Mr. Scalia’s iPod
Published by Sabotabby February 26th, 2008 in Imperialism for Dummies, Music, War, Torture, CultureMother Jones has gotten a hold of some of the music that U.S. troops use to “induce sleep deprivation, “prolong capture shock,” disorient detainees during interrogations—and also drown out screams.”
Lovely.
I find the use of Rage Against the Machine and Springsteen particularly abhorrent (not only because of the artists’ politics, but because I happen to like those songs). I wonder if they know about it. The music used to smoke out Noriega was far more creative.
This prompts me to ask: What music would you choose to drown out the screams of your victims? I’m thinking Anal Cunt’s “Hitler Was a Sensitive Man.”
Hat tip: Corvus.
Torturees have a right to being treated in a professional manner. Simply blowing out their eardrums with bad music played too loud just won’t do. If you were a terrorist, wouldn’t you hate having to give away your trade secrets to a gang of over-enthusiastic amateurs? Wouldn’t you much rather do business with skilled professionals that take pride in a job well done?
Anyway, much more important than the repertoire is the delivery of the music. I suggest using professional DJs in torture sessions. Torturer(s) and DJ would form a stable partnership, becoming a team greater than the sum of its constituent members, a fine-tuned tool for the extraction of information.
Everyone knows how music can be used in movies to increase the tension, or to relax, to reassure, and to shake the recipients again. A good DJ could make qualified choices of when to play which song at what volume, add sound effects, pick up - hmm - the mood on the floor, play on the anxieties, hopes, tensions of torturee and torturers alike. A good DJ would make each torture session a unique and memorable event. The session would of course be recorded, and all participants could then receive a copy of the soundtrack (on request the screams of the torturee could be included as well).
I think the playlist given on Mother Jones is quite ok for the purpose. But if you insist on suggestions for more music, I’d add some Slipknot, maybe a bit of Richard Wagner and certainly Agadoo by Black Lace (both to induce and drown out screams).
Gnaddrig: man, don’t give them ideas!
I just wanted to comment on the fact that this is the first time I’ve seen an Anal Cunt reference in a very long time, um… thanks?
and I’ll thrown in Job For a Cowboy, or anything of the genre Grindcore. I’d confess if I had to listen to that for more than 45 seconds, but to each their own I guess, some people enjoy that form of torture.
I’m with the Cat, don’t give them ideas.
“American Pie” is clever, but Matchbox 20 comes much closer to the right idea. The blunt force trauma is all wrong, you want to break them down subtly. A playlist of Air Supply, Little River Band, Styx, Bread, Rick Astley and Barry Manilow will achieve the desired goal. And for the holdouts, there’s always the ultimate weapon—Kenny G!
I bet they have enough sick minds on their various payrolls to come up with more than just turning torture sessions into a mockery of cultural events for the edification of the participants. I’m not sure I want to know.
Another sort of music that could be used - but this might be giving them ideas again. Forget it.