Taboo Tunes

Music has always been a source of controversy, from "Puff the Magic Dragon" to "Cop Killer," Elvis to Eminem, Dylan to the Dixie Chicks, and Madonna to Marilyn Manson. Filled with several centuries' worth of raunchy sex ditties, morbid murder bailads, blasphemous satanic songs, paeans to intoxicating substances, and outrageous political antics, this unique compendium uncovers the stories of censors' efforts to squelch these acts of expression. It examines the various societal forces - such as repressive governments, busybody community organisations, and self-appointed moral guardians - that have worked to limit how artists are allowed to express themselves, and makes clearer what censorship means for all. Milestones include: The U.S. government's troubling anti-music moves since the 9/11 terrorist incidents; An early-'60s campaign to outlaw electric guitars; The proposed 1933 congressional bill that would have mandated the incarceration of fans "intoxicated" by jazz - a plan echoed in '98 when various law enforcement organisations proposed forced hospitalisation for fans of the popular Shock-Rock band, Marilyn Manson; And, the ancient Roman law of 451 BC that defined the singing of bawdy songs as "a disruption of public order" - an infraction punishable by death.