Ryan Chartrand
With the phrase “Gospel Hymns for Agnostics and Atheists” as the name of their debut album, it’s not too much of a stretch to see how Caesar Pink and the Imperial Orgy (another so-called shockingly immoral name) is already shrouded in controversy.
But, that’s OK: after all, the band’s no stranger to controversy. In the past, the New York City-based band has had shows cancelled due to terrorist threats from radical religious groups, their Web site has been banned from its Web hosting company for being “an insult to God” and women’s studies classes have debated how they present gender issues.
Though they may be virtually unknown on Cal Poly’s campus, other universities and press outlets across the nation have deemed the band’s music too controversial for the airwaves, and have even, in some cases, banned the songs from receiving any playtime.
College campuses from Washington, Delaware, New York and Georgia, to name a few, have vaguely labeled the music as “too controversial,” “too political” and “anti-religion.” Clearly, this isn’t just an issue of the Bible Belt or religious extremists taking the reins on college campuses. Or maybe it is -but that’s another issue.
“The music’s good, the singing’s good, the production’s good, but we can’t put it on the air,” said Tamara Postles, music director for WDTS radio station in Georgetown, Del.
“I refuse to play that kind of sacrilegious music on my radio station. It is ungodly, unethical and just done to strike up the heartstrings of those who respect God and religion,” said Adam Bagri, general manager of WEXP at La Salle University in Philadelphia, Penn.
Just as their music is an easygoing yet bold mixture of style, not really fitting into one specific genre, it seems the band itself has a unique mixture of counterculture ideas and unflinchingly powerful statements.
“To place the CD in context, although The Imperial Orgy’s music usually consists of an “anything goes” mix of old-school punk, psychedelic funk and experimental art rock, the ‘Gospel Hymns’ CD spotlights a different slice of the group’s creative pie . The four songs are united by the use of blues and gospel lyrics to create a modern form of gospel music that does not promote any sect or religion, but expresses a more universal spiritual message,” according to a recent press release from the band’s label.
This is perhaps best represented in the CD’s first song, “The Amazing Tenacity of Job & His Brethren.” Lead singer Caesar Pink soulfully sings “cum-bye-yay lord(s)” as gospel singers back him up.
Yes, Pink does make some expected “controversial” religious statements, singing “There’s nothin’ you can count on/and nothin’ comes for free/the devil speaks with a child’s tongue/and if you believe in those na’ve dreams/his work will be complete.”
But these lyrics (and more) are not entirely what Postles, Bagri and others would have us believe.
The idea isn’t that religion is some big, bad monster out to devour people’s minds. In fact, there’s nothing that, from these lyrics at least, would even suggest such a thing. But rather the idea is that evil is accomplished when dreams and ideas are held na’vely.
Sure, there are numerous religious references in both the lyrics and the style of the music, but, like the band points out, these songs are not written to promote an agenda either for or against religion.
The CD also contains no foul language and no references to sex, drugs or violence.
For now, it seems as though a truly rare band with so much creativity is being turned away, not for the music they play, but rather for the initial, glance-at-the-cover message they portray.
As Pink said, “I think it all has to do with the CD’s title. When people hear the word ‘atheist’ they seem to go insane. What bothers me is that they don’t seem to listen to the music or read the lyrics, but because these stations get it into their heads that the CD reflects a different religious belief than their own, they are banning us from the airwaves.”
And that is a sad, but telling, thing.