Ronstadt Booted From Vegas For Praising Fahrenheit

[DudeAsInCool]

Singer Linda Ronstadt not only got booed, she got the boot after lauding filmmaker Michael Moore and his new movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" during a performance at the Aladdin hotel-casino.

Before singing "Desperado" for an encore Saturday night, the 58-year-old rocker called Moore a "great American patriot" and "someone who is spreading the truth." She also encouraged everybody to see the documentary about President Bush (news -web sites).

Ronstadt's comments drew loud boos and some of the 4,500 people in attendance stormed out of the theater. People also tore down concert posters and tossed cocktails into the air.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...people_ronstadt

[Shawn]

Hmm. Sort of strange isn't it?

I've been formulating a thought since I saw the CBC is now using the AP to file some stories, but I'll wait til I'm done it.

Suffice to say that I doubt the story's validity. Much as I remember the inconsistent audio files associated with Moore's Oscar speech, I also wonder if the press is pulling a quick one here. Are they reporting on the opinions of the majority of the theatre, or a few?

F'ing AP.

[Warflower]

From the Post:

SINGER Linda Ronstadt was hauled out of a Las Vegas casino by security guards after she praised Michael Moore and "Farenheit 9/11." It happened right after Ronstadt's Sat urday night concert at the Aladdin, where she dedicated "Desperado" to Moore, called him a "great American patriot," and encour aged the crowd to see his President Bush- bashing movie. The crowd, already annoyed by some snide remarks Ronstadt made, re sponded with a mass walk-out. Some tossed cocktails at her wall posters as they filed out. Ronstadt had complained that the Aladdin had falsely billed her show as a "greatest- hits" concert, add ing: "It figures. That's the way they do things here in Vegas." Aladdin presi dent Bill Timmins was in the audience and ordered that Ronstadt be escorted out. "She was asked not to go back to her suite," said Aladdin spokesperson Tyri Squyres. "Her suite was cleaned out, her things were collected and security es corted her out. She was not happy, but we were very polite about it." Squyres told us yesterday that the Aladdin had received dozens of calls supporting Timmins' decision: "People came for entertainment and she chose to make it a political forum." Ronstadt could not be reached for comment.

[nate]

unmentioned is the fact that she said before the show that she was trying to get fired

(from the AP source)"In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal before the show, Ronstadt said, 'I keep hoping that if I'm annoying enough to them, they won't hire me back.'"

moore's response (same AP wire)

Moore said Timmins owes Ronstadt an apology.

"I have an idea how you can make it up to her - and to the millions of Americans you have offended," Moore wrote. "Invite her back and I'll join her in singing 'America the Beautiful' on your stage. Then I will show 'Fahrenheit 9/11' free of charge to all your guests and anyone else in Las Vegas who wants to see it."

[DudeAsInCool]

Timmins is a first class asshole. In this country, one should be able to express their views, and one would expect to hear such from an artist. Fuck his hotel and fuck him...

[moonglow]

Timmins is a first class asshole.  In this country, one should be able to express their views, and one would expect to hear such from an artist.  Fuck his hotel and fuck him...

:bigsmile: Couldn't have said it better if I tried DAIC :good job:

[Umma]

DAIC has a talent with words

[moonglow]

that certaintly is true

[Redneck4sure]

Timmins is a first class asshole. In this country, one should be able to express their views, and one would expect to hear such from an artist. Fuck his hotel and fuck him...

Well Dude!!!

tell us how you really feel!!

I'm with Timmins on this one. She was hired to entertain.....not piss off a sizeable portion of the hotel's guests. She has a right to her opinions but no right to start at melee at someone else's business. Let's say I have a restaurant and a waitress tells all my customers her views on abortion to the point that a sizeable portion get pissed off and leave. Do you think I should keep her or fire her?? I think the waitress is free to express her opinions outside my restaurant but not on the job if offends my patrons. Linda knew full well that lots of people would resent her remarks but she said them anyway. I'll sleep better tonight knowing that I have never bought one of her albums. (but I kinda like the music :bigsmile: )

[ASUmusicMAN]

I have to say I agree with redneck. This isn't a first amendment battle; she's free to say whatever she wants. But no where in the constituition does it say you have to put up with everything everybody says. Otherwise what freedom do business owners have?

