Channel One vowed that no guest hosts would ever, EVER, plug a product on the air. They even put it in writing. Channel One told teachers and school boards that they understood the special nature of the captive audience they were serving. Yet guest hosts are now a major advertising component of the controversial Channel One TV show.
Yesterday, Monday, October 22, the alternative band “Bush” got to co-host and push their newest CD entitled “Golden State.” Dave Shardy, of Marilyn Manson fame, produced the CD. Band members offered an autograph CD as a prize to get students to the Channel One web site.
The Channel One “news” reporters openly praise whatever band or artist is co-hosting and this further encourages student purchases of CDs or movie tickets.
Below are some lyrics from previous Bush CDs. Murder, suicide, sex. We haven’t checked all their lyrics for drug or alcohol references, but here is a quote from one band member on a fan page:
“I’m a hard man, and a hardened drinker. A drink loosens you up a bit onstage. I drink lager and Jack Daniel’s. It keeps me happy and smiling. The world is a very sad place.”
One reviewer expressed surprise at Bush for not changing the words, during a recent concert, to one of their newest songs “Headful of Ghosts” “I stand around at American weddings I stand around for family :: At my best when I’m terrorist inside at my best when it’s all me :: I was there when they took all the people :: I was alone in a mental ravine” The band had made comments to reporters that they were probably not going to use the line about terrorist after the September 11th events. But when it came down to it, they sang it anyway.
Here are examples of the lyrics from Bush songs. Taxpayer money is being wasted promoting this type of cultural rot during class time.
Deat Meat
I’m your broken fingers
I’ve killed you twice
I will again
Revenge is eager
See first you’ll crash
Then you’ll burn
Dorothy died for your pleasure
It’s hard to get along in this car crash weather
Your dead meat
Your dead meat formaldehyde
Didn’t phase me
I soon returned to track you down
For your confession
I’ll be your poison and your pain
I’ll be your struggle to be sane
Exploited lament
And the places you never went
I’m doing you in tomorrow
That’s why I’m dressed
In all this sorrow
I’m doing you in tomorrow
I’ll burn before I mellow
Little Things
I touch your mouth
My willy is food
Addicted to love
I’m addicted to fools
I kill you once
I kill you again
We’re starving and crude
Everything Zen
There must be something we can eat
Maybe find another lover
Should I fly Los Angeles
Find my a**hole brother
Broken TV
She comes to the mirror thinks is look real nice, well..
Load up on sex, we’re movin on inside
We see the light now we got real tight yeah
I feel funny
And you suck (f***) fine
What is any public school doing promoting this band – or any band – for 12 minutes during the school day. The opening music was from Bush’s new CD, music going into and out of commercial breaks was from the new CD, and the music that played at the end of the show was – you guessed it.
At the end of the show, the Channel One anchor, Maria Menounos asked the band what was new. One of the band members said that tomorrow their newest CD, Golden State, was coming out. Maria was surprised! The band member held up a CD. TV sets in 12, 000 schools were filled with the image of Bush’s newest CD. That is marketing power. Ms. Menounos did her part. She set up the pitch and it was done flawlessly.
Jim Metrock, president of Obligation, said, “Channel One has abandoned any attempt to be a news show. They promote the popular culture. They promote their advertisers. The weak effort at news is just filler. Schools have no control over the people that Channel One wants to parade in front of students. It is insanity that a required part of the school day on October 22 was devoted to making sure students knew that a new CD would be in music stores on the next day. A school that still has Channel One is a school that doesn’t take education very seriously.”
