From hotel lobby to a boutique lobby group 40 years ago...

- 12th September 1985 - the Washington Wives of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) published their infamous Filthy Fifteen (play) list in Rolling Stone magazine.

- 19th of September 1985 - tempest in a teacup over censorship came to a head in a ‘porn rock’ Senate Commerce Committee.

The 80s had gusto - driven by a potent mix of excess, innovation & rebellion; it was a time when boundaries were tested, aesthetics got louder and technology began to reshape culture, fostered by a surge in bolder free-expression and sense of individualism.

In an era when the Reagan administration promoted a conservative, family-values agenda, this reshaping of culture had the pious Moral Majority expressing their outrage over this & that.

As America was going right with Ronald Reagan in 1980, who’d swept into office with evangelical backing and the blessing of the Moral Majority, from the left field came Prince, staring out from the cover of his first new album of the 80s as if daring the Moral Majority to blink first.

At the vanguard of free expression, emerging from Minneapolis through a fog of dry ice, neon and laser-beams, came a 20-something rockstar-wannabe. His name was Prince, and 2 LPs into a burgeoning career, he was astute enough to know that talent wasn’t enough to make it to the top; U had 2 get noticed.

To this end, 1980 saw Prince hitting his stride in Cuban heels, daring to be different, having the audacity to be himself, his shtick for the new decade, hyper-sexualized and teasingly provocative.

The early 80s saw him fusing uninhibited energetic showmanship, wilful subversion, and sonic innovation. Lyrically, in an era where matters of a carnal nature were still shrouded in taboo, he ardently conveyed the joys of sex via his X-rated songs.

His celebration of sexuality (‘… is all you'll ever need.’) promoted a message of acceptance & self-expression that resonated, growing his audience, his songs a form of empowerment and therapy for many, as he encouraged people to explore and accept their own desires. Elsewhere, it caused moral outrage...

Sharing a similar ideology to the Moral Majority, in 1985, Tipper Gore formed a pressure group called the ‘Parents Music Resource Center’ (PMRC) to take a stand against the explicit content of what the members termed ‘porn rock.’

These unlikely activists ended up being dubbed the ‘Washington Wives’ in reference to the political and business connections of their spouses. In September 1985 they published the infamous 'Filthy Fifteen,' a list of songs they deemed offensive.

With passions running hot, it led to media debates over American values & a notable First Amendment showdown for the ages in front of a Senate hearing no less.

The criteria for making their (play)list was vague, referencing sex, masturbation, violence and profanity. In reality, the selection barely scratched the surface of the songs that could have been included. The spur for all this parental angst and hoo-ha, and the song that topped the Filthy Fifteen was Prince’s ‘Darling Nikki.'

Already anointed ‘His Royal Badness’ by the media, as the most high-profile artist on the list, he became the central ‘villain’ in the PMRC’s early onset culture war.

Ironically, ‘Darling Nikki’ prompted the PMRC’s formation and topped their objectionable songs list, despite being relatively tame by Prince’s standards. Meanwhile, his truly X-rated tracks somehow escaped their attention.

Heck, before & after its publication, he could have effortlessly filled the entire Filthy Fifteen on his own. Prince’s Filthy 15 is thus less a rebuttal to the PMRC than a reminder of why he was the original Rude Boy. In curating the tracks, it looks to do justice to his real heavy hitters, those truly worthy of a sticker warning:

PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT CONTENT

The selection criteria for 'Prince’s Filthy 15': how much would the song have had the PMRC fizzing & frothing like a Mentos dropped into a Coke bottle, in an eruption of moral panic...

C A N u R E L A T E ?

'Prince's Filthy 15' is available in Digital & Paperback:

In the US @ https://a.co/d/9cIuuaN

In the UK / Europe @ https://amzn.eu/d/aebsVgx

In Oz @ https://amzn.asia/d/62BTw8r

mattosgood said:

From hotel lobby to a boutique lobby group 40 years ago...

