In Hollywood, Democrats Teetering on Tipper Issue

Some Hollywood Democrats expressed concern Thursday that Mary Elizabeth (Tipper) Gore’s mid-’80s fight against suggestive rock lyrics could resurface as a campaign fight over censorship now that her husband, Tennessee Sen. Albert Gore Jr., has been selected as the Democratic vice presidential choice.

With the entertainment community already reeling from a series of attacks on Hollywood values--and particularly on rap music lyrics that appear to advocate the killing of police officers--some said that the senator’s presence on the ticket might represent an attempt by Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton, the party’s presumptive presidential nominee, to exploit Tipper Gore’s position on rock lyrics and to show the Democrats’ support for “family values.”

“I would say that, when I talk about Al Gore, the first reaction is: ‘He’s great on the environment,’ ” said one organizer of Hollywood political events who asked not to be named. “And the second is: ‘What about Tipper ? It’s too bad he’s got Tipper.’ ”

Tipper Gore, a co-founder of Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), spearheaded a group that took the record industry to task for albums and videos containing themes of sex, drugs and violence. Her campaign resulted in the record industry agreeing to label records that contain explicit lyrics to head off any legislation--but not without a bitter battle over censorship.

Some industry representatives, however, believe the subject has since become a dead issue. Danny Goldberg, vice president of Atlantic Records and chairman of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, debated PMRC in the 1980s, but said that “to go back to a problem about Tipper Gore and rock lyrics in 1986 would be very immature and silly. She has not been an entertainment basher since then. She has not been part of any of the recent attacks on our business from more extreme sources.”

But others suggest that Sen. Gore will have to answer tough questions on censorship to maintain the support of Hollywood Democrats.

“The music side of the industry is a particularly rebellious one, with a long memory, and she is definitely viewed as one of the great villains to come along,” said Irving Azoff, owner of Giant Records. “Part of the attack that we in the record business feel we’re undergoing at the moment was a direct result of PMRC’s early efforts . . . I think there will be a certain backlash in the industry--not because of him , because of her .”

Jeff Ayeroff, co-president of Virgin Records and co-founder of Rock the Vote, a two-year-old organization formed to fight music censorship, said: “I’m not going to hastily judge Al Gore by his wife’s actions, but I think there will be some explaining to do.”

In the broader entertainment community, Clinton supporters such as Disney Channel President John Cooke and Arkansan Harry Thomason, co-executive producer of the TV series “Designing Women” and “Evening Shade,” say they expect little reaction to Tipper Gore’s former campaign. “I think it would be very difficult for the Republicans to make that an issue,” Thomason said from Democratic headquarters in New York. “I think Gore adds strength to the ticket.”