I mean are my employees allowed just to say whatever they want and me not be able to fire them? No! How do I get to play judge and jury? Well, it's my business, not some public forum.

[nate]

I have to say I agree with redneck. This isn't a first amendment battle; she's free to say whatever she wants. But no where in the constituition does it say you have to put up with everything everybody says. Otherwise what freedom do business owners have?

I mean are my employees allowed just to say whatever they want and me not be able to fire them? No! How do I get to play judge and jury? Well, it's my business, not some public forum.

yes

performers are glorified slaves--how dare they defy the wishes of their masters? they don't deserve to have 30 second opinions between 4 minute songs

did she go on an anti government tirade for an half an hour? nope. she called mm a patriot and then played desperado

musicians should just say "thanksa massa" and "yessuh" and sing songs like a jukebox

don't want opinions? try muzak

[DudeAsInCool]

Redneck/ASU - She is not a programmed robot, she is an artist, and artists have stories to tell and points of view. She didnt yell fire in a movie theater. If you guys are right, why stop at the concert hall. The record company could say the same thing and tell her not to write protest songs. All in all, its a pathetic commentary on society, that artists are subjected to punishment for speaking their minds, and I for one will have none of it. It's WRONG!

And seriously, Redneck, are you telling me you'll fight for her right to carry a gun but not to speak her mind?? Gimme a break

[method77]

perhaps Sir john is right <_>

http://www.beatking.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7295

[DudeAsInCool]

I thought it was a flippant thing to say, but maybe Elton is on to something. When people begin siding with corporate owners over artists over the right to express themselves, its a sad day. Very sad. That said, I would be just as adamant if an artist said something complimentary about Dick Cheney and they were booted from a show, or for that matter, for ASU or Redneck to epress their opinion here or anywhere else. In this country, we have the right to express our opinions...

The real culprits here were the unruly members of the audience who begain throwing drinks. Real classy...I wouldnt be caught dead in the same room as these jerks. They were the ones who should have been given the boot.

[DudeAsInCool]

Apparently, the NY Times agrees re: my assessment of the unruly crowd:

Desperadoes

Something went awry at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas last Saturday night. Linda Ronstadt did what she has done at several concerts across the country this summer. She dedicated the song "Desperado"- an encore - to Michael Moore and urged members of the audience to go see his new movie, "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Elsewhere, audiences have reacted to the mention of Mr. Moore by cheering, booing, walking out and sometimes glaring at one another in parking lots. At the Aladdin, a few audience members tore down posters, threw drinks and demanded their money back. According to one person who was present - William Timmins, the Aladdin's president - it was "a very ugly scene." Mr. Timmins promptly made it even uglier. He had Ms. Ronstadt ejected from the premises.

This behavior assumes that Ms. Ronstadt had no right to express a political opinion from the stage. It implies - for some members of the audience at least - that there is a philosophical contract that says an artist must entertain an audience only in the ways that audience sees fit. It argues, in fact, that an artist like Ms. Ronstadt does not have the same rights as everyone else.

Perhaps her praise for Mr. Moore, even at the very end of her show, did ruin the performance for some people. They have a right to voice their disapproval - to express their opinion as Ms. Ronstadt expressed hers and to ask for a refund. But if their intemperate behavior began to worry the management, then they were the ones who should have been thrown out and told never to return, not Ms. Ronstadt, who threatened, after all, only to sing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/21/opinion/...print&position=

[Kooperman]

If politics and social commentary had been outlawed in all recordings and public performances, as so many people seem to desire, the careers of Lenny Bruce, Mort Sahl, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul & Mary....Hell, all folks singers....and blues singers........would never have happened.