- 12th September 1985 - the Washington Wives of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) published their infamous Filthy Fifteen (play) list in Rolling Stone magazine.

- 19th of September 1985 - tempest in a teacup over censorship came to a head in a ‘porn rock’ Senate Commerce Committee.

The 80s had gusto - driven by a potent mix of excess, innovation & rebellion; it was a time when boundaries were tested, aesthetics got louder and technology began to reshape culture, fostered by a surge in bolder free-expression and sense of individualism.

In an era when the Reagan administration promoted a conservative, family-values agenda, this reshaping of culture had the pious Moral Majority expressing their outrage over this & that.

As America was going right with Ronald Reagan in 1980, who’d swept into office with evangelical backing and the blessing of the Moral Majority, from the left field came Prince, staring out from the cover of his first new album of the 80s as if daring the Moral Majority to blink first.

At the vanguard of free expression, emerging from Minneapolis through a fog of dry ice, neon and laser-beams, came a 20-something rockstar-wannabe. His name was Prince, and 2 LPs into a burgeoning career, he was astute enough to know that talent wasn’t enough to make it to the top; U had 2 get noticed.

To this end, 1980 saw Prince hitting his stride in Cuban heels, daring to be different, having the audacity to be himself, his shtick for the new decade, hyper-sexualized and teasingly provocative.

The early 80s saw him fusing uninhibited energetic showmanship, wilful subversion, and sonic innovation. Lyrically, in an era where matters of a carnal nature were still shrouded in taboo, he ardently conveyed the joys of sex via his X-rated songs.

His celebration of sexuality (‘… is all you'll ever need.’) promoted a message of acceptance & self-expression that resonated, growing his audience, his songs a form of empowerment and therapy for many, as he encouraged people to explore and accept their own desires. Elsewhere, it caused moral outrage...

Sharing a similar ideology to the Moral Majority, in 1985, Tipper Gore formed a pressure group called the ‘Parents Music Resource Center’ (PMRC) to take a stand against the explicit content of what the members termed ‘porn rock.’

These unlikely activists ended up being dubbed the ‘Washington Wives’ in reference to the political and business connections of their spouses. In September 1985 they published the infamous 'Filthy Fifteen,' a list of songs they deemed offensive.

With passions running hot, it led to media debates over American values & a notable First Amendment showdown for the ages in front of a Senate hearing no less.

The criteria for making their (play)list was vague, referencing sex, masturbation, violence and profanity. In reality, the selection barely scratched the surface of the songs that could have been included. The spur for all this parental angst and hoo-ha, and the song that topped the Filthy Fifteen was Prince’s ‘Darling Nikki.'

Already anointed ‘His Royal Badness’ by the media, as the most high-profile artist on the list, he became the central ‘villain’ in the PMRC’s early onset culture war.

Ironically, ‘Darling Nikki’ prompted the PMRC’s formation and topped their objectionable songs list, despite being relatively tame by Prince’s standards. Meanwhile, his truly X-rated tracks somehow escaped their attention.

Heck, before & after its publication, he could have effortlessly filled the entire Filthy Fifteen on his own. Prince’s Filthy 15 is thus less a rebuttal to the PMRC than a reminder of why he was the original Rude Boy. In curating the tracks, it looks to do justice to his real heavy hitters, those truly worthy of a sticker warning:

PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT CONTENT

The selection criteria for 'Prince’s Filthy 15': how much would the song have had the PMRC fizzing & frothing like a Mentos dropped into a Coke bottle, in an eruption of moral panic...

C A N u R E L A T E ?

'Prince's Filthy 15' is available in Digital & Paperback:

In the US @ https://a.co/d/9cIuuaN

In the UK / Europe @ https://amzn.eu/d/aebsVgx

In Oz @ https://amzn.asia/d/62BTw8r

The great irony of Prince’s ‘Darling Nikki’ being the catalyst for the formation of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) and topping their infamous Filthy Fifteen list of objectionable songs is that by his highly sexualised standards, it’s tame. Not vanilla for sure, but tame.

