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September 20, 2004
Why is Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi's club sponsoring a kill-gays singer?
Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi are actors--and, by all accounts, civilized people. They are also the sole owners of the chain of clubs known as the House of Blues. This coming Thursday, September 23, will be headlining at the Chicago House of Blues the Jamaican reggae singer Capleton. In his repertoire are songs which call openly for the killing, maiming, and burning alive of gay people.
"Chi-Chi" is Jamaican patois, a perjorative slang term for gay people. One of Capleton's most frequently performed songs is called "Bun Out Di Chi Chi," which translates as 'Burn out the queers." The song calls on those who hear it to Bun out ah Chi Chi, Blood out ah Chi Chi." In the latter phrase, "blood out" means to stab, chop, cut or shoot."
It's hard to believe that either Aykroyd or Belushi are in favor of calling for violence and death to be directed at lesbians and gays. Yet the stage of their club is to be used for just this purpose. Capleton is scheduled to perform in two other Aykroyd/Belushi-owned clubs, one in West Hollywood (of all places)
on October 4th, and one in New Orleans on October 11.
If you want to know why the House of Blues is sponsoring a singer who incites his audience to violence against gays, why not write:
Jim Belushi
c/o ABC's According to Jim
4024 Radford Ave.
Norvet Bldg 3rd Floor
Studio City, CA 91604
Capleton, however, isn't the only one who wants to kill gays--so does Jimmy Swaggart. Last week, as 365gay.com reports, the prostitute-frequenting televangelist told his New Orleans congregation:
"I'm trying to find the correct name for it ... this utter absolute, asinine, idiotic stupidity
of men marrying men. ... I've never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry.
And I'm gonna be blunt and plain; if one ever looks at me like that, I'm
gonna kill him and tell God he died." Swaggart flatters himself--who'd want him?
Posted by Doug Ireland at 12:03 PM | Permalink
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Comments
I don't suppose Belushi/Aykroyd have much of anything to do with the day-to-day of the House of Blues empire and even less with fisking of the artists the chain books. But, assuming they are socially responsible people (no reason not to give them the benefit of the doubt), they might appreciate the heads up as to the content of Capelton lyrics. As someone whose knowledge of reggae begins and ends with John Marley and Jimmy Cliff I am grateful for the heads up.
Posted by: Pat O'Connor | Sep 23, 2004 11:47:48 PM
Anonymous Coward: Freedom of speech is about Capleton's right to express his views in the political arena. Free speech is not about the right to be financially supported to perform in a privately owned club. I don't see where Ireland argues that Aykroyd and Belushi should agree with every lyric of every singer who comes in. His statement says "it's hard to believe" they support that kind of viewpoint. It's also hard to believe they would want to book any performer who calls for burning a group of people to death. It's likely they are unaware of Capleton's history, which is why writing them is not a bad idea.
Posted by: Jack | Sep 22, 2004 11:46:54 AM
Its something called the freedom of speech. People have the right to say and write song lyrics in whichever manner they see fit. Just because they are letting someone perform in their venue, does not mean that they directly support the artists views. They are countless of artists who have performed at the house of blues with many various viewpoints on many socio-political issues, are you trying to say that by letting the any artist peform in the venue, that Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi are agreeing with EVERY lyric the artist is saying. How dumb of you.
Posted by: Anonymous Coward | Sep 20, 2004 9:03:27 PM
