The inter-webs are abuzz with what Julian Casablancas and the Strokes did at the end of their final performance at Coachella a couple days ago. In the moment, in front of a bleary-eyed crowd of mostly 23-year-olds experimenting with unnamed drugs, it’s possible it felt like trying to educate a family of potato bugs on the theoretical quantum vacuum fluctuations near the event horizon of a black hole. But then the performance went viral.
The Strokes showed us how a pop culture platform can be used to help wake up a nation to the horrors done in our name. As they performed the song “Oblivious,” the giant LED screens behind them displayed many of the not-so-secret actions of the US government and CIA over the years.
The overthrow and murder of socialist leader Salvador Allende in Chile.
The crimes against humanity committed by the US and Israel in Iran over recent months.
The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. …Yes — if you were unaware — in the only trial ever held pertaining to the death of MLK Jr., after hearing from 70 witnesses a jury found that he was not murdered by James Earl Ray but instead by state and federal government forces. For more on that, check out The Plot to Kill King. (Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.)
The overthrow and then murder of the revolutionary leader and prime minister of the Congo, Patrice Lumumba.
And the genocide in Gaza — which the Strokes highlighted by showing the last university still standing in Gaza as it was obliterated by Israeli/ US bombs. They also highlighted images of slavery, the genocide of the Native Americans, and more.
This performance was not subtle. It did not beat around the bush. It clearly drew a line in the sand. Either you know these things and you give a shit, or you don’t and you don’t. In fact, as the images ingrained themselves in the crowd’s minds, Casablancas repeatedly sang the line “What side are you standing on?”
Judging by just how viral this moment has gone and just how many millions around the world have now watched the clips, it is clearly important. It’s important because it shows the power our celebrities have when they choose to use their platforms for good rather than just fame and fortune.
It also matters because it demonstrates how much the nation is waking up to what our country is and has been for decades. (For more on that, go here.) If people thought those facts flashing on the screens were conspiracy nonsense or flat earth bullshit, no one would care to share the video. It has gone viral precisely because so many people know or suspect it’s true. I doubt this would’ve been the case 10 or 15 years ago.
The fact that the ruling elite psychopaths are losing control of the narrative is why they’ve heavily ramped up efforts to control all media. The richest billionaires in the world have been buying up outlets. Social media platforms have altered their algorithms to suppress those of us who effectively criticize the empire. (I’ve had my YouTube, TikTok, and Spotify banned, my other pages shadow-banned, and my TV show canceled.)
In these times, it’s tempting to be cynical even when someone does something you agree with. It’s tempting to respond, “I’ve known about those things and been talking about them for years. That singer dude is way behind on this.” But whether you and I have known these things doesn’t matter. The Strokes’ political theater wasn’t meant for the chorus. It was meant for those who need to find out. It was meant for the millions who listen to the music but haven’t read anything about the murder of MLK or Allende or perhaps even the genocide in Gaza. And it got to them.
Sure, I dream of a world when it won’t be a big deal to see a famous band using their stage time to call out the war criminals and psychopaths who run our government. It won’t be a big deal because it will be so common. In fact, it will be weird when a hugely popular singer doesn’t talk about the US death machine. …Unfortunately, we aren’t in that world yet. We aren’t anywhere near it.
…but maybe we’re just slightly closer now.