Music Legends Eric Clapton, Van Morrison Team for Anti-Lockdown Single 'Stand and Deliver'

[demmiblue]

Music legends Van Morrison and Eric Clapton have announced a new single, “Stand and Deliver,” in support of Morrison’s Save Live Music campaign. The blues track was written by Morrison and is performed by Clapton.

Morrison, best known for songs like “Brown Eyed Girl,” “Domino” and “Wild Night,” as well as seminal albums “Moondance” and “Astral Weeks,” released three songs protesting the U.K. lockdown over September and October, titled “Born To Be Free,” “As I Walked Out” and “No More Lockdown.”

Proceeds from “Stand and Deliver” will go to the Morrison’s Lockdown Financial Hardship Fund, which helps musicians facing difficulties as a result of the coronavirus and resulting lockdown measures.

Clapton — the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — called the dearth of live events due to lockdown restrictions “deeply upsetting.”

“There are many of us who support Van and his endeavors to save live music; he is an inspiration,” Clapton said. “We must stand up and be counted because we need to find a way out of this mess. The alternative is not worth thinking about. Live music might never recover.”

https://variety.com/2020/music/global/eric-clapton-van-morrison-lockdown-single-1234841031/

[catbyte]

1. jfc. It sounds like Clapton is relapsing back to his pro-Skinhead days. Another poor choice.

Sad.

[SlogginThroughIt]

2. What a couple of fucking morons.

Live music is going to die? What people won’t play music live again after the pandemic? VM was my favorite musician and now I can’t fucking stand him in his old age.

They are just a couple if selfish old fucks. How about all the other industries that are suffering? It is a global fucking pandemic idiots! God damn I am so sick of all the stupid. Fuckfaces like these two are the reason we are still not back to normal after 9 fuckin months of this shit. I am tired of it and it isn’t going to get better until people wise up.

[smirkymonkey]

13. +1000

Do they really think that listening to live music in huge crowds is the most pressing issue of the day right now? Why don't they take some of their money and do something to HELP people instead of going off on another one of their ego trips.

[Wounded Bear]

3. Entertainment in general has been changed...

and likely will never "recover" to where it was before. And if it does, it will take years.

[CatMor]

4. So with those two ...

.it's OK if people die as long as they can play their music live. Perhaps they should retire. I can't believe their ignorance.

[Squinch]

5. Meanwhile, countries that acted like adults and did not act like morons are re-opening. Because

they beat the virus back. Australia can fill sports stadiums without worrying about spread because they ignored imbeciles like clapton and morrison. And musicians in those countries now have their live audiences back.

[GeorgeGist]

6. Covid supports them ...

they're to die for.

[Silent3]

7. I'd need more background on this story

The title of the article calls the song "Anti-Lockdown", but then the rest of the article just sounds like it's about finding a way to help support musicians through the lockdown, so live music will survive afterward.

I searched a bit, but can't find a performance of the song, or even the lyrics, to tell if the song really is anti-lockdown or not. Are these musicians really on record as opposing the lockdown?

[dchill]

8. There you go.

[Ponietz]

11. My daily reminder to confirm everything before reacting -- division is the point

2 days ago it was forged tweets attributed to Peter Shilton from the online gambling lobby concerning the death of Maradona. Here’s the real one:

Link to tweet

Before that it was Pope Francis alleged ‘like’ of an Instagram post from a Brazilian bikini model in minimal schoolgirl clothing.

[demmiblue]

15. Some background on Van Morrison:

Van Morrison criticises 'fascist bullies' in anti-lockdown Covid songs

Van Morrison has described the British government as “fascist bullies disturbing our peace” in one of three new tracks he has written to protest against safety measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

On No More Lockdown, Morrison sings:

“No more lockdown / No more government overreach / No more fascist bullies / Disturbing our peace …

No more taking of our freedom / And our God-given rights / Pretending it’s for our safety / When it’s really to enslave …”

The song also condemns “celebrities telling us what we’re supposed to feel”, although the 75-year-old Northern Irish songwriter denied doing this himself.

“I’m not telling people what to do or think,” he said in a statement. “The government is doing a great job of that already. It’s about freedom of choice. I believe people should have the right to think for themselves.”

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/sep/18/van-morrison-fascist-bullies-anti-lockdown-covid-songs

Van Morrison blasts Covid gig limits as 'pseudoscience'

Van Morrison has denounced the supposed “pseudoscience” around coronavirus and is attempting to rally musicians in a campaign to restore live music concerts with full capacity audiences.

The 74-year-old Northern Irish singer launched a campaign to “save live music” on his website, saying socially distanced gigs were not economically viable. “I call on my fellow singers, musicians, writers, producers, promoters and others in the industry to fight with me on this. Come forward, stand up, fight the pseudo-science and speak up,” he said.

Morrison is due to play socially distanced gigs in England next month, but he said this did not signify agreement with restrictions to curb the Covid-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 800,000 lives worldwide.

“This is not a sign of compliance or acceptance of the current state of affairs, this is to get my band up and running and out of the doldrums. This is also not the answer going forward. We need to be playing to full capacity audiences going forward.”

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/aug/25/van-morrison-blasts-covid-gig-limits-pseudoscience

[Silent3]

23. Okay, that sounds pretty genuinely assholish and stupid to me n/t

[jpak]

9. I'm the Dandy Highway Man

Sez the virus

Yup

[jcgoldie]

10. Pretty disappointed in slowhand

[bdtrppr6]

12. 2 more for the toilet n/t

[randr]

14. With their wealth and fame they could make a positive difference

Too bad they, especially Van, have fallen to the dark side.
A program to fund musicians is a great idea. They need to make it work with protections for us to conquer the Covid.

[FakeNoose]

24. I agree - it's a mistake to make this political

... when it should have remained a cultural/social issue. I support the idea of live music performance, but like most people I refuse to participate in any large group right now. Does any musician want to become known as the Covid-concert guy? I doubt it.

No concert venue can afford the risk or the liability insurance of holding a large event right now. The Covid lawsuits are already starting up, and they will become a major reckoning very soon.

[randr]

25. I agree re: lawsuits etal

People and businesses will rue the day they ignored protocols

[Iggo]

17. Aw.

[demmiblue]

18. Sacrilege!

[2naSalit]

19. You're not a musician are you?

[ProfessorGAC]

21. Not At All The Same

I have 13 guitars hanging on walls around me, and a piano 6 feet from where I'm sitting.
I play them all.
It's not even remotely like playing before a live audience.
And you description of the audio really only applies to stadiums & arenas. Mid-size venues (5,000 and under) are not difficult to create a fine sound experience.
Get down to a 2,000-3,000 seat theater and the sound can match our stereos.

[Bayard]

22. I can understand wanting to help out fellow musicians

But the method is poor. I was married to a blues musician for 30 years, and if he wasn't playing live, he didn't make any money.

A number of professions are hurting badly right now, for lack of live patronage. Many restaurants closing, probably for good.

[Jlz]

26. Not an inspiration to me.

Their charitable efforts are welcome, but why don't these two "legends" team up to urge the US Congress to provide financial relief to those in need? This would do much to "save music" and "save musicians", as well as restaurateurs and other small businesses and their millions of employees. I know nothing about Morrison's health, but Clapton has disclosed that he is diabetic with a number of related conditions. If Clapton gets covid-19, he is likely to become very ill indeed. Their thought processes seem sclerotic, but then again they've always been entitled jerks. I've never understood the "genius" label either, which has been used to excuse the gaffes and prejudice, when so much of their work is derivative and not as good as the original.