Moby: “Everyone in New York is trying to cope, but none of us really know how. We pretend it’s not real, but it is, and you can’t avoid it for too long. None of us know who has died. We all know people who worked in those buildings or who lived nearby. So we wait. And cry. And drink. And get numb. And get angry. And get sad.”
Tori Amos: “Those of you who are strong need to be there for those who have lost someone [on Tuesday]. We have to be here for each other right now.”
David Bowie: “Like you, I never thought I would see anything like this in my lifetime. Our world will never be the same . . . Life here will continue. New Yorkers are a resilient and fast-thinking people. In this way they really do resemble my own Londoners.”
Aerosmith: “Our hearts and prayers go out to the injured and the families of those who perished. This country is all about freedom and we’re proud to be an American band.”
Pantera: “There are no words worthy to express the sorrow we feel for those who lost loved ones in [Tuesday’s] terrible tragedy.”
R.E.M.: “Definitely the saddest [day] any of us have ever experienced. On so many levels, our world is changed forever, and it was pretty shaky anyway.”
Who cares about what movie is hitting theaters this Friday? Who’s interested in watching season premieres of television series to tie up last year’s cliffhangers? Who’s waiting for the huge fall album releases that include the likes of Michael Jackson and Britney Spears? After last Tuesday’s appalling tragedy, entertainment seems so trivial. And it is.
Or is it?
Most of last week Americans were plastered to their televisions, computers, radio, and newspapers seeking up-to-the-minute coverage of the devastating attacks. It wasn’t until the weekend approached that many people decided to step back and realize that they turn to entertainment for enjoyment-something that holds the attention by something amusing or diverting.
Right now, they turn to musicians and the music industry for direct aid, as the industry mobilizes to help victims of Tuesday’s terrorist attacks and their families.
Most notably, a group of pop stars led by Michael Jackson plan to record a new song to raise a staggering $50 million for survivors and families of victims of last week’s terrorist attacks. Jackson will produce the song called “What More Can I Give,” which will be recorded in English and Spanish versions. The all-star recording so far includes Jackson, Destiny’s Child, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake of ‘N Sync, Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys, and Mya, with other names sure to follow.
“I believe in my heart that the music community will come together as one and rally to the aid of thousands of innocent victims,” Jackson said. “There is a tremendous need for relief dollars right now and through this effort each one of us can play an immediate role in helping comfort so many people.”
The song will be released as soon as possible and proceeds from the song’s distribution will go to a relief fund for the victims’ families and survivors.
Jackson is no stranger to helping out important causes and unfortunate victims. In 1985 Jackson co-wrote and performed “We are the World” in which scores of pop stars participated. The song has raised $65 million for famine relief organization USA for Africa.
“We have demonstrated time and again that music can touch our souls. It is time we used that power to help us begin the process of healing immediately,” Jackson said.
Alanis Morissette also wants to stage one or more benefit concerts for those affected by the tragedy. In a message to fans on her website (www.alanismorissette.com), she wrote that she’s talking to others “about putting on some sort of relief show(s) with the purpose of reaching out to those who have been touched by all that has happened this week…I’ll keep you posted.”
Madonna has also contributed to the tragedy by donating proceeds from all three of her last gigs in Los Angeles. Her decision to donate the funds follows a prayer for peace she led on Friday, urging Bush to show restraint: “I’d like everyone to say a prayer that President Bush practices restraint in his decision making, and he does not retaliate this act of violence with another act of violence. Because violence only begets violence.”
“I don’t know about you, but I want to live a long and happy life, and I want my kids to live a long and happy life,” she continued. “We’re not doing this show because we want people to forget,” she told the audience, which included such celebrities as actress Cameron Diaz and comedian Andy Dick. “We’re doing this because we want people to remember how precious life is.” “It was horrible [on Tuesday], but I’d like to think of it as a wake-up call. There’s terrorism every day all over the world,” Madonna said.
Backstreet Boys donated at least $10,000 in proceeds from their show Wednesday in Toronto to the American Red Cross and New York and Washington, D.C., police and fire department funds.
Record companies are also helping out, according to MTV. Vivendi Universal, parent of the Universal Music Group (Interscope, Geffen, A’M, Island Def Jam), will donate $5 million to relief efforts, as well as raising money for the United Way’s September 11th Fund by matching employee donations (on a two-to-one basis).
MTV also reports that Bertelsmann, which houses BMG Entertainment (RCA, Arista, La Face, Bad Boy, J Records), has donated $2 million to a fund that will assist families of firefighters and police officers lost in the World Trade Center disaster, and the EMI Group pledged $1 million to relief efforts.
Over the weekend, sympathetic songs by Live, U2, Enya, and others have been transformed into radio memorials helping listeners cope with the devastating tragedy.
Pop stars have shined brightly in the past week by not only providing the fodder for consolation but also becoming an integral part in direct aid. Their outpouring of support is highly commendable. They have showed that entertainment is tremendously important not only in our every day lives but also in times of uncharacteristic need.
