“Porn Rock delivers better than one could ever expect from a Fringe production. It’s a must-see.” – Buzzfeed
“Porn Rock is a must-see…Period.”-Bitter Lemons
“Smart producers:take this show on a national tour!” -Broadway World
WARRANT (“Cherry Pie”) guitarist Rick Steier joins the cast!
In 1985, Tipper Gore and 3 other women with strong ties to Washington politicians formed the Parent’s Music Resource Center (PMRC). They wanted to slap warning stickers on certain heavy metal albums that had content “inappropriate for children”.
The PMRC got a Senate Committee hearing…and the Congressional record was never the same.
On C-SPAN, and in front of international media, the PMRC provided examples of the very language and imagery they objected to. Consequently, the filthiest, most outrageous, most ridiculously over-the-top explicit rock lyrics were read aloud into the Congressional record.
The unintentionally hilarious transcript reads like a 1985 version of a hot S&M novel, with phrases that should have been reserved for a BDSM Satanist cult meeting.
Opposing the PMRC’s desire for album stickers were three of our country’s most famous musicians – the late Frank Zappa, Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, and the late John Denver. This unorthodox trio offered blistering testimony, decrying this infringement on the First Amendment. From Denver’s respectful, soft-spoken, yet vehement comparisons to Nazi Germany to Snider’s forcefully sarcastic jabs at his attackers, to Zappa’s scathing rancor, the artists delivered an unforgettable blow against government over-reach.
PORN ROCK is a re-staging of that infamous hearing.
It seems harmless now, because labeling is standard procedure, and lyrics have become exponentially more explicit. However, in 1985 it caused an uproar. Musicians saw this as an infringement on the First Amendment, and that it would cause some bands to be stigmatized, with their music removed from store shelves.
PORN ROCK is for everyone who believes in free speech, for the rights of artists and citizens everywhere to speak their minds, and for those who just like a good laugh at the government’s expense.
PORN ROCK: AN UNINTENTIONAL COMEDY comes from veteran TV writer-producer Lawrence Meyers, and veteran theatre and TV director Fred Keller.
CAST
(in order of appearance)
Sen. John Danforth, R, MI………………………….…Edgar Allan Poe IV
Sen. Ernest Hollings, D, SC……………………………….Dennis Delsing
Senator Paula Hawkins, R, FL………………………….Elizabeth Dement
Sen. Al Gore, D, TN………………………………………Don Schlossman
Tipper Gore, Chair, PMRC…………………………………….Liesel Kopp
Frank Zappa…………………………..…………………Drew Fitzsimmons
John Denver………………………………….………..Scott Victor Nelson
Dee Snider………………………………………………….Terry Tocantins
A Guitarist…………………………………..…………………..Rick Steier
Learn More at PornRock2016.blogspot.com
Production Team
