Monthly Archives: December, 2013

DEC 3, 2013 - USA Today has an article out today about how the French government has charged Bob Dylan with the crime of "incitement to hatred" because Bob somewhat "compared Croatians to Nazis", and lumped them all together with the evil of the Confederacy slavery, KKK and the Nazis in a 2012 Rolling Stone interview. This is what Bob said, you be the judge:

"Blacks know that some whites didn't want to give up slavery -- that if they had their way, they would still be under the yoke, and they can't pretend they don't know that. If you got a slave master or Klan in your blood, blacks can sense that. That stuff lingers to this day. Just like Jews can sense Nazi blood and the Serbs can sense Croatian blood." 

A Croatian group in France caught wind of the it eventually and filed a complaint against Dylan in French court. Bridgette Bardot has also faced many charges of "inciting hatred" in France for speaking her mind, and even though half my ancestry comes from France, I feel this goes too far and infringes on free speech. I am sure we will not see Bob in jail anytime soon though. Just like Bardot, Dylan will just be fined heavily. Bob has millions like Bardot and he will just pay the fine and move on. Comments? Start a conversation on our JTMP Facebook Page!  (photo credit: Bob Dylan/CC)

DEC 2, 2013 - I watched the new Magnolia Pictures film "Marley" about the life of reggae music artist Bob Marley on VH1 Palladia on my DVR over the weekend, and it was awesome. The director, Kevin MacDonald, takes you on a journey to really let you know who the man was behind the music you know so well. I have always had respect and admiration for Bob Marley and what he accomplished in his short life, but after seeing this film I realized he was in my opinion the greatest activist musician ever. From handing out wads of cash to any poor person who would wander into his villa, to getting the two political candidates running for office in the violent and deadly 1970s Jamaican politics to hold hands and call for peace between the two sides on stage at one of his concerts, he was truly an outstanding individual.

Bob had a unique perspective on life, being born as a so-called "mix-raced" child. His father, Norval Marley, was European, who had a brief affair with Cedella Booker. His father never played a role in his life, and the rejection hurt Bob and he wrote the song "Cornerstone" with the lyrics, "The stone that the builder refuse, will always be the head cornerstone..." that many believe he was referencing to. He eventually discovered music, and formed "The Wailers" and became hugely popular and successful in Jamaica. Bob wanted to spread the word of Reggae, love and spirituality through his music, and make it accessible for the entire world. So, he set up a new band called "Bob Marley and the Wailers", and like a preacher on a revival tour he took the world by storm. Whirling on stage like a wizard or a priest, he captivated millions of people all over the world with his great music and message of hope and love. He still affects millions of people's lives to this day. 

When the 1970s politics got violent and deadly, Bob cooperated with the Jamaican government and held a "Peace Concert" and stopped the bloodshed. He held another peace concert in Zimbabwe when they got their independence, being attacked with tear gas while on stage. He spoke about activism many times in his songs such as "Get Up, Stand Up", but he seemed to me not a person that wanted to take sides, he just wanted everyone to work out things peacefully and just get along. His main message was get active and get involved in non-violent action and "Stand up for your rights"; like registering to vote and voting. Watch this great film "Marley" from Magnolia pictures (the trailer is below) and I think you will agree he is an amazing person, and deserves the title of "Greatest Activist Musician of All Time". It is making the rounds on VH1 Palladia and Netflix, or you can order the Blu-Ray or DVD at the official film's site here.  (photo credit: Ueli Frey/CC)

DEC 2, 2013 - JTMP wants to remind everyone that tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, a project set up to urge the community to come together and give to charities, will be tomorrow. President Obama's special assistant Jonathan Greenblatt, wrote a post on the White House blog explaining it and endorsing it. The campaign, started by United Nations Foundation and 92d St Y, asks individuals, businesses and whomever to remember to be thankful for the plenty you have and to give back to the community especially during the holiday season. Part of the fun is, instead of taking a "selfie" photo with your cell phone, take an "un-selfie" (unselfish, get it?) with you holding a sign telling everyone what you will do that day to make a difference in the world, and use the hashtags #GivingTuesday and #UNselfie". Check out the Giving Tuesday website here.

DEC 2, 2012 - Sleater-Kinney, the alt-rock girl activist band that JTMP featured back in 2006 when we were just getting started, reunited at a Portland, Oregon Pearl Jam show last Friday night. This was the first time they had been together on stage live since 2006, and they jammed out to the Neil Young song "Keep on Rockin' in the Free World". Watch the YouTube video below. Make sure you check out JTMP"s YouTube Channel, and also check out JTMP's Facebook Page. Watch an early JTMP Voting PSA below that, with a clip of Sleater-Kinney asking the audience if people will be voting in the next election. JTMP hopes all our supporters are.