First Blog of my Blog

(Originally posted on Oct. 11, 2007 by Jill)

"If ever I would stop thinking about music and politics"
- The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy

I was an odd kid. In third grade, I'd run home after school to watch the Watergate hearings. And when it wasn't the break-in I was obsessed with, it was the latest issue of Rolling Stone or what guitar Keith Richards was using. True, I didn't have many friends in that period. Music and politics were it for me. In fact, the first song that I ever performed was John Prine's "Sam Stone", about a Vietnam Vet who comes back home a junkie. I played it for our eighth- grade Christmas play. Everyone asked, "why?"

To this day, many of my songs address social or political issues. Granted, my one semi-hit "I Kissed a Girl" was no "Blowin' in the Wind," but it actually was the first song on MTV that blatantly dealt with homosexual sex (even if it was just first base). The song was banned on many radio stations. There actually was one in Nashville that played it, but would start with a disclaimer, " this song has alternative lifestyle content, so if you have children or...".

Since then, I have been using my musical services (as I have no other marketable skills) for various good causes and organizations, such as the Drug Policy Alliance, FAMM, Code Pink, and others. Along the way, I toured and performed with other activist-minded artists like Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Billy Bragg, Steve Earle, Cyndi Lauper, and Godsmack.

(Okay, Godsmack, to my knowledge, are not "progressives", but I did open for them once, sort of by mistake. Their audience didn't care for me much. It was just me onstage with my little folk guitar playing to a bunch of drunken frat boys yelling really mean things. I just thought I would mention that terrible night.)

When Yahoo Music asked me to write a blog, I thought, "What could I offer that would be different?" Since I spend way too much time consuming news & opinions, I thought I might as well put it to use? Why not combine the two things that interest me most in life -- music and politics-for my blog And I could also draw on my network of like-minded artist friends, all of whom, when asked, promised to help out.

Now, I don't want the blog to be about a few narrow issues. That would be boring. I think basically we can talk about anything we want here-from serious social issues, to the personal, to the ridiculous. For instance, I recently heard that Sting and his wife are swingers (gross).

So, this is the first blog of my blog for Yahoo blogs. Here goes...

Oh, and we made a theme song!

The Provocateurs: "The Provocateurs Theme Song " (MP3, 1:07)