MTV Bleeps Filesharing Software Names In Weird Al Video 395
An anonymous reader writes "We've all heard Weird Al Yankovic's 'Don't Download This Song,' which came out a couple years ago, but did you know that MTV is apparently so afraid that kids listening to the song will discover for the first time that file sharing offerings exist that in its video of the song, MTV bleeps out their names? There's a line in the song that lists out Morpheus, Grokster, Kazaa and Limewire (most of whom don't really exist any more), but for some reason MTV considers those names to be bleep worthy." Unless this is all one grand inside joke from Weird Al.
This inflamatory you say? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:This inflamatory you say? (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:This inflamatory you say? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:This inflamatory you say? (Score:5, Insightful)
MTV Get Off the Air! (Score:5, Interesting)
The Dead Kennedy's had it right.
M.T.V.-Get Off The Air"
Fun Fun Fun in the fluffy chair
Flame up the herb
Woof down the beer
[click!]
Hi
I'm your video DJ
I always talk like I'm wigged out on Quaalude's
I wear a satin baseball jacket everywhere I go
My job is to help destroy
What's left of your imagination
By feeding you endless doses
Of sugar-coated mindless garbage
So don't create
Be sedate
Be a vegetable at home
And thwack on that dial
If we have our way even you will believe
This is the future of rock and roll
How far will you go
How low will you stoop
To tranquilize our minds with your sugar-coated swill
You've turned rock and roll rebellion
Into Pat Boone sedation
Making sure nothing's left to the imagination
M.T.V. Get off the
M.T.V. Get off the
M.T.V. Get off the air
Get off the air
See the latest rejects from the muppet show
Wag their tits and their dicks
As they lip-sync on screen
There's something I don't like
About a band who always smiles
Another tax write-off
For some schmuck who doesn't care
M.T.V. Get off the air
And so it was
Our beloved corporate gods
Claimed they created rock video
Allowing it to sink as low in one year
As commercial TV has in 25
"It's the new frontier," they say
It's wide open, anything can happen
But you've got a lot of nerve
To call yourself a pioneer
When you're too god-damn conservative
To take real chances.
Tin-eared
Graph-paper brained accountants
Instead of music fans
Call all the shots at giant record companies now
The lowest common denominator rules
Forget honesty
Forget creativity
The dumbest buy the mostest
That's the name of the game
But sales are slumping
And no one will say why
Could it be they put out one too many lousy records?!?
M.T.V.-Get off the air!
NOW
But (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:But (Score:5, Funny)
Sure, live the dirty live, but watch your filthy mouth.
Re:But (Score:5, Informative)
Re:But (Score:5, Insightful)
that makes more sense than the American film ratings board who worry more about kids/teenagers seeing nipples or other parts of the human body (even in non-sexual contexts) or hearing swear words but will still give movies depicting gun violence, murder, etc. PG or PG-13 ratings.
Re:But (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
In defense of America, sex is much more of a temptation than violence is. 99.9% of kids won't commit murder regardless of what movies they watch, but 99.9% of them will make stupid decisions at some point regarding sex.
Now, I don't agree with the movie ratings in America, I think they're too prudish, and censoring nudity
Re:But (Score:5, Insightful)
In defense of America
If you had even an inkling of understanding, you wouldn't characterize it as "defense".
sex is much more of a temptation than violence is. 99.9% of kids won't commit murder regardless of what movies they watch, but 99.9% of them will make stupid decisions at some point regarding sex
And why do you think that is?
Has it not occurred to you that perhaps it's because they're told from an early age that sex is bad and guns are good, and so therefore want to experiment with the taboo?
Youth is all about rebellion. Tell kids that they shouldn't do something is a surefire way to get them to want to do it.