So, while 'Darling Nikki' gained the disrepute, it makes for a curious paradox that Prince's earlier, far more sexually explicit songs had flown under the radar of Tipper Gore, the PMRC, and their list-making.

Heck, before and after the publication of the original Filthy Fifteen, he could have effortlessly filled the entire Filthy Fifteen on his own and they are examined as to why in this new book:

‘Prince’s Filthy 15’:

1 - Neurotic Lover’s Bedroom

2 - Head

3 - Sister

4 - Jack U Off

5 - Tick, Tick Bang

6 - Let’s Pretend We’re Married

7 - Lust U Always

8 - Lady Cab Driver

9 - We Can F**k

10 - Erotic City (make love not war Erotic City come alive)

11 - Gett Off

12 - Come / 18 & Over

13 - Pheromone

14 - Ripopgodazippa

15 - Orgasm / Vibrator

Also covered as they were inlcuded in the original PMRC Filthy Fifteeen:

- Darling Nikki

- Sugar Walls

Glad you start off with Neurotic Lover’s Bedroom - when that was leaked, first hearing brought a lot of humour and joy to us Prince fans. Especially a lot of old timers couldn’t quite believe, even at a such a young age, he could come up with such a ‘warped’ sexual track. Wonder if that’ll ever get released. Hope your new book does well.

FrankieCoco1 said:

Glad you start off with Neurotic Lover’s Bedroom - when that was leaked, first hearing brought a lot of humour and joy to us Prince fans. Especially a lot of old timers couldn’t quite believe, even at a such a young age, he could come up with such a ‘warped’ sexual track. Wonder if that’ll ever get released. Hope your new book does well.

thank you and so far so good

and yes 100%, I make a big point of that in that chapter

Just got my copy today.

muleFunk said:

Just got my copy today.

thank you - I hope you enjoy the read

mattosgood said:

From hotel lobby to a boutique lobby group 40 years ago...

- 12th September 1985 - the Washington Wives of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) published their infamous Filthy Fifteen (play) list in Rolling Stone magazine.

- 19th of September 1985 - tempest in a teacup over censorship came to a head in a ‘porn rock’ Senate Commerce Committee.

The 80s had gusto - driven by a potent mix of excess, innovation & rebellion; it was a time when boundaries were tested, aesthetics got louder and technology began to reshape culture, fostered by a surge in bolder free-expression and sense of individualism.

In an era when the Reagan administration promoted a conservative, family-values agenda, this reshaping of culture had the pious Moral Majority expressing their outrage over this & that.

As America was going right with Ronald Reagan in 1980, who’d swept into office with evangelical backing and the blessing of the Moral Majority, from the left field came Prince, staring out from the cover of his first new album of the 80s as if daring the Moral Majority to blink first.

At the vanguard of free expression, emerging from Minneapolis through a fog of dry ice, neon and laser-beams, came a 20-something rockstar-wannabe. His name was Prince, and 2 LPs into a burgeoning career, he was astute enough to know that talent wasn’t enough to make it to the top; U had 2 get noticed.

To this end, 1980 saw Prince hitting his stride in Cuban heels, daring to be different, having the audacity to be himself, his shtick for the new decade, hyper-sexualized and teasingly provocative.

The early 80s saw him fusing uninhibited energetic showmanship, wilful subversion, and sonic innovation. Lyrically, in an era where matters of a carnal nature were still shrouded in taboo, he ardently conveyed the joys of sex via his X-rated songs.

His celebration of sexuality (‘… is all you'll ever need.’) promoted a message of acceptance & self-expression that resonated, growing his audience, his songs a form of empowerment and therapy for many, as he encouraged people to explore and accept their own desires. Elsewhere, it caused moral outrage...

