Art and Rap Lyrics

I feel no desire to buy 2 Live Crew’s “As Nasty as They Wanna Be.” However, I don’t want a lawmaker or, worse yet, a “concerned citizen” to make that decision for me.

What is most dangerous about pending legislation on album content is that everybody from record companies to store owners can be held responsible, fined or even jailed for “obscenity.”

And all of this agitation comes to us under the guise of shielding youth from a conspiring band of “pornographic” and “obscene” artists. But what does it really solve other than putting a chill on the record industry and on any sort of expression other than elevator music? Used to be you couldn’t view Elvis’ hips on TV. Now he’s a cultural icon.

2 Live Crew wouldn’t necessarily drive me to drinkin’ or unprintable sex, but a music store full of government-approved albums surely would.

BRENT ANDERSON

Venice