Hey, Hey, My, My

 

Raise your hands if when you saw Neil Young trending on Twitter, you thought he had gone to that great concert hall in the sky.

We've been losing famous people by the droves, like Betty White who sang "Two Out Of Three Ain't Bad".  Check that.  It was Meatloaf who sang that song and he died too.  I mainly use Twitter as a high tech obit page.

But ol' Neil wasn't gone and not forgotten. Instead, he just gave an ultimatum to Spotify (a music streaming service for all of you born during the Eisenhower administration) that if they want to keep his catalog on their platform, they would have to dump Joe Rogan.

Rogan is a comedian who was the fifth banana on the great sitcom "News Radio," which led to him being the host of another program, "Fear Factor," which led him to be an analyst/fighter in MMA. He has a popular podcast called "The Joe Rogan Experience".

I can understand why it is popular. Rogan interviews one guest for two and a half to three hours.  He interviews famous people and not-so-famous people. He asks questions, lets them answer, and engages in something (hold on to your hats) called dialogue.  Crazy, isn't it?

Rogan has some controversial opinions. For example, he supports using LSD, mushrooms, and DMT like some old hippie to expand your consciousness.  Nobody has ever batted an eye about this.

It was only about Covid-19, that he began to get really controversial. 

Here is what Jill Fillpovic posted on the CNN website about Rogan. I have added some comments in Bold.

"Rogan and guests identified as experts have said that vaccination isn't necessary for the young and healthy (they are) [They are now]; that ivermectin is an effective treatment for Covid (it isn't [It hasn't been "proven" to be effective which is different from saying "it isn't" and using it in large doses poses serious potential health risks Taking any drug in large doses poses serious potential health risks that's why there's a recommend dosage]); and that people who have Covid face health risks from getting vaccinated (they don't).{But they should really discuss it with their doctor and not a writer or comedian]"

Get ready to clutch your pearls because it gets worse.

 

"Rogan's misinformation campaign, which reaches millions of listeners, has been so dangerous that hundreds of public health officials have signed an open letter asking Spotify to intervene."

The same public health officials apparently don't think using LSD to enhance your consciousness is a big enough deal to write an open letter to Spotify.

But don't worry guys, Neil is here to help out. He wrote "I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform," he wrote. "They can have Rogan or Young. Not both."  I'm not sure why they can't have both.  It is like telling Dunder Mifflin they can sell paper to the school board but not Blue Cross.

 

 Ms Fillpovic continues, "If Spotify chooses Rogan over Young, hopefully Young's fans -- like me -- will take a stand along with him. That may mean buying Young's albums, and it certainly means letting Spotify know that you're dissatisfied with their decision. And even if Neil Young isn't in your typical Spotify rotation, this is a good moment to recognize the power artists wield, and to support those who use their platforms for good -- even if you never listen to Young's albums. "

 

Well.  For one thing, it wasn't a matter of Spotify picking or choosing. It was Neil.  It was Neil voting with his feet.  Neil de-platformed Spotify, not the other way around. 

That's Neil's choice and bully for him.  He posted on his website, "I support free speech.  I have never been in favor of censorship. Private companies have the right to choose what they profit from, just as I can choose not to have my music support a platform that disseminates harmful information. I am happy and proud to stand in solidarity with the front-line health care workers who risk their lives every day to help others.

 

Exactly how much Neil's music supports Spotify is open to question.

 

He also has complained in the past about the sound of his music on Spotify. He says it is "do-do" or words to that effect.  Joe Rogan may have provided Neil a convenient way to bolt from Spotify and still sound highly principled.

Now about Spotify.  I have never been able to get Spotify to work on my PC or my phone. The main reason for this is I am a moron.

 

Here's the important thing though. There is basically one way to listen to Joe Rogan and that is to get Spotify.  There are many ways to hear Neil Young.  So this is a way to censor or at the very least, marginalize Joe Rogan.

 

I must admit I smiled at Ms Fillpovic's hoping the Neil's fans will "stand with him" and buy more of his records.  It's probably better if you just send a check to Neil instead of buying "Trans".  

 

 

 

But I can like Neil Young without liking every opinion and if he wants to limit his exposure to a particular audience, more power to him.

I also can like Joe Rogan without agreeing with every opinion (He voted for Bernie Sanders, gah.)  I think I'm smart of enough to make up my own mind about Covid without the help of Neil, Joni Mitchell,  Nils Lofgren, Jill Fillpovic, and Joe Rogan  I am "up-to-date"  (three vaccinations) and we just bought some N95 masks for a trip we are taking.

Don't worry if I can't get my Spotify to work.  I have an 8 tract player around here somewhere.