Sharing a similar ideology to the Moral Majority, in 1985, Tipper Gore formed a pressure group called the ‘Parents Music Resource Center’ (PMRC) to take a stand against the explicit content of what the members termed ‘porn rock.’

These unlikely activists ended up being dubbed the ‘Washington Wives’ in reference to the political and business connections of their spouses. In September 1985 they published the infamous 'Filthy Fifteen,' a list of songs they deemed offensive.

With passions running hot, it led to media debates over American values & a notable First Amendment showdown for the ages in front of a Senate hearing no less.

The criteria for making their (play)list was vague, referencing sex, masturbation, violence and profanity. In reality, the selection barely scratched the surface of the songs that could have been included. The spur for all this parental angst and hoo-ha, and the song that topped the Filthy Fifteen was Prince’s ‘Darling Nikki.'

Already anointed ‘His Royal Badness’ by the media, as the most high-profile artist on the list, he became the central ‘villain’ in the PMRC’s early onset culture war.

Ironically, ‘Darling Nikki’ prompted the PMRC’s formation and topped their objectionable songs list, despite being relatively tame by Prince’s standards. Meanwhile, his truly X-rated tracks somehow escaped their attention.

Heck, before & after its publication, he could have effortlessly filled the entire Filthy Fifteen on his own. Prince’s Filthy 15 is thus less a rebuttal to the PMRC than a reminder of why he was the original Rude Boy. In curating the tracks, it looks to do justice to his real heavy hitters, those truly worthy of a sticker warning:

PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT CONTENT

The selection criteria for 'Prince’s Filthy 15': how much would the song have had the PMRC fizzing & frothing like a Mentos dropped into a Coke bottle, in an eruption of moral panic...

C A N u R E L A T E ?

'Prince's Filthy 15' is available in Digital & Paperback:

In the US @ https://a.co/d/9cIuuaN

In the UK / Europe @ https://amzn.eu/d/aebsVgx

In Oz @ https://amzn.asia/d/62BTw8rcrossy road

How did the cultural and political climate of the 1980s, particularly the influence of the Moral Majority and the rise of artists like Prince, shape the discourse around music censorship and freedom of expression during this period?

Amandaly said:

mattosgood said:

From hotel lobby to a boutique lobby group 40 years ago...

- 12th September 1985 - the Washington Wives of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) published their infamous Filthy Fifteen (play) list in Rolling Stone magazine.

- 19th of September 1985 - tempest in a teacup over censorship came to a head in a ‘porn rock’ Senate Commerce Committee.

The 80s had gusto - driven by a potent mix of excess, innovation & rebellion; it was a time when boundaries were tested, aesthetics got louder and technology began to reshape culture, fostered by a surge in bolder free-expression and sense of individualism.

In an era when the Reagan administration promoted a conservative, family-values agenda, this reshaping of culture had the pious Moral Majority expressing their outrage over this & that.

As America was going right with Ronald Reagan in 1980, who’d swept into office with evangelical backing and the blessing of the Moral Majority, from the left field came Prince, staring out from the cover of his first new album of the 80s as if daring the Moral Majority to blink first.

At the vanguard of free expression, emerging from Minneapolis through a fog of dry ice, neon and laser-beams, came a 20-something rockstar-wannabe. His name was Prince, and 2 LPs into a burgeoning career, he was astute enough to know that talent wasn’t enough to make it to the top; U had 2 get noticed.

To this end, 1980 saw Prince hitting his stride in Cuban heels, daring to be different, having the audacity to be himself, his shtick for the new decade, hyper-sexualized and teasingly provocative.

The early 80s saw him fusing uninhibited energetic showmanship, wilful subversion, and sonic innovation. Lyrically, in an era where matters of a carnal nature were still shrouded in taboo, he ardently conveyed the joys of sex via his X-rated songs.

