And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'
by Jennifer Moore Keating

On my half-hour ride home from work, I decided that instead of listening to the local AM news station I'd indulge in a bit of escapism and listen to some good ol' fashioned rock'n roll radio pop music instead. (I'd been watching CNN, on the web and on the tube non-stop since the tragedy began on Tuesday - I thought I earned a little downtime) En route, I heard not one, but two original mixes of songs (Jewel's 'Hands' and Neil Diamond's 'Coming to America') peppered with sound bites of both President Bush's crisis address to the country, and the terrified reactions of spectators watching the planes crash into the towers, and their subsequent collapse.

"Produced by our very own <insert resident station techie/intern/wannabe mixmastah> -- an <insert radio station> exclusive," plugs the DJ in his Serious Voice.

Througout this entire ordeal, not once have I heard the American Red Cross call for U.S. citizens to contribute an official soundtrack.

These people could be donating blood, manpower, money, supplies, any number of significant, desperately needed items to aid the relief effort. Instead, these patriots choose to show their support by spotlighting their 'mad skillz' by adding a rhythm section to a nation's sorrow and horror. See? They're doing their part, and getting free publicity too! Aren't they phat?

I'm not saying that music doesn't help us cope with tragedy. As maudlin as it sounds, I was brought to tears the day after the attack when I heard David Bowie's 'Heroes' and Ray Charles' 'America the Beautiful'. (Though after hearing it five times over the course of a day kinda lessens the emotional impact)

At best, these ham-fisted, hastily thrown-together topical dance mixes are self-congratulatory, riding the coattails and stealing the thunder of pop culture trends. (See for reference how DJs nationwide had the mind-bogglingly original idea of mixing the themes of 'Titanic' and 'The Sopranos' with the shows' dialogue.) At worst, these self-proclaimed 'anthems' exploit tragedy and people's emotions, in a calculated attempt to simultaneously play on the hearstrings and promote themselves and their careers under the guise of 'a heartfelt tribute'.

On a side-note, in light of the fact that the terrorists responsible for these atrocities may have been Middle-Eastern immigrants living in the US, and allegedly received pilot training from American flight schools, I find it the pinnacle of bad taste to craft one of these mixes around a song that contains the lyrics: 'On the boats and on the planes/they're coming to America/Got a dream to take us there/we're coming to America."

"Hang the Blessed DJ," indeed.

©2001 Jennifer Moore Keating