Re:But (Score:4, Insightful)
makes sense. that's why the most conservative/repressive cultures are also the most fucked up. i've noticed that extremely repressive Asian cultures like Taiwan and Japan tend to have very polarized populations, where most people are either complete prudes who lead unhealthy, overly sheltered lives devoid of any sort of pleasure, or they lead equally unhealthy lives partying way too much, with absolutely no sense of moderation or self-restraint.
when everything is taboo then there's no difference between having a few drink with your friends and getting completely shitfaced and coked out of your mind. so people end up either being a virgin their entire life, or become extremely promiscuous and have unprotected casual sex with random strangers.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
makes sense. that's why the most conservative/repressive cultures are also the most fucked up. i've noticed that extremely repressive Asian cultures like Taiwan and Japan tend to have very polarized populations, where most people are either complete prudes who lead unhealthy, overly sheltered lives devoid of any sort of pleasure, or they lead equally unhealthy lives partying way too much, with absolutely no sense of moderation or self-restraint.
So, what are you basing your observations from? Most Asians believe Americans will fuck a stranger at the drop of a hat and American Pie is a realistic depiction of what college life is like in the US. Do your jobs mod, I'm at least as insightful as my parent post.
Re:But (Score:5, Interesting)
mostly based on the fact that all of my cousins in Taiwan are either really crazy, or really boring. two of my cousin are always in and out of prison because of their drug problem, and possibly gang affiliations. a few others ran away from home when they were in their teens, and the one whom i'm still in contact with drinks a lot, does coke/ketamine/ecstasy/etc. (i know this because i partied with her that last time i visited Taiwan). and aside from maybe 1 cousin who's relatively normal and doesn't abuse any kind of substance, the rest all seem incredibly boring and somewhat socially maladjusted--one of whom i found out joined the Mormon church.
most of my cousins seem to fall into one extreme or the other. even most of my aunts and uncles are like that. it really is night and day when you compare one group with the other. i mean, i know tweakers, heroin addicts, gangbangers, convicted bank robbers, and all kinds of crazy people here in the U.S. too. but there's a much more even distribution across the entire breadth of the social spectrum here. and really the thing i can think of that accounts for this are the different cultural values and parenting styles.
i mean, there are strict/overbearing parents in the U.S. too. heck, i dated a girl whose parents were absolutely nuts and wouldn't let her date or even socialize with male friends, and she ended up being the biggest nympho i've ever met. similarly, there was this Korean kid from my home town who went to prison for killing his mom and his younger sibling. he basically just snapped because his parents were so strict and pushed him too hard. granted, that's an extreme case, but you can still see the general pattern that's emerging.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The human body is beautiful
In a vacuum perhaps, but in practice there are some damn ugly humans.
Re:But (Score:5, Funny)
The human body is beautiful
In a vacuum perhaps, but in practice there are some damn ugly humans.
In a vacuum? They tend to get too bloaty and cold for my liking, but if you're into that sort of thing then be my guest.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
In a vacuum? They tend to get too bloaty and cold for my liking, but if you're into that sort of thing then be my guest.
It's not as easy as you think: "I can't cum unless you pretend to be dead... wait, where are you going? Damnit, that's the third one this week! What am I supposed to do with THIS?..."
And then it's back to match.com to find another one.
Re:But (Score:5, Insightful)
To me, sex is way more natural than murder.
Now now, they're equally natural. Just one is moral, ethical and wonderful and one is immoral, unethical and disgusting.
The problem is that there are too many lunatics around who can't figure out which is which.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
"The human body is beautiful"
Apparently, you've never seen the overly hairy and obese old men in speedos that seem to inhabit every public beach.
"the amercas fear the body's love making"
You know, the U.S. has this massive financial machine called The Porn Industry.....
Re: (Score:2)
If the word "nine" depicted gun violence, murder, etc., then you'd have a point, but it doesn't.
Too late, they realize... (Score:5, Insightful)
You know, promoting music that encourages people to break the law might also encourage them to download music. After all, those 'rap guys' are always stealing shit, and downloading music isn't exactly breaking into a store and grabbing all the CD's you can before the cops get there, right?
I think the record industry may be figuring out that all that moral ambiguity they promoted in the past is now going to bite them in the ass - big time.
See, to paraphrase the great Reverend Wright... The chickens... Have come home... To ROOST! :)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
...to paraphrase the great Reverend Wright...