His celebration of sexuality (‘… is all you'll ever need.’) promoted a message of acceptance & self-expression that resonated, growing his audience, his songs a form of empowerment and therapy for many, as he encouraged people to explore and accept their own desires. Elsewhere, it caused moral outrage...

Sharing a similar ideology to the Moral Majority, in 1985, Tipper Gore formed a pressure group called the ‘Parents Music Resource Center’ (PMRC) to take a stand against the explicit content of what the members termed ‘porn rock.’

These unlikely activists ended up being dubbed the ‘Washington Wives’ in reference to the political and business connections of their spouses. In September 1985 they published the infamous 'Filthy Fifteen,' a list of songs they deemed offensive.

With passions running hot, it led to media debates over American values & a notable First Amendment showdown for the ages in front of a Senate hearing no less.

The criteria for making their (play)list was vague, referencing sex, masturbation, violence and profanity. In reality, the selection barely scratched the surface of the songs that could have been included. The spur for all this parental angst and hoo-ha, and the song that topped the Filthy Fifteen was Prince’s ‘Darling Nikki.'

Already anointed ‘His Royal Badness’ by the media, as the most high-profile artist on the list, he became the central ‘villain’ in the PMRC’s early onset culture war.

Ironically, ‘Darling Nikki’ prompted the PMRC’s formation and topped their objectionable songs list, despite being relatively tame by Prince’s standards. Meanwhile, his truly X-rated tracks somehow escaped their attention.

Heck, before & after its publication, he could have effortlessly filled the entire Filthy Fifteen on his own. Prince’s Filthy 15 is thus less a rebuttal to the PMRC than a reminder of why he was the original Rude Boy. In curating the tracks, it looks to do justice to his real heavy hitters, those truly worthy of a sticker warning:

PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT CONTENT

The selection criteria for 'Prince’s Filthy 15': how much would the song have had the PMRC fizzing & frothing like a Mentos dropped into a Coke bottle, in an eruption of moral panic...

C A N u R E L A T E ?

'Prince's Filthy 15' is available in Digital & Paperback:

In the US @ https://a.co/d/9cIuuaN

In the UK / Europe @ https://amzn.eu/d/aebsVgx

In Oz @ https://amzn.asia/d/62BTw8rcrossy road

How did the cultural and political climate of the 1980s, particularly the influence of the Moral Majority and the rise of artists like Prince, shape the discourse around music censorship and freedom of expression during this period?

That's covered somewhat in the Preface but mainly in the 27 pages of the Prologue

Amandaly said:

mattosgood said:

From hotel lobby to a boutique lobby group 40 years ago...

- 12th September 1985 - the Washington Wives of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) published their infamous Filthy Fifteen (play) list in Rolling Stone magazine.

- 19th of September 1985 - tempest in a teacup over censorship came to a head in a ‘porn rock’ Senate Commerce Committee.

The 80s had gusto - driven by a potent mix of excess, innovation & rebellion; it was a time when boundaries were tested, aesthetics got louder and technology began to reshape culture, fostered by a surge in bolder free-expression and sense of individualism.

In an era when the Reagan administration promoted a conservative, family-values agenda, this reshaping of culture had the pious Moral Majority expressing their outrage over this & that.

As America was going right with Ronald Reagan in 1980, who’d swept into office with evangelical backing and the blessing of the Moral Majority, from the left field came Prince, staring out from the cover of his first new album of the 80s as if daring the Moral Majority to blink first.

At the vanguard of free expression, emerging from Minneapolis through a fog of dry ice, neon and laser-beams, came a 20-something rockstar-wannabe. His name was Prince, and 2 LPs into a burgeoning career, he was astute enough to know that talent wasn’t enough to make it to the top; U had 2 get noticed.

To this end, 1980 saw Prince hitting his stride in Cuban heels, daring to be different, having the audacity to be himself, his shtick for the new decade, hyper-sexualized and teasingly provocative.

