The Imperial Orgy Fights Bigotry in Michigan - Posted Wednesday, March 5th, 2008 - 6:41PM
The iconoclastic underground band Caeser Pink & The Imperial Orgy is once again fighting for freedom of thought and expression, and against discrimination and bigotry. The current controversy is centered in the town of Portage, Michigan where the local public access television station agreed to broadcast the group’s television series, but changed their minds before the broadcast date was set.
The reason given for the cancellation was that “Two girls were looking at each other as if they couldn’t wait to kiss,” and that “Portage is a Christian community and people wouldn’t like that sort of thing.”
Of the cancellation the band’s singer Caeser Pink states, “This is clearly a case of anti-gay bias. The people who control this media outlet are using their position to promote their own religious views. Such media outlets receive government funding and according to the public access charter no one can control that media for their own agenda or discriminate against other religious or political views.”
“Almost all the country’s commercial radio stations, newspapers, and TV stations are owned by one of six mega-corporations. Public access television is one of the few outlets where artists and activists can communicate directly with the public. That is a right that needs to be protected.”
To this end caeser and the Imperial Orgy members have been contacting gay rights organizations in the area, have petitioned the town’s mayor and county commissioners to mediate the dispute, and are using online networking sites to raise public awareness and drum up local support for their cause.
The Imperial Orgy TV series is a 12-episode half-hour arts variety show that features artist interviews, experimental films, music videos, comedy skits, and documentary profiles. The show was created on a show-string budget by the creative community of people that work with the larger Imperial Orgy arts and activism collective. No one got paid for their work and no one earns profit from the show. Previously the Imperial Orgy TV Show has been broadcast on dozens of TV stations across the U.S. as well as in France, Australia, Japan, and the Netherlands.
Caeser Pink & The Imperial Orgy has long history of social activism and confronting prejudice and discrimination. Even the group’s first concert performance was cancelled due to threats from right-wing religious organization. Among their past works are a street theater protest presented in front of the New York stock exchange titled Our Daily Bread. Last year the band’s CD “Gospel Hymns For Agnostics and Atheists” was banned from many college radio stations.
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IS RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION THE CAUSE OF CD BANNINGS ON COLLEGE RADIO? - Posted Saturday, August 12th, 2006 - 5:51AM
IS RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION THE CAUSE OF CD BANNINGS ON COLLEGE RADIO?
“I refuse to play that kind of sacreligious music on my radio station. It is ungodly, unethical, and just done to strike up the heartstrings of those who respect God and religion.”
Sincerly yours,
Adam M. Bagni,
WEXP General Manager
Although the debut EP CD by Caeser Pink & The Imperial Orgy contains no foul language, no references to sex, drugs, or violence, and no overt political statements, still it has been deemed too controversial for many college radio stations and press outlets.
Titled “Gospel Hymns For Agnostics & Atheists,” the four songs on the CD are united by the use of blues and gospel lyrics to create a modern form of rock gospel music that does not promote any sect or religion, but expresses a more universal spiritual message.
The CD has been banned from airplay by stations such as KWRS of Spokane, WA, WDTS of Georgetown, DE, WMHW of Mount Pleasant, MI, WBER of Penfield, NY, KPNI of Dallas, TX, WTHS of Dearborn, MI, WSAJ of Grove City, GA, WEXP of Lasalle University, and WFHU of Henderson, TN.
WDTS music director Tamara Postles explained, “The music’s good, the singing’s good, the production’s good, but we can’t put it on the air.” WMHW music director Eileen LeTarte said the CD was “Too political” for the station. KWRS music director Kaleb Knox said the CD was “Too controversial.” Music director’s for WFHU and WTHS claimed that that they couldn’t say the CD’s title on the air. Brooks Thomas of KPNI accused the band of being “Anti-religion.” WSAJ Radio’s music director Alex Papalia put the CD into rotation for two weeks, then as she explained “The station’s general manger read up on what the band was about and told us we couldn’t play it anymore,” Other stations such as York, PA’s WVYC radio chose to play the CD, but only under the condition that they could call the band “Caeser Pink.” The station’s music director Tess Hafer explained that due to FCC concerns they could not say the band’s real name “The Imperial Orgy.”
Imperial Orgy lead singer Caeser Pink said of the refusal to the play the CD, “I don’t really see what the controversy is all about. I think it all has to do with the CD’s title. When people hear the word ‘atheist’ they seem to go insane. What bothers me is that they don’t seem to listen to the music or lyrics, but because these stations get it into their heads that the CD reflects a different religious belief than their own, they are banning us from the airwaves.”
To add confusion to the controversy, The Imperial Orgy received an email from the general manager of WEXP radio Adam Bagri that accused the band of being ‘ungodly and unethical.’ When questioned about the email, Mr Bagri stated that someone had hacked into his computer and sent the email and singed his name to it. When asked if the station was refusing to play the CD because it was too controversial, WGMU Radio music director Skyler Silliphant stated “I played the CD for the DJs and the said outright they wouldn’t play it on the air.” Later when questioned by press reporters about the issue Silliphant denied ever making the statement. Adding to the hysterical response to the CD, Jenna Strom of the Spinnaker newspaper claimed the CD was full of Jesus bashing and promoted drug use as a way to find happiness. Although a quick read of the CD’s lyrics sheet will prove that both statement are completely false.
“This trend in college radio towards censoring expression is disturbing,” Pink stated. “For an artist, if you don’t have access to the media you have no voice with which to reach people. It’s a sign of the conformist spirit that has taken America. It’s odd because these days you can be as outrageous as you want when it comes to sex and violence and no one gets too excited, but ideas are what tend to get censored. If you dare to suggest that people should think for themselves and not blindly accept the dictates of church and state, that is when people get nervous and try to shut you up. Rock music has become so safe and vacuous that young Americans have forgotten that music is an art-form with which to express ideas, and that there was a time when rock music was a conduit for social change.”
The New York City band is no stranger to controversy. Their shows have been cancelled due to terrorist threats from radical religious organizations, their posters have been banned from college campuses, women’s studies classes have debated the group’s presentation of gender issues, and their website was banned from its web hosting company for being “an insult to God.”
The Imperial Orgy is a band that has never followed the usual formulas common to alternative rockers. The band itself is a multicultural collective that presents surreal live performances that combine music, performance art, video presentations, theater, and audience participation. Audiences often have extreme love-or-hate reactions to The Imperial Orgy. On multiple occasions singer Caeser Pink has been physically attacked by audience members who were enraged by the band’s performances. At others times their concerts turn the club dance-floors into body-strewn petting orgies.
While most bands create recordings and perform concerts, The Imperial Orgy and their network of die-hard fans have also presented street theater protests in front of the New York Stock Exchange, created their own underground TV series that has been seen across the US and around the world, and a network of unique websites, one of which approaches the internet as an art-form to create an interactive experience for a journey of spiritual self discovery.
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Welcome to your Blog! - Posted Saturday, August 12th, 2006 - 5:34AM
Hello Nigel Planter ,
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