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The message may be either overt or covert. In the case of the
overt message, we are talking of course about a message which is
being reinforced by music, something we have said increases the
verbal message's impact. It is being reinforced by repetition,
primary and secondary repetition; primary meaning that within the
same song a given hook line is repeated as many times as 30 or 40
times in a 3 or 4 minute span; secondary repetition comes about
because frequently the words are very difficult to understand.
Typically, the teenager therefore will listen repetitively, over
and over and over, to understand the words and frequently be able
to transcribe them.
The message is reinforced by multisensory input such as the
album covers, which have been discussed, the looks of the
performers, their theatrics on stage, the visual representations
such as MTV, volume levels, etc. And the message is reinforced in
individual headphone listening, which is a type of exclusionary
listening that I referred to earlier.
The message may also be covert or subliminal. Sometimes
subaudible tracks are mixed in underneath other, louder tracks.
These are heard by the subconscious but not the conscious mind.
Sometimes the messages are audible but are backwards, called
backmasking. There is disagreement among experts regarding the
effectiveness of subliminals. We need more research on that.
We hear frequently about the first amendment problem. In
closing, I would say that while we must protect our first amendment
freedoms, we must also protect minors from the abuse of those
freedoms. The first amendment, as I understand it, is not a blank
check. There are legal, constitutional limitations when we feel
that the abuse or the use of a freedom negatively impacts the
health of another segment of society. Use of the airwaves for
pornography and immoral purposes, especially when aimed at minors,
must be controlled somehow. Given the American philosophy, I think
we have given the so-called creative artists a wide berth. We have
given them more than the proverbial inch, and I believe they have
taken more than the proverbial mile.
Somehow we must send a message to the recording and radio
industry; enough is enough; you have gone too far. Parents are
fighting this scourge all over the country. We plead for help from
city councils, radio stations, advertisers and the record industry
itself.
I hope that this committee will find a way to send a message to
the industry: clean up your act or we will do it for you.
In the words of the heavy metal band, Twisted Sister,
"we're not going to take it anymore."
Thank you.
[The statement follows:]
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