God damn the RIAA!
Re: (Score:2)
I swear to God they let Trent Reznor say "fuck" on the air in the video for Closer.
Once I saw that video, followed by a rap video where they bleeped both "fuck" and "nine m".
Re:But (Score:5, Insightful)
I'd much rather have my kid playing with titties and ass than 9mm pistols.
Just sayin'.
Re:But (Score:5, Funny)
I'd much rather have my kid playing with titties and ass than 9mm pistols.
What an unamerican thing to say. Please report to your local NRA and FCC offices for re-education immediately.
Re:But (Score:5, Funny)
Adopt me! :D
Re:But (Score:4, Insightful)
My daughter will someday have sex. I have accepted this, and you should too. Hopefully she will not get shot.
Re: (Score:2)
as an aside/tangent for the song Rockstar by Nickleback the radio stations here in DC bleep ass from "Hire eight body guards that love to beat up assholes" but just 19 words later in the song they leave it in for "I think I'm gonna dress my ass with the latest fashion". That always made me laugh.
Re: (Score:2)
You must listen to the same stations I do.
They also bleep out "drugs" in "girls come easy and the drugs come cheap", "drug" in "everybody's got a drug dealer on speed dial", and "pills" from "gonna pop my pills from a pez dispenser".
My attitude is if you are bleeping out words, then you don't understand the point of that particular song, and shouldn't be playing it on your station.
Re: (Score:2)
But we can watch scantily clad ladies dancing around and gangstas promoting the dirty life?
Do they promote consumption, particularly of goods sold by the advertisers on MTV?
Then, yes.
(And MTV still shows videos? Do they ever run in timeslots where you don't have fear losing ratings to the infomercial for the juicing machine and the $50 sit-up machine?)
Re: (Score:2)
But we can watch scantily clad ladies dancing around and gangstas promoting the dirty life?
You can do drugs and abuse women all you want, so long as you don't pirate music.
At least, that's how the recording industry feels.
-Taylor
Re:But (Score:5, Insightful)
Hate to tell you, but obama is not the great black hope. He is a white guy in a black man's body.
Seems to me he's a half white/half black guy in a light brown body.
Prohibited in Canada (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Prohibited in Canada (Score:5, Funny)
Copyright is serious business here!
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Hello mister Tom,
We've located your cyber and there will be some agents there in a few minutes. They will arrest you for trying to access a prohibited copyright-questioning page. All resistance will be futile, so please be a gentleman.
here (Score:2)
Re:Prohibited in Canada (Score:5, Funny)
oh man, I'm in China and can't even see the page !!!
You think you have it bad? I live in Australia. Every page redirects to www.australia.gov.au/propaganda
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
You must be on the old redirect filter, I only see http://truth.ministry.gov.au/ [ministry.gov.au]
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Prohibited in Canada (Score:5, Funny)
You think that's bad? I live in the UK. Every page I visit just redirects to a picture of a giant lidless eye, rimmed with fire. Looking at me.
I don't believe it.... (Score:5, Funny)
MTV plays music videos?
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:3)
MTV plays music videos?
Yes, I've seen MTV play music videos.
MTV premiered with the Buggle's Video Killed The Radio Star. The cable remote control was a big box connected to the TV by a 15 foot wire, it had one button for each channel.
NOW GET OFF MY DAMN LAWN!
-
I think this is the no free advertising policy.... (Score:5, Interesting)
I was watching MTV several years ago and remember hearing the words "Burger King" getting bleeped out in the "Humpty Dance" song in the verse "I once got busy in a Burger King bathroom".
So, IMHO, I think this is probably part of a general policy to not allow product placement in song lyrics.
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe, but it's also possible that MTV due to its close ties to the RIAA is strongly against the proliferation of p2p by any means. Assuming that this isn't in fact all one grand inside joke from Weird Al, it would be pretty consistent. Remember, this is the organization which spends millions of dollars on propaganda campaigns trying to stigmatize p2p, labeling it as piracy and such, trying to get it subconsciously associated pillaging cargo.
