Tunes for torture

October 24, 8:03 AMHartford Wellness ExaminerDiana Duel

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Hartford Wellness Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

While music is generally thought of as therapeutic (see The Healing Power of Music, published Oct. 14, 2009), "sound at a certain level creates sensory overload and breaks down subjectivity that can bring about regression to infantile behavior," states Suzanne Cusick, music professor at New York University. Cusick is an expert on the use of music as torture in current  war, who adds that "its effectiveness depends more on the constancy of the sound, rather than the qualities of the actual music."

It has now come to light that some of the most popular music enjoyed worldwide has been corrupted as tools of torture at Guantanamo and other detention camps, and has elicited outrage by many of the artists whose songs may have been used including Roseanne Cash, Pearl Jam, REM and Nine Inch Nails. "The fact that music I helped create was used in crimes against humanity sickens me", commented Tom Morello, formerly of Rage Against the Machine.

Although a spokeman for the White House has declared that music is no longer used in torture practices, a large coalition of musicians has endorsed a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the National Security Archive (an independent research group based in Washington) requesting that all records related to use the use of music as coercive instruments during interrogations be released. In addition, they are seeking to find out what songs were used and whether they have any legal recourse in this matter. The musicians' announcement is in league with a new campaign led by former congressman Tom Andrews of Maine to close Guantanamo and has the backing of many veterans and retired army brass.

Songs believed to have been used as torture include: the theme songs from Sesame Street ant Barney the Dinosaur, the Meow Mix (cat food) jingle, Aerosmith, The Bee Gees, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Queen, Tupak Shakur, Dr Dre, Eminem, Meatloaf, Don McLean, Matchbox Twenty, Pink, Prince, Neil Diamond, Bruce Springstein, and even The Star Spangled Banner, among many others.