While studying abroad in Santiago, Chile during 2007 I took some time to acclimate myself to the musical, social and political scene in the country. Chile is not yet 20 years free from a 17-year brutal authoritarian government, headed by General Augosto Pinochet, which tortured and murdered leftists and sympathizers (or here). One of the most symbolic figures of the violation of human rights and resistance to the military government as well as an iconic musical figure in the Nueva Canción (New Song) folk revival movements in Latin America was Victor Jara.
After picking up his album, El derecho de vivir en paz (The right to live in peace), I was instantly won over by his biting social commentary on issues of poverty, the Vietnam war and the toxic effects of US corporate control of Chile's natural resources not to mention his excellent sound musically (I'm sure you'll all notice that my grasp of social and historical issues far exceeds my musical savvy ;).
To the point, midway through the album I found myself humming the music to a song, Casitas del Barrio Alto. After a few listens, I realized that the song had been used as the theme song for the TV show Weeds. Though the lyrics are practically a direct translation, Jara's version has a stanza criticizing the children of the Chilean elite for using violence to attack leftists and 'play politics'. I've only seen parts of the second season of the show, however I'd like to know how consciously the creators of the show sympathize with Jara's message and the extent to which the show is critical of the very culture and lifestyle it chooses to portray.
Friday, February 1, 2008
How deep is the "Weeds" theme- song?
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2 comments:
Regarding Victor Jara, I found a lot of his music in Oaxaca, Mexico, when I studied there. Oaxaca was (and still is) in the midst of a battle between the government and a broad coalition of students, teachers, unions, farmers, human rights orgs, parties, the list goes on. The public square was occupied by the protesters, and a number of vendors (some affiliated with organizations and others just looking to make money) were selling CDs and DVDs. I looked through the music that some of the vendors had, and I saw a lot of Chilean music, both nueva canción from before the coup and anti-Pinochet hiphop from after the plebiscite (Victor Jara, Violeta Parra, Quilapayun, Inti-Illimani from the first group; Centinela Espectro and Guerrillerokulto in the second). I didn't follow up or ask the vendors about it, but I think it was interesting how music can reach across times and continents to influence politics and society.
Other examples aside from Jara: a lot of the punk/anarchist kids in Oaxaca listened to Spanish punk bands like Sin Dios and Ska-P (similarly, a few political Mexican bands have moved to Spain); Also, one of the most common songs I heard, sung by protesters during marches, included in documentaries, really just everywhere, was Venceremos, which was the campaign song for Salvador Allende. And finally, the words "Love is all you need" were spraypainted on the wall of a library -- Beatles, of course.
I know this deviates a little from your post, but I think it's still relevant, or at least interesting. Music truly has the power to cross oceans and inspire all generations to action.
Regarding your curiosity on the writers' sympathy towards Victor Jara (or lack thereof), I would say that the show does have a certain focus on some of the absurdity and contradiction in the typical American lifestyle, although probably not to a degree where a viewer would feel uncomfortable. Another factor to consider is that it is aired on Showtime, and not just for the drug refrences. I think that if Weeds were aired to a broader audience, there might be more protest against its message.
Some of the issues I've seen the show address: drug use among suburban white america (most obvious b/c of plot), sexuality (STDs, pregnancy, masurbation, sexualized culture but the contradiction in denial within personal realms), politics, racism, divorce, excess (mostly wealth, it touches on some economic disparity issues, ie gap between rich and poor), body image in women and eating disorders.
I'm sure I've missed some stuff, but now that I look at the list I would have to say that the writers really do sympathasize with Jara's message.
As an ending note, I'd just like to say that I really like Jara's song. The tune is pretty catchy, and the first time I heard the lyrics I was just fascinated by its upfront message about the way U.S. operates. It really made me think a lot about our culture, and how I fit into that message even though before I heard that song I vowed never to live in a gated community where all the houses look the same (cue the *little boxes, little boxes, and they're all made out of ticky-tacky*).
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