However, this moral campaign only gets as much traction as it does
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Maybe just a hunch, but I think the scenario I proposed is just a bit more likely.
Re: (Score:2)
Maybe just a hunch, but I think the scenario I proposed is just a bit more likely.
Oh I don't know, those aliens can be very tricky.
What about "white n' nerdy"? (Score:5, Insightful)
But doesn't he explicitly mention "MySpace" in White and Nerdy [azlyrics.com]? Does that get bleeped out?
Re: (Score:2)
Heh, I want to see them play REM's "Orange Crush" video, just for laughs.
Good reason to forget MTV (Score:2, Insightful)
And watch Youtube instead.
Any time you give corporations power, they try to take even more away from you.
Re:Good reason to forget MTV (Score:5, Insightful)
Yeah! Let's all go and use YouTube instead.
And whilst we're at it, let's stop using MSN and their associated M$ brands, 'cause they're an evil corporation too.
Let's use Gmail instead.
/ Hope Google aren't evil. Otherwise we're really screwed.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Right, because youtube is not owned by a corporation...
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
You mean you weren't engaging in rather sharp and witty irony?
That's... kind of sad, actually.
Re: (Score:2)
It's not perfect but it's better than other alternatives so far.
What do you suggest?
Best anti-privacy band names (Score:5, Funny)
Damn clumsy search systems.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
The Who hate my privacy?
Come to think of it, they always want to know who I am [youtube.com] so they must at least hate anonymity.
*bleep* (Score:2, Insightful)
Still, this doesn't look as one of *bleep*-*bleep*'s best so I'm not going to look the uncensored version up on *bleep*.
Good night everyone here on *bleep*...
More stupid censorship (Score:5, Interesting)
A local radio station (northern NH) bleeps out the the words "white boy" after "Play that funky music...."
That's when I turn the dial to NPR.
Re:More stupid censorship (Score:5, Funny)
You are missing out on a golden opportunity for fun.
Call up the station and complain, but don't complain about the censorship itself. Escalate the call has high as possible. Tell them you are insulted that they think "white boy" is some type of slur. Ask them what they have against white people - "or is it just white males?" Make sure you throw the word racist around a few times, especially if they try to justify the censorship. Demand they censor ALL racial or ethnic words in all their songs.
Sing a few bars:
"I think I'm turning BLEEP I think I'm turning BLEEP I really think so"
"I'm on a BLEEP radio. I'm a BLEEP, woah, radio"
"BLEEP and BLEEP live together in perfect harmony"
"The ink is BLEEP the page is BLEEP together we learn to read and write"
Also demand they edit band and album names
"And now Iron Man by BLEEP Sabbath."
"From the BLEEP album, The Unforgiven."
And as fun as I think this would be, I bet it would be effective, too.
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm gonna lay down the boogie and play that funky music till I die, by the way.
Re: (Score:2)
MTV exercising reasonable caution (Score:5, Funny)
If MTV left the names of the file-sharing programs intact in the song, they could theoretically be a target for a contributory liability suit.
They've got the right idea.. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Well, if the RIAA were the Rape Industry of America, they'd probably have more interest in censoring that.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Wait, they aren't?
Please! (Score:4, Funny)
Time for Geroge Carlin to update his routine? (Score:5, Funny)
Shit, piss, tits, fuck, cocksucker, motherfucker, cunt, Morpheus, Grokster, Kazaa, Limewire and (*inhale*) bittorrent.
I can't wait for the "clean" version of the Matrix now.
Re:Time for Geroge Carlin to update his routine? (Score:4, Funny)
The 12 words you can't say on TV:
Shit, piss, tits, fuck, cocksucker, motherfucker, cunt, Morpheus, Grokster, Kazaa, Limewire and (*inhale*) bittorrent.
Damn! Samuel L. Jackson's going to be hitting that unemployment queue! The censored version of Pulp Fiction must be a silent movie!
