made with the
past – links of political circumstance that can be seen in
the present day.One such link is the US heavy metal band Metallica,
cited by Shute as a major inspiration for Shihad (2007: 109).
A useful example of these rolling trends from the
specific to the abstract in terms of message and the force behind
it, Metallica’s initial distinctly ‘heavy’ heavy
metal of their early days, to the band’s move to more commercially
acceptable ballads and softer sounds in the 90s in the Black album
are distinctly clear. Into the Post 9/11 world and the war in Iraq,
and the band’s single The Day That Never Comes, is in stark
contrast to more confrontational lyrics and harsher sounds of One
– yet both speak of the personal cost of war.
Rather than an evolution of the band, but a parallel
presentation of various styles, Shihad has turned out singles that
span a wide scope of audience tastes, from Home Again to My Mind’s
Sedate, to the much softer tracks like Guts and the Glory. Jon Toogood,
lead singer of Shihad says of the latest album Beautiful Machine:
“A lot of it’s dealing with communication
and lack of communication, and how that basically stops things
growing. It can apply to problems I have in my personal relationships
and problems on a world scale. There are dark moments, but overall
it’s a real return to the Shihad uplifting, anthemic thing.”
While lyrics can be interpreted in many ways where
they are either subtle, or simply taken out of context, politics
is never far away. New Zealand is no exception. Spittle provides
historical examples of New Zealand music which, either on the one
hand was intended as political statement, such as: “[Chris]
Knox appeared on Don’t Go in 1985 […] as Left Right
& Centre opposed to the planned rugby tour of South Africa.
Song For 1990 protested against the New Zealand 150th anniversary.”
(1997: 121)
Or where a song simply got entwined in politics of the day inadvertently:
“In 1982 […] Six Months In A Leaky Boat (banded in Britain
during the Falklands War) made number two in Australia.” (1997:
81)
Fundamental geo-economic difficulties are summed
up by Shuker:
“New Zealand artists who remain ‘at
home’ will always remain marginal to the international music
industry, since the country lacks the population to support the
music industry. […] Shihad […] in late 1998 relocated
to Los Angeles.” (2001: 79)
Dix points out the hard road New Zealand artists
have at home even before they get offshore, prior to Shihad’s
inception: “Radio’s reluctance to playlist a local was
typical of 1980s policy, a constant problem for Pagan and other
New Zealand labels.” (2005: 244) This is a classic example
of local politics impeding local talent, making it difficult to
survive economically beyond the low key gig. It makes it intrinsically
difficult to sustain a professional career.
Recording companies are integral to commercial success
and their performance has dramatic consequences for the professional
artist. Dix remarks of the delicate history of Pagan Records and
due to “limited resources, most of these acts later signed
to larger labels.” (2005: 244) This included Shihad. Part
of a capacity to survive is the readiness to take on international
trends, and therefore be viable for larger labels.
Shute mentions a number of overseas styles which
took hold on New Zealand including the move towards pop music and
the California funk of the red Hot Chili Peppers, and heavy metal,
and glam metal. (2008: 98) Outside influences of style often socially
dictate on a global scale. Shihad has unquestionably taken hold
of this central to their genre hybridity, continuing success and
international appeal.
Beneath performance though, internal wrangling occurs
often in the music industry and Shute cites the case of Shihad’s
complications with Jaz Coleman, who produced Churn. The band decided
to go ahead with further recordings when he was busy in England.
He sued the band $5000. (Shute 2008: 116)
Taking politics to a grand scale, the terrorist attacks on the United
States in 2001 had an overwhelming impact upon many facets of our
society. “The terrorist attacks forced a major rethinking
about the global economy works and how to make the international
economy resume the pace of growth it enjoyed since the early 1990s.”
(Kegley 2007: 310)
The music industry is no exception to this.
“Bands and artists have used their music to
express their social and political allegiances, and they have exploited
their fame to endorse political positions and candidates.”
(van Zoonen 2005: 37) Artists inevitably express their social concerns
and allegiances to political powers, or, for example, opposition
to the war in Iraq.
World events found Shihad embroiled in the aftermath
of the catastrophic event quite unexpectedly:
“New Zealand hard-rock band Shihad is in Los Angeles making
its fifth album and, in the wake of Sept. 11, 2001, looking for
a new name to avoid confusion with the Arabic word “jihad”
(holy war)” (Proquest)
But Dix clarifies that the politics within the music
industry took control of the situation. It was Warner Music who
decided that: “Shihad was too close to ‘jihad’
and a name change was essential. They called themselves Pacifier,
after one of their songs, and released a self-titled album under
that moniker in 2002.” (2005: 274)
It can be seen through economic realities and the need to maintain
ties with a significant label that Shihad had to heed the pressures
of the current political climate. No other major label is likely
to have behaved any differently. Commercial success is dictated
by many factors, not least of which is political.
“The US is now the most influential global actor” (Abbott
et al. 2007: 7) and for any band, breaking into the wider global
market, to ignore this would amount to commercial suicide at the
international level.
We can only conclude what we already know: that
music is both global and significantly political in its impact upon
our society, often whether we intend it to be or not. The reverse
is also true – that society and politics invariably impact
music and the industry.
New Zealand band Shihad, which had its humble, yet
loud beginnings in Wellington, is both a local and now very much
international example of the issues raised.
Hegemonic power play exists from different portions
of society, from political powers, to those of the record companies.
Without question the artists’ own social conscience plays
a part also. It is unquestionably a collective statement of the
era in which we live.
For Shihad, it was not the words of their songs
that were up for debate. Rather, in a snapshot of time, their band
name alone had huge political and therefore economic consequences.
Bibliography
Abbott, C. (et al.) (2007) Beyond Terror: The
Truth about the Real Threats to Our World London: Rider
Dix, J. (2005) Stranded in Paradise: New Zealand
Rock and Roll 1955 to the Modern Era Auckland: Penguin Group
(NZ)
Shuker, R. (2001) Understanding Popular Music
(2nd Ed.) London: Routledge
Shute, G. (2008) NZ Rock 1987 – 2007
Auckland: Random House New Zealand
Spittle, G. (1997) Counting the Beat: A History
of New Zealand Song Wellington: GP Publications
Zoonen, L. (2005) Entertaining the Citizen:
When Politics and Popular Culture Converge New York: Rowman
& Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Internet Resources
http://www.warnermusic.com.au
[ Accessed 26 September 2008 ]
http://www.wildsiderecords.com
[ Accessed 26 September 2008 ]
http://proquest.umi.com.helicon.vuw.ac.nz
[ Accessed 23 September 2008 ]
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