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The Music We Play for Terrorists (and Dictators)
From Newsweek, via Matthew Yglesias:
In addition to waterboarding, Zubaydah was subjected to sleep deprivation and bombarded with blaring rock music by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. One agent was so offended he threatened to arrest the CIA interrogators, according to two former government officials directly familiar with the dispute.
This is unfortunate news for the Chili Peppers. But it does bring to mind another musical attack: the U.S. "Rock 'n' Roll assault" on Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega in 1990. When Noriega was holed up in the papal embassy in Panama City, the U.S. blasted music on enormous speakers as part of an attempt to flush him out. Because of the Freedom of Information Act, the most important details of this operation are now declassified: We know what was played during those fateful days. Some highlights after the jump.
"Big Shot," Billy Joel
"Feel a Whole Lot Better (When You're Gone)," Tom Petty
"Hang 'Em High," Van Halen
"Judgment Day" Whitesnake
"One Way Ticket," George Thorogood and the Destroyers
"Panama" (of course), Van Halen
"Electric Spanking of War Babies," Funkadelics
"Wanted Man," Molly Hatchet
"War Pigs," Black Sabbath
"We Didn't Start the Fire," Billy Joel
My favorite song on the list of U.S.-army-approved dictator-taunting music is "Don't Fear the Reaper," by Blue Oyster Cult. You just know that Noriega hates cowbell.
(You can read a longer list, see the original document, and learn the story of how it was released here.)
Comments
A pretty good list.
War pigs is the best on the list - if irony killed . . .
Another classic moment in US Military rock & roll history: The first song played after the Marines set up their Saudi forward base radio station during Desert Storm?
You guessed it. Rock the Casbah.
Posted by: davenow on 12/19/07 at 2:46 PM Respond
can we ask the CIA to release an album in time for Christmas?
Posted by: Eleanor on 12/19/07 at 3:06 PM Respond
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Posted by: capt on 12/19/07 at 1:35 PM Respond