"I felt it was important to voice my choice for presidential candidate, Barack Obama, seeing as the episode would air eight days before election day. Dean [Spunt] and I decided that it would be better to take advantage of the stage we had at our disposal ... Access to affordable health care is an issue very near to my heart for many personal reasons and I am sure that many of you can relate. I have lost and stood by as many of my close family members have battled with terrible illnesses. I have myself gone through traumatic hospitalizations only to come out the other side alive but horribly in debt," says Randall.
The band ended up performing after Randall wrote 'Free Health Care' on his shirt and somehow "obscured the Obama image."
So, at the end of the article it had some great questions that I think are very important.
Should artists, actors and anyone else on television/radio be allowed to publicly support their candidate of choice? Did No Age do the right thing or should they have not performed at all?
My opinion on this issue is that, at concerts bands should be able to voice their opinions and wear what they want, but the whole concert should not be about politics. From my own experience at a Goo Goo Dolls concert in 2000, the band commented on politics dealing with President Bush and freely voiced their own opinions on the matter. Some of the audience members got offended and most were angry for politics being brought up at the concert.
I think that the band should be able to wear what they want in support of whatever they want. They can also be able to express their own feelings on the matter, however, it should be held to a point on where to draw the line on what they say.
http://www.buzznet.com/musicnews/no-age-told-no-obama-j3147391/