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
2 problems:
1. You left out "semprini".
2. "Tits" doesn't even belong on the list. It sounds like a nickname.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
You just can't say these words on america tv/radio. I remember an interview here in Austria of some American singer that went something like this:
Singer: ... and he was really fucked up. Oh my god I said the f word!
Moderator: Ha, we can say here whatever we want. Fuck Shit fuck shit fuck fuck. Its really cool.
Singer: ffffucking awesome!
Bleep MTV (Score:3, Insightful)
MTV Still Has Videos? Drawing the line... (Score:5, Interesting)
Hey Kids! It's acceptable to have sex, do drugs, and abuse alcohol, but by golly we here at MTV have to draw the line at filesharing. Sorry.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
This channel spews so much vulgar garbage and stupidity that I don't even have it programmed on the channel list to prevent it lowering my IQ if I should happen to pause while channel surfing.
I'm just double checking, you were talking about cspan here right?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Don't be naive; they block what they think they have to to avoid shitstorms from the FCC. They'll show everything else. It's not like MTV was wandering out in the woods and whilst contemplating nature came up with a moral line. It's strictly what they (and, I must confess, we -- I work for an MTVN subsidiary) won't get shit for.
What MTV uses censorships? (Score:3, Interesting)
MTV will not bleep out swear words in Gansta Rap videos, but they will bleep out the names of popular file sharing applications?
Ok now we know that the MAAFIA (RIAA/MPAA) is in bed with MTV and Time/Warner/AOL/Turner House of Pancakes running MTV are looney ultra-left-wing Liberals working for Hollywood and Record Companies who bribe them to play the same 12 videos over and over again each day to promote their sales.
Kids today are smart, all they need do is use Google with the words "file sharing programs" and they'll get millions of hits and find out not only the names of file sharing programs, but also how to download and install them and even poke a hole in Windows Firewall to get faster downloads.
"Weird" Al Yankovic was making fun of the MAAFIA in his "Don't Download This Song" video because of their totalitarian tactics of suing everyone that are fans of the music and videos. In fact, "Weird" Al Yankovic got even more popular when pirates downloaded his MP3 files and then went out to buy the "Straight Out Of Lindwood" CD that also doubles on the back as a DVD full of videos because "Weird" Al knows that pirates love to try before they buy, so they don't buy a CD for $35 only to find out when they get home to play it that most of the song suck and they only like 1 or 2 of the songs on the whole CD. That is why, unlike Metalica and Prince, "Wierd" Al doesn't sue his fans for downloading his songs in MP3 format, because he knows most of them will go out and buy his CD because "Weird" Al is too white and nerdy like his fans and is computer savvy enough to know that piracy actually helps him become more popular and sell more CDs, and more concert tickets.
I want my... (Score:4, Funny)
I want my P2P!
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One Word At A Time (Score:3, Funny)
This is a step in the right direction. But, please, let's not stop there. With a little more effort we can remove the scourge of "Weird" Al's lame parody songs from our airwaves. Even if it means bleeping out a word at a time, it's still worth doing.
my gosh (Score:3, Insightful)
if you are learning about filesharing (ancient concept)
in its defunct formats (morpheus? limewire? are we going to learn about doom? microsoft bob?)
from MTV (dead network)
on a music video (dead form of art)
by wierd al yankovic (is he still alive?)
you are really really off the map, on some deserted island or in prisoner camp
Are you sure it's MTV's fault? (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't know how videos get distributed, but it could have been the artist or label that censored it or even some legal reason that forced MTV to do it.
Re:MTV (Score:5, Funny)
Not MTV1. They just keep moving the actual videos up to higher-numbered channels to keep the costs down as the lower-numbered channels end up on more cable lineups. Last I checked, the videos are on MTV35 or something. :-D
Re:eh? (Score:5, Insightful)
Now the shit they play could be construed as child porn in some states! It all went downhill for them after they stopped showing the Beavis and Butthead episode where they make a hairspray torch because some dumbass kid copycatted and done burned his house down.
Fuck MTV. I'd rather my kids watch Cinemax.
