Is blasphemous Music ok?

Great post @tylermunns! As further evidence of the hypocrisy, cynicism, lust for power, and even greed (geez, sounds like many politicians ;-) of the Catholic Church, one need only remember how it conspired with the Nazis to rid the world of Jews, the Church’s "competition". And of course their protection of Priests they KNEW to be serial-child abusers, mostly of young boys. I think child-abusing Priests should be executed (or at least castrated ;-), and the Church hierarchy prosecuted for aiding and abetting known child-rapists. And they have the nerve to judge others?!

Tax the Church! They are obviously a profit-motivated business enterprise.

Good points @tylermunns. I am able to separate an artists art from any cultural/activist activities in which they participate. I approved of John Lennon’s work in the latter, but found his solo artistic work unlistenable (yes, I realize that is a minority opinion.).

I have long felt the same way about Joan Baez, until very recently finding her voice not to my liking (not a fan of excessive vibrato in singing). That changed when I happened upon her recording of Dylan’s "Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands", which is magnificent.

@tylermunns: Another great post! That quote is of course taken from a song on The Mothers Of Invention's We're Only In It For The Money album, and is a joke line my friends and I used for years.

As for Zappa, he apparently didn't know the "In his image" line refers to God's capacity for and basic nature of unconditional love for humanity, a sentiment not shared by Mr. Zappa. I have always found Zappa to be a rather smug sob, and his attempts as humour far too obvious. Give me Dan Hicks, Randy Newman, and Loudon Wainwright any day! Better music too, imo.

Zappa was so literal. 

@noske: I saw Larry Norman quite a few times when he was one of the two lead singers in the San Jose group People, who had a hit single in 1968 with their recording of The Zombies "I Love You". Larry was asked to leave the group when the four musician-members---who had become Scientologists---deemed him "anti-social" (oh those nutty Scientologists ;-) . Fellow-singer Gene Mason---like Larry, not a Scientologist---also left the group, starting a band named Radio. My teenage band played a show in Saratoga with them in the summer of '69, as well as opening for the now Larry and Gene-less People line-up in Santa Cruz that same summer. People's guitarist Geoff Levin went on to make some good records, including a direct-to-disc on Sheffield Labs Records! He has also had a productive career in film and television.

In 1977 I happened to see that Larry was appearing at The Paramount Theater in Portland, so decided to go see what he was up to. The Paramount was a pretty big theater, and it was packed. Larry was a good entertainer (solo, accompanying his singing on piano and guitar), and the very well-behaved audience (oh those Christians ;-) responded very enthusiastically. I followed up the show by buying a copy of Larry's latest album---In Another Land---at Music Millennium, which is still in my collection. The following year I again attended a show at The Paramount, this one of a very different nature: AC/DC and Thin Lizzy ;-) .

When I was thirty years old I was dating a young woman who, when reaching "that moment" in lovemaking, spoke in tongues. At least that's what her caterwauling sounded like to me. She was a recovering cokehead, and a  ton-o-fun. ;-) 

There is a guy who posts amazing videos on YouTube, calling himself The Jazz Shepherd (real name Dan something). In his deep discussions about Jazz music (he is a good friend of Stereophile reviewer Ken Micallef, himself a serious Jazz fiend) he includes the context of the racism the black Jazz artists faced in the U.S.A. as they were pioneering what he (and others) calls the only art form that America can claim as its own.

I think that may be an overstatement; what about Gospel, Blues, and Country & Western? Sure, Ireland, Scotland, and England had a long Folk tradition---the basis for Folk, Hillbilly, Bluegrass, etc., but it sure underwent change, invention, and development once imported into the U.S.A. And Blues was created as a form of expression and release by the 19th and 20th century American slaves and their descendants.

Speaking of American blacks, and Gospel music: in the black community playing anything other than Gospel was long considered depraved, and strongly frowned upon. Singers like Sam Cooke were denounced when they crossed over from the religious market to the secular. 1950’s Rock ’n’ Rollers Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis struggled with their religious beliefs and faith conflicting with their secular music. Little Richard quit the music business in the early-60’s, returning to the Church as a Baptist preacher. Jerry Lee, after being banned for marrying his 15-year old second cousin, created a new career n Country & Western. Apparently marrying a 15-year old relative was not so unusual in the South. ;-)

@hilde45: Like, for instance, politics? ;-)

Perhaps just a matter of semantics, these days it’s not the music which may be blasphemous, but rather the lyrics.

But back when the Catholic Church ruled the Western world, the use of the tritone---then referred to as "the Devil’s interval" was forboden. It was considered "Diabolus in Musica" ("The Devil in Music" in English), and it’s use could result in one being burned at the stake. Ah, the good ’ol Catholic Church.

Tony Iommi was free to employ the tritone, and did so in Black Sabbath’s self-titled song on their debut album. By then Hendrix had already done so in "Purple Haze".

My favorite invocation of God’s name in music is in the great Country song "God May Forgive You But I Won’t", written by the team of Harlan Howard and Bobby Braddock. I first heard it by Iris Dement, then Rosie Flores.