The early 80s saw him fusing uninhibited energetic showmanship, wilful subversion, and sonic innovation. Lyrically, in an era where matters of a carnal nature were still shrouded in taboo, he ardently conveyed the joys of sex via his X-rated songs.

His celebration of sexuality (‘… is all you'll ever need.’) promoted a message of acceptance & self-expression that resonated, growing his audience, his songs a form of empowerment and therapy for many, as he encouraged people to explore and accept their own desires. Elsewhere, it caused moral outrage...

Sharing a similar ideology to the Moral Majority, in 1985, Tipper Gore formed a pressure group called the ‘Parents Music Resource Center’ (PMRC) to take a stand against the explicit content of what the members termed ‘porn rock.’

These unlikely activists ended up being dubbed the ‘Washington Wives’ in reference to the political and business connections of their spouses. In September 1985 they published the infamous 'Filthy Fifteen,' a list of songs they deemed offensive.

With passions running hot, it led to media debates over American values & a notable First Amendment showdown for the ages in front of a Senate hearing no less.

The criteria for making their (play)list was vague, referencing sex, masturbation, violence and profanity. In reality, the selection barely scratched the surface of the songs that could have been included. The spur for all this parental angst and hoo-ha, and the song that topped the Filthy Fifteen was Prince’s ‘Darling Nikki.'

Already anointed ‘His Royal Badness’ by the media, as the most high-profile artist on the list, he became the central ‘villain’ in the PMRC’s early onset culture war.

Ironically, ‘Darling Nikki’ prompted the PMRC’s formation and topped their objectionable songs list, despite being relatively tame by Prince’s standards. Meanwhile, his truly X-rated tracks somehow escaped their attention.

Heck, before & after its publication, he could have effortlessly filled the entire Filthy Fifteen on his own. Prince’s Filthy 15 is thus less a rebuttal to the PMRC than a reminder of why he was the original Rude Boy. In curating the tracks, it looks to do justice to his real heavy hitters, those truly worthy of a sticker warning:

PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT CONTENT

The selection criteria for 'Prince’s Filthy 15': how much would the song have had the PMRC fizzing & frothing like a Mentos dropped into a Coke bottle, in an eruption of moral panic...

C A N u R E L A T E ?

'Prince's Filthy 15' is available in Digital & Paperback:

In the US @ https://a.co/d/9cIuuaN

In the UK / Europe @ https://amzn.eu/d/aebsVgx

In Oz @ https://amzn.asia/d/62BTw8rcrossy road

How did the cultural and political climate of the 1980s, particularly the influence of the Moral Majority and the rise of artists like Prince, shape the discourse around music censorship and freedom of expression during this period?

here's a little broader background, from an article in today's The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/oct/05/pmrc-parents-senate-hearing-filthy-fifteen-prince-madonna-judas-priest-alice-cooper?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social_img&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZnRzaANPN-VleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHkJFwxUVx0xoWxsa4fyqvnQ1p2jESxte8x9N-lTZHkFpbqPiwMrWZZBbXyWL_aem_wJMboc8DmQ17D6jrUp0ayg#Echobox=1759660753

The PMRC organised a US Senate hearing for September 1985, its aim to increase parental controls over recorded music. Even before hearings began the PMRC had remarkable momentum: funding came from Beach Boys vocalist Mike Love and Joseph Coors, owner of Coors beer, both active Reagan supporters, and the committee gained considerable media coverage, earning support from the likes of Jerry Falwell, US televangelist and co-founder of the Moral Majority. The campaign arrived at a favourable time. While video nasties served as folk devils in the UK, in the US Ronald Reagan’s emphasis on “family values” had empowered the religious right: with the surging popularity of MTV, the music video channel, musicians were now drawing increasing ire from Christian organisations.

“Initially, I didn’t pay much attention to the PMRC,” says Blackie Lawless, leader of Wasp, one of the bands targeted by the organisation. “Then it went on to have a huge impact, took on a life of its own.”

The US had experienced occasional outbreaks of music-related moral panics before. The mid-1950s saw Elvis Presley damned by segregationists for making “jungle music”, while John Lennon’s 1966 observation “The Beatles are more popular than Jesus” led to bonfires of Beatles records. But there had never been a concerted government attempt to censor music. As the Senate hearings got under way it became clear censorship was now on the agenda.

For the hearings the PMRC compiled a list of 15 contemporary songs – the “Filthy Fifteen” – that they determined had “objectionable” qualities: sex, violence, references to drugs or alcohol, occult themes and bad language. Prince was linked to three of them, as an artist, writer and producer. The list also included Mary Jane Girls, Madonna and Cyndi Lauper, all listed for singing very coy, pro-female sexuality songs. Heavy metal bands (then the biggest selling genre in US music) dominated: AC/DC, Black Sabbath and Mötley Crüe, veterans of attacks by evangelical organisations, were included, along with newbies Def Leppard, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister and Wasp, who suddenly found politicians and religious fundamentalists calling for their music and videos to be removed from radio and MTV.

“I had been following all of this building up on the news so I wasn’t completely surprised,” says Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford, “although being called ‘enemy of the people’ was a stretch.”

In the Senate hearings the PMRC requested the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) develop a form of music rating akin to that used by the Motion Picture Association for film classifications. Their agenda included calling for printed warnings on album covers, requiring record shops to put albums with explicit covers under the counter, pressuring television stations not to broadcast explicit videos and, more ominously, reassessing “the contracts of musicians who performed violently or sexually in concert”.

Putting Parental Advisory stickers on albums surely backfired as they became the ones kids wanted to buy

Alice Cooper

It wasn’t just the musicians on the Filthy Fifteen list who expressed opprobrium at the PMRC’s campaign – veteran rockers Frank Zappa and Alice Cooper, both of whom had courted outrage early in their careers, protested about what they saw as the PMRC serving as a cover for encroaching censorship.

Cooper was a a veteran of censorship battles in the UK. In the summer of 1972 his eponymous group’s song School’s Out topped the charts in the UK, prompting calls for its banning. “I sent Mary Whitehouse flowers and Leo Abse a box of cigars,” Cooper chuckles at the outraged response from, respectively, the conservative activist and the Welsh Labour MP at the time.

The PMRC campaign 12 years later was less of a laughing matter: for Cooper a sinister example of government overreach. “It was like they were saying to kids: ‘You can’t see something or hear something because you’re not smart enough to deal with it,’” he says. “If something is really violent or horrible it should be a talk between the parents and their kids, not the government and the kids.”

As the Senate hearings got under way, Zappa travelled to Washington DC. There he was joined by pop-folk singer John Denver – who, like Zappa, happily appeared as a witness despite not featuring on the Filthy Fifteen list – and Twisted Sister’s vocalist Dee Snider, who did appear on the list. The trio testified during the hearings as to why music censorship was a bad idea. Zappa, dressed conservatively in suit and tie, provided the enduring image of the hearings as he sparred with the PMRC and their supporters, saying that “the PMRC proposal is an ill-conceived piece of nonsense which fails to deliver any real benefits to children [and] infringes the civil liberties of people who are not children”.

Denver, meanwhile, noted how his song Rocky Mountain High had been misinterpreted by those who deemed it a paean to taking drugs (when it was a celebration of Colorado’s natural beauty) while Snider asserted the PMRC misconstrued the lyric to Twisted Sister’s Under the Blade – it wasn’t about sadomasochism (as Gore claimed), but surgery.

Judas Priest’s Halford wasn’t at the hearings, but says that the PMRC misinterpreted his lyrics, too. The committee claimed the song Eat Me Alive was about the forced performance of oral sex at gunpoint. Today Halford says it was in fact about gay S&M sex, although in 1985 he said nothing. The Brum rock god didn’t come out until 1998.

[Edited 10/5/25 15:22pm]