‘Peace’ Stays in Hearts of Its Performers

When an all-star pop cast’s updated version of John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance� debuted Jan. 15 on MTV, the nation was divided over whether to continue sanctions against Iraq or go to war, a Times Poll indicated at the time.

With war now raging in the Persian Gulf, however, the vast majority of Americans not only favor President Bush’s decision to intervene militarily, but also, according to a Los Angeles Times poll published last Saturday, believe--by a margin of 3 to 2--that dissent is inappropriate “now that U.S. forces are in combat.�

Has this led the more than three dozen participants in the “Peace� record and video--including M.C. Hammer, Peter Gabriel and Bonnie Raitt--to change their positions?

Do any of them feel the anti-war statement is now inappropriate?

Of the 18 most prominent participants, 11 responded to Times’ inquiries about their position regarding the allied attack and only one--rapper M.C. Hammer--expressed support for the military action.

“Being a former military person, I wholeheartedly support the U.S. troop efforts,� Hammer said Thursday, while making it clear that he does not disavow the “Peace� video and record. “I know they’ll get the job done and hope they’ll return home soon.�

The other 10 still oppose military intervention. They are Lenny Kravitz, Peter Gabriel, L.L. Cool J, Randy Newman, Michael McDonald, Al Jarreau, Teena Marie, the Wendy and Lisa duo and Arabic pop singer Amina.

The remaining seven, who could not be contacted, are Yoko and Sean Lennon, Tom Petty, Bonnie Raitt, Cyndi Lauper, Iggy Pop and Terrence Trent D’Arby.

Kravitz, who initiated the project after receiving letters from soldiers on the front lines in the Persian Gulf, said that while he opposes the intervention, he would not support protest marches that lack empathy for the American forces.

“I think it’s very important to show that we care about the troops,� Kravitz said this week. “At the same time, we must oppose what some of the politicians have ordered them to do.�

Rapper L.L. Cool J echoed Kravitz’s concerns.

“I hope everybody involved will be able to return home to their families safely,� L.L. Cool J said in a phone interview from a New York recording studio. “But if you want my opinion, I think peace is better than war.�

Randy Newman, who recently released his own protest song, “Lines in the Sand,� said that he also hoped for the troops’ safe return but defended his pacifist beliefs.

“Being pro-war isn’t any more patriotic than being anti-war,� Newman said. “Both stances are pro-American. I know that in a situation like this, it’s a close call. I understand the argument.

“People say that dissent at home might somehow aid Sadam Hussein. But, in America, people have the right to tell their leaders what they approve of and what they don’t. It’s not un-American to speak out against killing.�

The “Give Peace a Chance� video has been in heavy rotation nationally on both MTV and VH-1 since it premiered Jan. 15. But in England, the tune was added to a list of pop songs this week that the BBC is advising radio and television programmers to refrain from broadcasting.

British rocker Peter Gabriel said he was disturbed by the increase in government censorship since the armed struggle began. He also questioned what he called the “righteous indignation� of allied “propaganda.�

“The fact that 10,000 Kurds were recently murdered by the Iraqis and nobody came to their assistance would imply that there must be some motivation other than supporting Kuwait,� Gabriel said from his London recording studio. “There has been a similar lack of response with China’s annexation of Tibet.�

Singers Michael McDonald and Teena Marie also challenged the integrity of the allied assault.

“This war is not about moral issues,� Marie said. “It’s all about oil, money and power.�

“If Saudi Arabia’s chief export were broccoli,� McDonald added, “I doubt seriously if we’d be over there right now.�

While the overwhelming majority of Americans currently support the allied intervention, fewer than 40% of those surveyed in last Saturday’s Times Poll said they would consider the war with Iraq successful if more than 1,000 troops were killed.

Amina, the only Arabic pop star to participate in the project, fears that the Middle East struggle will expand.

“Everyone used to think the big international conflict would be between superpowers in the East and the West, but now we see a new world crisis erupting in the Persian Gulf,� she said in a phone interview from Paris. “This disaster will waste many lives.�

Global Vision executive producer Danny Schechter, whose company shot behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of the “Give Peace a Chance� video, predicts that response to the song’s message will increase if the war lingers on.

“As the death toll rises and the video-war-game-like media coverage begins to lose its appeal, we will see an increase of thoughtful dissent in this country,� Schechter said in a phone interview from his New York office.