In this case, all she did was express support for Michael Moore in between-song patter...what the heck are those people being served in their drinks?

[ASUmusicMAN]

To answer some of the above questions...yes performers are slaves. Music Performer was THE LOWEST in job satisfaction, why? Because as a performer you are always told what to do. I know when I perform i'm told what to do leading up to it, during, and after.

Should this be a big deal, no. I personally would not have a problem with anything said (and seriuosly, what do you expect from her), and the vast majority of the time opinions at shows are welcome and accepted. But if as a business owner, the person you hired alienated half your audience to the point of them throwing drinks and asking for refunds, your hands are tied. If, as a performer people are throwing drinks, booing, and tearing down your posters then you aren't doing something right. Now am I saying be a robot? No, but in this current world where everyone seems to get offended at every little thing (see Arnold calling state lawmakers girlie men) getting dismissed for something like this is par for the course.

[moonglow]

You've got that right :(

[method77]

Ronstadt casino ban may be lifted

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3915875.stm

[DudeAsInCool]

Here is the story from the link at BBCNews.com:

Ronstadt casino ban may be lifted Ronstadt said she would continue to support Moore

Singer Linda Ronstadt, banned from a Las Vegas casino for supporting the anti-George Bush film Fahrenheit 911, may be allowed back to the venue.

Robert Earl, one of the men buying the Aladdin casino where the incident happened, said he was "very sorry" to hear Ronstadt had been banned.

"We respect artists' creativity and support their rights to express themselves," he said.

Ronstadt had urged the 4,500 crowd to see Michael Moore's controversial film.

I want people to get their head up out of their mashed potatoes and go and vote

Linda Ronstadt

The casino's current president Bill Timmins had Ronstadt, 58, banned from the casino after she called film-maker Moore a "great American patriot".

She said Moore was "spreading the truth." His film, which has been an enormous success in the US, is highly critical of President Bush and the US-led attack on Iraq.

Mr Timmins said her support during Saturday's concert had irked some in the audience, with fans ripping down her posters.

'Issues'

Ronstadt later told the Los Angeles Times she would continue to support Moore at her concerts.

"This is an election year," she told the paper. "I want people to get their head up out of their mashed potatoes and learn something about the issues and go and vote."

"I'm not telling them how to vote. I'm saying, 'get information about the issues'," she said.

Meanwhile, blues singer Bonnie Raitt dedicated a classic soul song, Your Good Thing (Is About to End) to the US president at the Stockholm Jazz Festival on Wednesday.

"We're gonna sing this for George Bush because he's out of here, people!" she said before launching into the song, which was written by soul legend Isaac Hayes.

Raitt's dedication drew cheers and whistles from some of the 3,000-strong crowd.

[Kooperman]

I have to admit that my Spidey-Sense kicks in when I hear anybody called a "great patriot" anymore. That term has become meaningless; all of the spin merchants use it to describe everyone from Oliver North to Barbra Streisand.

[Shawn]

source

Ms Ronstadt dedicated the song 'Desperado' to Fahrenheit 911 director Michael Moore at the Aladdin Hotel Casino in Las Vegas earlier this week and was quickly escorted from the venue. It was the most appalling examples of censorship ever seen in the United States, a country built on free speech.

-------

Here's another article about it. (Actually it is about her immienent return to Vegas, but...)

"most appalling examples of censorship ever seen in the United States" ? Umm, bullshit.

[DudeAsInCool]

"most appalling examples of censorship ever seen in the United States" ? Umm, bullshit.

The statment was hyperbole, but the casino's owner's action was disgusting and shouldnt be soft-peddaled

[Kooperman]

Posted on Fri, Jul. 23, 2004

Ronstadt gets audience walkout encore

By Bonita Brewer

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

LIVERMORE - Linda Ronstadt's political message sent close to a hundred concert-goers home early Thursday evening.

