AOL to edit some of Bruce lyrics in discussion group...

[Island Fan]

hope this doesn't give Richard any ideas

AOL Names Itself
Boss Over Lyrics


Those who think America's season of trauma might be a good time to reclaim morality in popular music will be pleased to know America Online (AOL), our largest provider of Internet service, won't let a Bruce Springsteen discussion group quote lyrics from a dozen Bruce songs it considers too suggestive.

This includes the sordid likes of "Blinded by the Light" and "Pink Cadillac," as well as "Spare Parts," "Spirit in the Night," "Book of Dreams," "Red Headed Woman" and "Ramrod."

AOL is not a big fan of some of Bruce Springsteen's (r.) lyrics on songs like 'Pink Cadillac' and 'Book of Dreams.'
Specifically, an AOL monitor decided the line "My love is bigger than a Honda, yeah it's bigger than a Subaru" from "Pink Cadillac" violated the decency provisions in the "terms of service" agreement for discussion group participants.

AOL didn't return calls seeking an explanation why this was offensive. But as music criticism, it's downright nostalgic. It's been decades since anyone blushed over a line like "taste your sweet red wine" from the Steve Miller Band's "Book of Dreams," a love song so gentle it's almost a lullaby.

If this is AOL's new standard, it will be interesting to see how pop music is assessed there in the future. If you can't mention songs from "Shake, Rattle and Roll" to "Baby One More Time," it really cramps the discussion.

The Springsteen case, participants say, started when the tight-knit group, which is about 10 years old, was discussing airline security and whether problems now might be linked to President Ronald Reagan firing the air-traffic controllers in 1981.

Someone likened Reagan to a bodily orifice. The monitor deleted it as a vulgarity. Several group members objected, sarcastically asking if the Taliban were now monitoring the board.

Their posts were deleted and at least one member suspended for a week. The monitor suggested the group stick to songs.

So it did. And when the topic of suggestive lyrics came up, the deletions resumed. A column by critic Dave Marsh blasting "AO-Hell" was posted and deleted. The monitor also sent a warning to the person who posted it.

In a way, this may simply suggest we're heeding the advice of our leaders and returning to normal, which in the U.S. often means we like the idea of free speech but we also want a delete button.

Ask the crowd at last Saturday's Concert for New York, which roasted Richard Gere for suggesting our national policy ultimately ought to be guided by compassion, not vengeance.

Historically, he's got Jesus Christ and a number of other spiritual heavyweights on his side. But he sure didn't have the crowd at the Garden.

Which may simply reconfirm that as much as we like "God Bless America," the nation's real guiding song remains "My Way." Just don't say so on AOL. The line about "one who kneels" might not make it past the monitor.

http://nydailynews.com/2001-10-25/New_York_Now/Music/a-129685.asp

[Magic Rat]

And so it begins........
It's one thing to monitor and delete curse words, especially if children are around, but to start deleting posts that are cricical of AOHe11, that just smacks of censorship. Either that or that monitor has gone over the deep end.
My 2¢

[Paulie]

Oh my dear God!! This may be the single most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!! Makes we wanna join AOL just to get in there and cause some trouble.

Paulie

[doctort]

I have always thought so anyway - since they took over Time Warner , think they have gotten even worse IMHO

who moderates the moderaters anyway and who said absolute power corrupts ???

Hey Murphy, should we open a Big Brother section in the lounge or ya think we got enough towing business from this place already ???

and I think the monitor has gone off the deep end - Tow Truck has been called - wonder if you can say tow truck on AOL ??

[Fatman]

wonder what this aussie would tell em

http://www.rude.com.au/Test/Images/Sound.jpg


http://www.rude.com.au/mp3/8.wav

[dari]

guess i won't be posting any nude shower pictures there.

dari

[Tooth Fairy]

Wait a minute, you mean there are other discussion boards for Bruce?

[Incident]

Remember guys that besides the right to Free Speach in this country we have the right to be stupid. AOL is obviously excercising this right. My love is bigger than a Honda, bigger Subaru maybe I'm niave but I never thought that was in anyway suggestive.

From now on when Bruce introduces the Big Man in concert I will look at that intro in a completely different light. Thank god he introduces Steve van Zandt as Miami Steve rather than Little Stephen.

[Silver]

Feel free to post them here, Dari...

[LKnight83]

AOL is stupid....

how much lower can you get....

[Incident]

Dari, these are nude shower pics of Bruce, right. Not Doctort. 'Cause though I really don't need to see nude pictures of Bruce, Doctort's on the other hand I might just find really objectionable.

[doctort]

wonder if AOL finds clowns objectionale Incident ??

[LJK]

Since Doc is under surveillance, I'm sure there are shower pics of him.

Furthermore, I promise that any photo of any LD member in the shower will not be deleted or towed.

[All Heaven Will Allow]

doc,

Clowns are never objectionable.....:) :) Unless they are dressed up in a New York Jets or Washington Redskins uniform.... ;)

Bethie

[Incident]

Doc did you really have to bring clowns into this. The only reason I would find your pictures objectionable is they were not taken by a professional photographer eg Lynn Goldsmith. So I'm sure that these photos would in no way do you justice.

I'm sorry for any misunderstanding this may have caused.

[doctort]

I find it objectionale that you find clowns objectionable so therefore I object to this thread any objections ???

what was this thread about again ??


Bethie

J-E-T-S (just evict the schott man)

4 and 12 , 4 and 12, 4 and 12

[murphy]

Screen Door Slams and Mary's Breasts sway will never be the same;) Oh S H I T;)

Big Brother in the lounge needs a throne to sit on ;)

Doc,

How much for AOL towing to the land of BS???

See Gotti in cement shoes

[Boccigalupe]

Well......... there you go, There goes the "FREEDOM of SPEECH" clause. These people are way too much !!!! Next they are gonna tell us how to pray and how to eat.

[Island Fan]

http://www.ihateclowns.com/games/90.gif

[imabrucefan]

Doc,
I believe that quote is "absolute power corrupts absolutely" but I don't know who said it. So true.

I don't know why anyone would stick around a message board that practices that sort of censorship. Paulie, instead of going to start trouble over there, why don't we just invite all of their members over here? They sound like our kind of people.

Now I ask you, which line is more suggestive:
My love is bigger than a Honda
or
Hit me baby one more time

If you look hard enough, you can find sexual innuendo in just about any lyric.

Doc, you're right--AOL is evil.

[ForYou]

OK I went over and looked. Had a hard time finding it but it's set up like RMAS. Didn't have time to read all the posts. I did notice that Imgrace 2 posts there. Liked these post titles I saw there:

I Wanna Be Where The Banned Are
Police state tactics by AOL
You brought it on
Censorship,, freedom and AOL
Dave Marsha says AOL sucks
The Censors Sleep Tonight
AOL has no guts

[doctort]

tow truck wont stop there, dont need any more trouble in our lounge

[Annie415]

Link to Dave Marsh article:

http://www.starpolish.com/features/columns/article.asp?ID=232k

[Muddyemms]

The Daily News article is here. http://www.nydailynews.com/2001-10-25/New_York_Now/Music/a-129685.asp

This guy musta gone to the "Taliban Vice & Virtue School of Internet Moderating" (I dropped out after a week!;):p ). Sheesh.

[sadiiiz]

Yup, Imgrace2 does indeed post there. This problem has been brewing for a while now. The volunteer monitors have been on a deleting frenzy for the past couple months and we've tried to reason with them time and time again. However, they seem to be on some kind of power trip with the delete button. They have even suspended several of our members. It's gotten totally out of hand. They even shut us down one weekend earlier this month. Several people worked hard to get media attention on this and we are grateful. We'll see what happens.

grace
a.k.a. Imgrace2 on AOL - Sadiiiz on LiveDaily

[daven]

I always said that AOL stood for @ssholes on line - this proves it.

[ForYou]

Thanks for the report Grace. Now I won't have to go back and read all the way back to where it began. That's a shame.

[Incident]

Doc I'm suprised with you, I thought your lounge was for everyone, why do you need to exclude the intolerant and the ignorant:eek: ? Remember they are people too.

As Bruce says " No one wins unless eveyone wins except for AOL monitors and the Taliban." I think I got the Quote right.

[Paulie]

Kim:

You're right, we should just invite all of them over here. I think Mr. Gotti in Delegation should delegate that task to sadiiz, since she posts both here and there.

