The massacre that inspired a musical revolution

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     November 30, 2022 It's the best day of the year for social media–addicted music streaming service users who can't remember who their favorite artists are: Spotify Wrapped release day. For those unfamiliar, instead of allowing people to access their listening data at any time, Spotify waits until the end of the year to give users a rundown of their most listened-to artists and songs. People then share their results on social media. I am not immune to this phenomenon. If you're curious, my top artists for 2022 were Big Thief, Elliott Smith, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Kate Bush, in that order. That list is lacking Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, who [no longer put their music on Spotify](. Young has been on my mind recently: As I read about the ongoing protests in Iran and China, I thought of "[Ohio,](" the protest song put out by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young in response to the Kent State massacre, when the Ohio National Guard killed four Vietnam War student protesters in 1970. The shooting sparked national outrage and inspired dozens of songs, and also, as I learned from the incident's [Wikipedia page](, left a lasting impression on several key figures in the 1970s and '80s new wave movement. Chrissie Hynde, the lead singer of the Pretenders (and the artist behind a pretty kickass [album of Bob Dylan covers](, if that's your thing), was a student at Kent State at the time and witnessed the massacre. Also present were Devo's Gerald Casale and Bob Lewis, whose interest in the concept of "de-evolution" grew after they saw their classmates killed. "I don’t think I would have started Devo had that not happened,” Casale told the [Washington Post](. It's hard to conceive of any positive results of such a shocking act of violence, but young people throughout the area channeled their trauma into a burgeoning avant-garde music scene in Akron, Ohio, giving us songs like "Whip It" and "My City Was Gone." With the holidays coming up, give a listen to the Pretenders' "[2,000 Miles](," one of the few Christmas songs I can stand. —Abigail Weinberg Advertisement [World Jewish Congress]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Trump’s Dinner Fiasco Was a Win for Fascists Playing the Long Game]( His guest, white supremacist Nick Fuentes, is trying to bend conservatism to his will. BY ALI BRELAND SPONSORED CONTENT BY WORLD JEWISH CONGRESS   [Protect and Defend Jews Everywhere]( Donate to the World Jewish Congress, American Section, to enable the WJC’s vital efforts to protect and defend vulnerable Jewish communities around the world. Your gift will be matched $2-for-$1 to have THREE TIMES the impact! Global Jewry is counting on you, so don’t miss out on the chance for your support to do more than ever. [Learn more here.]( [Trending] [Oath Keepers founder convicted of sedition in Capitol attack]( BY DAN FRIEDMAN   [Herschel Walker once said he was the target of racism. Now he claims it doesn't exist.]( BY DAVID CORN   [New revelations make the Oxford High School mass shooting even more tragic]( BY MARK FOLLMAN   [“Something needs to change or else we will all quit”]( BY ISABELA DIAS Advertisement [World Jewish Congress]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [US Bans Sugar Imports From Top Dominican Producer Over Forced Labor Allegations]( In an investigation by Reveal and Mother Jones, workers for the Central Romana Corp. spoke of inadequate protective gear, poor medical care, withheld pensions, and debt. BY SANDY TOLAN AND MICHAEL MONTGOMERY [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755