What had been a mellow evening at Wente Vineyards, with the crowd even serenading her with "Happy Birthday" at one point, turned into a rush for the exits by some fans angry by her encore tribute to filmmaker Michael Moore.

"She just had to do it," one fan steamed as he headed for the parking lot. "It was good until the end," another yelled to TV crews waiting outside the concert.

"She's getting out of line; it's ridiculous," said Cindy Williams of Livermore, as she left during the last song of the evening.

Ronstadt's encore dedication of the song "Desperado" to Moore, the controversial maker of "Fahrenheit 9/11" who she described Thursday as "a great American patriot," got her booted from a Las Vegas casino Saturday and drew cheers, some boos, and a few "traitor" yells from the Livermore crowd.

Until that last song, the concert had been an evening of good music and happy fans.

There was no shortage of conflicting opinions among the baby-boomer crowd, a sprinkling of them dressed in patriotic colors, but it was no referendum on the war in Iraq, no pro- or anti-Bush lovefest, or even a meeting of the Michael Moore fan club.

Concert-goers, who paid from $99 to $249 each for tickets, were well aware of the controversy, but said they just wanted to enjoy the songs.

"I love her music, but I hate her politics, and I hope she just sings," said Tina Uzelac of Livermore, who arrived wearing a flag sweater. "These tickets are pretty high-priced, and we're not paying to go to a political rally."

On Saturday, Ronstadt was booed by some audience members at the Aladdin hotel-casino, then booted from the hotel by management after dedicating her "Desperado" encore to Moore and his film,, which excoriates President Bush over the war in Iraq.

Ronstadt won over the Livermore crowd after her first jazzy number, backed by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

"Normally we end the show with 'Desperado,' but tonight we'll end with 'Viva Las Vegas,'" the singer said, drawing laughs, a long, warm cheer and a few grunts from the crowd of 1,750.

"There are too many Republicans in Vegas," Mike Donnelly of Clayton said before the show. "I think the response (to her remarks) has been ridiculous and ludicrous."

Corey and Susan Tate of Livermore came to the concert with a gift for Ronstadt -- an American flag, with a note on its paper wrapper: "To Linda, a patriot. Bless you."

"I've been listening to Linda since 1967. She has been a standard-bearer for liberal causes, and I'm glad she spoke up ... People like her represent America; it's not just people with conservative views," Corey Tate said.

The controversy created a sellout, said Wente president Carolyn Wente.

About 20 people angered by Ronstadt's comments dropped plans to attend, but their traded-in tickets were snatched up and the show was sold out Wednesday.

"It was just a handful (turning in tickets) when you consider there are 1,700 folks coming," Wente said before the show.

Wente said she did not ask Ronstadt to refrain from any political comments.

"We don't take any position on any of our artists' political thoughts or perceptions," she said.

With her comments Saturday, Ronstadt became the latest liberal musician to use the stage for political views, and another to suffer conservative backlash.

• In March 2003, Dixie Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines' comments against Bush and the Iraq war triggered a boycott by a group of more than 200 radio stations.

• At a recent John Kerry fund-raiser, actress Whoopi Goldberg made several crude puns on Bush's name, and complaints led to her firing as a spokeswoman for Florida-based Slim-Fast.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctime.../printstory.jsp

[Kooperman]

The asinine and knee-jerk reactions by all of these drink-throwers and early leavers do more to spotlight the hatred sewn by conservative leaders over the last decade than any articles I could post. In America today, it's apparently appropriate to have only one mindset concerning political issues...that espoused by the Republican Party. Any other opinions are not recognized by God and Rush Limbaugh (sometimes interchangeable deities in conservative circles), and therefore are invalid. Consequently, anyone owning up to even a flicker of a belief not toeing the Republican line is to be degraded, ostracized and thrown under the bus.