And since you mentioned Britney, how about "Oops, I did it again...I'm not that innocent"?

Paulie (still trying to figure out why "Book of Dreams" is banned)

[Incident]

Paulie how can you not find this song objectionable?




BOOK OF DREAMS

I'm standing in the backyard
Listening to the party Inside
Tonight I'm drinkin' in the forgiveness
This life provides
The scars we carry remain but the pain slips away it seems
Oh won't you baby be in my book of dreams
Obviously the singer is stalking some girl inside he's drunk and armed and he plans on hurting her and either cutting off a body part or just taking her picture and putting it in some type of stalker book.

I'm watchin' you through the window
With your girlfriends from back home
You 're showin' off your dress
There's laughter and a toast
From your daddy to the prettiest bride he's ever seen
Oh won't you baby be in my book of dreams
Again stalking this girls who is indeed a lesbian and is obviously in an incestious relationship with her father. Who dresses her up as a bride gets her drunk and then takes pictures for his incestious daddy book


In the darkness my fingers slip across your skin
I feel your sweet reply
The room fades away and suddenly I'm way up high
Just holdin' you to me
As through the window the moonlight streams
Oh won't you baby be in my book of dreams
Ok so now he breaks into her room chokes her and in some ind deviant drug induced worship of the moon Goddess, kills her.

Now the ritual begins
'Neath the wedding garland we meet as strangers
The dance floor is alive with beauty
Mystery and danger
We dance out 'neath the stars' ancient light into the darkening trees
Oh won't you baby be in my book of dreams
Now dragging around her dead body he marries her in some kind of Satanic ritual over ground that is writhing with creatures living and dead a scene making Tom Petty's Last Dance with Mary Jane look like an Amy Grant Video


Paulie how can you be so dence

[ForYou]

Incident -I'm holding my side from laughing. We should post it over there. How many nanoseconds would it last?:eek:

[Incident]

Sandy, that board would drive me crazy. Not knowing what was ojectionable or being found objectionable on a seemingly random basis. There I'm going to try to use the word objectionable more times in a post than Doc did.

At least here if you stay away from using one of several words or from continuous personal attacks on another user you seem to be fine hell.

You can even make fun of Ticketmaster as some have been known to do. But not me Muddy, I swear, I Promise.

[LJK]

Posted on LD this evening in the news:

The New York Daily News reported that AOL "won't let a Bruce Springsteen discussion group quote lyrics from a dozen Bruce songs [that AOL] considers too suggestive."

Reportedly among the songs with the lyrics in question are "Blinded by the Light," "Pink Cadillac," "Spare Parts," "Spirit in the Night," "Book of Dreams," "Red Headed Woman" and "Ramrod."

[Jungleland Jodie]

Too suggestive?

Isn't "Red Headed Woman" about car maintenance and characters in the Bible? Isn't "Pink Cadillac" about Elvis's car, or maybe it's an advertisement for Honda (I'm kinda confused about that one)....

I don't think those should be included....

[6String]

the guys who montor aol terms of service (aol member here)
are probably 399 pound losers who married because of the fact they finally got a girlfriends standing in a computer room with twinkies in they're hands singing "I Gotta Be Me"

You know the woman who montor AOL TOS look like Sammy Hagar.

Words of advice to all of them. All you can eat shrimp at Seizler isn't a start, it isn't a life!

I've had my fair share f problems with the losers at AOL TOS. It's like coming face to face with mad cow decease.

[murphy]

Isn't Gone with the wind about a southern gas attack AFTER a Barbeque??;)

Your HONOR I object - NoNoNoNo I 'strenuously object'!!

[GoCartMozart]

I thought about this thread when I listened to Joe Ely's version of the Buddy Holly song "Not Fade Away" yesterday. "My love's bigger than a Cadillac...." Guess that's another one that would be censored by AOL. This is even more ridiculous than the mid-70's in the heart of Baptist country -- Waco, Texas -- when I heard a Paul Simon song on the radio: "When I think back on all the (bleep) I learned in high school...." My immediate reaction to that bleep is that anybody who hadn't heard the song would immediately assume he said something a whole lot worse than "crap"!!