What’s a protest without a soundtrack? Music can both inspire and bolster the flagging spirit of a sleep-deprived throng, while an unoriginal and stupid kumbaya chant can make the most well meaning movement look well, unoriginal and stupid. Our first nominee for Best Musical Score put together a plucky chant to confront Measure 9 supporters. It’s the Lesbian Avengers with the undeniably ribald and catchy jingle, “2-4-6-8: Proud to be the beaver state!”
Or consider if you will, last year’s well-publicized labor melee between Powell’s City of Books and its employees. Management had been accused of photographing workers who attended rallies and protests, allegedly even firing a union supporter. Last May Day, employees staged a day long walk-out protesting what they considered to be unfair labor practices. Along the way they chanted, “We love the books, but we won’t shelve for crooks,” and “Are you ready to fight? Damn Right! Are you ready to drink? What do you think?!”
But the winner for this year’s Best Musical Score comes from Whitney Smith, the Green Party candidate for state senate, who managed to put a little toe-tap into the eye-glazingly boring topic of campaign reform. (Sung, more or less, to the tune of BTO’s “Taking Care of Business”):
“If your limo’s on time, you start to brown-nose by nine, and ignore the voters that got you your seat. It’s that special interest money that you are spending, it sends the democratic process a defeat. It shows you’re selling out to business, every day. Selling out to business, every way. Selling out to business, all the time. Selling out to business, across the line. Sell Out!”