Stung by Sting...

[onmyknees]

I never held the illusion that rock icons were model citizens, or
even had a conscience, in fact the contrary made them even more
attractive in some cases. But Sting always seemed to challenge that narrative. His politics certainly weren't mine, but I admired his commitment ,consistency and his talent. Well....it appears he's just another causality in a long line of hypocritical "do as I say ..not as I do"
rockers and Hollywood sell out types. Hollywood Blvd. is littered with them ! You know...the ones who suddenly develop a conscience when they become millionaires. Springstein gets a tad annoying with that political shit at his concerts as well...I'm paying to hear his music not his political speeches between songs. Frank Zappa was right."Shut up and Play Your Guitar"..Sting can play for whoever the fuck he pleases, and makes as much money as humanly possible..That's his prerogative. I just don't ever want to hear his railing about Human Rights again. Sorry Sting...you have no credibility. Sting has the dubious honor of being the "Deceiver of the Week" from the
website Deciever.com. I quote...



"
22
Apr
2010

Sting Will Play for Dictators That Aren't Named Bush !!!!!!!!
By Pastafarian ........Well, well, well Sting, aka Mr. Human Rights. And so I guess Sting's going rate for violating his own deeply held
personal beliefs is oh, around $2 million.
(<http://thedailyfix.com/2010/04/13/stings-blood-money-from-secret-concert)
At least that's what he was reportedly paid back in November when he
played in Uzbekistan for a "secret" concert for the daughter of one the
world's most brutal dictators, Islam Karimov. Tickets reportedly cost
from $1,000 to $2,000 apiece. Or about 45 times what the average
Uzbekistanian earns in a year. Broke-ass losers. LOL
Here's what he had to say to the UK Guardian.

"I am well aware of the Uzbek president's appalling reputation in the
field of human rights as well as the environment. I made the decision to
play there in spite of that." ...
"I have come to believe that cultural boycotts are not only pointless
gestures, they are counter-productive, where proscribed states are
further robbed of the open commerce of ideas and art and as a result
become even more closed, paranoid and insular."
Huh? I'm sure a "cultural boycott" (by which he doesn't mean they refuse
to play music by the Police, does he?) inspired Karimov to boil people
in oil.
Sting insists that the whole thing was organized by UNICEF. Something
they deny. A UNICEF spokesman was described as "quite surprised"
by Sting's statement.
What do you think: Would this guy have ever played for a Bush twin
birthday party? Or how about a Palin kid's graduation?
My guess is, Not for all the money in the world."





"Sting’s Lame Alibi: Why I did show in torture-loving Uzbekistan"
http://www.harpers.org/archive/2010/02/hbc-90006186

[fred41]

Wow..It would have been better for sting if he said nothing at all, than give the ridiculous answer that he gave....what a douche.

[trish]

"I have come to believe that cultural boycotts are not only pointless
gestures, they are counter-productive, where proscribed states are
further robbed of the open commerce of ideas and art and as a result
become even more closed, paranoid and insular."

That answer doesn't sound so ridiculous to me. He took two million of their dollars, and in return gave them a few songs and and a lot of "annoying ... political shit".

[russtafa]

rock stars love to talk bullshit

[giovanni_hotel]

So capitalism and the free market are only good for conservatives?? Why do you really care where or who Sting performs for anyway??

I hope you have equal disdain for the legacy of Frank SInatra, whose early career was bankrolled by organized crime and many of whom were his intimate associates.

If you seek political guidance/moral inspiration from a rock star, don't be surprised when you get hit by shit in the face.
Doesn't make them bad people, doesn't make them hypocrites either. If you think about it, what greater blow could Sting strike against a tyranny than performing in that country??

Rock music did almost as much to tear down the Berlin Wall as did U.S. foreign policy in the 1980s.

[fred41]

rock stars love to talk bullshit

True.
Rockstars will be rockstars...some are cool and just let the music do the talking and some are douchebags, but I'll still listen to their music because if I stopped doing that every time I disagreed with them ..I'd have very few CDs (or downloads).
...It does become a little harder to do that when they're the "in your face" type of asshole...but Sting is not the worst when it comes to that..and he does have an impressive body of music.
Sting always had a bit of a rep. as a pompous ass...here's a cute little story I found..don't know if it's true or not..but I liked it: http://www.memoryarchive.org/en/Robert_Plant_at_the_Checkerboard,_late_1980s

Sting..sometimes i like him..sometimes I don't. As to his personality..it's not like you don't get a warning towards it just by the fact that he calls himself "Sting"...

[trish]

"...don't know if it's true or not..but I liked it"

Isn't that quintessential?

[fred41]

"...don't know if it's true or not..but I liked it"

Isn't that quintessential?

Yes, I suppose it is.. :)

[BluegrassCat]

If he was a sell-out then he would play for Bush or Palin, not that he needs to accept any $2 million offers, he's doing just fine. So you're saying that he is principled but you don't agree with his principles. Fair enough.
More generally on the issue of human rights, what does it matter who is advocating them? Protecting human rights is the right thing to do whether it's Sting, Toby Keith, or Spongebob Squarepants saying it. Don't get caught up in character assassination and guilt by association, it makes for lousy decision making.

[fred41]

If he was a sell-out then he would play for Bush or Palin, not that he needs to accept any $2 million offers, he's doing just fine. So you're saying that he is principled but you don't agree with his principles. Fair enough.
More generally on the issue of human rights, what does it matter who is advocating them? Protecting human rights is the right thing to do whether it's Sting, Toby Keith, or Spongebob Squarepants saying it. Don't get caught up in character assassination and guilt by association, it makes for lousy decision making.

The OP didn't say this at all...not even close.
Sting didn't play for the masses in Uzbekistan...he got a couple of mil. to play a private concert for the daughter of a brutal dictator (who boils his enemies in oil)..and her social elites.

You think that's O.K.? If you do ..fine....

..but you can't think that's O.k...but playing for Bush would be selling out. Get real.

[russtafa]

human rights is a western concept thats not embraced by asia. i doubt it will last to the end of the century

[BluegrassCat]

The OP didn't say this at all...not even close.
Sting didn't play for the masses in Uzbekistan...he got a couple of mil. to play a private concert for the daughter of a brutal dictator (who boils his enemies in oil)..and her social elites.

You think that's O.K.? If you do ..fine....

..but you can't think that's O.k...but playing for Bush would be selling out. Get real.

I didn't say it was ok, not even close. He did call him a sell-out, and a sell-out would perform for anyone for the right payment, which directly contradicts that he wouldn't perform for Bush/Palin.

Get real.