Re:eh? (Score:5, Informative)
I dunno what to think. Radio has gotten bad too. I'm listening to the classic rock station (ok, I'm old, it wasn't 'classic' when I first heard this stuff). I was listening to Pink Floyd playing "Money". They bleeped out "do goody good bullshit". What the hell?
After that, they played a lame censored version of Jet Airliner, with the words "funky shit" changed to "funky Stuff". And on the song Who are You...the twice bleeped out the part where it says "Who the fuck are You?". That last one...is so buried in the song, you have to pretty much know when it is said.
When did all this start? I mean, I grew up listening to these songs...and for nearly 30 years, they happily played these songs without editing them. Why start now all of a sudden?
I thought society was getting more permissive....yet NOW they start to censor classic songs that have been perfectly fine to play on radio?
Lord...I used to think it was funny when I could get a DJ to play the Stones song "Star Star"...but, c'mon...the other stuff was always played normally.
What happened?
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Usually, they just fade the song out before that line, since it's so close to the end.
But, yes, it's censored. ISTR that the Stones sang that song at the Super Bowl halftime and that line was bleeped or muted.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I dunno what to think. Radio has gotten bad too. I'm listening to the classic rock station (ok, I'm old, it wasn't 'classic' when I first heard this stuff). I was listening to Pink Floyd playing "Money". They bleeped out "do goody good bullshit". What the hell?
At least broadcast radio has an excuse - FCC.
There are many opinions as to why the FCC is cracking down today. Mostly involving a web site and soccer moms.
Back in the 80's radio could play anything, in the Boston area the UHF TV stations played uncut R rated movies for a while. The college radio stations would even play The Ballad of Jerry Curlan [youtube.com]!
Not sure what the problem is with MTV, the FCC doesn't have the same control over cable.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Back in the 80's radio could play anything, in the Boston area the UHF TV stations played uncut R rated movies for a while.
Ah yes, WSBK. They're motto at the time could have been "All Three Stooges, All The Time." Good times. Good times.
I remember seeing "The Deer Hunter" uncut on that channel. Great googly-moogly but did that freak me out. Almost as bad as "Scared Straight."
Re:eh? (Score:4, Insightful)
yes, Viacom is parent of CBS and MTV. The FCC has been trying to regulate Cable for a while and MTV has been the prime target, they cave on censoring to keep the FCC from actually having grounds to get permission.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Here it is 10 or so years later and you're still talking about it.
Re:eh? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:eh? (Score:4, Funny)
Whether they wear a turbine,...
I for one WELCOME our new engine-part [merriam-webster.com]-clad overlords!
PS Perhaps you were referring to this slightly more conventional bit of headgear [merriam-webster.com]?
Re:eh? (Score:5, Funny)
MTV playing music? Wow. I'm impressed.
Re:eh? (Score:5, Insightful)
There is a music channel for Latin countries called Sol MÃsica. Years ago, when the Lenny Kravitz song "Fly away" was a hit, the clip showed all the time on TV. There was a girl in the clip showing her boobs. In Sol MÃsica we could see the boobies, but on MTV they were blurred.
What's the problem with boobies? Here in Europe, it's not such a big deal. We have statues of naked men and women in every square. You can see full frontal nudes in most European films. It's just naked people. Not that big of a problem. And I like boobies ;-)
There's absolutely nothing wrong with this (Score:3, Funny)
I viewed this video on *BLEEP* core 9 with *BLEEP* 9.61,running *BLEEP* 2.6.25 and did not hear anything bleeped.
It just plain does not work or somebody is lying.
Re: (Score:3)
What really _should_ be censored is any reference to Slashdot posters' taste in music from this article...I really don't need to see the lyrics to horrible songs typed out as a post, then getting moderated "+5 Insightful" to give me any more reminders of how badly socially adjusted so many people on this site are.
Re: (Score:2)
Mr. McCain, shouldn't you be worrying about your Presidential campaign instead of wasting time on Slashdot?
frsit fail (Score:3, Funny)
Re:MTV Censoring?!? (Score:5, Funny)
I think it's more a shock that MTV is playing music videos.