Elvis Costello joins Israel boycott, canceling June shows

[Ognir]

'Humiliation and intimidation' of Palestinians behind decision to scrap Caesarea concerts, British singer says.



British singer-songwriter Elvis Costello this week became the latest in a list of stars to cancel performances in Israel as a political protest.

Costello, who was due to play two shows in Caesarea on June 30 and 31, posted a message on his website in which he announced that he would scrap the concerts in protest at what he termed the intimidation and humiliation of Palestinians by Israel.

"I must believe that the audience for the coming concerts would have contained many people who question the policies of their government on settlement and deplore conditions that visit intimidation, humiliation or much worse on Palestinian civilians in the name of national security," Costello wrote.

The singer's withdrawal follows similar moves by other high-profile musicians, including Santana and Gil Scott-Heron.

Costello wrote: "It has been necessary to dial out the falsehoods of propaganda, the double game and hysterical language of politics, the vanity and self-righteousness of public communiqués from cranks in order to eventually sift through my own conflicted thoughts."

While acknowledging that he was unlikely to be invited to Israel again, Costello said he could not have imagined a better time to announce the decision.

"Sometimes a silence in music is better than adding to the static," he said.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/el ... s-1.290936

Good for him :up:

[brandon dean]

"Sometimes a silence in music is better than adding to the static," he said.

well said, mr. costello.  like with all art, sometimes the best part of a song is the pause... in painting or sculpture, it could be the empty space, in poetry, it could be what you don't say as opposed to what you do say. good stuff...

this is great.  thanks for the post, ognir.  I gotta spread this around to my friends.  they'll be so happy.  it takes balls for a celebrity to take a stand like this.  makes me wonder how EC feels inside about zionism and all that stuff.  it'd be cool to talk to him about it.  I like some of his music a whole bunch, and respect all of it...

[Christopher Marlowe]

I'm a big fan. I'm glad he decided not to play for israhell.  When Paul McCartney played Tel Aviv, it was kind of advertising how irrelevant and clueless he has become.

Oliver's Army
Don't start me talking
I could talk all night
My mind goes sleepwalking
While I'm putting the world to right
Called careers information
Have you got yourself an occupation

CHORUS:
Oliver's army is here to stay
Oliver's army are on their way
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today

There was a checkpoint charlie
He didn't crack a smile
But it's no laughing party
When you've been on the murder mile
Only takes one itchy trigger
One more widow, one less white nigger
[CHORUS]
Hong Kong is up for grabs
London is full of arabas
We could be in Palestine
Overrun by a Chinese line
With the boys from the Mersey and the Thames and the Tyne

But there's no danger
It's a professional career
Though it could be arranged
With just a word in Mr. Churchill's ear
If you're out of luck you're out of work
We could send you to Johannesburg
[CHORUS]
And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today And I would rather be anywhere else
But here today

[Ognir]

spot on CM, just watched before reading

[youtube:vppbseyc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBeoS69u67c[/youtube]vppbseyc]

[kolnidre]

I always dug his music (incredible to think that King of America and Spike, two components of the soundtrack to my life, are well over 20 years old now.

Now my respect for him has risen even further. And damn, that was an eloquent statement.

Now I wish Joan Armatrading, one of my favorite all-time singers, would cancel her scheduled appearances in occupied Palestine. Please send her a letter via her website even if you don't know who she is or are unfamiliar with her (fabulous) music. Here's mine:

Dear Joan,

I have long been an admirer of you and your music. You charm the socks off me with phenomenal consistency, and you still do with This Charming Life. However, upon checking your tour dates I noticed you plan two concerts in Israel in June.

Perhaps you are unaware of the criminally unfair treatment of non-Jews in that country, its incessant terrorisation, wanton arrests, harrassment, and even murder at will of the native Palestinian population, along with the illegal nuclear program, refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty while at the same time kvetching about other countries developing merely nuclear energy, and the theft of land by racial supremacists so quaintly referred to as "settlers." If so, I implore you to look into the facts on the ground there and join other bold upholders of justice such as Carlos Santana, Gil Scott-Heron and recently Elvis Costello in boycotting Israel and raising your charming voice on behalf of Palestine.

It is not too late to cancel, as Mr. Costello has done with his scheduled June dates. This is a portion of his statement on his decision:

"I must believe that the audience for the coming concerts would have contained many people who question the policies of their government on settlement and deplore conditions that visit intimidation, humiliation or much worse on Palestinian civilians in the name of national security."

I dearly hope you will give this issue due consideration and make the right decision, which will only elevate your status in my eyes and those of countless others.

[Negentropic]

Santana's management is already kissing ass and denying that the cancellation was for political reasons

"Due to unforeseen concert scheduling conflicts on the upcoming Middle East Tour, Santana regretfully announces the postponement of some dates previously scheduled. These dates include the previously announced performance in Israel, it was announced by management today.
"We are sorry that our schedule has forced the postponement of certain dates previously scheduled," Michael Vrionis, CEO of Santana Management, said. "We look forward to performing in the many historic places that Santana has long wanted to return to."

They probably called his management and threatened to boycott him in Jewish owned venues all over the globe. Santana sold 15 million albums just a few years ago and is an iconic figure with Latin Americans, so they definitely can't afford to have him talk crap about Israhell. Vrionis is a Greek name by the way. Just having the clout as an artist to get a non-Jew to manage you when you're bringing in millions of dollars and there's so many Jew managers around looking for a piece of the action is a big deal. Sanatana probably got ripped off by a Jew manager earlier in his career like Zappa with Herb Cohen. In fact, Herb Cohen got sued by all three of his biggest stars Frank Zappa, Tom Waits & Linda Ronstadt, I wonder why . . .

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703409804575144051974708636.html


Costello's never had massive popularity like Santana and he had that incident early in his career when he drunkenly called Ray Charles "a blind ignorant nigger"  and it got all over the press.

http://www.wnew.com/2009/11/rock-101-elvis-costello-and-ray-charles.html

They'll probably just call him anti-seemite.





Looks like Costello's wife is still scheduled though for August 4. Maybe they'll get his wife to divorce his anti-seemite ass?  



http://www.touristisrael.com/diana-krall-israel-tel-aviv/1087/

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They're going to pin Costello's nuts to the wall for this one you can bet on it.  The same thing they did to Phil Collins a few years ago, calling him anti-seemite, etc. until he relented and included Israel on his final tour.

[Ognir]

Bob (Zimmerman) Dylan is a tribe member  :down: