Silent press: great artists banned

The reason is generally always the same: the values ​​transmitted by a certain musical star are not suitable for young people. Another veto variable is that the artist has expressed support for causes or nations contrary to the country where they intend to perform. In this sense, China leads the ranking in bans, as well as in particular suspicion of female artists from Muslim-influenced Southeast Asia.

This is the list of ignominy towards some of the greatest exponents of popular music of the last 60 years.

In 1965, the group that changed everything almost went to Israel. A businessman initiated the contacts, while the government became concerned. The visit a few years earlier of the British Elvis – the stuffy Cliff Richard – had negatively impressed the authorities due to the delirious reaction of fans, until an official committee determined that the Beatles lacked “a high cultural standard “. exerting “a bad influence on young people”.

They never occurred in Israel and it was not until 2008 that the country’s ambassador to the UK apologized for its veto.

Without providing further information about his historical sources, Elton John said in a 2010 interview that “Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent homosexual.” It was then that the director of the Union of Egyptian Musicians reacted by declaring that they would not allow the presence of “a homosexual who wants to ban religions”, who had also dared to claim that “the prophet Issa ( the Arabic name for Jesus) was gay” and, to make matters worse, he had called for “sexual freedom” for gays in the Middle East. The show scheduled for those dates in the land of the pyramids was suspended and entry banned .

They failed to set foot on the airport porch in 1972, when the members and entourage of Led Zeppelin learned that they would not be able to perform in Singapore. Alarmed by the rise of the hippie, the government had banned long hair for men during the previous decade, a measure that was still in effect at the time. The Bee Gees suffered the same fate.

This case is curious because the veto did not come from the government or religious leaders, but from American colleagues themselves towards the flagship group The Kinks, prevented from performing in the country during the second half of the 60s. Its origins were a turbulent tour in 1965. with shows suspended due to incidents and notorious drinking on the part of the British. The fatal spark occurred during a television show where they were reprimanded for being late. A production member’s speech which included slights towards England provoked the fury of frontman Ray Davies, who responded with a punch. Thus, the federated musicians succeeded in ensuring that for four years the creators of You really got me They were unable to perform on American soil during “the best years of the Kinks’ career”, according to Davies.

In 2017, Katy Perry was banned from entering China to take part in a Victoria’s Secret fashion show, because a few years earlier, during a concert in Taipei – the capital of Taiwan – she had tied a flag of the country around from his neck. a dress with sunflowers, one of the symbols of Taiwanese resistance to Chinese claims on its territory.

The Australian Department of Labor and Immigration was adamant about a possible visit by Alice Cooper in 1975. The chief assured that he would not allow the entry of “a degenerate who could powerfully influence the young and the feeble-minded.” A few years later, the denial against Shock Rock’s father was revoked.

“Yusuf Islam has been placed on watch lists for activities that may be linked to terrorism.” The sentence was handed down in 2004 by the US Department of Homeland Security against the artist known worldwide as Cat Stevens, due to post-9/11 paranoia. “Half of me wants to smile and the other half wants to growl,” commented the soft rock symbol. “This is all completely ridiculous.”

“Everyone knows who I am. “I’m not a secret figure,” he added. “Everyone knows my campaign for charity, for peace. “There must be many explanations.” The veto was lifted in 2006.

The threat emanating from the Islamic Defenders Front was serious and dramatic. If Lady Gaga tried to get off the plane, they would block her way. All this to defend Malaysian youth, avoiding at all costs being exposed to their “sexy clothes” and choreographed movements. Before getting there, the government chose to ban their entry.

“We have decided to remove the band from the program,” German festivals Rock AM Ring and Rock AM Park announced early last year of the reunited Pantera. Part of the pressure came from the Green Party, reluctant to have the kings of 90s metal present, due to events involving Phil Anselmo at a live event in 2016, where he performed the characteristic Nazi salute while shouting a racist proclamation in favor of “white power.”

The pretext was simple: too provocative. The accusation against Malaysia’s Beyoncé was not about her words but about her clothing, which was considered out of line by Muslim belief. As a result, the pop superstar had to exclude the country from her tour last year. It’s not the only one to have been banned in Malaysia. In 2013, Kesha was banned for harming the “religious sensitivities and cultural values ​​of Malaysians”, according to the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia. Although the American singer promised to change the content of her lyrics and her wardrobe, which favors skimpy and tight clothing, the government threatened to arrest her.

Four years earlier, the same accusations had led Rihanna to suspend her presentation in the country, but with some additional arguments put forward by the Pan-Malay Islamic Party (PAS), pointing to possible support for the singer. umbrella towards Israel. “Whether Rihanna realizes it or not, we know that the taxes she pays also contribute to the war in Gaza,” said PAS’ Kamaruzzaman Muhammad. His show, he claimed, was “an insult to Eastern culture.”

Five years earlier, the same spokesperson had advised against the presence of Avril Lavigne. “It’s considered too sexy for us… It’s not good for viewers in Malaysia,” he said, then alluding to the qualities every pop star should have. “We don’t want our fellow citizens, our teenagers, to be influenced by their actions,” he said. “We want clean artists, artists who are good role models. »

A photo or greeting to the Dalai Lama, the leader of Tibet, is reason enough for the Chinese government to ban entry into the country. Selena Gómez, banned from concerts in the superpower, knows this well, as does Maroon 5. One of the members of the group led by Adam Levine dared to greet via Twitter the spiritual figure who represents the Tibetan resistance to the Chinese government. As the authorities of the superpower do not let them pass, they were vetoed.

This is a double case. In November 2013, during a show in Argentina, the Canadian pop star had the bad idea of ​​kicking some flags thrown by the audience. Although he apologized on Twitter – “I am truly sorry to those who misinterpreted my actions and I hope you can forgive this mistake” – four years later, in New York, fans told him presented an Albiceleste flag, while the singer left in a limousine. The Baby interpreter picked it up and immediately threw it away. Meanwhile, Argentine authorities have declared the pop idol persona non grata, under threat of arrest if he returns to the country. However, the reason for this dubious status was not the 2013 flag incident, but the fact that a Bieber bodyguard beat and robbed a trans-Andean photographer. The Canadian was also banned in China.

A joke turned into a star incident Wrecking ball with the susceptible Chinese regime. In 2009, at just 16 years old, Miley Cyrus published images where she appeared with friends, including an oriental one, squinting her eyes with her index finger. Protests immediately took place in different Asian communities, who found the image offensive. “The photograph is part of a long and unfortunate history of people mocking and denigrating individuals of Asian descent,” the Chinese American Organization (OCA) proclaimed. For the entity, Cyrus’ photo encouraged and legitimized mockery of the Asian population in general, including “many Asian and Pacific American friends.” The Chinese government responded by banning all products associated with Hannah Montana, its famous Disney Channel character.

It is also not welcome in the Dominican Republic. Ten years ago, he was banned in the Caribbean country for “committing acts contrary to morals and customs, which are punishable by Dominican law,” according to an official statement.