Program Length: 1 hour
Produced: 1996

Should serious offenders get airplay on MuchMusic?

Teens and the Rebel Image:

This program is about playing or rejecting the music of rebels (Rock), gangstas (Hip Hop), and outlaws (Country). How many rebels can you list? How many of the rebels are popular among teens? Which rebels are most famous? Why? Were Jesus, Buddha, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X or Mahatma Gandhi rebels? Are there more male or female rebels? Why do you think this is? Why are some anti-social activities attractive to some adolescents? What conclusions can you come to about teens and the rebel image? Some social psychologists say that the main job of adolescents is to develop their own identities through rebelling against their parents and authority figures. How does this theory fit with the attraction of teens to rebels?

The opening of the show presents host Avi Lewis being processed through arrest and jailing. Does the clip, through its photography and acting, make criminality look exciting or awful? Explain.

In January of 1996, Prime Minister Jean Chretien led hundreds of Canadian businessmen, called Team Canada, on a tour of Asia. Team Canada's objective was to drum up Canadian business deals with the Asian countries, and billions of dollars of deals were signed. During the tour, the press discovered that one of the Canadian businessmen on the team had been repeatedly convicted of fraud, a criminal offence. When asked if the businessman would be asked to leave the team because of his criminal record, the press was told that he was still considered a valuable member of the team.

Compare this attitude toward non-violent crime (fraud) on the part of the Canadian government with the attitudes expressed toward violent crime in Too Much4Much. How do they differ? Does this difference create a double standard? Does the double standard result from the violent and non-violent nature of the crimes? (Are violent criminals treated with less tolerance than non- violent criminals?) Does it result from the age of the criminals? (Are younger criminals treated with less tolerance than older criminals?)

Criminal Musicians:

The program intro lists the following musical artists and their crimes. Do you think the crimes have made the artists more interesting to their audiences? Do you think the crimes have nothing to do with the artists' images? Do you think any of the artists should be banned from performance because of their crimes? Explain.

Artist: Crime(s)

Franz Liszt: treason, seduction, debt

Johnny Cash: NA

Frank Morgan: NA

Vince Neil: dangerous driving resulting in death

Huddie Ledbetter: murder

James Brown: weapons, assault, failure to stop for police

Keith Richards: drugs

Paul McCartney: drugs

Rick James: sexual assault and torture

Merle Haggard: theft

Steve Earle: drugs

Aaron Neville: theft

Slick Rick: attempted murder, assault, illegal weapons

Chuck Berry: armed robbery, tax evasion

Tupac Shakur: rape

"If you refused to play all the artists who had ever committed or will commit criminal acts, you would have a very short playlist." Bill Burrill, EYE Magazine

This statement suggests that most artists have criminal records. Do they?

Why do we perceive so many artists to be outlaws?

"Children are learning about society from TV and videos. TV and videos glamourize criminality." Lynn Porteous

How much of children's behaviour is taken from what they see in TV and videos? How much of TV and videos glamourize criminality?

Should Videos be Censored?

Bill Burrill said, "Art is art; it's not the job of MuchMusic to censor art."

Lynn Porteous said, "Broadcasters have a responsibility to control what they send out to viewers."

Discuss these two points of view. What is MuchMusic's responsibility to its audience: let the viewer choose what to watch, or censor some videos?

Parental Responsibility:

Parents should control what children watch.
How do parents know what to control?
How do parents control what children watch?
How do we protect children whose parents may not be home to control what they watch?

The Mystique of Criminality:

"Personal lives of artists don't influence the public perception of their music." Is this true? Consider DJ and VJ chatter about artists, fan magazine articles, entertainment TV, etc. Does reporting of personal lives influence your perception of artists? (e.g. Madonna, Tupac, Michael Jackson)

Jail has a 'cool' mystique. Some people think it's a sign of being cool to have done time.

Collect videos about jail. Examine their messages. Do most of them say jail is cool or a place to stay away from?

Commercial music is about imaging. The image of the artists is important in promoting the music. Does the image of criminality improve the sales of some music, as suggested by Oliver? List some examples. How does the criminal image connect to the rebel image? Which record companies enhance the criminal mystique of their artists? How?

The clip from the comedy feature film CB4 suggests that some record promoters prefer outlaw artists, that they find their anti-social behaviours increase the sale of their records. Is this true?

"I know a lot of rappers who want to get locked up because they think it's cool." Matt on phone. Does criminality enhance a rapper's image? Is criminality connected more directly to Rap and Hip Hop than other musical forms?

One audience member suggests that rap artists are stereotyped as criminals. Is this true? Are more rap artists presented as criminals than other artists? Why?

Punishing Criminals:

Andrew Coyne says, "If criminals serve their time, they have paid their dues. Refusing them air play punishes them twice, which is unfair." Do teens need to be protected from criminal influences in spite of the violation of the artists' rights?

People who disapprove of a video can boycott it and not purchase the CD. Is that effective in telling artists that criminal images are not cool? Does boycotting protect vulnerable people? Does boycotting send a message to the artist or record company? Explain.

Artists' Rights and Viewers' Rights:

Artists have a right to freedom of expression. Viewers have a right to be free from negative influences. What is MuchMusic's responsibility to artists?

What is MuchMusic's responsibility to viewers?

Video Clips from artists with criminal records:

Sexy Girl: Snow
Does it glorify criminality? Promote an illegal activity? Should it be banned? Discuss.

One Life: Raggadeath
Does it glorify criminality? Promote an illegal activity? Should it be banned? Discuss.

The clip from Trapped by Tupac Shaker occurs in prison. The POV is always us looking at Tupac, not what Tupac sees, i.e. not from Tupac's point of view. The angles are always low, lending Tupac power in each shot. Tupac is always large and central in each shot. Do these aspects of angle and point of view glorify Tupac? How could the video have been shot so that he had less power and jail seemed less 'cool?'

Critiquing the show:

Who in the show made the best points?
the host, audience, guests, phone-in, fax, or e-mail

What contributions did the program make to your understanding of the issues of MuchMusic playing the music of serious criminals?

What contributions did the program make to your understanding of the power of the rebel image in adolescents' lives?

Written by: Neil Andersen
Neil Andersen is an award-winning Curriculum Consultant with the Toronto District School Board. He is also a speaker and consultant in media and communications technology. His most recent work includes the Between the Lines CDs, the teachers' study guide for the award-winning Scanning Television, and study guides for Space, Bravo! and MuchMusic's Cable in the Classroom broadcasts of original media literacy programming.