1) Elvis Costello is not too bright. He claims, in his explanation for the cancellation of the concerts, which were to have happened this past week, that...
"...there are occasions when merely having your name added to a concert schedule may be interpreted as a political act that resonates more than anything that might be sung and it may be assumed that one has no mind for the suffering of the innocent."
This remains some of the least sound logic I've ever heard a musician make regarding a political act. Obviously removing his name from the bill is a greater political statement than including it. And, in his cancellation, he punishes the Israeli fans who ask only to enjoy their freedom at a rock show with Elvis as the featured artist. This statement is hardly akin Mohammad Ali refusing to join the American Military or Joan Baez burning her bra, personal choices acted out on a national stage. Rather Mr. Costello punishes an entire nation for a highly controversial event that was carefully orchestrated by anti-Zionist "activists" to pull the wool over the eyes of people like him. Bravo, Elvis, you were successfully duped. Moreover, I wonder how many Gazans have ever even heard of you.
The Pixies have not given a clear statement as to why they dropped out, though the act itself is clear as day.
2) I am highly impressed with Elton John (for the first time in my life). As shown here, Sir Elton, continued with his promise to play for 50,000 fans in Tel Aviv in June. To show his support for the country, and recognize the ridiculousness of Mr. Costello's impotent political actions, John quipped: "We do not cherry-pick our consciences." Nice work, Elton. Who would have thought a gentile who once did a duet with Minnie Mouse, would make the boldest political defense for Israel of any artist in the world? Since Elton is a gay man who values the social acceptance enjoyed by homosexuals in Israel, I would.
3) It is clear that a significant number of western artists, many of whom enjoy a highly loyal fanbase in Israel, are under pressure to reject that audience and betray it by making controversial statements, thereby alienating an important consumer audience in American Jews and Israelis. Yet, there has been relatively little feedback from the American pop music community of any religion. Sadly, many artists would rather remain apolitical than find themselves embroiled in a struggle like that of the Dixie Chicks when they rejected Texas-kinship to George W. Bush at a concert after the American invasion of Iraq.
My hat is off to Eric Grossman of K's Choice, whose social media posts chastise Mr. Costello for being a "douchebag" and an "idiot." Mr. Grossman "fell in love" with Israel after his band toured there. If the Birthright Israel program is designed to foster the same sense of affinity for Israel in young Jews, then perhaps Israel needs to make it a matter of public relations to start bringing far more bands to the country. Yes, Madonna and Aerosmith have played in the Holy Land, but I would argue the best way to create devotees of Israel in the international artist community is to simply invite artists to see how Israelis live on a day-to-day basis.
Political acts described here do more to damage the credibility and intelligence of artists than to help the groups they hope to support. Sure, they believe they are taking a stand and helping the people of Gaza, but what do they gain long term? They don't add fans, they just create division. They don't help their own personal brands, they simply demonstrate they are pawns of forces much smarter and greater than themselves.
To be clear, Israeli's recorded music industry is small-- valued at $45 million in yearly sales in 2007 with 2.5 million albums sold-- but the country is known as an excellent touring location and one of the only spots in the region where Western artists enjoy success (which could be due to the huge volume of music related piracy there). The Pixies, who have never played in Israel and never will, are throwing away an interested audience in which over 90% of teens use the internet, ostensibly to listen to The Pixies, among other things.
The Klaxons, another activist band who canceled in Israel, may believe they are helping the Palestinians, but what they are really doing is simply drawing attention to themselves and their political missteps. In the end, this is not a situation like the Dixie Chicks-- three brave women standing up to conventional wisdom to simply make statements they see as accurate and true about their country's lousy calculations-- but a Brit getting involved in Israeli and Turkish politics of which he knows little. The result, unfortunately, is that his act will be forgotten by those in favor and remembered eternally by the former staunch fans who give him a megaphone for such statements in the first place.
Once upon a time there were artists who supported the Vietnam War too, though, for the life of me I can't name a single one. I wonder why.
