ad info

 
CNN.comTranscripts
 
Editions | myCNN | Video | Audio | Headline News Brief | Feedback  

 

  Search
 
 

 

TOP STORIES

Bush signs order opening 'faith-based' charity office for business

Rescues continue 4 days after devastating India earthquake

DaimlerChrysler employees join rapidly swelling ranks of laid-off U.S. workers

Disney's GO.com is a goner

(MORE)

MARKETS
4:30pm ET, 4/16
144.70
8257.60
3.71
1394.72
10.90
879.91
 


WORLD

U.S.

POLITICS

LAW

TECHNOLOGY

ENTERTAINMENT

 
TRAVEL

ARTS & STYLE



(MORE HEADLINES)
 
CNN Websites
Networks image


Morning News

Blasting Eminem

Aired February 21, 2001 - 11:19 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, WEB/AFTERMATH/INTERSCOPE RECORDS)

EMINEM, SINGER: May I have your attention, please? May I have your attention, please? Will the real slim shady please stand up? I repeat, Will the real slim shady please stand up?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: A little piece of Eminem there for you.

The controversial rap star is the target of some harsh criticism, including that from the vice president's wife. Lynne Cheney calling Eminem "offensive." She says that she's dismayed that he might be among the big winners at tonight's Grammy Awards. Ms. Cheney was on CNN's "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS" last night. And she said the rapper's music advocates violence against women.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "WOLF BLITZER REPORTS")

LYNN CHENEY, WIFE OF DICK CHENEY: People say, Oh, he has multiple personalities, and he uses irony. Give me a break. This is a man who talks about murdering his own mother. He talks about murdering women generally. He talks about killing them slowly so you could hear them scream for a long time. He talks about painting the forest.

I'm -- I'm sorry to be specific like this, but people need to know what these lyrics are. They need to know what kids are listening to. They need to know what the Grammy Committee, who sets out the nominations and awards, they need to know the content of the song that they're holding up as an example of excellence. It is truly offensive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: Once again, Lynn Cheney appearing last night on CNN's "WOLF BLITZER." She's saying that other adults blast Eminem's for his music.

What are young people saying about that? We're going to go ahead and check in with Jeff Flock.

LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.

KAGAN: He's hanging out with a bunch of kids today.

HARRIS: He's in Glenview. He's in a high school in Glenview, Illinois.

Hey, Jeff, what's going on?

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Glenbrook South is where we are, folks.

And yes, let's go ahead and ask if anybody is offended. This group of folks behind me all have heard Eminem. Yes, everybody has heard Eminem.

Who is offended? Anybody offended by what he has to say? Tell me why.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: His lyrics are very hurtful and very offensive to many people and many groups of people in our society right now.

FLOCK: OK.

Point? Counterpoint?

Go ahead.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't take Eminem literally. You can't take him seriously because what he's writing is poetry. And he doesn't really mean what he says. Or else, he wouldn't be alive, or he would be in jail, actually. So I just like to listen to it for the entertainment.

FLOCK: So what I'm hearing is that you take this as an act as opposed to any mirror of reality?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I believe he's not actually saying what he believes in. It's just entertainment. He wants to amuse people, and he gets a rise out of it.

FLOCK: But is there not some line somewhere that we do not cross? I mean, is it -- is it raping one's mother? Or is it -- where -- is there a line somewhere in your view?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think there's a line, I think, that's based on the morals and values that our society holds. But...

FLOCK: I'm talking about in songs. I mean, is there stuff that shouldn't be in a song somewhere?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, then you're -- by censoring him, then you are violating the freedom of speech. And I think that's his right to say what he wants to, in that respect.

FLOCK: I'm hearing -- seeing you shake your head. You think, Yes, that's OK; go ahead and censor him. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think he's abusing his right of speech, saying the things that he does are getting into little children's minds and playing it on the radio. And just not -- not a good picture of our society right now.

FLOCK: What do you -- Robbie (ph), what do you like about Eminem?

ROBBIE (ph): I think you have to look at Eminem as just a great entertainer. I mean, he's like a car accident, in a sense that, like, you don't want to look at it but you have to because it's just eye- catching. And you just don't know what Eminem is going to say next, you know? It's just -- that's the great part about him.

FLOCK: Is that OK in your -- in your view? Is that OK to listen to this?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, you can think of him as an entertainer as much as you want. But, like, what he is saying, whether it's sincere or not, is -- I mean, as long as we are talking about the Grammys and what not, if we're -- if we're celebrating him or if we're giving him credit for what he's saying, whether he means it or not, like, then we are condoning what he's saying, you know?

FLOCK: Does he deserve a Grammy in your view?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Of course not.

FLOCK: Anybody else think he deserves a Grammy?

Kenny (ph), what do you think?

KENNY (ph): I believe he deserves a Grammy, if he wins it. I mean, if people like him and people buy his music, then he's obviously doing something. And...

FLOCK: Are you not concerned, though, somewhere that a seed gets planted with this? Even if you take your argument -- which is, This is just an act and this is not reality -- does a seed not get planted in terms of what acceptable behavior is? And does it not harm the society in some way, in your view?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, in a way, I think it's a -- like, he's a role model of what not to do because people sit here and talk about how horrible it is that he said that. And people realize that it is a bad thing, the things that he says.

FLOCK: OK, so more about that. What else?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think following this, people will say, Do not be like Eminem, in that respect. And you don't want to be bad. He has a terrible mouth. And they would -- parents might bring their kids up to, in that respect. So...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I believe that you should be more like Eminem. Be more yourself; make yourself come out. Not in the sense of do all the bad things that he says or the bad things that he do. It's just, Be yourself. Don't try to be anybody else. Just be yourself.

FLOCK: Do you think he's being himself necessarily? Or do you think it's an act?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, we've all said already that the reason why we can take him as an entertainer is because it is entertainment, not because of his honesty. And, like, whether it is or isn't, you -- I really don't think that he's being like an honest person. I don't think we can take what he says as being, like, the truth.

And I don't think that he's real at all. I think he's doing it because, like, the more he feeds off of, like, the -- how people are offended and stuff like that, the more it's apparent that he's doing it for shock value and not for -- to get anything off his chest or not to, like, be honest with it.

FLOCK: Lastly, speaking of the shock value, you know, each generation has said -- has its music which shocks. I'm wondering where we go from here. Does Eminem have anywhere to go from here in terms of shock value?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think he's done a lot of stuff already. I don't know how much more our society can take of him. But I think what we don't realize is that the negative response that we're giving him, some of us people, is the fuel to his next album. I mean, he writes his lyrics based upon our negative comments towards him. I think he feeds off that.

FLOCK: Good discussion. Folks, thank you so much. We very much appreciate your time. We appreciate the folks here at Glenbrook South, opening this up to us. And we liked this discussion so much, we're going to come back at about 1:30 Eastern time and continue this discussion about Eminem on the day of the Grammys. Does he deserve one or not? We'll ask the question.

Back to you, folks.

HARRIS: All right, good deal. Thanks, Jeff.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com

 Search   


Back to the top